Rose of Tralee praises support from Offaly

When Rose of Tralee, Rachel Duffy, was growing up in the picturesque Westmeath village of Rosemount, she says her family could just as easily “go to Tullamore as Athlone” for shopping so they have always had a very close affinity with their near neigbours!

The last few months have been “a whirlwind” for the soft-spoken NUIG graduate since she was crowned International Rose of Tralee in August, and she is full of praise for the overwhelming support she has received from people in all corners of Ireland and abroad.

“I am always amazed when I come to Tullamore and so many people know my name and want to have a quick chat with me or get a photo, it's just so lovely and I would have to say that people in Offaly have been hugely supportive since my win,” she said.

One of the first official engagements in Offaly for Rachel Duffy as the newly-crowned Rose of Tralee was when she was invited by local business couple, Anthony and Kara Kearns, to attend their annual charity fashion event, 'The Show' in the Bridge House Hotel in November in aid of the Ashling Murphy Foundation and Accessible Counselling Tullamore (ACT).

Rachel spoke at the fashion show about having just returned from an emotionally-challenging seven days in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in India, with the Hope Foundation, whom she described as “a incredible Irish charity”. She added that it was “one of those trips that would really humble you and make you appreciate what you have”.

Referring to her new status, she said she was “all prepared” to return to college to complete her Masters about a week after the Rose of Tralee Festival. “That went out the window and I found myself instead having to re-evaluate my year and commit myself to the Rose of Tralee, gladly,” she said “and since then I have been so busy but I am loving it so far.”

The hugely-popular Rose told the packed audience in the Bridge House that if her year kept going the way it had been going since August “it will be the best year of my life” and she thanked the people of Offaly and from across the Midlands for their “huge support” for her and her family.

Speaking to the Offaly Independent this week, Rachel Duffy said she still finds it “almost surreal” that she was catapulted into the spotlight literally overnight. “I don't think anything can ever really prepare you for an experience like that” she admitted. “To be honest it was very overwhelming at the start, but thankfully I can look back on the night I was crowned as the International Rose of Tralee and see how much I have grown and matured as a person since then.”

While becoming Rose of Tralee is “a privilege” Rachel is quick to point out that it is “also a job” and she is very keen to completely commit to the job and to represent the international Rose brand to the best of her ability.

She admitted that the trip to Kolkata with the Hope Foundation was “a huge culture shock” but it very quickly made her realise how lucky she is and “how we all take so much for granted, like education and childcare.” Even the most “basic necessities” are denied to the poor in India and she was fulsome in her praise of the “wonderful work” being carried out by the Hope Foundation.

Prior to her trip to India, Rachel Duffy said volunteering had always been on her radar, but she never either had “the time or the means” to do it. Her sister spent some time volunteering in Uganda while her dad, Eamonn, volunteered with the Niall Mellon Foundation, so she was delighted to get the chance to travel to India with the Hope Foundation and see the wonderful work it does there.

In between her international trips to places like India, Germany and an upcoming trip to New York for the St. Patrick's Day festivities – she has booked a two week trip to the States – the new Rose of Tralee is being well feted on home turf, visiting places like local schools, nursing homes, community groups and sporting clubs across the Midlands and beyond.

She was also one of the guest speakers at the launch of Tullamore Rotary Club's 'Be Safe Be Seen' winter road safety awareness campaign on November 11 last at Ballinagar national school where she met with teachers, parents and pupils and members of the local community.

Rachel admitted to being riddled with feelings of self-doubt in the early days as Rose of Tralee and felt she was “not cut out for the role” but she thanks God that she is surrounded by a wonderful family and great friends who keep her grounded, and adds that the wonder Rose organisation is “like an second family and could not be more supportive”. As for life after the Rose of Tralee, she said it will definitely involve a return to education and she is currently looking at a number of post-graduate degree courses. “I think I have broadened my horizons considerably, so I don't know what direction I will take.”

Becoming International Rose of Tralee has given Rachel Duffy some of the “the most defining moments” of her life so far and she said she “wouldn't change a thing”.