Derry Rose Aine Morrison blooms on stage as Rose of Tralee comes to a close

The 25-year-old was the first Rose up on stage on the second night of the televised competition and spoke to host Daithi O’Se.

Described as the ‘quintessential Derry girl,’ Aine was joined in Tralee by a large group of family members and friends.

She joked how ‘you couldn’t miss them’ when they arrived in Tralee as they had ‘on their t-shirts and branding’ and the group could be seen and heard cheering her on from the audience.

Aine told Daithi how many people kept getting her and the Kerry Rose mixed up, as their sashes only had a difference of one letter, but stressed how she is ‘Derry through and through.’

The audience and the hundreds of thousands watching at home and online also learned about the Tik Tok Aine made as she was leaving Derry for the festival, in which she sad goodbye to all the local landmarks.

Aine also told Daithi how she holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Physician Associate Studies and a Bachelors Degree in Biomedical Science.

She ‘added how she always thought she wanted to work in a lab, but did so and ‘hated it.’ Through her work as a Qualified Physician Associate, she works alongside doctors and nurse, aiding them in diagnosing and managing patients.

Aine revealed she is starting a new job next week in a pharmacy.

Aine also discussed her father’s health issues and said he had been diagnosed with a noncancerous tumour in his bowel in 2016. He was ‘quite ill’ and has a permanent colostomy bag, but returned to work and is still an operating fireman. Aine outlined how her daddy has an ‘adventure, thrill-seeking’ streak and trekked the Sahara desert for his 50th birthday to raise money for the Firefighters’ Charity, who helped him get back on his feet after his diagnosis.

Being from Derry, it was inevitable Aine would be asked about the TV show ‘Derry Girls,’ and she performed her very own impression of the character Claire. She also spoke of how Lisa McGee attended the same school as her - Thornhill College -albeit at different times and Daithi showed her a mocked-up version of the Derry Girls mural, which had Aine superimposed on to it.

Aine then performed her own self-penned piano piece, titled ‘Release.’ She outlined how she wrote the piece when she was stressed and anxious while she was doing her A-levels.

“I used music as my escape and release of the emotions that had built up. My parents new I was stressed if the piano was taking a beating.”

The winner of the Rose of Tralee was later announced as the Westmeath Rose Rachel Duffy. Over the course of both nights, viewers tuned in from countries including Turkey, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia. 33 International Roses from communities across Ireland and around the world took part in the 61st Rose of Tralee International Festival which began last Friday. You can still watch Aine’s interview on RTE Player.