Rose Ball 2015

The Rose of Tralee International Festival is one of Ireland's largest festivals. The heart of the festival is the selection of the Rose of Tralee. The contestants are not judged on their appearances but on their personality and suitability to serve as ambassadors for the festival and Ireland in general. The festival is held annually in August in Tralee, Co. Kerry.

Each of the 32 counties of Ireland select a Rose and there is also a “Rós Fódhla” representing the Gaeltacht or Irish-speaking areas in Ireland. Regional finals are held in June in Portlaoise, where Irish women are selected to take part in the International Rose of Tralee festival.

There are international Roses chosen from around the world who also participate in the qualifying rounds. The Luxembourg Rose is selected each year at the Luxembourg Rose Ball which is traditionally held around St Patrick’s Day. Besides the selection of the Rose, who must be of Irish heritage and resident in Luxembourg, the centre in Luxembourg also raises funds via a tombola. At the 2014 Rose Ball, a total of €4,300 was raised for charity organisations in both Ireland and Luxembourg.

2012 was a hugely significant year for the Luxembourg centre, with the Luxembourg Rose, Nicola McEvoy, being crowned the 2012 International Rose of Tralee in Ireland in August 2012. During the course of her reigning year, Nicola travelled to India with the Hope Foundation, Chernobyl with the Adi Roche's Chernobyl Children International Project, New York and Washington DC for St Patricks Day where she had the huge honour of meeting Barack Obama at the White House. She also travelled to several Rose centres both in Ireland, the UK and Europe to promote the Rose of Tralee International Festival.

More information available on the Luxembourg Rose of Tralee website.