Rose of Tralee co-host Kathryn Thomas has said "it's easy to forget" how important it is to maintain an Irish relationship when living abroad and says the festival really is "a celebration of being Irish".
The highly-anticipated televised event, which airs live on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 August from 8pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, will see 32 Roses from Sligo to San Francisco, and Monaghan to Melbourne, taking to the stage.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment ahead of tonight's show, Thomas said "there's no sense of competition at all" among the Roses and says as cliche as it sounds it's all about spreading "happiness and joy".
"I've met three Roses that have never been to Ireland before. I think it's very easy for us at home to forget how important that Irish connection is for the international Roses who live away. It's easy to forget how important it is to maintain that Irish relationship, when you're in Perth, when you're in New Zealand, wherever," she said.
She added: You look at the Olympics, and you look at the celebration of Irishness, and you look at the joy and a break from all the s***e that's in the news, and it's a celebration of being Irish and happiness and joy and all that.
"And in a way, I kind of feel that it's that same feeling for a lot of these women who are here. It's celebrating their Irishness, it's coming together, it’s a chance for their families and friends to come back and it’s a chance to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with 31 Irish women who are going, 'You’re f***ing deadly!’. There is no sense of competition at all, that’s really inspiring," she said.
Dáithí Ó Sé explained how his main job across the two televised nights is to make sure the Roses are "happy and want to go back out there again" and says the biggest lesson he's learned throughout his many years of presenting the show is that, "it's not about me, it's about them!".
Discussing his passion for presenting the much-loved show for over a decade, Ó Sé said: "I suppose it's about having a love for people and wanting the best for them. I think the biggest lesson I've learned after all these years, is that it's not about me, it's about them!"
He added: "When they go on stage it's about their families and communities. My main job is to make sure that the Roses are happy and want to go back out there again. Once I've achieved that, I can go and enjoy the whole thing with them as well."
Asked what viewers can expect tonight, Ó Sé said there are "a few surprises in store" and some really fun party pieces.
"You've two or three hours of TV - so what you really want is to just go for it and have some fun.
"We really try to shake it up with different things every year. We're going to meet 32 fantastic Irish women from all around the world and hear about their accomplishments - and it all comes together in Tralee," he said.
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.
Reporting: Laura Delaney and Sarah McIntyre
