There were celebratory scenes in the Clayton Hotel at the weekend when Castlegar nurse Niamh Elwood was crowned the 2017 Galway Rose — and will go on to represent the city and county in the next round in Tralee in August.
Ms Elwood is a nurse in the Acute Medical Unit at the University Hospital, Galway and has a long family and playing association with Liam Mellowes GAA club.
Speaking this week, she said that she was shocked and surprised to win, and was grateful for the support given to her by her colleagues who swapped shifts so that she could make the final.
The 2017 Galway Rose Selection judges, Dr Clare Kambamettu (2010 Rose of Tralee ), Karina Duffy (Weddings and Events Manager at the Clayton Hotel Galway ) and Andrew Kelly (2012 International Rose of Tralee Escort ) assessed each entrant through individual and group interviews, as well as their stage interview with Galway Bay FM’s Ollie Turner on Saturday night.
Prior to the selection event, The Roses also went on a tour of the county, and visited local sponsors, attractions and supporters such as The Eyre Square Centre, The Galway Greyhound Stadium, Galway Atlantaquarium, The Corrib Princess, Loughwell Farm Park, The House Hotel, The Beauty Mint, Busker Brownes Bar, Pallas Karting and the Dillisk on the Docks launch.
Each Rose was gifted a goodie bag from Loughrea based-tanning company CatwalkHQ.
Galway Rose Coordinators Anne Marie Doyle and Charlene McGough said “MC Ollie Turner won over the crowd with his signature style of serious interviewing and hilarious anecdotes as he watched the Roses sing, play the piano, and dance. He was also brought through the stages of labour, taught how to milk a cow and treated to a cocktail demonstration. All of the Rose entrants were of exceptionally high calibre,” they said.
