Date changed for meet and greet evening organised to help find the 2020 Carlow Rose

A meet and greet evening has been organised on how to go forward to be the 2020 Carlow Rose but those interested are advised that the date has now been changed. 

The search is officially on for Carlow's Rose of Tralee contestant ahead of next year's competition in the Dome. 

The meeting is now expected to take place on June 6 at the Woodford Dolmen Hotel, when Rose of Tralee hopefuls can learn about the fun times involved, the friendships made and the opportunities that lie ahead.

Could you represent Carlow at Rose of Tralee International Festival?

Mothers, daughters, sisters, nieces, friends, girlfriends, organisers would love to hear from you! 

Carlow Rose Shauna Ray Lacey made a lasting impression on the nation with her honest interview at the 2018 final. 

The Rose of Tralee International Festival made a major change to ensure every Rose who goes to Tralee will get the full experience of chatting with Daithí Ó Sé live on RTÉ.

They have opted to make it a bi-annual event for almost every Rose Centre, so that only every second year, a Rose will go to Tralee to represent them and will be guaranteed to be in the TV final.

Roses representing Kerry, Cork and Dublin will continue to be selected every year.

The Midlands counties who featured in the 2019 event included Laois and Kilkenny. 

Offaly and Carlow have had to wait until 2020 to send their Roses to the Tralee Dome.

In all 32 Roses will take part now each year instead of 66. International Rose Centres also have to wait every other year to send a Rose.

Other changes include a higher age limit, with young women aged 18 to 29 now eligible. Sponsorship has risen from €250 to €300 but the organisers are confident that with the guaranteed exposure on national television, sponsors will be eager to get involved.

Executive Chair of the Rose of Tralee International Festival is Anthony O’Gara and he said: "Moving from the Regional Festival (staged from 2004 to 2015) to bringing all our Roses directly to the Rose of Tralee International Festival for the past three years has been generally very positively received. 

"There is one challenging aspect to the new format that does not sit well with any of us and that we want to address, the selection of 32 Roses from 66 for the TV Selection. 

"Regardless of how sensitively we handle that, it is not in-keeping with our ethos or our tradition. Our focus is to celebrate and respect the passion and emotion, and indeed the time and financial investment that every Rose, her family and Centre invest with us."

Have you got what it takes?