All sorts of things were running through my head. I was quite nervous about meeting the other girls and absolutely petrified about standing on stage in front of hundreds of people as I had never done anything like this before but I was really excited as well.

On the Wednesday before the contest my mum and two sisters and I got prepared to hit the road to Roscommon. We had been invited to the Millennium banquet which was being held in the Abbey Hotel. We stayed in a lovely guesthouse and the lady there made me feel really important by telling me how delighted she was to have a 'Rose' staying in her house.

When we arrived at the hotel at 8pm we were greeted there by the Dublin branch of the Roscommon Mens Association. The press

Arrived and proceeded to take what seemed like hundreds of photos. After that I was approached by a young fashionably bald man who interviewed me for Boston television - what an experience. I tried to pretend this was an everyday occurance, otherwise I would have lost my nerve.

The banquet was great and we sat at a table full of dignitaries, all lovely people includi

It was sad to say goodbye to this great bunch who I had bonded with in such a short space of time - a really incredible experience which I was delighted not to have missed.

he had put me at my ease which is the sign of a true professional.

Backstage we heard all the commotion outside, people laughing and chatting - all waiting for us to appear. I found out that I was the last Rose to appear on stage so I was really nervous to have to wait that long - so in this time my mind was in a fog and I could'nt concentrate on anything.

Eventually my turn came and when I arrived out on stage all I could see was a sea of faces - what an amazing feeling to see all my pals from Dublin and my family there to cheer me on. Then I took a deep breath and Joe Finnegan, M.C. extradinaor started chatting to me and asking me questions. In two seconds

Particular thanks to Michael and Attracta Fitzmaurice, a terrific couple who helped me and lent great support through the whole experience. A thousand thanks to you both.

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Approximate Word count = 1377
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)