Kerry museum receives donation of dresses worn by winning Rose of Tralee contestants
Tralee Mayor Terry O'Brien will formally acknowledge the donation of the collection at the museum at 12pm on Monday, August 18.
A spokesperson said the museum is delighted to accept the donation as the annual display of the dresses during July and August is one of its most popular exhibitions with visitors from all over the world.
'We are very thankful for the generosity of the Roses in donating the dresses that played such a meaningful part in their lives. The Rose of Tralee Festival has always been a significant event for the people of Kerry, and it is appropriate, therefore, that the dresses become part of the wider collection which is held in trust by the Museum for current and future generations in the county,' the spokesperson stated.
The collection of dresses was assembled in 2009 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Rose of Tralee Festival.
The exhibition's creators, Oliver Hurley and Rebecca Kemp, went to great lengths to get quotes from each Rose about their memories of wearing their dresses, a feature that greatly enhances the display.
Each Rose has vivid memories of her dress, and many describe how they felt wearing such beautiful creations, where and when they bought their dress, and some of the last-minute dramas when dresses needed fixing in a hurry before appearing on stage.
In the following years the collection grew, and when not on display the dresses were carefully looked after by Anthony, Oonagh and Suzan O'Gara.
In 2019 the Museum refreshed the look of the exhibition for the 60th anniversary of the festival, giving it the title: 'Gowns of Glory: Rose of Tralee Dresses Through the Decades'.
There are now 45 dresses in the display, the oldest being that worn by the first Rose of Tralee, Alice O'Sullivan, and the newest worn by Keely O'Grady, the 2024 Rose.
'As we approach the seventieth anniversary of the Festival it is fitting that the dresses will have their permanent home in the Ashe Memorial Hall where it all started back in 1959,' the museum spokesperson said.
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