Forty years on, the Festival of Kerry has regained much of its old sparkle. The festival, which features the Rose of Tralee selection, had been in decline in recent years, but a shorter, slicker programme this year has attracted large crowds.
An estimated 200,000 people are expected to have attended the event, generating up to £13 million for the county, when the festival concludes tonight with the televised Rose selection.
The process began last night when 17 of the 33 Roses were interviewed by Marty Whelan under the watchful eyes of the judges, including Gay Byrne, a key part of the festival for more than 20 years.
Indeed the festival has been noteworthy for the first official sighting of Gaybo outside of Donegal since his final Late Late Show last June. Visibly relaxed, he said that the quiet life was proving to be very agreeable, and he has no fear of missing the buzz of front-rank broadcasting. "I'll get that from driving my Harley Davidson," he said.
The Rose selection is being held in a giant dome purchased by the festival committee. The structure can seat up to 1,600 people. Over the years, the Rose selection has been held at various venues in the town, and on one occasion in the early 1960s it was held outdoors.
A dome purchased in 1976 was blown down in a hurricane in 1983. The festival president, Mr Bryan Cunningham, said the public was in favour of another dome. "It was seen as the heart of the festival, part of the sexy atmosphere and the razzmatazz associated with the event," he added.
A feature of the festival is the free street entertainment which this year includes James Brown and Beautiful South. But the main focus is on the 33 Rose contestants, carefully chaperoned by their escorts.
The New Zealand Rose, Ms Bridget Hope (21), a photographer, is following in the footsteps of her mother, Ms Paula Ryan, who was a contestant 30 years ago. Ms Hope, who is on her first visit to Ireland, has used the opportunity to visit her ancestors in Nenagh, Co Tipperary. Her great-great-grandfather, a sheep farmer, emigrated to New Zealand in 1862 and settled in Broadfields, near Christchurch.
