Dublin Rose Orla Tobin (22) was crowned Rose of Tralee last night after a day when a damaged water pipe in the town led to concern that the Roses would not be able to have showers before their big night.
A damaged water pipe in the town yesterday morning led to concern that the Roses would not be able to have showers before their big night.
Cosseted on the fourth floor of the Brandon Hotel, however, the Roses were mostly unaware of the crisis as eight units of the local fire brigade arrived to pump 40,000 gallons of water into the storage tanks of both the hotel and the Dome across the road.
They were judged to be priority venues - along with the two hospitals in the town.
Ironically, it was raining for most of the day.
"There's plenty of water from the sky, but not enough in the pipes," said Chief Executive Siobhan Hanley as she contacted water officials outside the Dome.
"At this stage, they don't know what caused damage to the underground water pipe," said a Rose of Tralee committee spokesman.
"But they know that it is definitely not malicious."
There were real fears the Roses would end up bathing - Cleopatra-style - in milk, but water supplies held out long enough for the 26 women to shower before heading over to the Dome.
Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mr Royston Brady, wasn't so lucky and ended up brushing his teeth with bottled water as any liquid coming from the taps was a murky brown.
As a former escort, his sympathies were with the men accompanying the Roses, who have had a heavy week.
"I'd compare it to a week-long election campaign. It's tough going for them," he said.
The taps and the toilets, however, were the only dry parts of a town which has been partying for seven days solid.
Despite the panic, the spirits of organisers were revived by news that last night's Rose of Tralee show reached 49,000 more television viewers on average than last year.
The programme reached 1,269,000 viewers compared to 1,220,000 last year. The reach figure represents viewers who tuned into the show for at least one minute.
The show won 40.2 per cent of the available audience in the early part of the programme compared to 29 per cent for the same slot last year.
Thirsty work, you might say. But in Tralee yesterday they were hard-pressed to get themselves a decent glass of water.