Is Ballymena home to County Antrim '˜Rose'?

Young women from all over the county are being invited to apply online ahead of this year’s Antrim Rose Selection.

The Rose of Tralee, Dr Jennifer Byrne recently teamed up with RTÉ’s Rose of Tralee Presenter, Dáithí Ó Sé to launch the search for her successor who will be crowned in the Festival Dome on August 21.

Dr Jennifer Byrne, the first ever Offaly Rose to take the title, said: “All I can say to any young woman is to ‘go for it and apply!’ The Rose of Tralee international Festival has truly been the most incredible experience of my life and I hope to encourage as many young women as possible to take part and become their local Rose. I guarantee them they will make incredible friends and have an amazing experience.”

The desire to be the next Rose of Tralee is stronger than ever with over 4000 women entering selection events around the world since 2014. Jennifer was one of the 502 people who took part in qualifying selections on the island of Ireland last year, while another 500 women entered selections in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Britain, Europe and the Middle East.

Rose of Tralee regional selections will take place from February to June all over the world and anyone interested in entering the Antrim Rose of Tralee event can do so online at www.roseoftralee.ie. The Antrim Rose selection will take place on May 27.