Rugby legend Shane Byrne opens up about pride for his daughter in Rose of Tralee
The former Leinster star cheered on his daughter, Kerry, at last year's Rose of Tralee competition, which was hosted by Daithi O Se and Kathryn Thomas.
Shane was a guest at the Bollinger champagne tent on the third day of the Punchestown Racing Festival, where he opened up about his pride for his daughter.
He said: "It was is all completely her. We didn't have anything to do with it.
"The then-Wicklow Rose was a girl from Arklow and that sparked her interest.
"She told us she was going to do it and we thought 'Oh brilliant'. She was brilliant. She was really, really impressive. The rollercoaster that is the Rose of Tralee.
"But the main thing is she was happy doing it. She made lifelong friends."
He shared his pride watching his daughter on stage.
"She was nice and calm. There was no real stress," he added.
Shane was among the 20,228 who attended day three of Punchestown Races - compared to 18,289 on the same day last year.
Elsewhere, at the Bollinger tent, Kildare native Maria Osborne, 41, was crowned Thursday's finalist of the Bollinger Best Dressed competition.
The mum-of-three dedicated her win to her daughter Rosie.
She said: "I'm having a really good day.
"I've had three kids and it's been a decade so I'm back racing now."
Speaking about her win, she said it was so exciting to be a finalist ahead of Friday's grand final of winning a trip for two to the Bollinger champagne region of France.
Psychologist Maria said she dedicated her win to her seven-year-old Rosie.
"Without a doubt, my little girl Rosie. She's seven. She has her own unique style.
"She was in the changing room when I was buying it. She was really excited."
Maria wowed the Best Dressed judges with her outfit from Aoife McNamara while her shoes are Jimmy Choos from Vinted.
Her hat - a Marc Millinery rental from Hats Amore in Newbridge - was teamed with an old Zara bag she had at home, while her Chanel sunglasses were borrowed from her sister.
The Head of the Bollinger Style Council, Jess Colivet commented "the style and colour was amazing today, they really followed the brief - something old, something new - and the decision was very tough, it really came down to the finishing touches like shoes and jewellery."
Maria will join previous daily winners Genieve Ryan and Oniesa Owens, who have fast-tracked through to today's grand finale when the overall winner of the 2025 Bollinger Best Dressed Competition will be announced.
The first race today goes to post at 3.40pm and the feature race on the card is the highly anticipated, Boodles Champion Hurdle (Grade 1).
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