Arcadia Ireland

The Rose of Tralee is an annual event which brings young woman of Irish descent from around the world to Co. Kerry for a global celebration of Irish culture. The event began in 1959 and this year saw Maria Walsh, a Boston native who moved to Co. Mayo, crowned the Rose of Tralee 2014. She has been living in Philadelphia for 3 years having graduated from Griffith College in Dublin with a degree in journalism and visual media.  Mary Kennedy, the chair of the judging panel, said that the "caliber of women is astounding. They are a wonderful representation of the modern Irish women". An average of 426,500 viewers tuned in to watch the live shows which indicated its continuing popularity amongst the Irish public.