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Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Climate
- Irish Independent
In pictures: Rose of Tralee officially opened at Kerry County Council led ceremony at Island of Geese
The 2025 Rose of Tralee International Festival was officially launched on Friday afternoon in soaring temperatures at the Island of Geese, where the 32 International Roses received a warm welcome to Tralee.
RTÉ News
12-08-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Rose of Tralee a 'reminder of good things in the world'
Rose of Tralee co-hosts Dáithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas have said the festival serves as a "reminder that there's good things in the world as well" as the event returns for its 66th year. The presenters, along with the 32 International Roses taking part this year, gathered aboard the MV Cill Airne on Dublin's North Wall Quay this morning to officially launch the festival. Thomas, wearing an all-white ensemble, said she gets "huge energy" from the class of 2025. "They are so giving and they're so full of stories about where they come from, their Irishness, their excitement for the Rose of Tralee," she said of the Roses. "There's brilliant stories, so many different careers, so many different dreams, so many different goals they want to achieve, so many different perspectives on what is happening in the world politically, so, you're energised." She continued: "Particularly with what's happening in the world at the moment, it is so difficult for all of us to watch. "To have this to look forward to, which is about positivity, it is about support, it's actually refreshing, and it's a reminder that actually there's good things in the world as well." Ó Sé, who has been hosting the Rose of Tralee since 2010, added: "We believe in what we do, we believe in the Roses themselves and it's them - they're the backbone of this whole show. It's the stories they bring: that's what makes it different every year." The Kerry presenter, decked out in a dapper tuxedo for the occasion, said the show has given a snapshot of Irish women over the decades. He said: "If you went back to the 70s, you'd get an idea of what Irish women were doing socially, when it comes to work, travel and so on. "In 2025, we have electricians, we have occupational therapists, we have forklift drivers, we have farmers, we have everything. "These women are all educated, these women are well-travelled and they've done so much. "Our big problem is to condense 25 or 26 years of their life into seven minutes, which is very, very hard to do. So that's part of the fun and games that will be happening." The Today show host spoke about the courage needed to take to the stage in Tralee. "People kind of underestimate as well what it takes, I think, to go up onstage in front of 2,000 people in the audience, and hundreds of thousands of people at home, and to tell your story," he said. "When people talk about ambitious women - from a guy's point of view anyway - that's what ambitious women do: they put themselves out of their comfort zone and they put themselves into something that they're unfamiliar [with] but hoping that they'll get something out of it. "And I think the vast majority of the Roses, if not all of them, get something out of it. And they certainly get a friendship because I follow a lot of them on social media... you see them even 10 or 15 years later and they're all going to each other's weddings and everything." Thomas continued: "There's a few of the girls who feel imposter syndrome as well. They can't believe they're here. And so, they're in the limelight now, the TV show is looming and, again, after a week spent [together], they'll be different women when they get down to Kerry, having been with, as I call it, 'The Sisterhood', for a week. "People will have their strengths and people will have their weaknesses, and people will have hard days and people will be tired and people will miss their kids and all of that, but there is a genuine camaraderie there. "I can't wait to see for those girls who maybe don't feel as confident, to get them onstage and go, 'Do you know what? [You're] Absolutely rocking it!'" Ó Sé agreed, saying: "There's a huge difference between the first day we meet them and the day they go onstage. They're like two different people altogether. "It's really heartening to see how they do fall into the role. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but when it happens [to] them and it goes well and they're enjoying it, I think they really begin to blossom. Excuse the pun!"
