Kilkenny teacher wins Rose of Tralee title

The Kilkenny Rose, Orla O'Shea, last night won the 2004 Rose of Tralee title.

Ms O'Shea (20), a native of Kilkenny City, completed her Bachelor of Education studies in June and takes up her first position as a primary teacher in Swords, Co. Dublin next month.

Her crowning capped a revamped festival that appears to have secured its future, after local business people saved it from financial ruin early this year.

With ticket sales and television viewing figures up on 2003, organisers predicted the event would break even - their stated target.

But they stressed that this year's reorganisation was only the first part of a five-year plan aimed at hugely expanding the competition's base.

Despite some empty seats in the "Dome" last night, managing director Anthony O'Gara said ticket revenue was up 30 per cent, a fact credited to the drastic reduction in "freebies" central to the rescue plan.

He predicted there would be no return to the "ferociously expensive" street entertainment of former years, when acts including Westlife and James Brown played to non-paying crowds.

But a permanent decision has yet to be made on the future of the "Order of the Golden Rose", the award scheme that, since 1968, has seen up to 300 people honoured for services to the festival and thereafter entitled to free invitations to events.

The scheme was suspended this year, and Mr O'Gara conceded that this and other cutbacks had been unpopular.

"But look at the Rose Ball [which sold out, at €100 a ticket], and look at the huge turnout in Tralee for Saturday's parade.

"All in all, we think the festival has gone very well," he said.

Preliminary TV viewing figures for Monday night were well up on last year, despite competition from Sonia O'Sullivan's Olympic final. RTÉ has only one year left of its contract to televise the Rose, but Mr O'Gara said there were no plans to talk to other stations.

The second year of Ryan Tubridy's reign as Rose MC has been judged a success, despite a mild rebuke yesterday from disability groups, which followed an extended joke with the Washington Rose on Monday night about her one-eyed great, great grandfather.

The two-night format of the contest's televised stage is not expected to change under the reforms. But from next year the organisers hope to have Rose competitions in all 32 counties of Ireland, with only eight Irish winners proceeding to Tralee.

Expansion is also planned in Britain and North America, so that within five years it is hoped there will be 85 different "Rose centres" sending entrants, via regional finals, to the festival.