'A celebration of being Irish and happiness and joy' ... Rose of Tralee International Festival starts tonight
The highly-anticipated Rose of Tralee International Festival airs live tonight (Monday 19th) and Tuesday 20th August from 8pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
The show will see 32 Roses taking to the stage across the country and abroad from Dublin to cities such as Dubai, New York, Chicago and more.
Co-hosts Dáithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas have returned for a second year as presenters of the event.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment ahead of tonight's show, Thomas said there's no sense of competition at all amongst the Roses and that it's all about spreading happiness and joy as cliche as it sounds.
"I've met three Roses that have never been to Ireland before. I think it's very easy for us at home to forget how important that Irish connection is for the international Roses who live away. It's easy to forget how important it is to maintain that Irish relationship, when you're in Perth, when you're in New Zealand, wherever," she said.
She added: You look at the Olympics, and you look at the celebration of Irishness, and you look at the joy and a break from all the s***e that's in the news, and it's a celebration of being Irish and happiness and joy and all that.
"And in a way, I kind of feel that it's that same feeling for a lot of these women who are here. It's celebrating their Irishness, it's coming together, it’s a chance for their families and friends to come back and it’s a chance to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with 31 Irish women who are going, 'You’re f***ing deadly!’. There is no sense of competition at all, that’s really inspiring," she said.
Dáithí Ó Sé discussed the passion he has for the show and the importance of making sure the Roses are happy: "I suppose it's about having a love for people and wanting the best for them. I think the biggest lesson I've learned after all these years, is that it's not about me, it's about them."
"When they go on stage it's about their families and communities. My main job is to make sure that the Roses are happy and want to go back out there again. Once I've achieved that, I can go and enjoy the whole thing with them as well", he added.
The show airs live tonight with features, archive footage, behind-the-scenes content and more from 8pm tonight on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.