Gaelcholáiste teacher wins Kerry Rose

GAELCHOLÁISTE an Chláir and Ennis Community College continues a blooming relationship with the Rose of Tralee competition as art teacher Síle Ní Dheargain was named the Kerry Rose at the weekend.
Former Gaelcholáiste pupil Blathnaid O’Donoghue did the county proud when she represented Clare in the competition 2005. While Síle will not be representing Clare in the competition, that honour going to Corofin’s Grace Cummins, she is sure to get plenty of support from her Ennis pupils and friends.
Speaking to us after her win, Síle said, “I am completely shocked, this is just brilliant I’m over the moon. The support I have been getting has been unreal and I’m just thrilled.”
The 26-year-old from Lispole, Kerry has been a member of Cumann Ramhíocht Corca Duibhne for 11 years and last year set up the first currach club in Ennis and Clarecastle. She has completed the Thames Great River Race and the Corks Ocean to City Race and recently taught boxer Bernard Dunne how to row a curragh.
When asked why she decided to enter the competition she answered, “What Irish girl doesn’t want to be a Rose? This is something I’ve always wanted to do and I’ve thought about it for a long time and I thought to myself if I don’t do it this year, I never will.”
“One of the things that drew me to taking part was the fun of it. From what I know about the Rose of Tralee, it’s about meeting people and going to events to represent your county and I am very happy to have been chosen. You really don’t realise how much is involved in this until you take part and everybody has been fantastic.”
She revealed that she did not even tell her mother she was thinking of entering the competition until the Kerry Rose contestants appeared in a local newspaper. “I didn’t tell anyone, I didn’t want to jinx it. Then when it appeared in the paper, I rang her and told her to get the paper. She was completely shocked that I’d entered,” she said.
Síle brought her sash into school on Monday to show her pupils. “There was a really great atmosphere, all of the pupils and staff were really behind me. The older girls in the school were all interested in looking at the sash and they were all delighted for me.”
Síle was selected to represent her home county in the world-famous competition at an event compered by Daithí Ó Sé at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Saturday.
Judges Karl Wallace from Siamsa Tíre, 2007 Kerry Rose Laura Costelloe and Brian Hurley from Radio Kerry assessed each entrant through individual and group interviews and their interview on stage with Dáithí Ó Sé.
Síle emerged the winner out of 24 other contestants and she will now go on to represent Kerry at the Rose of Tralee festival in August.
“All of the other girls in the competition were just so talented and they have achieved so much so I’m just shocked to have won,” she said.
Cheering her on in Kerry at the weekend were her family, closest friends and her boyfriend, Cathal. And when she was crowned the Kerry Rose, she was keen to pick up as many tips as she could from the outgoing Rose Veronica Hunt.
On winning the title, Síle was presented with a number of prizes including jewellery, beauty treatments and clothing. And throughout her year as Kerry Rose, Síle will be supporting Enable Ireland.
Síle now has just a few months to prepare for the International Festival which this year is held from Friday August 19 to Tuesday August 23.
However, she told us she has no plans for a ‘party piece’ performance. “Some of the talent that was on show at the selection was amazing, the standard was so high and just blew the audience away but I won’t be doing a talent on the night if I can get away with it,” she laughed.