WATCH: Rose with Laois roots shines in Tralee

Laois may not have had a Rose in Tralee this year but the Philadelphia representative Tara Ryan gave a big shout to the county and her father's native town Portarlington when she took to the stage of the Dome in Kerry.

Tara Ryan, aged 24, was one of the final contestants in the competition was hit with the audience in Tralee on Tuesday night.

She told Dáithi Ó Sé about her father Tom's roots in Portarlington which got a big cheer from the Port contingent in the dome. Her grandmother Lil lives in the Laois Offaly town as do plenty of her relatives from Tom's family. 

Tara's dad Tom was in the audience with her mum Mary Beth. Also their was her brother Shane who swam at two Olympics for Ireland and her brother Brendan were interviewed in the crowd.

Tara also spoke about her mother's family connection to the 1916 Rising. WATCH TARA'S APPEARANCE ABOVE.