JIM FRAWLEY,
Sir, - Congratulations to the Italian Rose and indeed to all the Roses.
I am a great fan of the Rose of Tralee festival. It is a wonderful celebration of all that is Irish and it is truly touching to see the competitors return to their ancestral home and charm us with their wit, talents and dynamism - not to mention looks!
Their pride in being Irish and their tales of how they embrace our culture are wonderful for us to hear.
This year it struck me that perhaps it is time for us to embrace a new category - that of the Immigrant Rose. For generations the Irish have departed our shores for greener pastures; these days, we have net immigration to our island. Many immigrants must find it difficult to adapt to our ways and culture.
I believe that if the festival embraced an Immigrant Rose, this Rose would do an enormous amount to foster an appreciation of multicultural diversity here. - Yours, etc.,
JIM FRAWLEY,
Knocklyon,
Dublin 16.