Talks are under way between the Church of Ireland rector in Tralee and the town’s Rose of Tralee festival after he hit out at the festival, accusing it of being “Roman Catholic”, after being overlooked in the programme for this year’s main religious service.The Rev Robert Warren, the Archdeacon of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe, wrote a strongly worded article on the festival in the Tralee parish newsletter.
The Rose of Tralee – a Roman Catholic Festival? accused the organisers of overlooking the festival’s multi-faith roots. It has denied any religious bias.
Privately, organisers and some leading figures in Tralee are smarting at the public nature of the attack, particularly the use of the term “Roman Catholic”.