Newcastle girl in running for Rose of Tralee title

Newcastle girl in running for Rose of Tralee title

15 August 2012 - by Ciara Colhoun

A YOUNG Newcastle woman is looking forward to flying the flag for the district when she represents Down in the Rose of Tralee finals next week.

Twenty four year-old Una Matthews has been selected to represent Down and Ulster at the forthcoming festival, which is one of the the largest annual festivals in Ireland.

She is the first Down Rose to represent Down District in the competition finals after outshining 19 other local entrants before sailing through the subsequent Ulster final.

A graduate in law and criminology, Una is employed as an associate officer for Citigroup Global Markets Limited in Belfast.

She is part of the Washington Ireland Program for Service and Leadership Alumni Association and has spent time through the organisation living in Washington DC and working for a Congressman in the House of Representatives.

She also visited the White House, delivered a speech to members of the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill, and travelled to New York where she spent time in the United Nations headquarters.

She has previously volunteered

for the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children and recently took part in an abseil from the top of Belfast’s Europa Hotel to fundraise for them.

She fundraises for a hospice in Newry and is a supporter of Cats Protection. Una said she also loves climbing the Mourne Mountains, hopes one day to learn French, and harbours an ambition to work as a solicitor.

She said she is delighted to have been selected as the local Rose and is looking forward to being an ambassador for Down District at the televised live finals on RTE on Monday and Tuesday night.

“It is an honour to become a Rose as the Rose of Tralee is one of Ireland’s biggest festivals,” she said.

“I have always been interested in the festival and have watched it every year. I feel privileged to have been selected and my family is very proud.

“I    am happy to have been given the responsibility to be an ambassador for Down, this is an exciting experience.”

Una said she believes the winning Rose should be “friendly and charismatic, approachable, graceful and sociable with a smile on her face.”

She is hoping to impress judges with her own on-stage interview before the live audience.

Down Council chairman, Mickey Coogan, attended a special farewell reception for Una and her friends and family during an event at the Burrendale Hotel in Newcastle on Friday where he presented her with a gift on the council’s behalf.

“I feel that it is important to take this opportunity to congratulate Una in already getting so far in the competition,” he said.

“This is an amazing experience for Una and an honour for Newcastle and the people of County Down to have such a wonderful representative in this prestigious International festival.

“We will be tuned into RTE on to watch her fly the flag for the county and Down District in particular.”