Everything's rose-y!
Editorial Department • Published 20 May 2010 09:29
0 Comments
A lucky lady from Lisnaskea has been chosen to represent Fermanagh in the semi-final stages of the Rose of Tralee competition 2010.
Charlene Brady saw off stiff competition from seven other Roses to be chosen as the winner of the Fermanagh heat which took place at the Westville Hotel, Enniskillen on Saturday night.
The 21-year-old optometry student will head to Port Laois in two weeks' time, where she will compete for six regional places along with 29 other would-be Roses across Ireland.
Saturday night was also the first time an escort has been chosen from the county to chaperone one of the ladies throughout the festival competition.
Niall Oates from Lisnaskea won the competition to escort one of the 30 roses in the celebrations in Tralee, Co. Kerry in August 20-24.
On Saturday, eight contestants got a taste of the Rose of Tralee experience when they participated in a one-to-one and group interview with a panel of judges before heading off to rehearse for the live final show in front of a packed audience.
They were interviewed live on stage by Citybeat's Stephen McClements and each performed a party piece on the night.
Charlene wooed audiences with her down-to-earth and modest personality and got the crowd's toes tapping when she performed two reels on the fiddle.
She said she was overwhelmed when they called out her name.
"I never expected it, I went into the competition with no thoughts of ever winning it. The girls were all lovely so I was really surprised when they called out my name and I had a great time."
As well as playing the fiddle, Charlene is also an All-Ireland Fleadh-winning champion drummer and has held the title for two consecutive years.
After a busy week of sitting end of year exams, Charlene can now focus her attention on enjoying the experience.
"I will just go down and be myself and see what happens. It is one of those things you can say you did in your life and I'm just happy to have been given the opportunity. It is also great to be representing Fermanagh and I would like to thank everyone who came out on Saturday night to support me."
Meanwhile, Lisnaskea's most eligible bachelor Niall Oates said he can't wait for the experience.
"I was phoned the Fermanagh organiser of the festival and she asked me would I take part and I thought why not. The Rose of Tralee was always watched by my parents and my grandmother at home so it's a popular show in our house and I thought I'd give it a go. I heard the experience is meant to be brilliant so I'm really looking forward to it."
Organiser Catriona Gorman said all contestants were fantastic on the night.
"Saturday night's competition was one of the best we've ever had. All the contestants were so enthusiastic and the audience were lively and we had lots of fun. I think it's great to see so many young people take part in such a well-known competition and hopefully our Fermanagh Rose will be successful and make it the whole way to Tralee in the summer and best of luck to Niall who will make a fantastic escort!"
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 20 May 10
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.
