New Rose of Tralee, Maggie Rose McEldowney, has said she hopes to challenge people's perceptions of what the Rose of Tralee International Festival is all about.
Speaking to RTÉ on her first day as the new Rose, McEldowney said she "never, ever in a million years" thought she would be crowned Rose of Tralee, adding that is it is a "wonderful dream come true."
During her year-long reign as Rose, she said she hopes to change people's perception of the competition as "some kind of beauty pageant".
"I have a lot of things I would love to accomplish. One of the things, which I think a lot of the Roses that have gone before me have tried to fix, is the concept that this is some kind of beauty pageant," she said.
"I would love to alter the image, just like the Roses before me have done, because it is so much more than the glitz and the glam, which is a wonderful part of it, it's a beautiful aspect of the festival, but obviously there is so much more that goes into it. So I look forward to creating awareness for that."
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Almost three-quarters of a million people tuned in last night to watch Maggie be crowned as the 2016 Rose with a peak of 743,800 viewers watching the show on RTÉ One. The impressive ratings means that just under 60% of people watching television at the time saw Daithí Ó Sé announce the winner.
The new Rose began her first day with her new title by being serenaded over breakfast as she wore her winner's crown.
Bringing the Chicago Rose her first meal as the Rose of Tralee, chef 'Luciapiano Trapaphoney' burst into song as he served her a continental breakfast.
It's been a busy morning for the new Rose with congratulatory phone calls pouring in, and a few of her fellow Roses dropping by to celebrate with her.
The Rose of Tralee with Philadelphia Rose Brigette Gallagher and Galway Rose Rosie Burke
What a difference a day makes - we caught up with the winning Rose when she arrived in Dublin a few weeks ago:
