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The current Rose of Tralee, Nicola McEvoy kicked off her tour of Ulster with a visit to the Canal Court Hotel yesterday followed by a few fast laps around the Formula Karting track at Greenbank.
She was welcomed by Mayor, John McArdle and joined by the 2012 Down Rose, Una Matthews as well as the 2011 Down Rose Nicole Curran and the 2010 Rose Gemma Murphy to officially announce details of the 2013 Down Selection which will take place at the spectacular Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle on Sunday 28th April.
All this week, Nicola will visit a number of towns and cities from Belfast to Letterkenny and from Newry to Derry including stops at Titanic Belfast, Stormont Castle and the Walls of Derry.
After her Newry stop it was Stormont bound for the Rose where she posed for photos on the iconic replica of the ship’s ballroom stairwell during her tour of Titanic Belfast before meeting the First Minister, Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness.
Nicola is on a week-long tour of Ulster to encourage young women to enter a Rose selection in their county and to invite people throughout the province to the 2013 Rose of Tralee International Festival & Rose Gathering.
Nicola McEvoy, who was crowned as the 2012 Rose of Tralee last August, said: “2013 could be the year that a Rose from Ulster follows in the footsteps of three Belfast ladies -Therese Gillespie (1965), Veronica McCambridge (1973) and Marita Marron (1979) – and become the Rose of Tralee. Anyone who enters a Rose selection will never regret the experience of a lifetime in which they will make life-long friends and have the best fun along the way. Becoming the Rose of Tralee was a huge added bonus to what can only be described as the most exciting year of my life.”
Newbridge Silverware, the lead sponsors of the Festival, will present the next Rose of Tralee with a range of handcrafted jewellery and homeware products. She will also receive a World Travel Prize worth €25,000 from Dublin Airport Authority, a year’s driving in a brand new car and much more.
The Rose of Tralee International Festival has connected the global Irish community in Tralee since 1959 attracting millions of festival-goers, thousands of Roses, their Escorts, families and friends, entertainers, volunteers, judges and sponsors.
This year, in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland, they are all invited to come for the Rose Gathering and to stay for an extended Festival to enjoy a full programme of events to help visitors reconnect with Tralee and the many people who share the same experience.
Anyone who registers to attend the Rose Gathering – email thegathering@roseoftralee.ie - before March 1st will have a chance to win FREE accommodation in a four-bedroom apartment in Tralee during the week of the Festival.
The 2013 Rose of Tralee will be crowned in the Dome on Tuesday 20th August after Dáithí Ó Sé presents two wonderful nights entertainment to a huge TV audience.
Entry forms and full details of how to become a Rose in any of the Ulster counties are available from www.roseoftralee.ie or by contacting +353 66 7121322 before the approaching deadline.
