Rose of Tralee Regional Finals

The Regional Finals are held every year before the Rose of Tralee International Festival to determine which Roses will represent their territories at the International Festival in August.

The event was originally established in 2004 in recognition of the fact that now every county in Ireland selects a Rose, and that there are now nearly 70 Rose Centres around the world. The Regional Finals is therefore the event that has been established to get this number of Roses down to the 32 Roses that appear on the RTÉ television show in August.

All Roses who take part have won Rose Selection heats in their own regions. Judges at the National Finals will choose a number of Roses from each region who will then join Roses from Cork, Dublin and Kerry at the International Festival in August.

This year's Regional Finals take place from 30th May to 3rd June 2012 at the Portlaoise Heritage Hotel, Co Laois.

Roses from around the world will join those from Ireland to take part in a parade through the centre of town and will visit to top Laois attractions.

The Regional Finals are hosted by Dáithí Ó Sé who interviews each Rose on stage at the Portlaoise Heritage Hotel over three nights, followed by music and dancing until late after the show is over. 

Some of the Roses who took part in the 2011 Regional Finals
outside Ballyfin House in Portlaoise