Rosemount's Rachel reigns victorious in Westmeath Rose

Rosemount woman Rachel Duffy has been chosen as this year's Westmeath Rose.

The selection took place on Saturday evening at the Mullingar Park Hotel with ten young women taking part from the Lake County.

Rachel (23) will be representing the county at the festival in Tralee this August and says she is still in shock at being selected to be the Westmeath Rose.

“I was so blown away with all of the other girls that I hadn’t even considered the possibility that I would be picked. I applied with an open mind hoping to meet new people and make friends and it was just the most amazing experience, it completely exceeded my expectations.

"I am so grateful to be selected to represent Westmeath this year in the Rose of Tralee Festival. After two long years of lockdowns and isolation, I'm so happy to be a part of something so special with such an amazing group of people."

Rachel said: “my family and friends are delighted. There were lots of tears. I am so grateful for the support I’ve received from everyone, especially from Paul Lawless, my sponsor at P Egans. By the sounds of things, all of Rosemount will be heading to Kerry in August.”

Rachel is the daughter of Eamonn Duffy and the late Cathy Duffy (née Lynch) originally from Ballymore.

The last Rose to represent Westmeath was Coralstown native Leanne Quinn in 2018 who famously powerlifted host Daithí Ó Sé on stage.