Daithi O Se said the Rose of Tralee has to change if it wants to survive - as he backed the festival to go on for another 100 years.
For the first time in three years, the RTE Rose of Tralee International Festival is back in action, with 33 new International Roses ready to take to the live stage and screen next Monday and Tuesday night.
This year will mark Dáithí’s eleventh year presenting the show, and a huge year for the international festival as it marks the beginning of a new era with rule changes welcoming transgender applicants, those who are married, as well as increasing the age limit to 29.
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But RTE Today host Daithi says they are necessary steps to keep the show alive in modern society.
He said: “If the Rose of Tralee wants to stay alive it has to change. To be fair, they have changed all along.
“Like there was a time where you couldn’t be married, there was a time when you couldn’t have a child and there was a time where the age limit was lower. I think it was 25 and then went to 28 and now it is 29.
“So they are changing with the times. It is just another positive move.
“And you are sending a message out into society to say that the Rose of Tralee is there for everyone, and why shouldn’t it be there for everyone?
“We are here to celebrate ourselves, our irishness and Irish women. For example if we had a trans woman on stage, it would be a sign of the society we are living in in 2022.
“Again. It is about people. Whether you are male, female or trans, we are all human beings.
“I want to talk to people on stage. People have their own story to tell,
can you imagine the story they would have to tell on stage. Very interesting. And it is about people and their stories and making that connection with people at home.
The Kerry man added: “Unfortunately, we don’t have any trans rose, I was really looking forward to having that chat on stage.
“But I think there was a very positive message sent out this year, so hopefully next year.
“It will take people a while to go for the competition itself and I am really looking forward to that.”
After a three year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Rose of Tralee International Festival will celebrate its sixty-first year this year.
Despite some critics who feel the competition is outdated, Daithi backed it to go on for 100 more.
“It has stood the test of time,” he said confidently.
“It is a good yardstick of what is happening in Irish society in 2022. In 1972 you might have had teachers and nurses and in 2019 we had engineers and doctors and that is a good sign of what is happening.
“If you were chatting to Roses in the 70’s, how many of them would have travelled? They would have travelled for emigration. Some of these roses have been all over the world and to countries I have never even heard of.
Even looking at education, the Roses before wouldn’t have been as educated as this bunch are. It is a sign of what is happening. We will still be here in 100 years time.”
Another major change this year will see the televised shows broadcast from the Munster Technological University’s Kerry Sports Academy, instead of the usual ‘Dome’ a marquee that was erected for the festival each year.
Daithi says it will have no effect on viewers watching at home, explaining:
“Even though we are moving up to the university it is still going to be the dome.
"There is still going to be a stage, 33 roses and 2,000 people. The good thing about it is that it is moving into a permanent structure with air conditioning. There are lots of lights on the stage so that is very good for me. For people at home looking, it will be the same.”
Meanwhile, the modest star admitted he doesn’t like to think about how many will be tuning in to the show, which often garners over 500,000 viewers by the time the winner is announced on Tuesday night.
“You can’t even think about that, honestly. We all want the biggest audience in the world and it is up to us to keep the audience there. I know people watch it for the dresses and people watch it because there is a neighbour in it.”
He went on to admit: “We do things to get people talking and to get a reaction on Twitter. The Rose of Tralee is made for social media because it is a live event. Something is going to happen on the night and whether you are into it or not people will say ‘Did you hear about it?’”
Daithi was speaking as he officially introduced the new group of roses for the first time at a media photocall at Sandymount Beach in Co. Dublin ahead of the big TV debut next week in Tralee.
Teasing ‘a surprise’ to kick off the highly anticipated return to the screen, he said: “Listen there is three years of built up excitement. So we are really looking forward to it. And I've met all the roses and we are working on a party piece at the moment. We are hoping to have a big surprise on the first night, as we always try to do. There may or may not be live animals involved. All I am saying is there might be an icy reception for someone.
“It is very exciting. I’m looking forward to it. I was down in Tralee in 2020 and 2021 with no festival on and you really got a sense of what it meant to local people and everything.”
“I think we all really missed it. I do feel like it’s another sign of things getting back to normal.
The Rose of Tralee will be available to watch for free, live and on-demand by audiences in Ireland and around the world on RTÉ Player.
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