She made quite the impression…
Offaly Rose Jennifer Byrne was named as the winner of the 59th Rose of Tralee on Tuesday night down in Kerry.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYHOt_6HJzy/
It’s a proud day for the Faithful County as it’s the first time in history that Offaly has won the prize.
The 24-year-old works as a junior doctor in the Accident and Emergency department of University Hospital Galway and during her years as a medical student, she volunteered in Barretstown and in Mpongwe Mission Hospital in Zambia.
But there was another contestant on the night that caught the attention of people, and that was the Western Canada Rose, Sinead McGahern.
Speaking to Dathí O Shea, she made a rather controversial statement about the geography of Ireland that many people were quick to point out.
One of the roses seems to think that Ireland is in the UK 😲😲 #Roseoftralee pic.twitter.com/fdFGuwkzLv
— Mary (@Mc1988) August 22, 2017
McGahern said: “[I have] 23 first cousins in the UK. Three are currently in England and the other twenty here are in Ireland.”
People noticed…
https://twitter.com/daithigorman/status/900093962748395520
https://twitter.com/RachaelAFlood/status/900094624601186305
#RoseOfTralee Dáithí greets the Texas rose by asking "you've been to Ireland? You know how it works?". Trying to avoid another Canada/UK.
— Johnathan Randall (@MrJRan) August 22, 2017
Rule number one when coming to Ireland, don’t imply it’s part of the UK. Rule number two when coming to Ireland, don’t imply it’s part of the UK on live television.
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