Édaein O’Connell: The Rose of Tralee is a door to romance, held open by Dáithí Ó Sé — who could refuse?

Pair 33 women with 33 men, most of them single, in a small arena and it’s shifting and drifting galore

Édaein O’Connell onstage with Daithi Ó Sé during the Rose of Tralee in 2022

I’ll never forget the first time I launched myself into a barrel of seaweed. It was the summer of 2022, a few weeks before I took part in the Rose of Tralee festival. I was with my boyfriend of the time, somewhere outside Kenmare on the edge of a lake.

The man who owned the seaweed barrel was a former Rose of Tralee escort. As we slowly positioned ourselves into the barrels, he had some words of warning and wisdom for us.

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