As the first guest of the new season of The Late Late Show, new Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh has said she hopes that media coverage of her sexuality will help other young people to have a positive experience in coming out.
Asked by host Ryan Tubridy about her interview with The Irish Sun on Sunday in which she discussed her sexuality, Walsh said: "I've been openly gay for two years."
She continued: "My family and friends know it; they support it. It came out after the fact, obviously, to the Rose of Tralee committee, which they welcomed even more. It's a part of my identity, along with the many other things that I identify with... I'm very transparent, I've nothing to hide."
"I was delighted with the story, I think it brought across a real truth to me and a warmth to it," she added.
Walsh said that she never expected to win the contest and did not feel it necessary to comment on her sexuality while taking part, but that had she been asked, or if her interview was "even going towards that way" during the show, she "would've obviously, openly said it".
Asked if she wanted to be a role model, Walsh replied: "Of course I do. If any young person - because all my volunteer work has always surrounded young people - if I could help one person for that article being in the newspapers or all those articles to be on the Monday newspapers, in the news and Twitter..."
She added: "If I could even help one young person come out and deal with it in a positive way and have positive reinforcement around that, then my year as Rose of Tralee has already been completed. I would be delighted with that."
Watch the full interview at: www.rte.ie/player.
Looking forward to her year as Rose of Tralee, Walsh said that there had been discussions about visits to Chernobyl, Belarus and South Africa.
"I'm sitting down with the Rose of Tralee committee and we're aggressively trying to fit in as much in this year [as possible]," she said, "keeping all the things about a Rose on the cards. The philosophy is of the festival 'a Rose can make a difference'."
