Offaly Rose Nicole set for Tralee stage

When Nicole Heffernan headed off to Kerry with her grandparents every year for the Rose of Tralee Festival, she never dared dream that one day she might actually become a Rose herself!

Proving that truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction, the Killeigh native will be one of 32 Roses from all around the world to step onto the stage of the famed Rose Dome in Tralee this month, where she will proudly fly the banner for the Faithful County.

Since being crowned the Offaly Rose in April, Nicole says her life has been “a whirlwind” and she has barely had a minute to herself.

“It's honestly been so exciting and to be honest I still find it hard to believe that, after so many years of going to Tralee and seeing all the excitement of Rose Week, I am now one of those Roses. It's crazy.”

Nicole says her grandparents, Paddy and Anne McKenna from Fenter in Killeigh – whom she describes as “the greatest joy” in her life - have always “absolutely loved” the Rose of Tralee. “My grandad was always joking that he would love to see me becoming a Rose and my standard reply was 'no way'” she recalls.

However, when the application window opened for the Offaly Rose last November, the 24-year-old teacher decided to “have a go”, even though she admits to feeling “a bit hesitant” about the whole process. “I filled out the form anyway, sent it off and forgot all about it after that,” she admits.

“I never told my grandparents I entered and when I got selected for the Offaly Rose finals there was an article in the local paper with pictures of all the 21 girls who were selected and I just handed the paper to my grandparents and the excitement was unreal” she says.

Easter Sunday night, April 20, when Nicole Heffernan become the Offaly Rose, was a night she says she will “never forget” and she freely admits that if she could go back in time and relive the entire day she would be “the happiest person alive”.

She says no part of the day “felt like a competition” and she was so lucky to have the stalwart support of her grandparents and her tight family network, along with her teammates from Naomh Molaoise LGFA Club in Daingean and St. Sinchill's Camogie Club in Killeigh to cheer her on.

“I have always played sport and my teammates both in football and camogie are honestly like my extended family, we are so close, and out of around 50 people who are coming to Tralee to support me during Rose Week, I'd say 30 of them will be my teammates,” she says.

Nicole says she has been “completely overwhelmed” by the support she has received from her local community in Killeigh and from all across Offaly and beyond since becoming the Offaly Rose.

“It is very hard to put into words how supportive everyone has been and it would be impossible to thank each business and individual, but I am so, so grateful to every single person who has come on board with all sorts of sponsorship.”

She says the experience of becoming the Offaly Rose has reiterated her appreciation for her local area and what it means to belong to a loyal and supportive community like her native Killeigh.

“I have been really busy since April, but it's a good busy,” she says, adding that she “can't wait” to go to Tralee.

As someone who likes to “live in the moment” Nicole says she never expected to become the Offaly Rose and anything after that will be “a bonus”. She is hugely complimentary of the support given to each of the Rose of Tralee entrants from the Rose of Tralee organisation.

“We are already being treated like princesses, so I can't imagine what it's going to be like when we actually arrive in Tralee,” she says.

Not only will Nicole Heffernan be flying the flag for Killeigh and Offaly when she steps on stage in the Rose Dome for the televised finals of the 2025 Rose of Tralee, but she will also be flying the flag for Offaly fashion in a bespoke dress which is currently being designed and made by award-winning Birr dress designer, Geraldine O'Meara.

Regardless of her Rose experience, the Offaly Rose has her sights firmly set on pursuing a Masters in Education at University College, Limerick in September, and firmly believes she has found her perfect career in teaching.

“I spent the past year working as a substitute teacher in the Sacred Heart School in Tullamore and I loved every minute of it, and found the whole environment so supportive, so I am really looking forward to getting stuck into my Masters,” says Nicole.

And what of her studies if she becomes the 2025 International Rose of Tralee? “It hasn't even crossed my mind,” is her quick as lightning reply!

The Rose of Tralee International Festival will take place from August 15 to 19, with the televised Rose selection nights happening on August 18 and 19.