Rose of Tralee Rachel ‘overwhelmed’ and ‘amazed’

Westmeath's first representative to ever win the Rose of Tralee Rachel Duffy has said she was "overwhelmed" after being crowned as this year's International Rose.

Rachel (23) from Rosemount said the whole experience was a bit of a whirlwind. "It's hard to soak in what's happened. I was one of many before I won and now I'm just one."

Rachel sang the famous, traditional song 'Teddy O'Neill' in Tralee for the final at Munster Technological University’s Kerry Sports Academy before being named as this year's international representative for the Festival.

According to Rachel, her family and friends were so proud when she was crowned as the new representative for the festival. "The whole experience was amazing. Winning was the icing on the cake."

Rachel previously described winning the festival as "bittersweet" as her mother passed away when she was just nine years old. Speaking about her late mother, Rachel told the Westmeath Independent: "I know she is proud and she would have loved to have been a part of the festivities."

Rachel's homecoming took place last Friday at the GAA grounds in Rosemount before moving to P. Egan's bar in Moate which was Rachel's sponsor for the festival.

Rachel's Dad brought her home to Rosemount for the homecoming event which she described as a "lovely welcome home."

"It was so well-organised. The whole place was spick and span and it was nice to see everyone excited to see me." Local members of Comhaltas performed a trad session in Rosemount and all of this year's Roses and Escorts attended the homecoming celebrations. The 2019 Escort of the Year even performed an Irish dance.

Rachel continued: "Egan's was very relaxed, I needed that sense of normalcy. I was so proud to share Egan's with all of the Roses and Escorts. Last time I left Rosemount it was very different. In the space of two weeks everything's changed."

Before winning the Rose of Tralee, Rachel had plans to return to NUIG to complete a Master's degree to qualify as a Spanish and English teacher though now that is up in the air.

"Before winning I was getting ready to go back to college next week. NUIG and my family have been so supportive. I haven't officially done anything yet. I'm not sure if this year is the year for it."

The former Moate Community School student is looking forward to taking up her duties as the 2022 Rose of Tralee and the opportunities that come with it in terms of travel and charity work. "I have to pinch myself and realise I've been given these opportunities. I'm not getting my hopes up about anything. I'll let it all wash over me. I'm looking forward to making a difference wherever I can."

One aspect of this year's festival that received a huge reaction from viewers following the broadcast of the Festival was that Rachel's head was not adorned with the usual crown or tiara that is synonymous with the Rose of Tralee coronation. This was a conscious decision made by the organisers of the festival following a survey last year to gauge public reaction on the imagery of the crown.

Rachel said the imagery of the crown connected it to beauty pageantry. "The Rose of Tralee isn't a pageant but many people will see it as tradition. I wasn't thinking about a crown. Having a crown doesn't make you any more special than anyone else." According to Rachel, the sash was a lot more important to her whether it be the Westmeath Rose sash or the Rose of Tralee sash.

Many of Rachel's friends and families went to Tralee for the Festival and Rachel said she saw all the craic they were having on social media. “It was satisfaction enough to see them having fun. My family all said they knew I could do it. For them it was lovely to see me getting the reward out of it after putting in the work as Westmeath Rose.”

Over the next month, Rachel will be considering which causes she wants to focus on during her reign as the Rose of Tralee. "I'm considering over the next four weeks which causes are important to me and that I think I could be a good ambassador for. It's a matter of finding what I can represent in the best way possible."

For the NUIG graduate, the highlight of the festival was visiting the home counties of many of the other Roses whist on the Rose tour across the country. "It felt like wherever we got off the bus felt like home. We were treated like royalty. After Covid, it was so wonderful to see communities out again."

Rachel really enjoyed the Rose tour and said everyone who was involved took such good care of them. She also had the opportunity to explore the town of Tralee and to see the beautiful Rose gardens there.

She said the most overwhelming part of her Rose of Tralee experience was winning the festival. "You question yourself and whether you're right for the role. It's a huge change in my life and it's natural to feel overwhelmed."

Rachel also missed football while on the Rose tour and is already back playing with her ladies club, Cill Óige in Rosemount. "Football has always been there for me. I actually have a match tonight (Monday)."

On the topic of her TV dress, Rachel said she wasn't sure what was going to happen when she had a dress designed for her.

Rachel's dress was designed by mother and daughter duo Ann and Aine O'Reilly whose bespoke fashion label Zobi is based in Mullingar. Zobi was founded in 2018 and it specialises in wedding outfits, debs dresses, communion, confirmation, baby gowns and event clothing.

She continued: "Ann and Áine were so supportive. They were really able to bring my ideas to life.

“Any ideas I had they just enhanced it. It was important to me to be the best version of myself and I felt comfortable in the dress."

Rachel is the daughter of Eamonn Duffy and the late Cathy Duffy (nee Lynch) originally from Ballymore. Cathy worked in Mullingar Credit Union which has more recently rebranded as the North Midlands Credit Union.