Roses start two-day tour of Kildare en route to 2018 Rose of Tralee International Festival

1000 outfits, even more pairs of shoes and numerous hat boxes landing into the newly refurbished reception at the Glenroyal Hotel, Maynooth can only mean one thing – the Roses have arrived and the Rose of Tralee pre-Festival Tour of Kildare has begun. 

Over two glorious days, the 57 Roses from all over the world will enjoy a tour of key Kildare flagship locations, before travelling to Kerry for the 2018 Rose of Tralee International Festival.

The mayor of Kildare, Cllr Sean Power, said: “Kildare County Council, in partnership with Into Kildare, The Glenroyal Hotel and many wonderful tourism attractions, are proud to welcome all the Roses to Kildare. 

“We wish the Roses from near and far, as well as their families, a wonderful stay in Kildare, and we hope that they will gather wonderful memories to share with friends and relations.”

Kildare Fáilte’s Rose of Tralee Tour starts today, Monday August 13, with a civic reception at Burtown House, Athy, experiencing a ‘Taste of Kildare’ before an Ernest Shackleton-themed adventure to Athy, celebrating the county’s great explorer and taking in the spirit of Gordon Bennett en route.

The Roses can look forward to a wide range of activities during their stay in Kildare, from Kildare Village Retail Outlet to completing St Brigid’s Trail, which includes some downtime relaxing at Solas Bhríde Spiritual Centre. 

They will also enjoy footing turf at Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Centre, the opportunity to visit Celbridge the home place of Arthur Guinness and a chance to practise golf in the luxurious surroundings of The K Club.

The Roses will swap their heels for flats when they begin their ascent of Kildare Round Tower, the highest accessible round tower in Ireland, standing at just over 107 feet.

The Glenroyal Hotel and Leisure Centre, Maynooth will be home to the Roses during their two nights in Kildare. 

The highlight will be the Roses’ Ball there on Tuesday night.

Food is at the heart of Kildare’s tourist offering and Kildare Fáilte looks forward to giving the Roses a preview of the county’s first Taste of Kildare Food Festival, which will take place at the K Club on Sunday August 19.

Also during their pre-Festival Tour, on Tuesday 14th August, some Roses will visit the world famous Guinness Storehouse where they’ll learn to pull the perfect pint and from 10am on Wednesday 15th August, the first full Photocall of all 57 with RTE Presenter, Daithi O Se will take place at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. The Roses will have lunch at the George Boutique Hotel, Limerick on Wednesday and they are set to arrive at The Rose Hotel, Tralee at 5.30pm.

The Rose of Tralee International Festival runs from Friday, August 17, to Tuesday August 21, when the 2018 Rose of Tralee is crowned in the Festival Dome live on RTÉ One. 

See www.roseoftralee.ie or the Rose of Tralee web-app from iTunes and Google Play Store.