Jigs, a harpist, some fiddling, a spot of magic, a song or two and The Proclaimers played on the bagpipes - the first night of the Rose of Tralee was as surreal as ever
The bagpipes make their Rose of Tralee debut (we think).
San Francisco Rose Maggie Baglin lives up to her name on the bagpipes! Maggie is a proud member of the Irish Pipers Band of San Francisco. #roseoftralee #rte pic.twitter.com/JV7jbV9loY
— Rose of Tralee (@RoseofTralee_) August 19, 2024
Let's not make any cheap gags about bagpipes (a wonderfully evocative instrument) but who didn’t look askance at the volume button when San Francisco Rose, the aptly named Maggie Baglin, hefted a set of pipes on stage on Monday night? She then proceeded to blast out a very impressive version of I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by the mighty Proclaimers. Less successful perhaps was Kathryn’s game attempt to lead the audience in a singalong...
Riverdancing to Hang on Sloppy
O-H-I-O...all together now! Aoife Zuercher got Tralee up and dancing with her energetic jig to the rock hit Hang on Sloopy #roseoftralee pic.twitter.com/kS6kbT9Ud9
— Entertainment on RTÉ (@RTE_Ents) August 19, 2024
Irish dancing to garage rock classic Hang on Sloopy? Why not? This is the Rose of Tralee, after all. Anything can happen and sometimes does. The song, first recorded by The Vibrations but made famous by The McCoys in 1965, is associated with Ohio State University and is "Ohio's official rock song", according to Ohio Rose and NASA scientist Aoife Zuercher. So she did a spot of barefoot Riverdancing to the track as she tried valiantly to lead the crowd in a chant of "O-H-I-O".
A rowing machine er, race
Leitrim Rose Shauna Murtagh row, row, rowed her boat to #theroseoftralee. So impressive! pic.twitter.com/QlFueB46B2
— Entertainment on RTÉ (@RTE_Ents) August 19, 2024
Yes, you read that right. Leitrim Rose and rowing champ Shauna Murtagh wasn't taking any prisoners when she challenged Kathryn "I’m not remotely competitive" Thomas to a race to nowhere on a pair of rowing machines. With the ever-dynamic James Patrice acting as unofficial rowing referee, the girls clambered on board the contraptions and, to coin a phrase, started pulling like a dog. Not an easy thing to do in fabulous frocks. Looking on slightly bemused, a very relieved Dáithí said, "It’s fair to say I dodged another bullet."
Dáithí nearly turns the air blue during a pom pom mishap
Dáithí Ó Sé nearly had a "faaaanntttta" moment when he caught his mic in a pair of pom poms during a cheerleading routine with Kerry Rose Emer Dineen! #RoseofTralee pic.twitter.com/RbTRxiUCJQ
— Entertainment on RTÉ (@RTE_Ents) August 19, 2024
Red gúnaí were the big look of the night
As Seán O'Casey and The Pogues might say, it was red roses for me on Monday night down in the Dome in Tralee with no less than seven Roses looking fabulous in red dresses.
Galway Rose makes a brave speech in support of mental health
"When you're in a good place, that’s the best time to work on yourself."
— Entertainment on RTÉ (@RTE_Ents) August 19, 2024
Galway Rose, Deirdre Jennings, shines a light on mental health during the #RoseofTralee pic.twitter.com/2sJB1Vsrl4
All images by Domnick Walsh Photgraphy
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
