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South Australia Rose, Chelsea Thursby-Milovanovic, has strong connections to Tralee.
WE know who the people of Boherbee will be supporting in the upcoming Rose of Tralee competition.
Mitchels woman, Claire Connolly, got in touch with us to tell us about this year’s South Australia Rose, Chelsea Thursby-Milovanovic’s connections to Tralee. She takes up the story…
“Chelsea’s granddad, Paddy Connolly, was born and reared in Moyderwell, he worked as a mechanic in Blennerhassett’s Garage in Boherbee until he emigrated to the UK (mid 50s), where he met his wife Nora from Limerick.
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They emigrated to Australia in 1965 on a £10 ticket. He never returned home and died in Australia in 1982 aged 47.
Paddy had one brother Noel ‘Doc’ Connolly (Marian Park) and one sister, Mairead Casey, who lived in Killarney (both deceased). Through Noel’s wife Mary (also deceased), the family re-connected through Facebook around 2010.
Chelsea and her mum, Siobhain Connolly-Milovanovic, visited Ireland for the first time in July 2014, here they had a family reunion and met up with all their Connolly and Casey cousins.
The Connolly family reunion last year with Chelsea on the far left.
During the visit the family went on trips to the Ring of Kerry and did a tour of Killarney, they also went to Killarney Races. At the races, Chelsea met the then Kerry Rose, Mary Hickey, who planted the idea of entering the competition in Chelsea’s head.
Chelsea will hold onto the Boherbee connection during the festival as she is twinned with The Ballymac Bar.
She will have a will have lots of support from her cousins during the festival, 30 family members are going to the Rose Ball and many more will attend the selection nights. Due to family connections, she will also have a big John Mitchels and Dr Crokes following.”
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So then, looks like the strains of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and the ‘Rose of Tralee’ will be wafting from the bars up in Boherbee for the duration of the festival.
Best of luck Chelsea x