As the Rose of Tralee kicks off tonight, we decided to take a look back at some of our favorite moments, both good and bad, from previous years.
The roses always know how to make a moment memorable, whether it be with their questionable dance moves or their reactions to surprise engagements, those girls certainly know how to keep us entertained!
We can’t wait to see if there’s any more this year…
Fancy footwear!
Daithi certainly knows how to gather the attention of the crowd at the Rose of Tralee festival, but he surpassed everyone’s expectations when he strutted out onto the stage in a pair of red and black stilettos.
The presenter was confident as ever saying “What’s so hard about this?” and quipped that he got the shoes from Anne Doyle.
He then had a ‘walk-off’ with one of the roses, and we honestly can’t decide who was better at it. Maybe we’ll give this one to Daithi just for the sake of sake of a few giggles!
THAT proposal
When you’re proposing to your girlfriend, we’re pretty sure the last thing anyone wants to hear is “no, no, please God now”, but that’s exactly what happened in 2013, when the boyfriend of New Orleans rose, Molly Molloy Gambel got down on one knee.
For a time it looked like she was going to say refuse the proposal on TV, but she eventually put him out of his misery – and sheer embarrassment – and agreed.
The couple married last year in Alabama, and returned to the festival as a married couple.
Hip hop dancing
In 2011, Dublin Rose Siobheal Nic Eochaid wowed the masses as she performed a hip hop routine for the judges.
It was the first dance of its kind to be featured as a party piece, and was certainly a moment to remember and as she busted out some freelance break dancing moves in a ball gown.
We don’t know if we should be impressed or appalled!
The banana song!
The Roses both confused us and entertained us to no end when they performed a song and dance routine to an original banana song.
It was possibly the strangest thing we’ve seen during the festival to date, but we love it all the same!
Daithi’s true love
Daithi O’Se met Rita Talty when she was a contestant on the Rose of Tralee seven years ago, and ended ended up marrying her in 2012.
Rita, who was the New Jersey Rose, moved back to America after the festival, and the pair reconnected through Facebook.
Speaking to The Herald a while ago, Rita said, “It stared with a poke on Facebook. I think I kept popping up on the side of his page where it says suggested friends and we started messaging before we became friends.”
She continued, “With the time difference, I was always very excited to wake up to a message from him. Eventually we started meeting up when Daithi was working over in the States, and that’s how it happened really.”
The pair welcomed their first son last year.
