Rose Of Tralee 2026: The televised contest begins in Kerry tonight

Tralee is ready for another Rose

The festival began in 1959 and remains one of the few fixed points left in the Irish television calendar.

The festival opened on Friday in the Kerry county town with the welcome of the 32 selected Roses, followed by a weekend of parades, live performances and family events before the cameras took over.

This year’s judging panel is RTÉ broadcaster Nuala Carey, fashion designer Don O’Neill, Aisling Murphy of sponsor Murphy Homes, and Maggie Flaherty, who won the title herself in 1974. Dáithí Ó Sé, the long-time host, is back on stage.

Speaking to The Journal last week, festival director of operations Steve Cronly and Ó Sé set out what the panel is looking for across two nights and a very large field: someone “capable, confident and intelligent” who can act as a strong global ambassador for the festival.

The outgoing winner is Katelyn Cummins, the Laois Rose, who took the title last year at the age of 20 and hands it over on Tuesday. “I will grieve the lifestyle for a long time,” she told the Irish Independent as her year came to a close.

The contest runs tonight and tomorrow night from the Kerry Sports Academy in Tralee and if you want more homegrown television after the sashes are handed out, we have rounded up the best Irish shows on RTÉ worth catching this month.