With this year's Rose of Tralee International Festival 2023 only days away, RTE.ie looks back at the five stand-out moments from the contest's history...
The proposal
Who can forget the moment that divided the nation back in 2013 when New Orleans' Rose Molly Molloy Gambel was proposed to live on stage and on national television?
At the end of her chat with Daithí, boyfriend Kyle strode onto the stage, got down on one knee and asked to marry her - provoking a huge and memorable reaction from the clearly shocked Rose.
She said "no" eleven times before saying yes, leaving viewers divided - some thought it was a genius and truly unique proposal, while others believed he completely stole her "Rose" thunder - a decade on, what do you think? Have a look...
Either way, the pair went on to marry the following year, with RTÉ even filming a documentary called The Proposal, which followed them in the lead-up to their big day.
The couple posted a video update on the official Rose of Tralee Facebook in 2020, alongside their baby daughter, Catherine.
The dance sensation
Most Roses go for Irish dancing as their dance of choice, in keeping with the festival's celebration of our national culture and heritage.
This was not the case for 2011 Dublin Rose Siobhéal Nic Eochaidh, whose sassy and highly energetic hip hop dance to LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem went completely viral and has gone down in Rose history as legendary.
Happily, Nic Eochaidh has very much kept her Rose experience as a huge part of her life, as she went on to marry 2012 Rose Escort Brian Staunton, with all four of her bridesmaids also being former Roses. She now owns an accessories business called Rosie and Dott.
The ice bath
While the definition of what constitutes a party piece has very much become looser over the past decade of the festival, at least it has brought about some truly surreal and memorable TV moments over the years.
Longtime presenter of the show, Daithí Ó Sé, gamely plays ball with whatever madness is thrown at him.
A stand-out moment from last year's competition saw him demonstrate the Wim Hof method by taking a dip in an ice-bath, as part of Kildare Rose Ashleigh Byrne's party piece.
The groundbreaker
Philadelphia Rose Maria Walsh won the competition in 2014 and blew judges and viewers away with her intelligence, personality and - quite uniquely for a winning Rose at the time - her short hair.
Five days after her win, she revealed in an interview that she was gay - becoming the first ever openly gay Rose of Tralee in the competition's history and making headlines across the globe.
Walsh has gone on to a career in politics, becoming a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Midlands–North-West constituency in July 2019.
The cold fish
Daithí Ó Sé must have questioned his career choices back in 2013, when he was forced to kiss an enormous dead cod, as part of Newfoundland and Labrador Rose Erica Halfyard's party piece...
And finally - a bonus party piece...
Another truly surreal moment in the contest's history came courtesy of the Darwin Rose in 2013, when she tucked presenter Ó Sé into bed and read a bedtime story!
Who knows what awaits us this year?
The Rose of Tralee International Festival 2023 will be presented by Dáithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas.
It hits TV screens Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 August from 8pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, with RTÉ.ie Entertainment live blogging all the action from the two nights. See you then!
