The Rose of Tralee International Festival returned to our screens on Monday night, after a two-year hiatus.
33 hopefuls vying for the coveted title represented the Irish diaspora worldwide including, Ireland, Britain, United States, Canada, Australia and the Middle East.
On Tuesday night, 23-year-old Rachel Duffy was crowned the 2022 Rose of Tralee, becoming the first ever winner from Westmeath.
Viewers took to Twitter to react to Rachel’s historic win, with many pointing a major change to the final.
One wrote: “Ok just watched tonight’s Rose of Tralee surely times aren’t that bad they couldn’t crown her with a tiara ?? Seriously a bunch of flowers and sash , best part was watching the tiara slipping off their head when they win.”
Another asked: “What happened the crown in the rose of Tralee ?”, while a third penned: “Why did winner of Rose of Tralee not get her crown? That’s not the Rose of Tralee we know. Delighted for the girl.”
What happened the crown in the rose of Tralee ?
— rita martin (@brucearva) August 23, 2022
Do the @RoseofTralee_ #RoseofTralee winners not get a a wee crown? 🤔 thought they did before! Must be the way going forward ! Congratulations to the Westmeath Rose #RachelDuffy 🌹 winning tonight! @daithi_ose @RTEOne
— Robbie Kane (@robbiekane74) August 23, 2022
Why did winner of Rose of Tralee not get her crown? That’s not the Rose of Tralee we know. Delighted for the girl. #RoseofTralee #NoCrown @rte
— Pekalton (@Pekalton) August 23, 2022
@RoseofTralee_ the crown was the most important part of the whole festival and it wasn't presented to Rachel, what's that all about ? Every princess wants her crown. Alot of little girls stayed up to see the crown. Not good enough #RoseOfTralee
— Gerry Neill (@GerryNeill6) August 23, 2022
Rachel is from the small village of Rosemount located in the heart of the country in Co. Westmeath.
Last year, she graduated from NUI Galway with a BA in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies and Spanish.
Rachel currently works in P. Egan’s Traditional Irish Bar in Moate, and is returning to university to complete her Masters degree to be a Spanish and English teacher.
She is a proud member of Cill Óige Ladies, and also loves singing at trad sessions.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Rachel said that despite being “absolutely blown away” by the reception she has received, the experience was “bittersweet”.
The Westmeath Rose also paid tribute to her late mother, who passed away when she was nine years old, her father and her local community.
“This whole experience, ever since becoming the Westmeath Rose, has been very special for our family,” she said. “These things are bittersweet. It’s hard when someone’s missing, but my mam was there in her own way last night, and I definitely feel like she was looking down on me.
“I was nine years old and my sister was twelve and my brother was fifteen, so in fairness… My dad is a very good man, and he’s taken such good care of us. The people in my community got us over the line and were always there for anything we ever needed. I’m very lucky.”
Rachel continued: “Regardless of winning in the end, the whole experience was just so amazing. To see the joy on my family’s faces throughout the week, to see the craic they were having… There were lots of tears, even for such a happy time there were lots of tears.”
“From start to finish, this whole experience has made me realise what a privilege it is to be a part of the Rose of Tralee, to represent my county, and now to be able to represent all the girls that were with me the last few weeks. I’ve made so many lifelong friendships and memories that I’ll cherish forever.”
