Rose Of Tralee Calls On Viewers To "Be Kind"

Current Rose of Tralee Rachel Duffy has called on people to "be kind" to current contestants ahead of this year's festival.

The two day festival kicks off tonight (August 21), and Rachel Duffy has called on viewers to "remember that roses are real people". The 2022 winner has also added that the 5 minutes you see of the Roses on stage is merely "a snapshot of the festival".

Taking to Instagram, Duffy added that the women are "acting as role models, supporting charity, cultural and social organisations and are very bravely putting themselves on live television for your entertainment".

Duffy concluded with the message, "Enjoy it and be kind". 

Having faced previous criticism over its alleged lack of diversity, this year's show will be the first to represent people diagnosed with Autism, with 27 year old Charlotte Burton and 19 year old Molli-Ann O'Halloran representing South Australia and Limerick respectively.

This comes two years after it was announced that both married and transgender women could also enter the festival as contestants, while the maximum age for entries was also raised to 29.

The Rose of Tralee begins tonight on RTÉ television.