Derry Rose Darcy ‘excited’ to represent the county

Bellaghy woman Darcy Taylor says she is ‘excited’ to represent her county after being selected as the Derry Rose recently.

With five months to go to the annual Rose of Tralee Festival, the south Derry woman was chosen as the 2024 Derry Rose at the City Hotel in Derry on March 24.

In the coming weeks, Roses are being chosen throughout Ireland and around the world based on their personality and how well they embody the ambassadorial qualities of being a Rose.

32 Roses from the UK, America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Europe, the Middle East and Ireland will then be selected to appear in the live finals on RTÉ One hoping to become the Rose of Tralee.

The Rose of Tralee Festival first started in 1959 and has been held in the city of Tralee in County Kerry every August. This year the event will run from August 16 to August 20.

Darcy, a graduate of Queens University, works in the media industry as an Assistant Content Producer for the Mark Patterson show at BBC Radio Foyle.

Speaking to the County Derry Post, Darcy said her experience so far has been ‘amazing’.

She said last week’s selection process started with one-to-one interviews with the judges, followed by a group interview. 

When her name was announced last Saturday night as the official Derry Rose, Darcy said she ‘couldn’t believe it’.

“I was so surprised, I didn't even get to see my family's reaction because I turned.  I was in such disbelief,” said Darcy. 

Darcy said that the entire process did not feel like a competition as ‘all of the girls were really supportive’ and ‘it could have been any one of us’.  

Describing the moment her name was called out by the event compere, Darcy said it felt like ‘an out-of-body experience’. 

“I can't believe it's actually happening. I'm just so excited, I feel like the nerves have kind of gone away because I feel like I've done the hard part, probably not the hardest,” she laughed.

“I'm proud of representing Bellaghy, the people in Derry city, and just the county in general. It feels like a big responsibility but I'm excited to take on that role.”

Growing up, Darcy often watched the Rose of Tralee on the television with her grandmother.  

“I always remember granny watching it with me. My granny is 90 but fit as a fiddle and is still getting out and about. I remember going down to hers and watching the Rose of Tralee every year, she is a religious one like that.

“I just kind of thought, why not [participate]?

“If I was lucky enough to be picked it would just be an amazing experience to get to Tralee to get to speak to so many new people but it was really just for the experience more than anything. 

“It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience so I thought let's just go for it. Why not? I'm not getting any younger,” Darcy laughed.

Coming from Bellaghy, Darcy hopes to encourage other girls from rural areas to participate in the competition in the future. 

“I'm hoping that what young girls will be able to take away from me is that, even if you're from a really small town, if you don't have any connections in this industry, just go for it whatever way it is, acting or dancing or whatever. 

“Just go for it and enjoy it. If you work hard, you'll be able to make it.”

Darcy explained that being a Rose gives you amazing opportunities to develop yourself through the ambassador role. 

“I am getting a chance to do things I just wouldn't have had otherwise and I think that's really the beauty of something like the Rose of Tralee.

“It might be easy to look at the Rose of Tralee and think it's really outdated but actually the opportunities are amazing.”

Darcy will have the opportunity to meet other Roses throughout her ambassador missions and the Rose of Tralee festival.

“I'm also excited to meet other Roses.

“I wouldn't get a chance to know any of these girls that will be competing if I didn't do this. It's nice to meet new people that you just wouldn't see otherwise.”

For the new Derry Rose, it is only the beginning of the journey as she will need to be an ambassador of the Rose organisation for the next two years.  

“The Rose of Tralee festival is happening in August so basically you want to be doing [events] like this. Derry has a music festival, it has a Jazz Festival, a Maritime Festival, so I will be going down there as a ambassadorial role. 

“And then we'll have the actual tour of Ireland that all the Roses go on from different counties in a week in August.”