Limerick Rose and International Rose of Tralee winner Sinead Flanagan insists that that the show is representative of Irish women.
Here defence of the show comes after Newstalk presenter Susan Keogh blasted the contest for a lack of diversity.
The presenter claimed that the show did not, in her opinion, portray women who don’t have degrees or a wide range of backgrounds.
“From my point of view, I definitely regard myself as a modern Irish woman,” Sinead told RTE Radio One show Morning Ireland.
“There were 31 other women up there with me of Irish extraction, so I think we all represent ourselves, our families and our professions.”
“From my own opinion anyway, its definitely representative, and I’ve had two of the most fantastic weeks of my life.”
The Limerick Rose beat out the competition on Tuesday night’s finale show, after discussing her experiences with nursing with host Daithi O’Se.
Highlights on the evening included Daithi taking to the stage in a pair of thigh-high red boots, in a bid by 2FM to raise money for charity.
