THE ROSE of Tralee festival returns to our screens tonight for the first time since 2019 as a result of two cancelled iterations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 61st year of the festival officially kicked off on Friday, with half of the 33 contestants taking to the stage tonight to speak to host Daithí Ó Sé and show off their talents, stories and Irish connections.
The remainder of the contestants will then take to the stage tomorrow evening, with the festival closing with a winner being crowned.
This year, Roses come from Arizona, Dubai, New York, and of course, a variety of Irish counties.
London Rose
The London Rose is 29-year-old Hayley Reynolds, who is originally from St Albans in Hertfordshire, but was born in Cricklewood.
Her father is from Roscommon, while her mother was born in Cricklewood to Irish parents from Kilkenny and Leitrim.
After completing a science degree in geography in 2016, Hayley travelled around Asia and Australia, where she lived for a year before returning home to start a career in marketing.
However, since the pandemic, she has pivoted into fitness and is now a personal trainer at a local gym. She hopes to one day open her own fitness studio.
The favourite
Texas Rose Arden Stringer is currently the bookies’ favourite to win the Rose of Tralee 2022, with odds of 5/2.
She is closely followed by the Kerry Rose, journalist Édaein O’ Connell with odds of 5/1 to become the second Rose ever to hail from the host county.
Spokesperson for Paddy Power Rachael Kane joked: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder and it would appear as though our punters are delighted to have the Rose Of Tralee back, with a solid flow of interest in the run up to the live shows.”
“It’s early days, and we expect the odds to change more often than Dáithí Ó Sé’s tie come the live shows, when close to 90% of all bets will be struck.”
How to watch
The Rose of Tralee will be available to watch for free, live and on-demand by audiences in Ireland and around the world on RTÉ Player.
The broadcast kicks off at 8pm each night, which is 3pm EST, 1pm Pacific, midnight for those in Dubai or 6am for anyone located in Sydney.
