Mayo Rose Kate Heneghan has been made the early favourite to win the Rose of Tralee with some bookies making her a 5/1 shot to be crowned the winner at this month’s festival.
The county’s long wait for the Sam Maguire may be ongoing, but early support from punters suggests the winner’s sash could be making its way west for just the second time in the event’s history and the first since Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin claimed victory in 2005.
Mayo’s Luzveminda O’Sullivan was also a previous winner at a time when the Mayo Rose went on to represent Galway in Tralee.
27-year-old Kate from Castlebar boasts a Masters in Music composition on her impressive CV and the keen harpist has already toured the world as a musician and teaches Irish traditional and classical music. She hhails from a well-known musical family and wowed the audience at her selection with an original harp composition called ‘Bealtaine’.
“I’m still in total shock, just disbelief,” said Ms Heneghan afterwards.
Asked why she wanted to be in the competition, Ms Heneghan said she was inspired to enter by former Rose of Tralee Aoibheann Ní Shúillebhain.
Ms Ní Shúillebháin, a native of Carnacon, visited Gaelscoil Raifteiri shortly after being crowned Rose of Tralee back in 2005. Kate Heneghan, who was a student there at the time, described it as ‘kind of a memory that has stuck with me’.
“You kind of never forget the excitement of Aoibheann winning Rose of Tralee,” she said.
“I always thought ‘that’s something that I want to do’. I’ve kind of followed her career since and I was just totally inspired in that moment from when I was younger, I guess.”
Ms Heneghan, who is a well-known harpist and music teacher, currently works as a classical music content specialist for a global music streaming brand and is also a qualified personal trainer.
She said wants to use her platform as Mayo Rose advocate for music and the arts.
“I think it’s just an opportunity to be able to use the platform to advocate for whatever you believe in and to inspire young people to follow their dreams and pursue whatever they want to do.”
