Laois Rose Kateyln to hand over sash after thrilling year
Katelyn Cummins, Laois Rose and current Rose of Tralee - until tonight! File image.
REIGING Rose of Tralee, Laois Rose Katelyn Cummins, is set to hand over her sash when the new Rose is crowned at the annual ceremony on 18 August.
Hailing from Ballyouskill on the Laois / Kilkenny border, Katelyn was crowned at last year’s event, becoming the first Laois rose to win in the festival’s 67-year history.
She was working as an electrical apprentice when she applied for the Rose of Tralee. “I'd always watched the Rose of Tralee growing up in my household”, she told the in January, adding: “I honestly cannot wait to go back down to Tralee next year, not even to hand [the sash] back over, but to relive the experience all over again, and relive it with other girls who are experiencing it for the first time.”
Since winning the coveted crown, her calendar has been marked by a host of social and cultural events, over 270 different events within 365 days according to the .
She took part in the latest , later winning the season and claiming the Glitterball trophy alongside her professional dance partner, Leonardo Lini.
Judges praised the pair for their dancing skills. A section of Katelyn's ‘showdance’ routine was muted to highlight hearing disabilities. Katelyn herself wears a hearing aid: “I've never really thought that my disability would stop me from ever doing anything,” she told the in January.
In February, she was a headline speaker at the re-imagined I Wish festival in the RDS Dublin, which promoted Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) to teenage girls.
A civic reception was held in Laois Co Council chambers on 10 April to honour Katelyn. She has also travelled to the United States in her capacity as the reigning Rose, and has danced on the main stage at Electric Picnic The 2026 International Rose of Tralee Festival began Friday, 14 August, with the Rose of Tralee Selection Nights taking place on 17 and 18 August.
When Katelyn hands back the feted sash, she will return to her apprenticeship in Portlaoise and finish out her degree.
“Then I would love to do some traveling for two or three years, across America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. I absolutely love traveling and it's such a big passion”, she told the in January.
This year also sees two Rose of Tralee escorts from Laois. Tirlán business manager Paddy Brennan (25) from Attanagh and cyber security specialist Peter Hyland (28) are two of 32 men chosen to assist the Roses across the festival.
The 2026 Rose escorts, aged between 21 and 32, endured a three-day training camp in Kerry in June to prepare for the festival.
