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Arizona Colleen/Arizona Rose of Tralee
Requirements for contestants are: Contestants must be 18 to 27 years old as February 7, 2009, never married, no children, and they must have some Irish ancestry. The ladies will be judged on personality, communication skills, poise and demeanor, knowledge of heritage, confidence, poise, composure and talent. The Colleen must reside in Arizona during her reign.
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED
ESSAY DEADLINE IS JANUARY 10, 2009 (You may submit the essay anytime prior to and including that date.)
INFORMATION FOR CONTESTANTS (Click to Download as PDF)
CHARACTER OF THE
ARIZONA COLLEEN AND ROSE OF TRALEE
REQUIREMENTS TO COMPETE
HOW TO LOSE TITLE
Rose of Tralee International Festival in Ireland (mandatory
for Colleen/Arizona Rose)
DATES AND DEADLINES
*Arizona Rose Centre Chair: Ann Niemann, 3614 E. Brookwood Ct., Phoenix, 85048 2009 Arizona Colleen/Arizona Rose MUST be able to participate in the following events:
IMPORTANT WEB SITES FOR AREA EVENTS
The Arizona Colleen and Rose serves as a spokesperson for the Arizona Irish Community and attends a variety of events during her year’s reign. Some are mandatory while others are optional (see Dates and Deadlines for more details). Attire is modest, whether casual, business, or formal, and she wears her sash and tiara on each occasion. We encourage initiative and spontaneity in meeting members of the Irish Community and their businesses and attending area get-togethers, concerts, and gatherings where the Colleen/ Rose may introduce herself and encourage other young women to participate in the next Selection.
There are opportunities for the Colleen Princesses (1st and 2nd Runners-up) to participate in area events as designated representatives of the Irish Community as well. Finalists are often invited to attend a variety of functions as representatives of the Arizona Colleen and Rose programs.
We are creatively expanding efforts to cross-market with local businesses and organizations to maximize public relations for both. Let us know if there are opportunities for our Irish titleholders to make appearances at special activities at Irish-owned companies, or events that have an Irish topic, or Irish composer or playwright. As examples, the titleholders have participated with the "Third Class Bash" as part of the Titanic Exhibit at the Arizona Science Center; guests of the Queen for the joust and activities on Celtic weekend at the Arizona Renaissance Festival; city parades like Tucson and Tolleson; Irish music concert at The Chandler Center for the Arts; etc.
Criteria:
They are impartial, and are bound by confidentiality regarding how
they voted.
Balloting for each category of competition is submitted for computer input by qualified tabulation Auditors at the Selection night. The "math" determines the winner, providing a fair and even opportunity for each contestant. Generally, there is no need for the judges to deliberate on the decision.
50% of total score is determined by Prelims; 12 will advance to Selection Night
Prelims Total plus Selection Night Total determines top five finalists for 100%
TOTAL SCORING 100%
TOP FIVE SELECTION NIGHT FINALISTS
Winners are based on a possible 115 points: 2009 Arizona Collen and Arizona Rose 2009 Colleen Princess, 1st Runner Up 2009 Colleen Princess, 2nd Runner Up
If the Arizona Rose wins the Rose of Tralee, lives in Ireland and/or is required to be out of Arizona during most of her reign, the Runner Up Colleen Princess will assume the duties of "Arizona Colleen"; nevertheless, the Princess may still compete again for the personal title of Arizona Colleen and Arizona Rose.
There is no bathing suit category; the events are not beauty pageants. The Arizona Colleen/Arizona Rose represents the Arizona Irish Community in area events and worldwide as a well-spoken ambassador of good will and as a role model for young women.
Balloting for each category of competition is submitted for computer input by qualified tabulation Auditors at the Pageant. The “math” determines the winner providing a fair and even opportunity for each contestant. Generally, there is no need for the judges to deliberate on the decision.
Former contestants must select a NEW topic (i.e, she cannot use the same one as a previous year).
DEADLINE IS JANURY 10, 2009. You may submit the essay anytime prior to and including that date.
QUESTIONNAIRE/PHOTOS These items are needed for promotional materials which include information for the judges’ preview packets; the Selection night printed program the night of the event; posting to our web site; and press releases and other media materials.
