Leontia Sheridan (right) winning last year's Cavan Rose - who will be crowned the 2016 rose?

Cavan Rose is guaranteed a place in Tralee

When the 14 Cavan Rose hopefuls take to the Country Club setting for this year’s selection night, it will be in the knowledge that if they they are crowned as the Breffni representative, they will be guaranteed to take part in the Tralee festival.
Previously, successful Roses had to progress to a Regional Festival in Portlaoise, which took place every June Bank Holiday weekend, and sadly that claimed many promising candidates, before they got the chance to showcase themselves to the world on the Tralee stage. Not this year though!
To coincide with the 1916 centenary commemorations of the Easter Rising the format has thankfully changed.
All 66 Roses from Ireland, England, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Luxembourg and The Middle East will get to go to Tralee this year. There will be two preliminary selection nights where all 66 roses will be interviewed by MC Daithi O’Se in the dome, and then 32 roses will be selected to appeare on the RTÉ televised nights (Monday, August 22 and Tuesday, August 23), with the 2016 Rose of Tralee being announced Tuesday night.
For families and support attending it truly is one of the most amazing festivals in Ireland to attend.
Former Cavan Rose, Laura Galligan says of the festivities, “I have been down there for the last two years and will continue going into my old age as it is such good fun and craic.”
Before all of those heady nights, fourteen young ladies will hope to be crowned Cavan Rose on Friday, May 13 in the Hotel Kilmore’s Country Club.