THE Rose of Tralee festival is to continue prohibiting single mothers from entering the contest.
The festival committee provoked a controversy when it set out the conditions for entering the contest in a letter signed by a committee member.
Mr Liam Twomey, the festival's chief executive, defended the decision and said that the competition was based on the legend of a single woman, Mary O'Connor, who had no children and who was in love with the writer of the song.
The One Parent Exchange Network said that single mothers were being treated as second class citizens and described the rule as discrimination in its ugliest form.
When asked on RTE Radio's Morning Ireland programme if the committee was planning virginity tests, Mr Twomey replied that they had drawn a line in the competition and if they allowed single mothers, married mothers could then justifiably claim they were being discriminated against as well.