Viewers all over the world! So, the Rose of Tralee was a MASSIVE hit
Like the Irish weather, the guy who fell over on the ice and the kid who played What’s Snots on The Den, the Rose of Tralee is something we, as a nation, are allowed to make fun of.
Hell, it’s practically our duty.
Yet despite our supposed disdain for the long-running contest, a staggering 1.7 million of us chose to tune and get our fix of the action this week.
And an astounding three-quarters of a million witnessed the moment a stunned Chicago Rose, Maggie McEldowney, took her place in Rose of Tralee history after being crowned winner at the 58th annual event.
Oh, and it wasn’t just the people at home in Ireland keen to hear the Sydney Rose’s views on the 8th Amendment or the German Rose's take on Lil Wayne either.
With 115,000 total worldwide streams, the popularity of the contest is ever-increasing.
Acknowledging the changing tide, host Dáithí Ó Sé said: “It’s been another fantastic year at the Rose of Tralee. This is my seventh year hosting and each year it just seems to get better.”
Since Monday there have been over 55,400 Twitter mentions – a figure which undoubtedly helped make this year’s contest was one of the highest rating programmes of 2016.
Commenting on the show’s success, RTÉ’s executive producer, Brian Páircéir, said: “With 1.7million viewers tuning in over the two days to watch the Rose of Tralee it just proves once again just how popular it is with people watching at home.”
Make no mistake – you'll be watching again next year, and you know it.
