Contestants and judges take a Sealink ferry to Holyhead before the announcement of the Dublin Rose.
Hopeful contestants board the Sealink ferry at Dún Laoghaire where they will meet the judges who will decide who will be this year's Dublin Rose.
The 23 hopefuls for the Dublin title go on board the Columba.
The winning rose will represent Dublin at the Rose of Tralee contest. The reigning Rose of Tralee Diane Hannigan describes the event as having a non-competitive atmosphere. She says it is really about the girls getting to know each other.
It's not a beauty contest.
One of the Dublin Rose judges, Mr Clerihan, says it is a nervous time for all the contestants. Diane Hannigan says while there might be nerves, they are all having a great time. Also on the judging panel is the last Dublin Rose to become Rose of Tralee, Kathy Murphy and the Belfast Rose who won the competition in 1979, Marita Marron. They are joined by Captain Aidan Quigley, Florence O'Connor, a founding member of the festival, and Sealink Chairman Ted Corbett. Mr Clerihan says the judges are looking for personality and references the lyrics of the song 'The Rose of Tralee'.
Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me.
The 23 girls have been entered to the Dublin Rose by various companies, and organisers say that anyone can have a go. Each year, 34 roses from all over the world enter the competition. The Dublin Rose represents a region that includes most of Leinster. The last time a Dublin Rose won the title of Rose of Tralee was 1969. Despite the long gap, Mr Clerihan is confident that this year could be Dublin's year again.
Arriving in Holyhead, most of the judging has now been done, and the contestants have a chance to relax.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 16 April 1985.
