December 18, 2009
By Alexis Hodel as told to Ann Niemann

As the 2009 Arizona Colleen, I am honored to carry the dual title Arizona Rose and to have competed in the 50th annual Rose of Tralee International Festival in County Kerry, Ireland. The 16-day trip in August was one of the most unique and incredible adventures I have ever had. Although I had visited Ireland once before in 2005 for the World Championships of Irish Dancing, this opportunity was a completely new and different experience.

As one of 50 Roses representing Irish Diaspora from Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, North America, and Europe, along with nine counties from Ireland, we were literally treated like celebrities, from the hospitality of all the locales we visited to the generosity of the Festival Committee and all of the RoT staff. It is hard to sum up except to say it was absolutely amazing. I made and created over one hundred new friends and relationships that stem from all over the world. The tour is so exciting and almost overwhelming, that you are essentially forced to bond with the people that are sharing the same whirlwind experience with you. I recommend this journey for the future Arizona Colleens/Roses!!

Upon arriving in Dublin, I was hosted by Tullamore Chamber of Commerce Council Member, Tony McCormack, and his sister, Siobhan, in the city of Tullamore. There, I served as the first official representative of Chandler, Arizona at its Sister City luncheon to officially launch a new brochure promoting economic development and cultural exchange. I was in the local papers and recognized in my role and duties as the Arizona Rose.
Introductions

At the Rose orientation back in Dublin, I met my roommate, the Newcastle-Upon-Tyne [United Kingdom] Rose, Nerice Logue and my escort, Ronan Keary from Waterford. We were matched by age and similar interests. They were both absolutely wonderful! You can see their photos on the website at www.roseoftralee.ie. Nerice is an Occupational Therapist and loves working in a mental health environment for offenders in a hospital with the added dimension of forensics and the criminal justice system. She was utterly amazing and we got along so well!

The escorts had to take us everywhere!! If we wandered off to talk to family or friends and the Chaperones asked where their Rose was, if they didn't know, they would be sent home immediately! It was a major security issue and our escorts had to know where we were at all times! We had to link arm in arm when walking from place to place and they escorted us EVERYWHERE; even to the bus, bathroom, and the lifts (elevators) to bed! Of course, there is the highest integrity and decorum required in these gentlemen. They serve as bodyguard and personal assistant for whatever is needed.
Demanding, Amazing Schedule

The Rose tour is five days of sightseeing, official visits, and lots of paparazzi. Our pictures were everywhere including the local pubs, where the bookies had me in the top 5 to win! This is followed by five days of additional events and elements of the competition. The itinerary is grueling to say the least but brimming full of unimaginable occasions to “see” Ireland that are not available to regular tourists. Our visits included Birr Castle, Shannonbridge for a boat trip, Bunratty Folk Park, St. Brendan’s Church for Commemorative Mass, Club Na Feile at Meadowlands, Greyhound Stadium, the preliminary round as a new Rose Centre for the stage interview, plus the Rose Ball, the enormous Rose evening Parade through Tralee, and in the Dome watching with 900,000 viewers the RTE televised selection of the new Rose of Tralee. The schedule was very hectic and could be changed at a moment's notice...very stressful!!

A few of my favorite places included Newbridge Silverware, Bridge House Hotel Spa & Leisure Club, and Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort. For several years now, Newbridge is the primary corporate sponsor of the Rose of Tralee International Festival and provides multiple pieces of jewelry for each of the Roses to wear along their tour. Part of our contract is to wear ONLY Newbridge jewelry along our entire trip. We made a stop at the Newbridge Silverware main showroom, where dinner was served for the Roses and we were loaned jewelry to match the ballgowns we would be wearing for the television nights during the grand finale of the competition. Newbridge provided three pieces each, which the girls shared and mixed and matched along our trip. We also received a 20% discount on anything we picked out for ourselves. I bought three pairs of earrings and a ring.

Luckily for me, I returned to Tullamore as part of the official Rose Tour, and thoroughly enjoyed the Bridge House Hotel Spa & Leisure Club. We were greeted by 50 Tullamore Rose Buds and the County Offaly Rose, Natalie McCabe, and given a reception and gifts from local businesses. The lunch was incredible, including an amazing finish with sparklers shooting from our dessert!! Another favorite stop of mine was Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort. It was absolutely stunning! Adare Manor has hosted the PGA golf tour many times in the past!!

Some of the most interesting people I met on tour were the young girls we worked with through the Share A Dream Foundation, which sponsors terminally ill children by providing them their life-long dream. The three young girls we worked with shared a common dream: to experience the life of a "Rose." It was so incredible to be a part of an organization that so many people revere. The fact that young women looked up to our roles so much as Roses—that this is the one wish they want more than anything—leaves me speechless. I am just honored and humbled that I could touch someone else's life so closely.
Unfortunate event

Unfortunately, while warming up for my preliminary competition which showcased Arizona as one of the 11 new international centres, I sprained my ankle. This was a very serious situation but it could have been a lot worse! I'm lucky my injury turned out to be only a minor sprain that could be iced and bandaged, with basic pain relievers. Most of the Roses had participated in the Group Interview Round of the Preliminary that morning and had continued on with their tour, so we were very tired. The stage was carpeted, pieced together with metal trimming. As I was rehearsing an Irish dance number for my talent (“party piece” as they call it), my hard shoe slipped on a piece of the metal section of the stage and I went straight over my ankle! The sprain put a major cramp in how I got around for the rest of the tour, but I made the best of my situation and completed the preliminary competition as well as the rest of the trip, albeit part of it on crutches. My escort, Ronan, was definitely accommodating, especially since he had the "gimpy Rose." :)
Lighter Side

Probably some of the most humorous moments on Tour would have to be when the Germany Rose, Jessica Kreuz, taught the girls a song while on the tour bus (sing-songs were a popular form of entertainment EVERYWHERE in Ireland!). Everyone had to take their chance to sing a song on the bus and Jessica's song was called the "Hat Song," in German of course. It was essentially a children's Nursery song. You can't really blame her though; she is a midwife after all and works with babies on a daily basis.

We had the opportunity to have a language lesson and I’ve discovered it was posted on YouTube. You’ll see me right in the front row! Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj7cqUWDogY. There are several clips from this year’s events by searching for “Rose of Tralee 2009.”
Special Thanks to Chandler Artisans

The gifts I presented were hand-made pendants created by local artists from “Art on Boston” located in historic downtown Chandler. Each pendant was made with unique Native American designs and had a note from me on the back about what each one represented. These were given to each of the 50 Roses, my escort, and key RoT staff. As well, I presented a pendant to 10 of Tullamore's Special Olympics team. They enjoyed the pendants so much and said that they would frame them!
NEW Rose of Tralee

The London Rose, Charmaine Kenny, was selected as the 2009 International Rose of Tralee. She is an incredible woman and a wonderful choice to represent modern, young Irish women worldwide. Naturally, I would have liked to have advanced further in the competition and gained even more recognition for the Arizona Irish Community. But, I came home with newspaper clippings and stories about my adventures that I will treasure for a lifetime. Our Arizona Rose Centre volunteers continue to improve our programs and opportunities for young women of Irish ancestry. Thank you to all the sponsors who made this trip possible!

For more information for 2010 applications and deadlines, contact Ann at 602-568-3455 or ann@azcolleen.org.