Colleen Kennelly (second from right) winner of the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night with the judges Deirdre Walsh, Noel Flavin and Louise Galvin. Photo by Marie Rohan
WHILE 23 Roses were picked in Portlaoise on Sunday to go on to the final at the Festival in Tralee, Ballybunion was holding its own Rose contest.
Nine local ladies vied for the Ballybunion Rose 2015 crown at the Cliff House Hotel, but in the end there could be only one and Colleen Kennelly was chosen as the winner.
It was an entertaining night with the ladies interviewed on stage by compere/judge, Radio Kerry broadcaster and journalist Deirdre Walsh, with other judges Louise Galvin and Noel Flavin watching on, along with about 200 other people who paid the €10 entrance fee.
Each girl had an escort while proceeds from the event went towards the Ballybunion Wildcats Basketball Club and the Beale GAA Players Fund.
The Rose hopefuls were Aoife Murphy 23, radiographer; Katy Purtill 24, Physiotherapist; Kerrie Ryan 26, Architectural Technologist; Ayla Farrell 27, Social Worker; Coleen Kennelly 19, Sales Assistant; Triona Moore 28, Pharmacy Technician; Jacqueline O’Connor 22, Skin Care Consultant & Beauty Therapist; Michelle Egan 20, Trainee Teacher and Molli Buckley 18, Student in NUI Galway.
Scroll down for photos from the night…
Colleen Kennelly with her escort Carroll Purtill at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Jackie O’Connor with her escort Thomas Pierce at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Michelle Egan with her escort Conor Liston at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Molli Buckley with her escort Shane Joy at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Katy Purtill with her escort Andy O’Connell, at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Aoife Murphy with her escort Daniel Ellis at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Contestants Kerrie Ryan and Ayla Farrell with escorts Shane Heffernan (left) and Ger Gorman at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Triona Moore with her escort Philip Julian at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Shauna Cashell and Siobhan Gilbert at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Zena Ryan and Estela Perez at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Catriona Kennelly, Katie O’Connell, Katie Daly, Ciara Kennelly and Tim Kennelly at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Robert O’Donoghue and Sonia Bliessen at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Katelyn Sheahan and Megan Flanagan at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Organiser Stephanie Walsh with MC for the event, Deirdre Walsh, at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Isla O’Connor, Sarah Long and Cora O’Mahony at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Anna Mai Wall and Niamh Moriarty at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Anna Marie and Ailín Crowe at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Stacey and Elaine O’Dwyer at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Róisín Cummins, Shauna Breen and Sinead Breen at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Ruth, Aileen and Grace McCarthy at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Molli Buckley with grandmother Nora Buckley at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Judges Louise Galvin, Deirdre Walsh (who compered the show) and Noel Flavin at the Ballybunion Rose Contest at the Cliff House Hotel, Ballybunion on Sunday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
