Christchurch woman Keely O’Grady has been crowned the 2024 International Rose of Tralee , defeating 31 other contestants in one of Ireland’s largest festivals. On Tuesday evening local time in County Kerry, more than a million tuned in to watch the 64th Rose of Tralee International Festival – a contest for women from around the world of Irish descent – announce its winner after two days of competing. Regarding her win, the 21-year-old University of Canterbury student said that she “can’t really put it into words”.
New Zealand Rose Keely O’Grady and Donegal Rose Niamh Shevlin are joined by Niamh’s brother Gavin for a dance in J Turners Tralee! #roseoftralee #irishdance #dancing #failteireland #pubtwinnings #kerry #ireland Speaking to the audience at the Kerry Sports Academy where the festival was held, she said: “What I’m most looking forward to is doing this for my country. As someone from New Zealand, we’ve only had two New Zealand Roses, the last time was in 1988, so it does really mean a lot to me.”.
