Ottawa Rose Centre

In Her Own Words: Notes from the 2017 Ottawa Rose

These past two months have been pleasantly busy for me as the Ottawa Rose as I have been attending several community events and charity initiatives. I had the pleasure of meeting the current Rose of Tralee Maggie McEldowney during her visit to Ottawa and had the opportunity to show her around the city and visit the Canadian Museum of History as well as the Canadian War Museum. I attended the Darkness into Light fundraiser walk in May to raise money and awareness for the suicide prevention services offered by the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa and the Pieta House in Ireland. Despite the pouring rain that morning many community members came out to support this initiative and it was very inspiring to see the many volunteers dedicated to their cause. Many families were present at the walk who had lost loved one’s of their own to suicide and it renewed my passion for this cause and I am determined to continue supporting this worthy fundraiser for years to come.

        I was honoured to be invited to the Irish Women’s Network Garden Party this May which was held generously at the Irish Ambassadors residence. I really look up to the women who organized this event and other events of this kind for their passion and dedication to community engagement. Also in May I attended the Toronto Rose Selection event and was able to see Colombe Nadeau-O’Shea be selected as the 2017 Toronto Rose and I look forward to seeing her in Tralee this August! It was great to meet members of the Toronto Irish community at the gala and I am grateful for how warmly me and my parents were welcomed. In June I attended the Ottawa Welcomes the World Ireland event at Lansdowne Park and spoke to visitors at a booth with Irish Radio Canada about the Rose of Tralee Festival. At the event I was able to see the Bloomsday presentation put on by very capable actors with great Edwardian costumes! Although I have not yet read Ulysses I have read some Joyce so it was a great learning experience to see the exhibit about his life. It was great to see so many Irish community organizations present at the event and I was reminded of how large and diverse the Irish community is in Ottawa. Lastly, this June I volunteered at the Oreachtas Gaeilge Cheanada in Tamworth, Ontario and met many enthusiastic Irish language learners. The festival was a great example of the power that a small group of dedicated people can have to make a difference when they put their minds to something. Founded in 2010, the festival is the only Irish language festival in North America and a completely grassroots community driven event. I would like to thank Sheila Scott, one of the festival organizers, for having me at the festival and for welcoming me into the fold. Go raibh maith agat!

I’m looking forward to attending the Rose of Tralee Festival this August and want to thank everyone who has helped me prepare, such as last years Rose Sarah Griffin, Laura Hay, Claire Conway and Stephanie Coull, I couldn’t do it without all of you.