Twenty-one Dubai women vie to grab the luck of the Irish

Contestants in Dubai view photographs of themselves during a phase of the International Rose of Tralee Festival held in Dubai.

DUBAI // In the presidential suite of a leading Dubai hotel yesterday, 21 elegantly dressed young women of Irish descent shuffled anxiously. Wearing knee-length pencil skirts and blouses or pastel-coloured shift dresses, their hair neatly pinned and make-up subtle, the women - almost all working professionals, many teachers - chatted nervously as they awaited the first of two interviews in the Rose of Tralee contest.

According to its website, "the Rose of Tralee International Festival celebrates modern young women in terms of their aspirations, ambitions, intellect, social responsibility and Irish heritage". The winner will go to Tralee, in Ireland's County Kerry, in August to represent Dubai in the 50th annual festival. She will take on 49 other Irish women, not only for the crown but also for the opportunity to represent Ireland around the world for a year.

Only seven of yesterday's entrants would go on to the next stage. Colleen Byrne, 25, a marketing officer for an international sports brand, was born in Sharjah to Irish parents and grew up in the UAE. Having travelled to Ireland to study she returned to Dubai in October and is now keen to promote the UAE to her fellow Irish. "I have lived in both countries for an equal amount of time, but I still feel very proud of having been brought up in Dubai," she said. "I'm very protective of it, and I don't like anything bad being said about it."

All the UAE entrants - who travelled from Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Oman to compete - gathered in The Westin's suite for two interviews carried out by judges selected from Dubai's growing Irish community. Split into two groups, the girls were quizzed about their background, how they came to be in the UAE and how they would represent the country should they be selected. They were judged on their aptitude and attitude, communication skill, charisma and character, confidence, personality and presentation.

The women will be told tomorrow by e-mail whether they have made it through to the final section, which takes place at the Dubai Rose Ball on May 24 at The Westin. Those who make it through will face a similar interview in front of 500 guests and a panel of judges. They also have an opportunity to give a special performance - such as singing a song, dancing or reading poetry. The winner will be announced at the end of the evening.

The number of applications to the competition has almost doubled this year, from 13 to 21. "This is second largest event, the biggest being our St Patrick's Day ball," said Erin O'Neill, chairwoman of the Dubai Irish Society. "It is about celebrating our culture and traditions and holding on to those roots back home. There is a lot of prestige attached to the event." The Rose of Tralee International Festival was named after a song of the same name, supposedly written in the 19th century by a wealthy Irish merchant after the death of his maid, with whom he had been in love without her knowledge.

Today the competition is open to young women of Irish descent, as far as third generation, living in the UK, America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Europe and the Middle East. [e-mail]