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Arlington Hts. woman leaving post as Chicago Rose of Tralee

Posted March 30, 2012 5:20 pm

Ann Parisi, 5, of Mount Prospect does an Irish dance when Siobhan Carroll, the current Rose of Chicago, from left, Traylee Mayor Grace O’Donnell, Des Plaines Mayor Marty Moylan, and Brenda Conway, officer of the Tralee Town Council, get together Friday at the Lattof YMCA in Des Plaines. Bill Zars/bzars@dailyherald.com

Who will be the next Chicago Rose of Tralee?

This Saturday, 40 contestants from the Chicago area and suburbs will vie to become the next Rose of Chicago and for a chance to compete in the international festival for the Rose of Tralee title, coveted by hundreds of Irish belles from throughout the world.

The Irish town of Tralee will host its 2012 Rose of Tralee International Festival, Aug. 17-21. The 53-year-old festival is one of Ireland’s largest and longest running festivals, according to the festival website, roseoftralee.ie.

“The heart of the festival is the selection of the Rose of Tralee, which brings young women of Irish descent from around the world to County Kerry, Ireland, for a global celebration of Irish culture,” according to the website.

Siobhan Carroll of Arlington Heights, the 2011 Rose of Chicago and a 2003 graduate of Buffalo Grove High School, will hand over her crown to the Tralee Mayor Grace O’Donnell, who visited the Lattof YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago in Des Plaines Friday along with Brenda Conway, an officer of the Tralee Town Council.

The Des Plaines YMCA is known for its Irish handball events and has many Irish members, said Dee Carroll, member relations director and Carroll’s mother.

Des Plaines Mayor Marty Moylan gave the Irish delegates a tour of the city.

O’Donnell will be attending Saturday’s competition to crown the 2012 Rose of Chicago from 7 to 10 p.m. at The Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace St., Chicago.

Lattof YMCA Health and Wellness Director Katy Socha, from left, informs Tralee Mayor Grace O’Donnell that Des Plaines city employees have lost 500 pounds in an exercise program at the Des Plaines Y. Looking on are Y Membership Director Dee Carroll, Des Plaines Mayor Marty Moylan and Miss Chicago Rose Siobhan Carroll, a Y member. Bill Zars/bzars@dailyherald.com

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