Colleen Whelan with current Rose of Tralee, Haley O’Sullivan, from Texas at the Fels Point Hotel on Friday morning. Photo by Dermot Crean.
IT was a very special day for 14 year old Colleen Whelan who, with the help of the ‘Share a Dream’ foundation is to be a Rose for the weekend.
Colleen suffers from Ulcerated Colitis which caused her intestine to be removed and means she now has a bag for her bowel for the rest of her life.
Colleen, along with her mom Liz, dad Sean and sister Niamh made the trip down from Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny for the weekend.
“I am going to be the Kilkenny Rose and win purely because of my charm and hurling skills,” joked Colleen.
“This is our sixth year of making this happen for someone,” said Grace O’Donnell, chairperson of ‘Care4Kidz’ who worked alongside the Share a Dream Foundation to make this happen.
“We know from the other families who have been here, they have such a huge love for Tralee after they have left because everybody looks after them so well,” said Grace.
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There was an added bonus for Colleen when she met the current Rose of Tralee, Haley O’Sullivan, who just happened to be in the lobby of the Fels Point Hotel while she was there.
Colleen is booked in for a make-up appointment in Debenhams, after she will get her first chance to meet all the Roses at Wetlands. Later she will attend the Rose Ball where she and her family will be treated as VIP guests and Colleen will be introduced as one of the Roses.
In the video below, Colleen talks about the excitement of the day and looks forward to the weekend ahead, while her mother, Liz, also expresses her delight.
Video and Photos below…
At the Fels Point Hotel for the ‘Share a Dream Foundation’ event for Colleen Whelan From co Kilkenny were, from left: Sean Whelan, Haley O’Sullivan (Current Rose of Tralee), Colleen Whelan, Niamh Whelan, Liz Whelan. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
