Dingle Man Wins Escort Of The Year

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DINGLE’S Jamie Flannery received a great 26th birthday present tonight.

The “enthusiastic, ambitious, open-minded and courteous gaelgóir from Dingle” topped the poll among Roses and Rose Escorts to become the Rose Escort of the Year at the 2019 Rose of Tralee International Festival.

Dáithí Ó Sé announced the result live on RTÉ One during the first night of the Rose of Tralee TV Show the Festival Dome.

There are 32 Rose Escorts at this year’s Festival and Jamie was paired with the Limerick Rose, Sinéad Flanagan, for the first two days of the Festival, followed by the Abu Dhabi Rose, Karen Cashman, for the remainder of the event in Tralee.

Jamie, who is a primary school teacher working in Gaelscoil Charraig Uí Léighin in Cork was sponsored by Bord na Gaeilge UCD, Simply Suits and Geaney Oils.

Jamie said he has enjoyed every moment of this year’s Rose of Tralee International Festival: “I think it’s a brilliant opportunity for people to make lifelong friends. The Roses and Rose Escorts have been fantastic throughout the whole week. I’ve really enjoyed it and loved having this opportunity and I’m delighted to have won Escort of the Year. The highlight for me was being involved in all the parades and the fact that the parades so much to the people of Tralee here. It was so special for me and seeing the reaction of the crowd and all the local people.”

Jamie Flannery thoroughly enjoys bringing his own personality to the classroom whilst teaching through Irish. Throughout his years in UCD, he promoted the Irish language through organising events with Bord na Gaeilge UCD. Jamie has a real interest in charity work and have spent time teaching with the charity UCD Volunteer Overseas in both Tanzania and Haiti.

His dad takes people out to see Fungie in Dingle Bay, while Jamie himself enjoys being on stage and has been part of Siamsa Tíre, the National Folk Theatre of Ireland, since the age of six, performing through the medium of Irish dance, song and drama.

Seán O’Sullivan, a project planner from Dunboyne, Co Meath and Pearce Maloney, a primary school teacher from Foxford, Co Mayo, were also shortlisted for the Rose Escort of the Year award.

Nearly 200 men aged between 21 and 30 applied to become Escorts at this year’s Rose of Tralee International Festival and following a detailed interview process, the final 32 were selected to take part in a Boot Camp weekend in Kerry to help them prepare for a busy week at the Festival.

Jamie won a €1000 prize and he will return to be a Rose Escort at the 2020 Rose of Tralee International Festival.

3 Comments

  1. Peggy OHalloran says:

    Congratulations.

  2. Ann doherty says:

    Brilliant well done x

  3. Phyllis Bradley O Neill says:

    Well Done Jamie from Kilkenny City

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