THE PEOPLE of Limerick are all getting behind the Treaty County’s representative in this year’s Rose of Tralee festival.
19-year-old Molli-Ann O’Halloran will represent the county on the national stage as the competition kicks off this weekend.
Molli-Ann, a traditional Irish singer working at Bunratty Castle, says she is “delighted to represent” her county as a proud Limerick woman.
Music is a passion for the Limerick Rose, who studies at the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy of Music and Dance and hopes to go on to take social studies to help broaden her communication skills.
Molli-Ann is also an advocate for people living with autism, as she herself is on the spectrum.
Molli-Ann said she entered the Rose of Tralee because she wanted “to show people that just because you have autism doesn’t mean you can’t do something”.
“I think it’s unreal that the Rose of Tralee has given me a platform to show that every single girl here is different and we’re all different in our own ways and we’re all very well able,” Molli-Ann told RTÉ.
“I’ve heard from a couple of people who had kids with autism and it’s nice to be able to see that there are mams looking at you saying ‘my daughter could do that’.”
This isn’t Molli-Ann’s first time on a national stage, however, as back in 2018 she performed in front of millions on the Late Late Toy Show.
This year’s festival will run from August 18 to 23, with Limerick viewers tuning in on August 22 to root for Limerick Rose Molli-Ann in her bid to be crowned the Rose of Tralee.
