Tralee gets ready to host the Festival of Kerry and find a new Rose of Tralee.
Contestants from three continents will merge on Tralee to compete for the title of Rose of Tralee. Roses from as far away as Sydney and San Francisco will gather at the Ashe Memorial Hall where the winner will be crowned. The international search for the Rose of Tralee is just one part of the Festival of Kerry. It is a week when everybody from Kerry if at all possible, returns to their county to join the celebrations.
A week of fun and festivity.
William Pembroke Mulchinock wrote the song 'The Rose of Tralee' in a house on the outskirts of Tralee over a hundred years ago. The original Rose of Tralee, Mary O'Connor, worked in the house and provided the inspiration for the song.
Dan Nolan, editor of The Kerryman newspaper and one of the festival founders, explains what the event is all about. He says that visitors from overseas who come to the festival remain in Ireland for many weeks providing a source of tourism for the entire country.
The aim of the festival is to promote tourism in Kerry and in Ireland in general.
This year the festival cost over £8,000 to put on and Dan Nolan says that the financial outlay has been rising every year. The festival committee are responsible for raising finance with the support of local business. Fund-raising events in Ireland and overseas, as well as support from national businesses all contribute to the cost. In addition, this year's festival has received a £1,000 grant from Bord Fáilte. It is estimated that the festival is worth around £300,000 to the town.
The event attracts between eighty and ninety thousand people throughout the week. Nancy Cable is in charge of the bureau which oversees the provision of accommodation for visitors. She says that every spare bed in the town is made available. Cathleen O'Keefe is one of the many Tralee residents who provides accommodation during the festival. It is not about the money for her, but supporting the festival. She says that the same people come back year after year.
You do it for the support of the festival and for the good name of Tralee town.
Another event that takes place as part of the festival is the three day race meeting at Ballybeggan Park. The race meeting is free to all to attend. Joe Grace, secretary of the race course, says that by throwing open their gates to the public the hope is to make the racing meeting even more popular.
Festival secretary, George Rice, explains the complicated logistics involved in organising the festival. With Festival of Kerry centres all over the world coordinating events can prove challenging with just a small team of volunteers involved in administrative work.
The highlight of the festival is the selection of the Rose of Tralee.
Denis O'Riordan, chairman of the Festival Committee, is adamant that it is not a beauty competition.
The girls are chosen for their poise, personality, charm, and well if they're good-looking, we don't object.
Dubliner Ciara O'Sullivan is the 1962 Rose of Tralee. Winning the competition has given her the opportunity to meet lots of people she would otherwise have never met. Her duties for the year included attending functions in Kerry. Part of the prize included a trip to Italy for an audience with Pope John XXIII.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 20 August 1963. The reporter is Seán Egan.
