Dáithí moved by Shauna’s ‘strong message’
A GRAND total of 32 hopeful young women took to the stage over the two nights of the Rose of Tralee, but there was one Rose that outshone the competition for host Dáithí Ó Sé.
Like the rest of the nation, the Kerryman was moved by Carlow’s Shauna Ray Lacey, 24, who spoke about growing up with heroin-addicted parents on Monday night’s show.
‘Shauna’s story is just unbelievable and I thought she told it very, very well,’ Dáithi told the Irish Daily Mail.
‘She gave us an insight into heroin addiction. I always had this stereotypical image in my head that heroin addicts are out of it all the time, but she said her father worked, he had money, he put food on the table, it’s something I never knew existed.’
Shauna’s parents, Francis and Angela, were functioning addicts. Francis died four years ago. He had been clean for two years, but succumbed to an infection after heart surgery.
Shauna, who had hopes to be the first ever ‘mummy Rose’, was watched in the audience by her daughter Emmy, three.
‘She sends a really strong message,’ said Dáithi. ‘She was pregnant when she was 20. She told her boyfriend and he was so positive – so that was another really positive story from her.’
Dáithi, who admits the only thing he requests for his dressing room rider is Monster Munch and Curly Wurlys, added that winning the Rose of Tralee is not all about nailing your party piece, as the judging process is quite complex.
‘If the judges have somebody in mind, the TV part will confirm it for them. A couple of years ago I was on the judging panel and we had someone in mind, and then someone else came on the stage and just blew us all away.
‘There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing.’