*Photograph: John O’Neill.
SIXMILEBRIDGE’s Méabh Holland is the new Rose of Clare.
Twenty two year old Méabh was selected as the Clare Rose at Sunday’s selection competition which took place at The Rhine Hotel in Newmarket-on-Fergus.
A primary school teacher, Méabh has a love for her native language and spent her summers teaching Gaeilge in Connemara. She teaches music with Music Generation Clare and The Irish Concertina Orchestra. She was sponsosred by SSTA Training and Consultancy.
She said, “I love to stay active, between the gym, Hyrox, and running, it’s all go. I love to travel on the school holidays but there’s no better place than County Clare. I love being involved in my community and act as PRO for my local athletics club and community games branch. I have a bubbly, enthusiastic personality and love new experiences”.
This Saturday, Méabh will be having a homecoming in Gleeson’s Bar, Sixmilebridge to celebrate her success from 19:30.
Fourteen Roses were in the running to succeed Aisling O’Connor as the Clare Rose. The Feakle primary school teacher who made it to the Dome in Tralee in August 2023 described her time as Clare Rose as “an unforgettable experience”. She said, “I feel so lucky to have met the most incredible people along the way” and thanked her family, parish and community for their support”.
Aisling added, “I’m also so grateful to everyone involved in the journey who supported and guided me throughout, your kindness and encouragement will always stay with me. I am blessed to have had the best people in my corner. This chapter has given me friendships, memories and confidence I’ll carry with me long after the sash is put away”.
Competing alongside Méabh to become the Clare Rose were Sixmilebridge student Aoibheann Sweeney, Danielle O’Sullivan who is studying for a PhD in English literature and hails from Ennis, Kilkishen primary school teacher Eilís Whitney, trainee pharmacy technician Laura Fennell from Kilbaha, Louise Eccles Cusack of Ennis who will begin a songwriting masters in the Irish World Academy in September when she finishes her degree in English and History from UL and nineteen year old Alice Sheedy from Limerick who claims Clare patronage.
Also taking to the stage were Clooney/Quin’s Megan Hayes who works in a solicitor’s office while also running her part-time beauty business, psychiatric nursing student Nell Walsh from Rehy in Cross, Newmarket-on-Fergus’ Niamh Enright who works in the financial sector, Rachel Hogan of Ennistymon who is a wood technology and graphics teacher while she also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro at the age of fourteen, Shannon native Sadie O’Donnell who works for Quinn Property Management, anaesthetic doctor at UHL Siobhán O’Connell from Broadford and aspiring primary school teacher Hannah Moloney from Killanena.
All photographs by John O’Neill.
