A peak of 885,000 viewers tuned in at 11:17pm on Wednesday August 26th to see London Rose, Charmaine Kenny crowned as the 51st Rose of Tralee. The 26 year old hails originally from Athy in Co. Kildare and will now spend the next twelve months travelling the globe representing Ireland through her role of Golden Jubilee International Rose of Tralee.
The average number of viewers who tuned in between the RTÉ Nine O’ Clock News and the announcement of the winning Rose on Wednesday night was 744,000 viewers which represented a share of 52% of the available audience. This was a 5% share increase on last year's figures for the second night of the televised competition.
Rose of Tralee fans from around the globe were able to watch the competition live online to support their local Rose. RTÉ.ie recorded 18,025 live streams. The number of live streams for the first night was 10,800 showing a notable 44% increase from the same period last year. Wednesday night also saw an average of over 580,000 viewers tuning in to see the National Lottery Millionaire Raffle. Derek Mooney was the host for the draw live from Denny Street in Tralee.
Furthermore, the RTÉ television documentary ‘Five Decades of Roses’ which was broadcast on Monday August 24th attracted an average of 495,000 viewers representing a 36% share of the available audience. The documentary traced the history of the festival as seen through the eyes of five Roses (one from each decade). They included the 1959 Rose, Alice O'Sullivan; Orla Burke, the 1977 Rose; Brenda Hyland, Rose of 1983; Kirsty Flynn, the 1993 Rose; and Roisin Egenton, the Millennium Rose of Tralee, crowned in August 2000.
RTÉ Deputy Commissioning Editor for Entertainment programming and Executive Producer of this year’s Rose of Tralee televised show Julian Vignoles said, “We are thrilled with this year’s viewing figures, the figures after the Nine O' Clock News on Tuesday night represented the highest share in nine years. It feels like there’s a real sense of nostalgia surrounding the festival this year as it celebrates its milestone 50th anniversary. In these cash-strapped times it’s nice to bring a touch of glamour and fun into sitting rooms across the country. I think the Rose of Tralee will always have a special place in Irish peoples’ hearts.”
Pat Cowap directed both live shows, floor managers for the event were Eddie Finley and Ciaran McDonough, Fiona Cunningham designed the event and the lighting was overseen by Martin Keleghan. Charmaine was picked as the Rose of Tralee from 32 hopefuls all interviewed by host Ray D’Arcy.