A. Extensive Questionnaire We are using the format of the application for the Rose of Tralee selection in Ireland. From this, we will use excerpts to create a brief sketch about you for press releases and media. VERY important: please type your responses; create it in Word so that we may have it digitally. Print and sign a copy for our records; plus send us one copy electronically (without a signature on the latter is fine). You will want to review your answers before Prelims and the Selection Night because the judges use it to frame questions of you. If selected as the Arizona Colleen, this document will be forwarded to Ireland.
It will be very important to follow the directions for submitting it electronically. The photos are "emedded" into Microsoft Publisher tp print as one document. Please send them via email. Submit four to six (4-6) digital photos (from which we'll choose maybe four) that depict your personality and interests (only you in the picture, no other people unless they don’t distract from you), animals might be okay, something that reflects your talent is good but always with YOU in it). The photos are best as close-ups. We’ll size them to fit so don't worry about dimensions. They will probably be cropped and we will do basic red-eye treatment but otherwise we will NOT be editing at all (just FYI). Modesty counts in clothing selections. We will be choosing the best likeness and most flattering you! Please put your last name in the subject line for all emails and send to Heather Dominguez at Heather@azcolleen.org. You’ll receive an email confirmation of successful receipt, so if you do NOT hear from her, please call Kelly at 602-568-0842. If you need to scan photos to be able to send them via email, Kinko’s can do that for you. Instead of emailing to us, you may deliver or mail a CD to us. Send in the slower, optimal viewing format when given a choice. Jpeg format is good.
TALENT Your talent presentation on stage at the Selection event is between two (2) to three (3) minutes, plus a 30-second grace period, losing points if it exceeds this maximum allotted time. We are looking for confidence and skill, but also wanting to better know each contestant and see more of your own, unique personality coming through. A longer timeframe is provided so there is ample time to perform one piece or even two different talent choices (e.g., play an instrument for one part and sing something else for the second part). Be creative in demonstrating how multi-dimensional you are. There is a large, pull-down screen in the stage area that is used for multi-media throughout the evening. You are encouraged to prepare a CD or DVD that can be prepared prior to the Pageant to enhance your talent presentation. There are several ways of using this type of medium:
Here are some examples… Important:
KNOWING YOUR IRISH ROOTS We recognize that the percentage of Irish descent is often quite diluted here in North America. Even if it is a wee bit, just be VERY proud of that wee bit. To be eligible, each contestant must have at least one relative born in Ireland OR she was born there herself. She may be of any citizenship (USA, Canada, Ireland, etc.), but she must live in Arizona during her reign as the Arizona Colleen (except if selected as the Rose of Tralee; see above under “Arizona Scoring”).
There is NO disadvantage of having the relative generations back compared to the Irish-born competitors. Valuing an Irish heritage and realizing the huge honor of being selected a Rose of Tralee are paramount. Be very cognizant that little girls in Ireland grow up idolizing this prestigious title. Always speak with great respect and admiration for the history of their program.
Ask older family members about the oral
history of their ancestors and traditions.
It’s always good to start keeping a written
record for future generations. Add copies of
any pertinent documents such as birth,
marriage, and death certificates; U.S.
Census records; ship manifestos or
immigration records; Social Security
numbers; etc. Sometimes the location of
photos can be very helpful in tracking
relatives.
IRISH COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
Some wardrobe dollars are awarded the Arizona Colleen in preparation for her competing as the Arizona Rose in Ireland. Specific instructions and tips will be provided.
PHOTOGRAPHER
HOST ORGANIZATION All of the Arizona Colleen Programs, including the Little Miss Shamrock, and the 25th annual anniversary Arizona Outstanding Irish Teen events, are hosted by The St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Faire Committee in Phoenix. It is served by a volunteer Board of Directors since its incorporation in 1984. It is a 501(c)(3) organization; contributions may be tax deductible.
The Board generously awards a $500 educational scholarship to the Arizona Colleen.
HISTORY The Arizona Colleen Pageant celebrated 25 years in 2008. The Colleen Committee requested, and the Board approved, that “pageant” be removed from the name of the program to better embody the trends of recent years. The rich traditions of the past are carried forward in the recruitment of qualified, accomplished young women of Irish descent.
