Full itinerary for Rose Tour of Offaly revealed

The full itinerary for the Rose of Tralee Tour in Offaly next month has been revealed by Offaly County Council.

The Roses will be in the county for two days as part of their tour and will arrive by bus from Dublin to Tullamore around lunchtime on Tuesday, August 15 for a reception at O'Connor Square. They will then visit two local businesses, Linda O'Brien jewellery, which sells handcrafted jewellery and watches in Ballykilmurray, and the Tullamore DEW Distillery Visitor Experience.

The first day of the Offaly tour will finish with the Mid-Summer Rose Ball in the County Arms Hotel in Birr at which the Roses will enjoy a cocktail reception at 7pm, a four-course dinner at 8pm, and dance the night away with music by The Buckleys.

On Wednesday, August 16, the Roses will visit Birr Castle, take a boat trip on the River Shannon and tour the monastic site of Clonmacnoise before having lunch at the Old Fort in Shannonbridge. They will then depart the village following lunch at the popular cafe.

Cathaoirleach for Offaly County Council, Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick predicted that it's going to be a great occasion for Tullamore and Offaly to have all the Roses in the county.

“I’m sure that there will be TV presence too so it’ll help to promote the county from a tourism point of view. From a Roses point of view you have people from all over different parts of the world so it’s great for the county and I’m sure the Roses and their families will be coming along as well so that will be very welcome to promote Offaly,” he said.

Tickets for the Mid-Summer Rose Ball cost €75 and are available from Eventbrite.