Laois Rose Katelyn Cummins has been named the 2025 Rose of Tralee, taking the crown on Tuesday night in Kerry after two evenings of music, laughter and celebration.
The 20-year-old was announced as the winner of this year’s festival, bringing the curtain down on two nights of interviews, party pieces and heartfelt stories from Roses across Ireland and the world. She now follows in the footsteps of last year’s winner, New Zealand Rose Keely O’Grady.
From the village of Ballyouskill, which sits on the Laois and Kilkenny border, Katelyn is currently in her third phase of an electrical apprenticeship and hopes to study engineering in the future.
After being named the 2025 Rose of Tralee, a stunned Katelyn told host Kathryn Thomas that winning felt “like a dream”. An emotional Katelyn thanked her parents and paid tribute to “the 31 girls standing behind me”.
Earlier in the evening, she spoke about her unusual career path and how she found her calling in the electrical trade.
“I am an apprentice electrician, I am currently in my phase 3 at the moment. Back when I was in Transition Year I had to do work experience and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I didn’t really want to go to college, it didn’t really seem like a path for me. Then my dad put me in touch with a local electrician, I did a week’s work experience and I absolutely loved it. I knew it was the job for me.”
Watch: Katelyn spins around the stage in a lively jive with her escort, Tommy.
Katelyn acknowledged she stands out in her chosen field telling Kathryn: “Some people say I don’t look like an electrician. I am very, very girly. I was the only girl in my college and I am the only girl in my apprenticeship. I’m one of the lads now.”
She also spoke fondly of her roots. “We have a dairy farm. I love that I grew up in the countryside, it makes it so much easier to connect with people.”
For her party piece, Katelyn took to the stage for a lively jive with her escort Tommy.
More to follow…