The Rose of Tralee is one of the biggest events in Ireland’s cultural calendar.
It pumps millions of euro into the local economy and pulls in well over half a million viewers; no mean feat in an age of dwindling linear TV viewership.
Almost 30 years of being lampooned as a ‘Lovely Girls’ competition thanks to that Father Ted episode has seen its popularity undimmed.
It has evolved to permit married and transgender women enter the contest.
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However 29 is still the cut-off age, meaning you are officially too old for Rose of Tralee at the age of 30.
The title is bestowed upon a young woman whom the judges think would be a good ‘cultural ambassador’ for Ireland for the following year.
While the spirit of diversity has been embraced, with women of colour among those to don the sash, is the competition still overly focused on a narrow version of femininity?
Last year, the documentary ‘Housewife of the Year’ highlighted the eponymous competition which ran from 1969 to 1995.
In what seems utterly baffling now, married women were judged on their ability to “budget effectively and prepare a simple meal.”
Eventually the competition was scrapped quietly. The weight of public opinion was rebelling against the societal norm of the quiet homemaker.
But the Rose of Tralee doesn’t appear to be in any such jeopardy, and is arguably as popular as ever.
Reporter Niamh Browne joins the podcast from Tralee to ponder the question why the Rose of Tralee seems uncancellable.
Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair.
