Well it was Fungie while it lasted!
IT was a classic Rose of Tralee finale last night, with tears, laughter, musical moments – a surprise guest from Dingle Bay.
The remaining 14 contestants took to the stage in the Dome in Tralee and while Monday’s selection featured cow milking, power lifting, napkin origami and more, the party pieces were a little more low-key for part two.
There was some traditional Irish dancing to a song by r’n’b star Usher, a flute recital and an appearance from Fungie the dolphin – in the form of Snapchat star James Patrice – but many of the ladies opted to showcase their vocal talents, with the Cork Rose Erinn O’Connell wowing with a rendition of Imelda May’s Big Bad Handsome Man.
Emotions were high as several of the Roses opened up about coping with family difficulties or overcoming health challenges during their interviews.
Mayo Rose Rachel Gibbons, who kicked off the show, drew huge praise on social media for her poignant speech about her battle with depression and mental health issues. ‘Rock bottom
IN TRALEE for me was not talking to anyone, going out drinking, not caring about myself,’ she told host Dáithí Ó Sé.
‘Thankfully I have the most supportive family down there – I don’t think I would not only be here but even alive if it wasn’t for them.’
It seemed to be a particularly personal evening for the girls, with several moving stories of how and why they entered the long-running festival.
‘It was my third time entering,’ the Chicago Rose Katie Callahan said, speaking to Irish Daily Mail. ‘My friends and I enter every year. My family are Irish-American and I have always wanted to do this.’
Speaking on stage at the Dome, she revealed that last year while working as a volunteer at the show she travelled back and forth from Tralee to Dublin every night so as not to miss work at her job at the Gaiety Theatre.
‘I would do my shift here in the Dome till very late and then I would take the 3am bus back so I didn’t miss work in Dublin,’ she told Dáithí.
‘The festival here is built on the volunteers and they make the place shine, they believe in this festival.’
‘They believe in this festival’