Dublin Rose Casey Harris has said she is "incredibly proud" to be representing her hometown of Finglas in this year's Rose of Tralee, adding that it's also a dream come true for her mother and aunt, who are huge fans of the show.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment, the 24-year-old singer and music teacher from north Dublin said her community have "rallied around me" and shown "such huge support" from the start.
"It's such an honour to be representing my county and my home. I've received so much community support - it's been amazing.
"I'm incredibly proud of where I come from - even more so in the last couple of weeks since becoming the Dublin Rose."
"The community have just rallied around me and shown me such huge support. I'm very proud of where I come from and very, very grateful to the people there," she said.
Casey, who is a huge music fan and completed a degree in Commercial Modern Music at BIMM Dublin in 2022, said her family will be coming to Tralee "in their droves".
"You know, I don't think there will be a person left in Finglas," she joked. "There will be people there from all aspects of my life - family and friends."
Casey explained how her mother and aunt would pretend to take part in the Rose of Tralee when they were little girls - and she feels like she is "achieving something that was so far away for them".
"My mam always tells the story of when she was a little girl her and her sister would watch the Rose of Tralee.
"They also grew up in Finglas and it felt very far away for them, like something that they may not be able to achieve. You didn't really hear 'Finglas on the Rose of Tralee' in the same sentence.
"My mam and her sister would play the Rose of Tralee. Gay Byrne was the host at the time - one of them would be Gay and the other would play the Rose.
"I feel like I'm achieving something that was so far away for them - it's huge for me!"
The 2024 Rose of Tralee International Festival airs live on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player on Monday 19 August and Tuesday 20 August from 8pm, with features, archive footage, behind-the-scenes content, and more available across the RTÉ website and social media platforms in the coming days.
