By Michelle Crawley
WHILST Westmeath sadly did not have a rose competing in the Rose of Tralee Final in the Dome in Tralee this week, it certainly had strong representation, with our very own Westmeath Rose, Katie Murphy, in attendance to cheer on all the roses.
“The atmosphere in Tralee is electric. There is such a buzz around the place,” were the words of 2014 Westmeath Rose, Katie Murphy, Brookfield, Mullingar, who made her journey to Kerry on Sunday afternoon from Sligo, where she had competed as part of Mullingar Shamrock’s 1st 8 hand céilí dancing team in the 2014 Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. Despite it being all go for the 24 year-old current Westmeath Rose, Katie has not let the hectic schedule faze her one bit and has relished the chance to reunite with all the roses she met in Portlaoise at the Regionals in June. “It has been so good to reunite with all the roses. I am staying with the roses that didn’t get through the regionals and we are having a great time,” she revealed.
“I got the chance to meet up with the girls [who took part during the week] when they stopped off in Athlone as part of their Rose Tour. It was great to get an hour and half or so to chat with them,” she recalled fondly.
While it is bittersweet that Katie didn’t get the chance to take to the stage to represent Westmeath at the Rose of Tralee Final, this rose certainly sees the positive side of it down in Kerry, finding herself free of a timetable, and with ample time to enjoy the entire festival without adjudicators watching her every move. Enjoying the best of both worlds, as both a rose, and a spectator, Katie has had the chance to experience the magic that is the Rose of Tralee, the banter with the roses, the celebrations, and the stress free experience of sitting in the audience.
Since arriving in Kerry, Katie got the chance to take part in a special memorial for the 2011 Washington D.C. Rose, Dorothy Henggeler, who passed away in April of this year following a lengthy battle with illness. The former Rose was buried in Aghadoe Cemetery in her mother’s hometown of Killarney, next to her sister Treasa, who died at just two years of age from meningitis whilst on holiday in Kerry thirty years ago. “We attended the memorial gathering alongside her family. It was lovely”.
This wasn’t Katie’s first time to attend the Rose of Tralee. Katie revealed to Topic that she got the chance to attend the Rose of Tralee when she was a young girl and dreamt of one day taking part. Little did Katie know that her dream to take part in the Rose of Tralee magic would come true this year when she became the 2014 Westmeath Rose. Katie says she has really enjoyed getting the chance to represent the county at this year’s festival and revealed that she is looking forward to a little well-deserved break to re-charge the batteries for a week after she gets back, as well as the rest of her term as the 2014 Westmeath Rose.
