Loss of younger sister will be to the forefront of Mayo Rose Clara Gardiner's thoughts as she takes part in the Rose of Tralee

Irish Independent

a day ago

Nestled in the heart of north Mayo, Kilfian has a population of around 600.
'We've never had a Rose from my area. It's a first for them, so I feel like it's really exciting and I feel like I'm bringing them all along with me,' Clara says.
Since becoming Mayo Rose, Clara has attended functions across the county, from the Lady of the Moy in Ballina to the Queen of the Lakes in Ballinrobe.
She sat down with the Irish Independent upstairs in the Thatch Bar in Crossmolina, away from the well-wishers who came out on the August Bank Holiday Sunday to see her off to Tralee.
Earlier that day, Kilfian held a similar gathering. Being at many events in such a short space of time is not unusual for a Mayo Rose. But it is particularly challenging for a mother of a three-year-old-child.
'There is a lot of things you have to think about like child minding and different events that might not be suitable to bring him with me and all that,' Clara explains while her partner, Oisín, keeps an eye on their son, Noah.
'I have great support at home, my mum, my family, my sister coming home from Canada a few weeks ago - they surprised us - she's just been a great help as well. I'm really blessed with all the support around helping me out.'
In April, Clara became the first mother to be crowned Mayo Rose.
However, she will not be the first mother to enter the Rose of Tralee, a competition which excluded unmarried mothers until 2008 and married women until 2021.
She won't even be the only mother contesting this year's Rose of Tralee.
'I think it's a positive thing,' says Clara, 'It's a good thing to show other young mothers that something like this is possible for you as well.'
Though maligned for being stuck in the past, Clara insists the 65-year-old Rose of Tralee competition has moved with the times.
'I think it's evolved from the notion of a beauty pageant. It definitely focuses on the women on stage, who they are, their personalities, what they stand for, and there's definitely a lot more awareness of all sorts of different issues,' says Clara.
'I think it's a really good platform now for women to actually speak about who they are and what they stand for as opposed to just their physical appearance.'
Clara is studying home economics at St Angela's College in Sligo. Since becoming Mayo Rose, she's advocated for mothers, mental health, and her home village.
One cause has been particularly close to her heart.
In 2019, Clara's 16-year-old sister, Jemma, died from a neurological condition called hydrocephalus.
She carried Jemma's memory into the Mayo Rose competition with Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland (SBHI) as her sponsor.
As the Mayo Rose, she has continued to advocate for SBHI. She has also fundraised for North West STOP, a charity that gave her counselling while she mourned her sister's passing.
'I just really want to use the platform to spread awareness about things that are important to me like that, and mental health would be one, definitely,' she says.
'You always hear me saying, 'If you have a broken bone, you wouldn't wait to get it checked out and fixed'. I think it's very relevant as well with mental health, the exact same way, so I really want to spread awareness about that after going through a rough patch with grief and hard times myself.'
Clara already has plenty in common with her fellow Roses. She'll also rub shoulders with five other women with Mayo connections: London Rose Shauna Sammon, Ohio Rose Fiona Conway, Washington DC Rose Soracha McGrath, Boston and New England Rose Maeve Kelly, and Tyrone Rose Cloideach Donaghy.
Three Mayo women have been crowned Rose of Tralee in the competition's 66-year history: Shrule's Maria Walsh (2014), Castlebar's Luzeminda O'Sullivan (1998) and Carnacon's Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin (2005).
Of the three, Dr Ní Shúilleabháin is the only Mayo Rose to win the Rose of Tralee – Maria Walsh and Luzeminda O'Sullivan represented Philadelphia and Galway respectively.
Carnacon could barely hold the crowds when local children gave Dr Ní Shúilleabháin a green and red guard of honour as a horse and carriage carried her home to a village that became the centre of the world in the late summer of '05.
The thought of Kilfian seeing similar scenes hasn't crossed Clara's mind.
Indeed, for many years, the thought of even entering the Mayo Rose hadn't crossed her mind, never mind winning it.
'It takes a bit of getting used to as well,' she says when asked how her personality matches with being in such a public-facing position.
'Because I usually would be a quiet and kind of reserved person, I would keep to myself. This role has really helped me personally in developing my confidence and communicating.'
But whatever name Daithí Ó Sé pulls out of the golden envelope, the Clara Gardiner that entered the Mayo Rose will be the same as the Clara Gardiner that entered the Rose of Tralee.
'To be honest, especially since having a child, it's quite exhausting trying to be anybody else,' she says.
'I still am a young girl myself, so I still have a lot of learning and growth and developing to do.
'I'm also quite proud of myself for going into something like this. Because, I suppose, especially as a mum, you might like to shoot yourself down and think, if you think about something like the Rose of Tralee, that's not an option for you, because you have a child.
'It's really good to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Going for the Mayo Rose selection would have been something completely out of my comfort zone, and I'm so glad I did it.'
The selection of the Rose of Tralee will be broadcast on RTE from August 19-20.