Newfoundland and Labrador Rose Kathleen Murphy, 24, enjoys a lighter moment of mirth during her appearance on stage at the Rose of Tralee Festival. Murphy, a financial analyst for Nasdaq Verafin in St. John’s, was born and raised in Tors Cove on the Irish Loop and was one of 32 contestants at the 2026 edition of the annual festival, which celebrates women of Irish birth or ancestry from around the world. Rose of Tralee Festival photo
By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Tyler Waugh
Kathleen Murphy is proud of her Irish heritage, and for two weeks in August the Tors Cove native flew the Newfoundland banner back in the homeland as part of the Rose of Tralee Festival.
Murphy was crowned Newfoundland and Labrador Rose of Tralee in May and was one of 32 international contestants who converged on Kerry County for the pomp and pageantry that has become associated with the annual celebration of women of Irish birth or ancestry.
Murphy always felt connected to her heritage growing up on the Southern Shore and dedicated time leading up to the festival to learn more, whether it was speaking to seniors about their ancestry, visiting cultural events up and down Route 10 and attending a ‘Why The Irish Came To Newfoundland’ event hosted by Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador.
“Going over there it was important for me to not just highlight my family’s connections to Ireland, but the province’s story,” Murphy said. “And on the Irish Loop everyone relates to that history, that ancestry is a defining feature. It’s personal for a lot of people and I wanted to get as many perspectives as possible.”
Murphy grew up hearing how Newfoundland was so much like Ireland but had some culture shock after landing in Dublin as the big-city vibe didn’t make good on that sense of connection for the first couple of days. But Murphy found her groove once she met the other contestants and they started their goodwill tour through the countryside towns and villages of Ireland.
“We got into these smaller communities and there was live music playing for us and I started to feel more at home because I think that music is one of the big connections we have between Ireland and Newfoundland,” Murphy said, adding the experience had her believing Newfoundland culture is more reflective of an Ireland from a different time.
“It’s a less modernized version of Ireland, I think. It more represents an Irish culture of the 1700s and 1800s when we started to settle here more. I don’t know if that’s true, but that’s just what I came away with.”
Murphy said many people she came across were familiar with Newfoundland and Labrador and she was surprised with the amount of support and fanfare she received as an out-of-country contestant, conducting several media interviews and signing a surprising number of autographs.
“You don’t assume that a lot of people know about us here so that was really cool and I love public speaking, so it was such a great opportunity to have all these people interested in what you have to say,” she said. “It was surprising because all the buzz leading up to the festival was focused on the Irish roses, which makes a lot of sense with it taking place in their backyard.”
Murphy was grateful for a contingent of family in the audience – and supporters watching back home - when she walked onstage the first night of the competition. She appeared between a pair of native daughters – Dublin Rose Suad Mooge, a medical scientist, and Leitrim Rose Catherine Cullen, a 21-year-old physiotherapy student from Northern Ireland.
“They are both so talented and so impressive, but I went out there ready to share my pride in Newfoundland culture and confident in my convictions and what I am passionate about,” Murphy said. “I didn’t over prepare. I didn’t want to think too much about what they may want to hear or cater to them. I had no expectations and so it freed me up to show them who I am and how I could be a great ambassador for the program. It was great being up there, a lot of fun.”
The 2026 title of Rose of Tralee went to Caoilfhinn Ní Choiligh of Westneath, Ireland.
Murphy used the spotlight, both on the tour and on stage at the competition, to shine a light on environmental and sustainability issues, particularly when it comes to fashion. In that regard she doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk. Murphy hasn’t bought new clothing in 2026 and the estimated 20 outfits she needed for the festival, including the main-event dress, were either thrifted or borrowed from friends and relatives.
“It took a village to dress me, right? So funny,” she said with a laugh, adding that her go-to thrift spots are the SPCA Thrift Shop on Elizabeth Avenue, Value Village and the Salvation Army Thrift Store, among others.
It’s not the first time Murphy has been in the spotlight as she was the 2019 Miss Achievement Newfoundland and Labrador and now serves on the board of directors as the organization inspires young women to become community leaders.
Murphy is a sales analyst at Nasdaq Verafin in St. John’s, where she helps educate financial institutions about technology used to detect financial crime, including human trafficking and terrorist financing.
She has a couple years left on her tenure as the provincial Rose of Tralee and would like to use the position to provide more opportunities for new Canadians to learn about Newfoundland culture and its Irish influences.
“I think we welcome newcomers and there are lots of spaces where different cultures flourish here, but I would like to create more spaces where we can come together with newcomers and teach them about our culture here and our Irish ancestors,” she said.
