The Rose of Tralee will not take place for the first time in 61 years – due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Organisers of the annual event have revealed there was no way to stage the Rose selections all over the world with proper safety precautions.
Instead, the next Rose of Tralee Festival will now take place in August 2021.
The Rose of Tralee, hosted by Daithi O’Se, is the most-loved pageant in Ireland, screening on RTE every summer, with multiple events running through the two-week celebration in Kerry.
In a statement, Rose of Tralee executive chairman Anthony O’Gara explained the decision to cancel this year’s competition:
“Over the past few weeks, our team have been considering how best we could safely deliver some, or all, of our 2020 festival events.
“This is the first time in our 61 year history that the festival has been postponed, but it is the right decision as we all play our part right now in keeping each other safe and well.
“The Rose of Tralee International Festival operates on a yearlong basis, in Irish communities worldwide; and we will continue to harness the goodwill of our extended Rose family in supporting communities and charitable efforts over the next 12 months.
“Similarly, we will each have a role to play in restoring our communities and local economies following this pandemic, and we look forward to coming together in celebration in August 2021.”
In a telling sign of the times, the current Rose of Tralee Dr Sinéad Flanagan, is back on the front line, working as a doctor.
On this week’s episode of the Gosscast, we announce our ‘Goss Gives Back’ fundraiser.
Plus Ali and Kendra chat about Matt Damon’s Irish protection, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s latest legal battle, and Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompon’s relationship, are they back on?
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