The Colleen Committee, which now also serves as the Arizona Rose Centre, oversees the planning and decision-making for all its events and programs. Volunteers serve in all capacities. www.azcolleen.org
IRISH CULTURAL CENTER, PHOENIX The Irish Cultural Center located at 1106 N. Central Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona is north of Roosevelt, next to the Margaret T. Hance Park which runs “under” Central adjacent to the Central Public Library. It is an entirely separate organization but serves as a focal point for Celtic music, education, and activities. www.azirish.org
TRIP TO IRELAND A budget has been donated by our Corporate Sponsors for the Arizona Colleen/Arizona Rose to travel with roundtrip airfare from Phoenix, housing, food and entertainment allowance, and ground transportation including the five days of competition in Tralee, County Kerry.
If at all possible, it is the express wish of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Faire Committee that the Colleen includes a visit to the county of her family’s origin.
The Colleen, at her own expense, may include other travelers with her and may include additional locations, a lengthier stay, etc.
NOTE: All contestants are encouraged to have or apply for a current passport prior to the date of the Pageant. Any passport expenses are the contestant’s or prospective traveler’s.
PRIZE PACKAGE A budget has been donated by our Corporate Sponsors for the Arizona Colleen/Arizona Rose to travel with roundtrip airfare from Phoenix, housing, food and entertainment allowance, and ground transportation for the five days of the Rose Tour and five days of competition in Tralee, County Kerry.
The Colleen, at her own expense, may include other travelers with her and may include additional locations, a lengthier stay, etc. If at all possible, it is the express wish of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Faire Committee that the Colleen includes a visit to the county of her family’s origin. [Daren, moved this last sentence from above]
NOTE: All contestants are encouraged to have or apply for a current passport prior to the date of the Pageant. Any passport expenses are the contestant’s or prospective traveler’s.
Other prizes include a tiara, flowers, Celtic jewelry; as well as classes and tickets to area events as provided by sponsors. At least $1,000 in scholarships are awarded for educational pursuits such as tuition, books, lab fees, special programs, museum entrance fees, etc., as approved by the Colleen Committee.
ROSE OF TRALEE The Rose level Sponsors provide the $2,000 entrance fee plus a clothing allowance for the Arizona Colleen to compete as the Arizona Rose at the 50th Annual Rose of Tralee International Festival (ROTIF), televised event in County Kerry, Ireland, with the opportunity to win a world tour. www.roseoftralee.ie
The Rose embodies the qualities of the young woman described in the poem, The Rose of Tralee by William Pembroke Mulchinock. Very similar in requirements to our Arizona Colleen Selection, the Rose program does not have a bathing suit category and it is not a beauty pageant. The Rose of Tralee represents those of Irish descent worldwide as an articulate ambassador and role model for young women.
Contestants are treated as “celebrities” and tour Ireland with the judges. There are typically 31 entries – 9 from Irish counties and the rest from Irish centers from the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia, Dubai, and elsewhere. For 2009, in honor of the ROTIF’s 50th anniversary, they will have 50 Roses competing in the event.
ROSE SCORING "Suitability" criteria for Rose: Will represent a major charity in Ireland Articulate in delivery of speeches Being able to relate well to children Be competent in handling the media
Being able to present herself well groomed, suitable for each function
Have a strong and engaging presence with peers/audiences
Talent is referred to as a “party piece” and is optional. Judges are instructed to not count it for or against the contestant.
SIDENOTE William Mulchinock wrote a number of poems with one that fits very nicely as a bridge between our traditional Arizona Colleen and her new role as the Arizona Rose. It spoke about how Mullchinock’s native town called to him with its River Lee. Although he had traveled far and seen much from Shannon to Slaney and Barrow to Bann but:
Fairer than all and dearer Was the sweet and gentle Lee And far fairer too perhaps Were the colleens of sweet Tralee.
POEM The Rose of Tralee, By William Pembroke Mulchinock The pale moon was rising above the green mountains, The sun was declining beneath the blue sea, When I strayed with my love by the pure crystal fountain, That stands in the beautiful Vale of Tralee.
She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer, Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me. Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.
The cool shades of evening their mantle were spreading, And Mary all smiling was listening to me. The moon through the valley her pale rays was shedding, When I won the heart of the Rose of Tralee.
She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer, Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me. Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.
In the far fields of India 'mid war's dreadful thunders, Her voice was solace and comfort to me. But the chill hand of death has now rent us asunder, I'm lonely tonight for the Rose of Tralee.
She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer, Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me. Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.
THE STORY The Story of the Rose of Tralee Mary O'Connor lived in the middle of Tralee town, in Brogue Lane, which took its name from the broguemakers (or shoemakers) who lived and worked there. Mary lived in a thatched cabin with her parents, sisters Brigid and Ellen and younger brother Willie. Her father was a broguemaker, and her mother worked as a dairymaid. Mary was very beautiful; she had long dark hair and soft, shining eyes.
