2013 Philadelphia Rose, Brittany Killion, singing “Rose of Tralee.”
On April 11 at the Radnor Hotel, 27-year-old Congressional caseworker Brittany Killion will be giving up her crown as the Philadelphia Rose of Tralee. The Rose of Tralee is one of Ireland’s oldest festivals, celebrating Irish culture, heritage, and the beauty and talent of young women of Irish descent. Thousands flock to Kerry in August for the festival and even more watch it on television.
So last Saturday’s Rose of Tralee Mother-Daughter Tea in Radnor was bittersweet—like the song, “Rose of Tralee,” Killion of Glen Mills sang to the dozens of young women—the little Rosebuds and tween and teen Rose Petals and some of this year’s Rose candidates—who attended the event.
The Rose of Tralee Selection will be held at the hotel on Friday, April 11, starting at 7 PM, with CBS3’s consumer reporter Jim Donovan repeating his role as master of ceremonies. The judging panel will be chaired by David Brennan, GM of the Wayne Hotel. He will be joined by the 2007 Philadelphia Rose, Colleen Gallagher and the President of the Glenside GAA Club, Brendan Gallagher.
The Mary O’Connor Spirit Award, which honors Irish and Irish American women who have made contributions to the community, will be presented to Aisling Travers, a college student who has traveled to Honduras with Amigos de Jesus to work with children and who, while still a student at Great Valley High School, started a program called Kid to Kid which recruited more than 150 student volunteers to work in the Child Life Center at Nemours/Alfred I. Dupont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE.
Here are some photos from the Mother-Daughter Tea. You can also click on the slideshow at the top of the page.
You can win a $100 gift certificate by posting a photo of your favorite Irish eyes on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #2014IrishEyes.
