Meet the Offaly Rose of Tralee hopefuls - Ashling Grimes

The next contestant hoping to follow in the footsteps of the current Rose of Tralee, Jennifer Byrne, is Ashling Grimes from Kinnitty.

Ashling is a 21 years old and loves traditional Irish music. She is currently studying an Education Studies course in a small university called Marino Institute of Education in Dublin and is in her final year. 

In her profile, "Since I was young, I had a great interest in music. Throughout the years I have explored the fiddle, piano, guitar, accordion and tin whistle. Most successfully I sang. I loved singing a mixture of genres such as music theatre, classical singing as well as traditional sean-nós singing before completing my Grade VIII in Music Theatre with the Royal Irish Academy of Music. I am currently completing my final year of a four-year degree programme in Education Studies which provides me with a Bachelor of Science in Education. This Trinity-awarding degree operated in Marino Institute of Education allows me to work broadly across a range of areas within Education."

Ashling is sponsored by the Bridge House Hotel in Tullamore where she works as a part time receptionist.

Check out the profiles for all the Offaly Rose of Tralee hopefuls by clicking here