Westmeath Rose Caoilfhinn Ní Choiligh has won this year’s Rose of Tralee festival after triumphing over 31 fellow Roses over the two-night event in Kerry.
The 25-year-old said she was “speechless” as she was announced as the winner just before 11.30pm on Tuesday night and presented with her sash by last year’s winner, Laois woman Kathlyn Cummins.
Caoilfhinn now becomes the 66th International Rose of Tralee.
Speaking to co-host Kathryn Thomas, the “proud Westmeath” woman shed tears as she paid tribute to her fellow Roses, saying she could “not have done this without them.”
She added, “I don’t think this is real. I am so overwhelmed.”
Caoilfhinn will now embark on a year of travel and engagements representing the festival in Ireland and abroad.
Caoilfhinn works in retail and is studying to become a wig maker, a path she was inspired to take after she lost her hair to alopecia at 15.
Caoilfhinn Ní Choiligh on stage with Kathryn Thomas on Monday night
She won over the audience and the judges on Monday night when she opened up about living with the autoimmune disease, telling Kathryn Thomas, “I didn’t want people to pity me.”
She is also a founder of The Hair Loss Haven, a group offering support, events, and meet-ups.
“People say it’s just hair, but it’s so much more than just hair,” she explained on Monday evening.
She used the Rose of Tralee stage to raise awareness of alopecia by showing and then trying on her favourite wigs before revealing her bald head. “Embrace the imperfections,” she told the audience to a standing ovation on the opening night of this year’s Rose of Tralee.
Caoilfhinn shows off her favourite wigs
Caoilfhinn will now get to wear the Rose of Tralee crown, which was introduced in 2014. Designed by Tipperary Crystal, it features 44 hand-cut glass crystals to symbolise the petals of a rose and the festival’s global reach.
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The top moments of this year’s Rose of Tralee
All the action as it happened on Tuesday night
Her prize package includes a world travel prize valued at €25,000, use of a Kia EV3 for her year as the Rose of Tralee, free accommodation at the four-star Meadowlands Hotel whenever she returns to Tralee during her reign, hairstyling provided by Kerry College, and a week-long adventure break in Kerry for herself and a guest, hosted by Kerry County Council.
Caoilfhinn’s victory was announced live on RTÉ One by Dáithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas from the Kerry Sports Academy at MTU. Viewers tuned in not just from across Ireland, but also from as far afield as Australia, Tanzania, Canada, and the United States over the two-night television event.
This year’s festival brought together 32 International Roses from communities across Ireland and around the world. Over five days, they enjoyed the hospitality of Tralee, along with street parades, music, and entertainment as part of the Féile Trá Lí celebrations.