Her status as the daughter of a broguemaker and dairymaid meant Mary was destined for work as a maid or house-help. When she was 17 she secured employment as a kitchen maid for the Mulchinock household in Tralee.
The Mulchinocks were a wealthy family of merchants who owned a wool and linen draper's shop on the site of what is now Heaton's department store in Tralee.
Michael Mulchinock had married Margaret McCann and they lived in the grand Mulchinock house, West Villa. The family owned a considerable amount of land around the house and the neighbourhood, as well as property in town. They had servants, coachmen, gardeners and farmhands.
Michael died of a fever in 1828, so Margaret Mulchinock was head of the household when Mary O'Connor started working in the kitchens of West Villa. Also living in the house were Margaret's sons William Pembroke, Edward, Henry and her married daughter Maria.
Mary O'Connor was delighted to be given employment at West Villa, and soon Margaret's daughter, Maria, seeing that Mary was intelligent and kind to her children asked her to be maid to her daughters Anne and Margaret.
Margaret Mulchinock's sons had grown to be young men and William was becoming a dreamer. In the eyes of his family he was good-for-nothing, and even worse: a poet.
In November 1840 Henry, William's younger brother, died. William was inconsolable as he was closer to William than his more practical brother Edward. He wrote a poem about his feelings:
For him of the fair young brow I weep, Who takes in the churchyard now his sleep; For he was the star above sun-bright, That tinged with the light of love my night.
It wasn't long before William met his sister's new nursemaid. As soon as he saw Mary he was transfixed by her eyes, her grace, her long dark hair and delicate skin.
Mary and William began to meet each other every day by the well in the grounds of West Villa that looked out over the sea and mountains. Sometimes they walked down Lover's Lane or up to Clahane to dance.
One night beneath the pale, silvery moon William asked Mary to marry him. However, William's family disapproved of his seeing Mary, the broguemaker's daughter who lived in a small peasant house in the middle of town. Whilst Mary loved William, she knew that their union could never be, as it would force him to turn his back on his family and he would begin to regret the day he'd ever met her. She declined his offer of marriage.
William refused to give up. He wrote a song for Mary to try and convince her otherwise.
The pale moon was rising above the green mountains, The sun was declining beneath the blue sea, When I strayed with my love by the pure crystal fountain, That stands in the beautiful Vale of Tralee.
She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer, Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me. Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.
But Mary still refused to marry him.
The next evening, after attending a political rally in town, William went to visit Mary at West Villa and gave her a ring which he placed on her finger. Suddenly the door burst open and a friend of William's rushed in to inform him that William had been accused of the murder of a man at the rally. Two men had gotten into a fight and as leader of one of the rebel groups challenging the upcoming election, William had been held responsible. William's friend informed him there was a warrant out for his arrest and a reward of 100 gold sovereigns for finding him. He was told to make for Barrow Harbour and get on a wine ship that was leaving that night. William kissed Mary goodbye and told her he would return soon.
William made his way to India where he worked as a war correspondent. Here he met an officer from Limerick who asked William what had bought him to India. When William told him, the officer said he would use his influence to get William returned to Ireland, and to Tralee, a free man.
So in 1849, some six years after leaving Tralee, William returned. He stopped off at The King’s Arms in Rock Street for a drink before planning to visit Mary in nearby Brogue Lane. The landlord began to draw the curtains to mark the passing of a funeral coming down the street. On enquiring who the funeral was for, William was told it was for a local girl from Brogue Lane, a lovely and fair young woman named Mary O'Connor - the Rose of Tralee.
William was devastated and his heart broken. There was nothing left for him but to visit Mary's grave on the outskirts of town. The famine was at its height in Ireland at this time and most of the country's eight million inhabitants were trying to survive on a diet of potatoes alone.
William never got over Mary's death, and despite marrying and having children with an old flame, he refused to forget her.
William moved with his family to New York in 1849 but returned alone six years later to Tralee and lived the rest of his life on Ashe Street. He died in 1864 at the age of 44 and at his request was buried at the graveyard in Clogherbrien next to his true love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.
You can visit Mary O'Connor's grave at the graveyard in Clogherbrien by taking the Fenit road out of Tralee and the graveyard is on the right hand side.
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