DUBLIN’S Rose of Tralee entrant, Laura Vines, took her place among the 31 other hopeful Roses for the first time last week ahead of this year’s television extravaganza.
The Shankill veterinary nurse, who is also a zookeeper, met the other Roses at a gathering hosted by Dáithi Ó Sé in Castletown House, Celbridge before they embarked on their journey to Tralee.
Co Kildare was the first county to extend a ‘céad míle fáilte’ to the Roses before they head to the Kingdom of Kerry for the 60-year celebrations of the international festival.
The 32 women from the USA, Canada, Britain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Middle East arrived into the country to join Laura and the other Irish-based Rose sisters.
Together, they enjoyed a "behind the scenes" tour of some key Kildare flagship locations on that included a trip to Cork and a tour of Kerry.
The Glenroyal Hotel, Maynooth, was home to the Roses for two nights while Kildare County Council in association with Into Kildare, the county’s Tourism Board, laid out a memorable itinerary packed full of culture, history, food, fun and excitement.
The Rose of Tralee Tour then returned to Cork for the first time since 2008 when Audiology Medical Services welcomed the 32 Roses to their new hearing test clinic at Carrigaline Medical Centre.
The Rose Tour continued on Thursday when Kerry County Council hosted a day-long outing to Killarney and Dingle, two of Ireland’s most popular and important tourist destina-tions.
Members of the public were invited to come along and meet the Roses during the Rose Tour and Festival and encouraged to take a selfie and grab an autograph.
The Rose of Tralee International Festival’s 60-year celebrations kicked off on Friday with a packed programme of free events ahead of the crowning of the 2019 Rose of Tralee.
Hailing from Shankill, Laura is the eldest child and only daughter in the family. She works as a veterinary nurse and zookeeper at Dublin Zoo, where she's currently working with a herd of 11 elephants.
After graduating from veterinary nursing, Laura is continuing her education with a diploma in Zoo Animal Management.