Meet the brilliant Laois escorts in Rose of Tralee 2023

Laois will be represented on the treble at the Rose of Tralee this August, with not just the Laois Rose Sinead Dowd, but two young men who are among the 32 escorts.

While teacher Sinead from Cullohill is gearing up for the international festival, Mark Dunne and Colin Palmer are proudly volunteering to support two other Rose entrants.

Below: Laois Rose Sinead Dowd after picking up her stage interview dress. Photo: Laois Rose Centre

Mark, 27, told the Leinster Express / Laois Live of the lovely reason he applied.

“My grandmother and auntie, since passed, always have been massive fans and as kids my sister Yelena and me watched it with them all the time. I love the festival as well. But in my life I’ve a lot of good female role models.

“Also as a history teacher I teach a lot about Irish history and our diaspora and now I’ll be able to bring that back into the classroom to the kids. Obviously I’m going for the craic as well,” Mark said.

From Portlaoise, he is a graduate of St Mary’s CBS and Maynooth University. He now teaches history and geography at Mercy secondary school in Kilbeggan. Mark is also sports mad. With his dad Tom they coach Ballyroan Senior Ladies football team, he is a member of The Heath GAA and plays soccer too.

His girlfriend Aileen Crombie from Offaly will be along to Tralee to support him.

“She’s brilliant. I applied before I met her but she understands why I am doing it. I’ll be very busy for the week but there are loads of events on.

He hopes his parents Tom and Dolores Dunne can be there for at least part of the festival. 

“They might be able to come down on Monday night for the Escort of the Year competition.

Mark and Colin began their training, at a boot camp down in Kenmare last weekend where they found new friends among the 30 other escorts, and learned what to expect over the Rose of Tralee festival week in Kerry.

“We have to be the right hand man for the Rose we are paired with. After the bootcamp I can say we are all nearly best mates. We all stayed in the one bunkhouse and did a bog run, kayaking, volleyball and 5 a side to get to know each other. It was brilliant craic. I didn’t know Colin before but now I think we will be friends for life,” he said.

Colin Palmer will be no stranger to putting himself bravely in the television spotlight. He has taken part in First Dates Ireland, Underdogs on TG4, and the Valentines edition of the Late Late Show. He is still looking for love and it might be waiting n Tralee.

Colin, 25 is from Camross where he commutes to work by a two minute walk to Coolrain Sawmills, who are co-sponsoring his week in Tralee. 

A graduate of Camross NS and Mountrath Community School, he tried a PLC course but then chose to go straight into working for a while. 

“I’m there a decade now and they made me a production supervisor so I must be doing something right," he joked.

It’s almost mandatory for Camross people to be passionate at hurling, and Colin is no exception.

“We have a Senior, Intermediate, Junior A and Junior C teams and I play on the intermediate, junior A and sometimes junior C. We even play a bit of football. I’m a very proud Camross man,” he said.

He was encouraged to apply to be an escort by someone he met during the Late Late Valentines Special.

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“I said I’d do it and then I got the call. Bootcamp reminded me of the Underdogs on TG4, a fun bonding weekend. What was great was they took away our phones, that forced us to talk even though I’d talk to anyone myself. It was weird, you were always touching your pocket to check if your phone was there. It was an absolutely great weekend,” Colin said.

He is the baby of seven children of Carmel and Fintan (Vinnie) Palmer.

“My two sisters Sinead Phelan and Sharon Palmer O’Keeffe will come to support me for Escort of the Year, I’ll have a load of support. I’m really looking forward to the week. What happens happens,” he said.

The Rose of Tralee International Festival takes place from August 17 to 23, with Laois Rose Sinead Dowd from Cullohill among the 32 entrants in the live televised final.