Rose of Tralee 2024: Cork's leading ladies bloom on stage in front of ...

Opening the show was Dubai Rose, 27-year-old Ciara O'Sullivan, who hails from Newmarket in Cork. Currently on a career break from her teaching position at St Mary’s Secondary School in Mallow, Ciara captivated the Tralee audience while sharing her experience of the festival. From activities to parades, she laughed: “The whole week has been chaotic but amazing.”

Living in Dubai for the past year, Ciara has found a home away from home in the bustling Irish community there. A proud member of the Dubai Celts GAA club, she is thrilled to share her love for sports with a group of 120 girls who understood her passion. She currently teaches at Hartland International School in Dubai and is the head of the mathematics department.

This has inspired the Cork woman to pursue a PhD in mathematics, with a focus on gender imbalance in education, something she spoke passionately about with host Kathryn Thomas.

On the show, she performed the popular Irish ballad May the Road Rise to Meet You on the harp, an instrument which she admitted was difficult to come by in Dubai. “That was a struggle! I think every WhatsApp group, Facebook group had a message in it looking for a harp, but we did manage to find one, which I suppose shows that Irish traditions are also abroad,” she smiled.

Fellow Cork woman Maria Collins also took the stage for her home away from home, Perth. The 29-year-old, originally from Coppeen in west Cork, made her first trip home since emigrating for the festival.

Having moved to Australia over a year ago, the primary school teacher took the opportunity to introduce her Australian boyfriend Pat to her home and those closest to her during the last month.

Also doing her county proud as part of the worldwide festival was the Cork Rose herself, Shauna O'Sullivan. The 24-year-old pharmacist from Araglen in north Cork is the eldest of four children, all still living at home. With two siblings still to go to college, she joked that the gang still manage to keep their father on his toes while driving him “mad.”

Involved as the Vice Treasurer on the local carnival’s committee, she contributed to the event’s continuous success, allowing her to give back to the community that has supported her “all her life.”

With a new career after completing a Masters in her area from UCC, Shauna spoke passionately about the evolving role of pharmacists in Ireland and her commitment to improving healthcare access for all, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

A special festival for each woman who enters, Shauna adds that she would have been quite shy before entering and the event itself has allowed her to build on her confidence. “I think a lot of people here who know me would never have thought I'd be up here today,” she said, but having been “well supported" she adds that it was an achievable goal for her.