Who is Elysha Brennan? The 2015 Rose of Tralee has been crowned
Following two of the nation's most talked about televised competition, the 2015 Rose of Tralee was finally crowned in The Dome to much applause and sparkle. That crown though… amazing.
Congratulations are in order for Elysha Brennan from Bettystown in Co. Meath.
The 22-year old managed to scoop the title from the 31 other roses gathered in Tralee to become the first ever Meath rose to have claimed the crown.
An avid Late Late Show fan, Elysha told the audience on Monday night that her friends know by now not to try and invite her to any social events on a Friday evening because she will be otherwise engaged. Such dedication.
Not only does she make sure she has her television watching down to a fine art, Elysha has also made plenty of time to get some studying in. She is currently a medical student at the Royal College of Surgeons. While being interviewed by Daithí on Monday, Elysha spoke candidly about her journey to medical school.
A huge congrats to Elysha Brennan @MeathRose1 – 2015 Rose of Tralee@RoseofTralee_ #MeathRose #roseoftralee #Meath pic.twitter.com/8DksgYpmmW
— Gary O'Meara #Meath (@GaryOMeara_) August 19, 2015
When she was just weeks away from sitting her Leaving Cert exams, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She opted to continue with her exams and following that underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Thankfully she has been in remission for two years. She said upon winning, "I suppose I’ve experienced the lowest of lows and this is just the highest of highs." She also thanked her fellow roses saying she had never before been surrounded by such "spectacular" women.
Meath Rose beat cancer, scored 525 in her Leaving, is nearly a fully trained doctor & she can sing a tune. Cynicism pause #roseoftralee
— Eoghan McDermott (@eoghanmcdermo) August 17, 2015
Oh yes, and we couldn't forget about that talent. For her party piece the student opted to give us a fabulous rendition of Mary Black's The Bright Blue Rose.
There were hardly any dry eyes left in The Dome, or around the country for that matter.
Congratulations Elysha!
