Kilkenny man’s ‘best decision’ to become Rose Escort for Tralee Festival
When the International Rose of Tralee festival takes to our television screens, later this summer, it won’t just be the Kilkenny Rose we’ll be cheering on!
Among the Rose Escorts this year is Kilkenny man Conor Mahon.
Long renowned for providing incalculable support to the Roses, the role of the Escort has come out of the shadows, in recent years, with the introduction of an Escort of the Year award introducing the viewing public to more of the young men who take part.
However, while the escorts may have been in a background role for many years, the ‘job’ was noticed and became an aspiration for many young men, like Conor.
The former St Kieran’s College student grew up just outside Kilkenny City, his home on the Bennettsbridge Road.
He left his home county to study pharmacy in Aberdeen, but returned to Kilkenny and now works as a pharmacist with Chemco Pharmacy, where he divides his time between the company head office and visiting pharmacies in the group. It’s a varied job he enjoys and it’s an interesting time in pharmacy services in general, he says.
Watching the festival on television meant becoming an escort was “always something that was on my mind,” Conor told the Kilkenny People.
Like all Irish families, his would sit down together to watch the tv coverage. He saw the dapper escorts make their brief appearance but it was enough for him to think he would like to do that.
Last Christmas Conor decided this was the year for him and says “it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.”
The main preparation for the escorts is the weekend-long ‘bootcamp’ in June, with the 31 other escorts.
The action-packed bootcamp tested everything from their stamina and teamwork to their ironing skills!
From galloping along a beach on horseback in Castlegregory to surfing and water sports with, the weekend had no shortage of action. There were whiskey tastings, dolphin sightings and a pit stop at Páidí Ó Sé’s legendary pub.
Day two brought an early wake-up call and a visit to Tralee Bay Wetlands, where the Rose Escorts were put through their paces with rock-climbing challenges before taking on a leg-burning paddle boat race.
Then it was on to Tralee Fire Station for a hands-on training session with Kerry Fire and Rescue Service, because a Rose Escort must always be ready to leap into action!
A lot of the training was on what is expected of them during the festival, Conor said, from being on time to being adaptable - with the clear purpose of ensuring it’s all about the Roses and making sure they have an amazing experience.
Now having met the 31 other escorts Conor said they’re a “great bunch of lads.”
The International Rose of Tralee Festival takes place in Kerry in August. Conor will be joining his fellow escorts, to meet the Roses, on the Wednesday before we meet them all on television. It won’t be until then that he knows what Rose he’s been teamed-up with, but he’s looking forward to the festival.
“The festival brings in 200,000 people to Tralee. To be part of that is something I still haven’t got my head around,” he said.
The Rose of Tralee will be broadcast on RTE on Monday, August 17, when the Escort of the Year will be announced, and Tuesday, August 18, when the name of the new Rose of Tralee will be revealed.