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A still from the RTE clip on the Rose Of Tralee back in the early 1970s.
THANKS to the excellent RTE Archives website, there’s some great footage of the Rose of Tralee from years gone by.
Earlier today they tweeted a link to a clip from the ‘That’s Enterntainment’ series broadcast in 1972.
It gives a look behind the scenes at the popular Festival of Kerry which includes, a driving blind competition (yup, you read that right!) and a range of other events.
Continued below…
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The extract shows the participants in the Rose of Tralee arriving and getting to know each other. A piped band leads a night procession through the streets of Tralee, where each of the Roses is welcomed to the town. Amongst the contestants are the Belfast Rose Patricia O’Connell, the New Zealand Rose Bronwyn Gill, and the Sydney Rose Anne Teehan.
One of the more unusual contests is a driving blindfolded competition on Denny Street. While elsewhere a field becomes a track for some single seater car racing. On the variety theatre stage German folk dancers entertain the crowd. To watch the full clip click here on the RTE Archives website.
