Waterford represented three times over at this year's Rose of Tralee

Waterford is well represented at this year's Rose of Tralee, with three roses proudly embracing their Waterford roots at the festival.

Cara Comerford from Portlaw is this year's Waterford Rose and has been dreaming of representing Waterford at the festival for as long as she can remember.

"It's always been a lifelong dream," Cara told the Waterford News and Star, "like every young girl in Ireland, we've all watched it growing up".

Cara's grandmother was the 1976 Kerry Rose, and she said that inspired her to take part in the festival herself.

This wasn't the case at all for New Zealand Rose, Rachel Keane, who told the News and Star: "It was never something I had thought about to be honest. I watched it on TV as a kid but never thought that would be me."

Rachel moved to New Zealand just two years ago, where she lives by the sea in Auckland and works as a dietician in New Zealand's busiest hospital.

Rachel, who comes from a farming family in Dunhill, applied for the competition "on a whim", when she realised she would be in Tralee this August for a friend's wedding and it could be a bit of extra fun.

Once she found out a bit more about the Rose of Tralee, however, she knew she needed to be a part of it.

More than just a bit of fun

"When I was down in Plymouth at the selection weekend over in New Zealand, I learned about what the Rose of Tralee is actually about and it really spoke to me."

"We only see what happens on the TV," she continued, "and so maybe most people don't have a proper understanding of what the festival actually is and what it's about."

For Rachel, it's a celebration of heritage, culture, language and identity, "it's about being proud of being Irish and being here, and when you're so far from home it's something that is so important".

Because she had never imagined herself as a rose, Rachel said: "For young girls, or anyone really, if there's something that you're not sure about going for and there's no good reason not to do it, then just do it.

"You shouldn't listen to the doubts, I think that's the thing. Don't be afraid to go for it if it's something that you want to do."

Chicago reared and Waterford Christened Fiona Gaffney also has family connections with the festival, with her cousin representing Chicago in the 2011 Rose of Tralee.

Fiona didn't dream of entering the competition her whole life, or sign up on a whim, but in a bid for friendship, connection and some networking opportunities.

She first entered the competition in 2024, and although she wasn't selected at the time, the friendships she built and connections she made the first go around are lifelong, something she doesn't think the festival gets enough credit for.

The opportunity to connect with each diaspora community represented at the Rose of Tralee is not to be understated for Fiona, which is why she decided to give it another go this year.

"If I had to sum it all up in one word, it's connection," she told Waterford News and Star.

Fiona is the youngest member of the Ireland Network Chicago, working to support people who are away from home or having a hard time adjusting in a new community. She is also Vice President of Cultural Affairs for the Young Irish Fellowship Club of Chicago and a new-found gaeilgeor through Na Gaeil Chicago.

"We make sure people have a sense of community, and I think that's exactly what the festival here is about. And so for me, I had to put my name in the hat one more time and represent that," she said.

Preserving and celebrating the Irish language is another major factor for Fiona.

Her grandfather, Kevin Cadogan, who was a former director at Waterford News & Star, was an Irish speaker and inspired Fiona to become a gaeilgeor herself.

"I think it's important for our communities to champion that, especially with all the work that has been done here to preserve it and to maintain it," she said.

Excitement beats out nerves for the Waterford roses 

Heading into her fourth and final year of a biomedical engineering degree at Munster Technological University, Cara is one of the youngest entrants in this year's competition at 21 years old.

"So far, it's been the experience of a lifetime," Cara said, "everybody told me what an amazing time I was going to have but you don't really understand until you're in it. It's just pure magical".

The roses have been travelling across the country together for the past week leading up to the week-long festival starting in Tralee tomorrow, Friday, August 14.

"I don't think we even have time to be nervous because we're all so excited all the time, we're so busy that it's keeping us too occupied to be nervous," Cara said.

She's not the only contestant feeling that way; Rachel told the News and Star: "I'm just feeling really grateful to be honest. It's been an incredible experience so far, and the welcomes we've received everywhere we've gone so far have been a céad míle fáilte one hundred times over."

It's been feeling a bit like "a tourist in your own country", Rachel added, with warm welcomes and handshakes meeting them in towns across the country. 

"You could get used to this life, it's incredible," she said.

Fiona, who's mother was raised in Waterford City along the Dunmore Road, has been enjoying the chance to visit places in Ireland she hasn't had the chance to yet while still making time to visit her aunties living in Waterford.

Fiona and her family visited Ireland often growing up, she told this newspaper, and never felt anything but Irish.

"Even though we were born and raised in America, we're still Irish. She [Fiona's mother] always instilled that in us too. So, Waterford is kind of like, it's not home exactly but I know it like the back of my hand."

Fiona has also just finished her master's in public health and women's health advocacy after previously completing a degree in biophysics in microbiology at the University of Michigan.

Her focus now is on raising awareness of health problems women often go undiagnosed for, like PCOS/PMOS, endometriosis, etc.

"Because 80% of women go undiagnosed and they don't know all the struggles with it," she said.

"But when you do talk about it, people can get diagnosed and they can find answers and not be in a self blame situation, which tends to happen with a lot of women's health issues," she added.

The Rose of Tralee will air on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, on Monday, August 17 and Tuesday, August 18, from 8pm.