Night two in The Dome was an evening of laughter, tears, jiving, tattoos and birthday surprises. Here are our highlights of the night...
Little Ella gets a very nice birthday surprise
One little lady had a birthday she won't forget live in The Dome on Tuesday night. Ella, the daughter of Limerick Rose Leah McMahon and her fiancé Al, turned eight today and she was presented with a birthday cake by Dáithí as the whole place sang Happy Birthday.
Proud mum Leah, who is a 29-yer-old financial advisor, told Kathryn that Ella had made her a special bracelet for her week with the Roses - and her dress was also a bit of a showstopper.
It was a green, fitted "ode to Limerick," featuring patterns of pictures of local landmarks St John’s Castle and Thomond Park. Leah also gave a passionate speech about the importance of financial planning for women and tackled criticism of the whole Rose of Tralee concept. Kathryn even mentioned the now rather jaded "Lovely Girls" dig, and Leah said, "Men and women aren't on a level playing field. We need festivals like the Rose of Tralee to celebrate women.
"We’re not asking to be more, we’re asking to be on the same level. Critics, I don’t think they understand. It’s been amazing."
That got quite a cheer in The Dome.
Ottawa Rose delivers emotional tribute in song to her late father
Ottawa Rose Aidan Russell (27), who works in Indigenous Services and once served at the Canadian Embassy in Dublin, had a moving story on Tuesday evening that pretty much summed up the whole spirit of the Rose of Tralee.
Sadly, she lost her beloved father last year and it was he who gave her a love of Ireland. She said that representing Ottawa is her way to celebrate his Irish roots. Aidan had to take a break from her Rose duties earlier this week when she was overcome by the "outpouring of love and support" from her fellow Roses in what has been a very emotional time for her. To honour her dad, she sang a very moving version of Hilary Duffs Someone's Watching Over Me.
Happy days for Sydney Rose’s dad
Sydney Rose Laura Foley, a 26-year-old occupational therapist and public health researcher, was making her very first trip to Ireland but her dad, Michael, was nearly in danger of stealing the limelight from under her nose.
Michael, who hails from Kilkenny and emigrated to Australia in the nineties, has been known as Fonzie since he was 12 years old so Kathryn decided to get in on the act by presenting him with a leather jacket. However, he was already sat in the audience wearing one - along with a bowtie. He did don a pair of shades for the occasion. Heeeeyyy!
Texas Rose shares inspiring cancer story
For our money, 21-year-old Texas Rose Sarah Costa wore the gúna of the night - a dark purple number embroidered with silver (not yellow) roses. She told Kathryn that she tried poitín for the first time during the week and said that it cured the sniffles she had when she first arrived in Ireland.
Her proud father was in the audience in The Dome wearing a very impressive black Stetson and Austin native Sarah told the story of how her great, great grandfather arrived in New York from Sligo and ended up living a tough life as a miner.
Sarah herself has also had a tough time - when she was only 18 she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and her story was an inspiration to anyone who may be facing similar challenges. She also showed off the scar from her operation and it brought a very human touch to the night.
Toronto Rose tries Irish dancing for the first time in eight years
26-year-old political science graduate Rachel Hoare had quite a story to tell on Tuesday night in The Dome. She is currently working as a banker but wants to be a teacher - despite the fact that she has dyscalculia, a learning disability that affects one's ability to understand and work with numbers. She also suffered a stroke when she was just five years old but none of that has held her back. A lesson for all of us there.
She admitted that she was "out of her comfort zone" being on the Roses stage, adding, "But I have to push myself." After a very quick dress change, she then performed a very impressive hard shoe dance at her sister's special request - and it was the first time she’d tried Irish dancing in eight years.
The show must go on for South Australian Rose Beth
Somebody very special was looking down on South Oz Rose Beth Mooney on Tuesday night. The Dublin native arrived on The Dome stage in a very eye-catching baby pink dress and was a model of composure after what had been a very tough few days.
Only yesterday, Beth, who is a dancer, had buried her grandmother Lucy but as Beth told Kathryn, "There is no way my grandmother would have let me miss this. I am representing her."
Beth also touched on one of the biggest Irish news stories of recent weeks when she revealed that she had suffered from scoliosis and had a spinal fusion procedure when she was younger. And she more than proved that there is life after scoliosis by dancing to a version of Nothing Compares 2 U.
