Erin MacPherson: The 2008 Edmonton Wild Irish Rose
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ERIN MacPHERSON
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By CATHOLINE BUTLER
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Erin MacPherson, the 2008 Edmonton Wild Irish Rose who will represent western Canada at the preliminary Rose of Tralee Festival in Portlaoise, Co. Laois, Ireland.
Erin was born and raised in Steveston, British Columbia and her Irish connections are from County Roscommon. Her grandmother was born and raised in Castelerea.
All applicants who enter the Rose of Tralee Festival must be of Irish birth or ancestry. It is open to females between the ages of 18 to 28 years of age who are unmarried, have never been married and who have no dependants.
The festival is not a beauty contest but rather a search for a woman with the personality, deportment and good public relations who can best represent Ireland as the International Rose of Tralee.
Not only does Erin MacPherson fill all those requirements, she surpasses them with her depth of personality, energy and passion.
Erin holds down both a full-time and part-time job while attending university. She said that in doing so she will not have a student loan to pay-off when she graduates.
She has a degree in general studies and is currently pursuing a degree in gerontology, which is a study of aging and aging diseases. Her long-term goal is to own and operate her own long-term care facility on the west coast.
Speaking about how she entered the contest and the excitement leading up to being chosen the Edmonton Wild Irish Rose, Erin said, "actually, a friend of mine spoke about us entering the Rose of Tralee contest.
"We picked up a copy of The Celtic Connection and there it was with an ad on the inside cover of the newspaper telling us how to enter. So, we contacted Moira Quirke, the festival co-ordinator in Edmonton.
"As it turns out, I was the only one among my friends who continued on with the competition and my parents joined me when I flew to Edmonton.
"I really had no idea what to expect, but I thought the judges would probably ask about culture, multiculturism, what it means to be Irish, family background, education, work, and extra curricular activities...and they did ask all those questions.
"After we were all interviewed, the judges came out of the room and one of the judges patted me on the shoulder and said 'it was really nice to meet you, and good luck in your future endeavours', my heart sank, until I noticed she said the same to all the other entrants.
"But as soon as they opened the envelope, something just came over me and I just knew it. And when I heard, 'from Vancouver, Erin MacPherson,' everything just went silent. I couldn't hear anything. It wasn't until afterwards, when I saw the video, that I saw and heard my friend from Waterford screaming, and my mom was crying. Then I went up on stage and they sang The Rose of Tralee...what an exciting time!"
Erin's family are very supportive of all her endeavours and will accompany her to Portlaoise, Ireland for the preliminary Rose of Tralee Festival and then, hopefully, to Tralee to the finals for The International Rose of Tralee Festival.
The Celtic Connection joins with the Irish community in wishing Erin MacPherson every success in being crowned The Rose of Tralee, which would be a first for a woman from British Columbia.
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