The Carlow Rose Is The Real Winner Of Last Night's Rose Of Tralee

Last night, the 59^th annual Rose of Tralee competition made some modern impressions on the 1 million viewers that tuned in to watch the final of the Kerry festival. After nearly 60 years of the show, this year was the first year we saw a young mother take the stage and represent her home town of Carlow.

In the past, the Rose of Tralee competition has been criticised for being too traditional, and only allowing a certain image for their roses, but this year has seen some changes thank to this Carlow mother, who spoke openly about her families struggle with addiction.

Shanua Ray Lacey, from Carlow, spoke freely last night about how she was dealt an unlucky hand of cards in life growing up. She spoke about how she fell pregnant at the age of 21, which she thought at the time was “impossible”, and how she dealt with that while also having to deal with two parents who were active users of heroin while she was young.

This gave a set of fresh eyes on the competition for many, and the reaction to this young rose on social media has been nothing but praise and support, with many viewers being glad that the competition has made a move to talk about more serious issues, like addiction, that Shauna herself said affects every second family in the country.

Carlow Rose for the win! Finally, a Rose that connects with Modern Ireland & not the saccharine Ireland conjured by the competition. To get on that stage & talk about heroin (which has blighted the lives of many in Ireland) is a real gift #RoseOfTralee

— Declan Kavanagh (@DrDeclanK) August 20, 2018

Loving the #Carlow Rose...a hard working relatable mother; a modern representation of Irish women and she can sing beautifully. One of the most relevant Roses in years. Break the mould. My winner. #RoseOfTralee

— Deric Ó hArtagáinTV3 (@deric_hartigan) August 20, 2018

My goodness! The Carlow Rose. Take a bow! To be able to share her story in front of the nation and create awareness to such a real situation in many households across the country. Simply inspiring #RoseOfTralee #CarlowRose

— Stephen Shannon (@StephenShannon8) August 20, 2018

The Carlow Rose was such a breath of fresh air. Open, frank, funny, real. Exactly the type of woman I want to hear from. #RoseofTralee

— ⭐ amy o'connor ⭐ (@amyohconnor) August 20, 2018

Shauna's mother was there to support during the entire night, along with Shanua's own daughter, Emmy who is only 3 years old. Anglea, Shauna's mother, is now four years clean, and her father, unfortunately, has passed away from heart disease.

After the competition, Shauna and her mother spoke to the media about her mothers addiction, and how it affected their lives. Angela explained how she fought alcohol addiction, and then moved on to heroin at the age of 31.

I was lost at that point in my head. I found it hard with the daily thing and it is so easy to access it. It took away any pain and any feeling

Angela expressed how proud she was of her daughter and what she is doing, speaking openly about the everyday pressures Irish families live with.

“You are not who your parents are,” Angela said. “The freedom to be able to speak your mind and not to feel judged at all I think it is the most powerful thing. I’m absolutely speechless. I don’t care who judges me any more. The freedom of that is amazing.”

The 24 year-old Carlow Rose then went on to sing 'Crazy World' at the end of the interview, saying it's a song her father use to sing for her when she was a young girl.

Carlow Rose Shauna Ray Lacey sings a song her late father used to sing to her, Crazy World.#RoseofTralee live now#CarlowRising pic.twitter.com/zpP4cyek2O

— RTE One (@RTEOne) August 20, 2018

The rest of the Roses will make their way to the stage tonight, but Shauna has already made such an impression on viewers that she is almost a sure winner for most.

The competition will continue tonight on RTÉ One at 8pm.