Dream comes through for first ever Laois Rose of Tralee

LAOIS Rose Katelyn Cummins won the 2025 International Rose of Tralee competition, becoming the first-ever Laois Rose to take the title.

The 20-year-old was announced as the winner of the 65th International Rose of Tralee, just before 11.30pm last night.

A dairy farmer from Ballyouskill on the Laois/Kilkenny border, Katelyn is an apprentice electrician working for Alpha Drives in Portlaoise and a member of North Kilkenny Macra.

Her escort for the festival period was Tommy Meade from Meath.

For her party piece, Katelyn performed a lively jive with her escort.

Speaking immediately after being crowned the winner, Katelyn said: “It feels like a dream. I’d like to thank my mam and dad, Lynn Maloney, Steve Cromly. You have all been absolutely amazing. Plus, the 31 girls standing behind me.” 

As well as winning the title Katelyn also won a world travel prize valued at €25,000 and the use of a €40,000 plug-in hybrid car for the year.

After being crowned the 2025 Rose Katelyn she was taken through the streets of Tralee to be formally presented to the crowds where she was serenaded in front of the thousands of people that had lined out for what’s known as the Midnight Madness and a fireworks display.

She said that she aways dreamed about winning the title: “You always look up to the girls on the stage and say I’d love to be that girl, I’d love to showcase my talent and tell the world about who I am. I think it’s every little girl’s dream in Ireland. I’m so happy that I got that opportunity to do it.” 

Interviewed earlier this morning on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Katelyn said that since she was a little girl from the age of three or four, “I’ve watched the Rose of Tralee and I don’t think I’d missed a year."

Asked what was going through her mind when she was named as the Rose of Tralee, Katelyn said: “My legs were crossed. I thought that I was going to fall over onto the Arizona Rose. All I wanted to do was to hug my mam and my dad and my granny. I was so delighted to have been able to represent my family, my community and Laois.” 

Asked what the significance of a rose tattoo on her back was, she said: “My Granny Kathleen passed away in June 2023. She was an avid gardener and had beautiful roses in her garden. Every colour under the sun of roses, in her garden. When she passed away, I wanted to get a tribute to her and I though the rose would be a lovely touch.” 

She said that she doesn’t think that she’ll put her career on hold saying: “I think, I’ll go back to work now. I rearing to go back to work, to be honest. I’ll stay going at my apprenticeship and continue my duties as the Rose of Tralee on the side. But my career will be a priority for me.” 

Katelyn said that the 32 competitors who took part in the competition showed that: “Irish women are so strong. We created a sisterhood together and that we are unbelievably talented, unbelievably intelligent and we can do anything that we put our minds to, no matter what other people say to us.” 

She said that winning the title her phone “has been absolutely hopping. I’ll leave it for a day or two before getting back to people. But for the moment I think that I’m just going to enjoy myself as best I can and soak in every moment.”