Ice-baths, lightsabers, falconry, a surprise Daniel O’Donnell cameo. Either the new Game of Thrones spin-off is a lot more ambitious than anyone could have predicted or it’s the Rose of Tralee (RTÉ One, 8pm), back on the airwaves after a three-year absence.
Ireland’s relationship with the Rose of Tralee has gone through many stages across the decades. It was once a national institution. Later, it became an object of benign teasing. And then Father Ted parodied it as the Lovely Girls Contest — a seismic happening in Irish history that marks its 25th anniversary this year.
But now the event has, much like the Eurovision Song Contest, reached a point where we can accept it for what it is, unselfconsciously and — judging by Twitter — with huge enthusiasm. And as the 2022 contest kicks off with the first of two broadcasts, it feels safe to say the Rose of Tralee has never been more Rose of Tralee.
Dáithí Ó Sé is back as host while DJ Will Leahy returns as the MC introducing the contestants on stage from inside a bespoke broom closet. The entrants are a likeable bunch and seem very much aware the Rose of Tralee is both an Irish tradition and an occasion not to be taken too seriously.
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As is the convention, the contestants are invited to showcase their talents in singing, dancing, science, bakery and — in the case of Florida Rose Jennifer Waldeck — lightsaber duelling. Sydney Rose, Mairéad Brennan (originally from outside Mallow) sits at a piano and sings the traditional ballad My Father’s House. Tipperary Rose Aisling O’Donovan reveals that she was mistaken for Daniel O’Donnell’s niece. And then, because this is essentially the Toy Show with Tiaras, Daniel O’Donnell puts in a guest appearance by video to wish her all the best.
How do you top that? Ohio Rose Sarah McInerney (originally from Newmarket on Fergus, Co Clare) does her best by delivering an impromptu falconry demonstration — minus the falcon.
Some party pieces are more equal than others. Dublin Rose Claire Connolly treats us to impromptu Walter White/Breaking Bad cosplay involving a mobile laboratory and several huge beakers. And Texas Rose Arden Stringer — the bookies’ favourite — reveals that her mother’s birth father had at least 14 children: she almost has enough half-siblings to field a junior b football team.
The most elaborate show-and-tell is meanwhile introduced by Kildare Rose Ashleigh Byrne, who reveals she is an advocate for ice baths. And — who could have predicted? — there is one such bath (technically a barrel) in the hall and Ó Sé has volunteered to take the plunge.
Much cheering ensues. Byrne reminds the audience at MTU Kerry Sports Academy that ice bathing is a serious undertaking, though she admits that “there’s definitely an entertainment value to this as Dáithí is wearing shorts”.
The presenter then sinks into the bath, visibly freezing, and asks the audience to re-join him after the nine o’clock news. And there it is: confirmation that, despite its years away, the Rose of Tralee has lost none of its bloom.
