Tipperary Rose visits Nenagh
Tipperary’s Rose, Fiona Kennedy, visited Nenagh last Friday week, having been selected to represent Tipperary in the Rose of Tralee festival this coming August.
Speaking to the Nenagh Guardian, Fiona said that her experience as the Tipperary Rose of Tralee has been a great experience so far.
“Everyone in Tipperary is so welcoming, so kind and they are offering great support to me,” expressed the Rose who hails from Clonmel.
After being invited to town by Nenagh Tourist Office, Fiona was given a tour of Nenagh.
“I was over at Nenagh Heritage Centre, and I got a wonderful tour over there,” commented Fiona,who also met a lot of people in Nenagh who stopped to speak with her as she walked through the town.
Anticipation for the Rose Tour
The Rose of Tralee Festival will be running from August 14 to 18. In the lead up to this event, the roses will be taking part in the annual Rose tour where they travel around Ireland and partake in a number of activities together.
“I’m so excited to meet all the girls. I’ve met a few of them already and we are all as giddy as each other, getting set for the tour,” added Fiona.
“To see different parts of Ireland now on the tour, and meet everyone along the way, I’m so excited,” she continued.
“The tour is still top secret for the Roses; we don’t know what’s in store for us. So, that’s exciting to see what we will actually get up to,
“All the dresses, all the fashion, I can’t wait to meet everyone. Its going to be like a little Rose family, I’m going to have 31 new best friends,” she told the Nenagh Guardian.
Sponsored by Arthritis Ireland
As part of her participation in the Tipperary Rose of Tralee selection night, Fiona Kennedy was sponsored by Arthritis Ireland.
“I was diagnosed with Arthritis when I was 14 and I have lived with it ever since. It’s a hidden disease, a hidden illness that people don’t see and its to just build a bit more awareness on that,” expressed Fiona as to why it is important to her to share her own experience of being a young person in Ireland who has been diagnosed with Arthritis.
“Arthritis Ireland sponsored me and they are trying to break the view that arthritis is an elderly or an older condition. It affects people across all ages in different ways,” she continued.
Despite being diagnosed with the condition, Fiona shared how she has decided to not limit herself as a result of her diagnosis and has completed fitness challenges such as a half marathon, a Hyrox competition and used to regularly play hockey.
“I’ve just tried to push myself. When I have good days, I have really good days, so I can train and do my exercise. Staying active is a big thing as well, keeping the joints moving while I can,” she expressed as to how she manages her diagnosis with her ambition to stay active.
This Tipperary Rose wishes to change people’s outlook on various conditions that may affect people and how it is important to treat people with respect.
“I suppose, just to make people aware of that and the different illnesses that people have that you can’t see. Just to treat everyone with respect and kindness, you never know what someone is going through,” expressed the Tipperary Rose