Rose of Tralee Festival

The festival began in 1959 and takes its name from a nineteenth-century ballad about a woman from Tralee. Around thirty women, selected in regional contests from Irish communities worldwide - Australia, the United States, Britain, the Gulf, and across Ireland - come to Tralee in August, and over two televised nights each is interviewed on stage and performs a party piece before one is chosen. It is not a beauty pageant and has never had a swimsuit round, which is the point supporters make; critics have called it dated and paternalistic, and that argument runs publicly every year without resolving. The broadcast is among the most watched programmes on Irish television. Around the selection is a full town festival: a parade, funfair, street entertainment and concerts, most of it free, which is what most visitors actually attend. Tralee fills for the week.

What you actually see

• The selection nights - two televised evenings of interviews and party pieces.
• The global entries - around thirty women from Irish communities worldwide.
• The town festival - parade, funfair and free street entertainment.
• The annual argument - the debate over what the format means, which never settles.

When to go

August, over five days in the middle of the month. The televised nights are ticketed and sell out; the street programme is free and is what most people come for.

Honest expectations

The selection is a television production with limited seating. The town is crowded and accommodation books out. The format divides opinion sharply and both views are held strongly.

Nearby

Killarney and the Ring of Kerry are south; Dingle is west.