THE winner of the 2018 Rose of Tralee was announced in a ceremony in Kerry last night.
After two days of pageantry, bizarre talents and buzz, the 2018 Rose of Tralee was crowned at the Dome in Tralee.
Host Daithi O Se opened the all important envelope to reveal that 21-year-old student and part-time model Kirsten Mate Maher was this year's winner.
Congratuations to this year's #RoseofTralee, Waterford Rose Kirsten Mate Maher! pic.twitter.com/dWXmcmY0Dg
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) August 21, 2018
The Waterford Rose impressed everyone on Monday night, singing a beautiful rendition of the Nina Simone classic 'Feelin' Good.'
A little reminder of the Rose of Tralee 2018's performance from Monday night.
Congratulations Kirsten.#RoseofTralee pic.twitter.com/GST0T4vJG9— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) August 21, 2018
Kirsten was the joint favourite along with the Carlow Rose Shauna Ray Lacey.
Speaking to Daithi, she heaped praise on her fellow contestants, describing them as "the most amazing women".
She broke down in tears on stage where she was joined by her father, Kwalo, who hails from Zambia, and her mother, Jacinta, who is from Waterford.
Ms Maher currently works in a boutique in Tramore, Co Waterford. On Monday she was notified that she had been accepted on to a course at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT)to study Multimedia and Application Development.
“I certainly did not think it would be me. I haven’t clicked any buttons yet. I might have to click on the defer button,” she said.
As she left to savour her win, Kirsten said she wanted to "bring happiness to everyone and have a laugh".
"Help out and raise money for much-needed charities like Pieta House," she added, "who I've chosen as my charity for the year and who I raised money for early on in the year."
She took to Instagram this morning to reflect on her win.
