Rose of Tralee host Daithí Ó Sé with some of the roses in 2013
From the Rose of Tralee website:
People sometimes ask if The Rose of Tralee Festival is a beauty pageant. The Rose of Tralee Festival is an event that celebrates many different things. We received these words from one of our Roses that eloquently describes how the Roses feel about their experience:
“The Roses are actually only one part of the festival. The festival is a week of events (most of which we weren’t even at!) that brings people to Kerry to celebrate their Irish heritage and culture. Yes, the TV nights look very beauty pageant-like and there are all sorts of corny conversations and performances (mine included) but again, that is only one part of the festival and it’s the part that most of Ireland knows about.
RTÉ puts on two nights of entertainment which they hope will trend on Twitter and create conversation. Like anything on television, you don’t have to watch it but in no way do I think it is damaging to the feminist movement or promoting superficiality.
One commentator asked why unattractive, unemployed women can’t enter and beside the fact that they can, I think the festival is about celebrating women who raise the bar and are confident, hardworking, intelligent role models. It’s a double standard and patronising to ask women to lower the bar to be more inclusive when the rest of the world celebrates excellence. I can’t remember the last ‘average’ athlete that made it to the Olympics and was on the telly.”
Festival History (Rose of Tralee)
Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland
Thanks Bingo Slimz
God, they really managed to skirt around the “unattractive” there.
It’s primarily a sex appeal contest.
Like most things in life.
‘Cept it really isn’t.
Pathetic.
Tommy Tiernan is looking well there
Thats what I think when watching the Rose of Tralee, “now there’s a bunch of people who are really raising that bar!”
It reminds me of that article on Irish Models a couple of weeks ago. RoT is a beauty pageant with the sex removed for an Irish audience, so they get them to fill the time with some childish song or dance, which is rarely a display of any real talent.
I’ve nothing against the RoT, in fact I just to get rather excited about it when I was a kid, it’s just that I’ve out grown it. In fact haven’t we all out grown it?
But no doubt it will run for many more years, which I’ve no objection too just don’t claim to to be “raising that bar” when we have women like the Irish Rugby team, Mary Robinson, Ali Hewson, etc who are really inspirational to both genders.
what in the name of jebus is your point! get to the point dammit!
I had a point but it escapes me now. Reminds me of the time I was on the bus from Ballysimon with twink, and she was ragin cause of something her fella had done. So we decided to come up with a new TV show for her to sing on weekly, the only problem was there was some new fella working in RTE who didn’t like her. Ja know what I mean?
RoT is rather cringe-worthy but to compare them (even indirectly) to the Irish street model phenomenon is very unfair.
It is a little cringe-worthy because it is so earnest when most popular culture is anything but.
Where else would normal, middle-class girls get up and talk about their careers and boyfriends and a mildly funny story involving their older brother and sister?
It is a strange sort of popularity contest based around the sort of conversation you might have with your friend’s elderly parents.Give the sort of answers that’d mark you down as a nice young fella/girl with a hint of safe mischief and you’d be well on your way to being Rose (or the winning escort)
Yeah, it’s a pile of muck.
“Give the sort of answers that’d mark you down as a nice young fella/girl with a hint of safe mischief ”
Don’t tell um you’re a raging big aul whore is it?
“Tell us, what do ya like to get up to at the weekends Moira? ”
“Roidin’ with me boyfriend Daithí… On our bicycles loike, haw haw” she says with a come hither wink.
They should merge it with Puck Fair. Display the girls in a cage for a few days and get some goats to do party tricks on the telly. I’d definitely watch that.
to be fair though, I’d watch any telly that featured goats doing tricks, even without the girls in cages.
You see this is the type of fresh thinking that the montrose mafia are so allergic to.
I would watch 40 shades of s**t out of this!
Aw epic :) The girls could also compete to catch the puck, hilarity will ensue!
there is nothing right or good about that photo, in fact I feel sick
That bar needs to be raised higher ! :) …moaning about the RoT show is pathetic in fairness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MahY3MSRug0
Never Forget!
she won’t anyway
with the sound off its even more mental
Wow.
Cojones in fairness.
(hardcore with the sound off ; )
Oh Dog!
I am tempted to say don’t feed the clickbait trolls in RTE to this one also.
The RoT has already set in
Anyone who sponsors the ROT needs their head examined. Not because it’s sexist but because it’s so outdated and utterly crap.
Anyone who sponsors one of the highest ratings on irish tv needs their heads examined!!!
You’d want to be pure thick to have your brand exposed to that many people!
Patronising event, patronising host, silly paddywhackery…
Patronising – probably.
I don’t see the Paddywhackery – like it or not (and I don’t really) it has managed to alight upon something quite real and prevalent.
whats the deal with his crash helmet?
10 euro, or nearest offer.
Red Stripes not included.
lol. Raise the bar you ugly slobs! Roll up for the Olympics of Keeping Everything The Same, Sure What Harm.