Athlone hosts Westmeath Rose Selection this weekend

15 contestants will be bidding to take the crown currently held by Ballymore’s Lelia Maguire, at the Westmeath Rose Selection tonight, Saturday, in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Athlone (8pm). MC is Galway Bay FM’s Ollie Turner.

The event, co-sponsored by Athlone Town Centre and the Radisson Blu Hotel, is expected to draw huge crowds of supporters and fans to the local venue, with tickets available on the door on the night for €20.

“It promises to be a great night,” Niall O’Brien, who heads up the organising committee, said.

The big change this year is that the Westmeath Rose will be going to Tralee. There are no regional finals this year, all 67 Roses will go to Tralee and be interviewed in the famous Dome in August,” said the Rosemount man, a former escort at the world famous Kerry festival.

In addition, the new Westmeath Rose will join her fellow Roses on a five-day tour of the country before arriving in Tralee on Wednesday, August 17 where the contestants will be interviewed on stage by RTE’s Daithi O’Se. 

Each Rose will also attend the Rose Ball on the Friday night followed by the famous Rose parade on the Saturday night.

On Sunday, 67 Roses will be whittled down to 32, all of whom will then interviewed live on Monday and Tuesday on RTE 1 by presenter Daithi O’Se, with the overall winner being announced on the Tuesday night to much fanfare in Tralee. 

The current Westmeath Rose Lelia Maguire will be in attendance on Saturday night in Athlone to present her crown to the eventual winner as will former Westmeath Rose, Shauna Coyne, and the 2013 Limerick Rose, Chloe Heslin.