The current Rose of Tralee Rachel Duffy has urged people to "remember that roses are real people" who have spent months representing their families and their communities.
Westmeath's Rachel Duffy who was crowned the 2022 Rose of Tralee said the five minutes you see of the roses on stage is "only a snapshot of the festival".
In a post on the social media app Instagram, the Rose of Tralee said the women are "acting as role models, supporting charity, cultural and social organisations and are very bravely putting themselves on live television for your entertainment"
"Enjoy it and be kind" she said.
The competition has come in for criticism in recent years over a lack of diversity, however it introduced new rules to reflect what it called a "diverse and inclusive" festival.
In 2021 it announced that married women were able to enter the festival as well as transgender women and the maximum age for entries was raised to 29.
The festival is underway in Tralee in Co Kerry with two nights of the competition televised on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player this Monday and Tuesday from 8:00pm.
