MORE than half a million people watched on as Laois’s Katelyn Cummins was crowned the 2025 Rose of Tralee this week.
Some 532,000 viewers tuned in to RTÉ One and RTÉ Player to watch as presenters Dáithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas announced Ms Cummins as this year’s winner on August 19.
A total of 202,000 of those viewers tuned in via RTÉ Player from 102 countries worldwide, including the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and Kenya, as Ms Cummins became the first-ever Laois Rose to take the title.
Laois’s Katelyn Cummins was crowned the 2025 Rose of Tralee this week (Pic: RTE)The 20-year-old was announced as the winner just before 11.30pm on Tuesday evening, beating 31 other hopefuls to take the title.
The apprentice electrician, who hails from the village of Ballyouskill, on the Laois-Kilkenny border, was presented with her sash by last year's Rose, New Zealand's Keely O'Grady.
Ms Cummins is the 65th International Rose of Tralee.
From the village of Ballyouskill, on the Laois-Kilkenny border, Ms Cummins said winning felt "like a dream".
While being interviewed for the live show, she told the hosts she loved working as an electrician and plans to pursue an engineering degree.
"I am an apprentice electrician, she told the hosts.
"I am currently in my phase 3 at the moment. Back when I was in Transition Year, I had to do work experience, and I didn't really know what I wanted to do," she explained.
"I didn't really want to go to college; it didn't really seem like a path for me.
"Then my dad put me in touch with a local electrician. I did a week's work experience, and I absolutely loved it. I knew it was the job for me."
She added: "Some people say I don't look like an electrician. I am very, very girly. I was the only girl in my college, and I am the only girl in my apprenticeship. I'm one of the lads now."
See More: Electrician, Katelyn Cummins, Kerry, Laois, Rose Of Tralee
