The International Rose of Tralee Festival takes place in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland, every year where approximately 65 young ladies of Irish birth, or descent, from around the globe participate for the honor of being named “The Rose of Tralee”. Please see the following for more info.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_of_Tralee_(festival)
This year’s representative for the greater New York area is Sinéad Kirnan, of Walden. Please see the following for more info.
Meet our 2017 New York Rose
All are encouraged to come out and give Sinéad a big sendoff.
Meet our 2017 New York Rose, Sinéad Kirnan!
Sinéad completed two years of college at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, when she decided to follow her true passion of aviation. She had found her 8th grade yearbook, where she had written a 10 year prediction for herself; that she was going to be flying jets in the Air Force and running for the Rose of Tralee. In 2013, she decided to follow her first goal and enlisted into the Air Force National Guard as a C-17 Loadmaster. For the next two years, she underwent extensive military training across the United States. The past four years have only heightened her love of flying, which she accredits to her trips back and forth to Ireland. After graduating with her degree in Biology (medical track) and psychology minor this May, Sinéad will continue to follow her dream of becoming a pilot within the Air Force. She hopes to use her biology degree to combine two of her interests and enter into the medical field, as a flight physician. Ultimately, she dreams of sitting in the cockpit on her first flight in command to Dublin.
Sinéad looks forward to representing her Rose Sisters in Ireland as the New York Rose and she is humbled to have the chance to represent all Irish women of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and be united with the countless number of Irish close and far. Her passion to encourage people and mentor the youth holds true in all aspects of her life. She enjoys coaching and reffing youth basketball leagues and participating in leagues of her own. She is an active member with numerous organizations within her community. She is a volunteer with Hudson Valley Honor Flight, escorting World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., and at the Veteran’s Affairs Hospital at Castle Point as a physical therapy aide. She is a volunteer at various Special Olympics events and is a Eucharistic Minister in her church, Most Precious Blood. As part of her continuous desire to mentor, Sinéad works with the Girl Scouts as part of Operation Cookie Drop and volunteering within local schools to visit with the kids to promote confidence and inspiration.
One of Sinéad’s greatest honors is working with Wings for Val, a non-profit foundation in memory of Lt. Valerie Cappelaere Delaney, to help continue her legacy of inspiring young girls to feel beautiful, but also not afraid to be courageous. Sinéad hopes to stay true to the values of faith, loyalty, and integrity that her parents have instilled within her and she is honored be part of a community of strong, compassionate, and intelligent Irish women. If you hear a plane overhead, wave; it may be Sinéad!
Submit a request for the New York Rose to present or speak at your next event! The New York Rose Center makes every effort to accommodate each appearance request as determined by the New York Rose’s schedule, appearance fees, and the nature of the event. For more information, please contact us via e-mail: nyroseoftraleecenter@gmail.com
Photo Credit: Iain Toft
Bridget OBrien PR and Events 