San Francisco Rose grateful to community after Berkeley tragedy
By Aura McMenamin
San Francisco Rose Amanda Donohoe thanked the community in Tallaght and across Ireland for being supportive of her and her family following the tragic deaths of her sister and cousin after the Berkeley Balcony collapse.
The California native was celebrating her 20th birthday in Tallaght on Friday, surrounded by friends and family, days before the Rose of Tralee Festival kicks off in Co Kerry for the 59th year.
Amanda, who called Ireland her ‘home away from home’ on account of her frequent visits, spoke to The Echo about the support and sensitivity shown to her family after her sister Ashley and cousin Olivia Burke tragically died when a balcony collapsed during a student party in Berkeley, California in June 2015.
She said: “Coming back to Ireland following what happened was very good. The entire community nationwide has been very supportive of my family and me, and very sensitive to the matter, so I’m really really happy to be back and very grateful for the open welcome the country has given me.”
Amanda, who is a Physics student at the University of Nevada, has family connections from Tallaght as her mother is from Aylesbury, while her father is from Donnybrook.
Amanda’s uncles Aidan and Ciaran Cronin also live in Tallaght, and hosted her birthday party. Aidan Cronin is known in the area for having managed local GAA teams at Thomas Davis.
The Donohoes moved to San Francisco from Dublin in 1989, but have always maintained a strong connection with their Irish roots. Amanda is currently an ambassador for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland – a disease that afflicts one of her cousins.
Amanda with her escort Luke Sharkey from Tallaght
She spoke about her and her sister Ashley’s childhood ambition to enter the contest and said it was through her mother Jackie’s encouragement during her Christmas break that she made dreams into a reality and entered the contest.
Amanda said: “My mom said it would be a great thing to do. With a lighter semester last year, things fell perfectly into place.”
She credited her boyfriend and friends who travelled from San Francisco to Ireland to support her.
The San Francisco Rose’s odds slashed over the weekend from 15/2 to 7/1. Amanda said if she takes the stage in the Tralee Dome next week, her talent would be centred around her interest in drawing and painting, but declined to elaborate how this would translate on stage.
“It’s a surprise. You have to leave some teasers,” she said, laughing.
The Festival officially kicked off on Wednesday, August 16, with the Rose being crowned on the 22nd. However, speaking to The Echo, Amanda said a lot of travelling and interviews take place at every stage.
She said: “The competition really kicks off on Sunday, in Kildare. There’s a civic welcome, there’s tours of various places, a tour of the K-club, lots of interviews.
“We go down to Kerry, there’s an RTÉ press launch, Greyhound races, balls, the whole shebang. They basically roll out the red carpet for all the roses. I’m just really excited.”
Amanda will be escorted by Tallaght man Luke Sharkey, who was successfully chosen as one of the 65 escorts who will attend the competition with the Roses.
Luke, from Ellensborough, said he was a friend of the Cronin family and was privileged to have been asked to be her escort for the competition. The 23-year-old plays GAA for Thomas Davis and is a former student of St Mark’s Community School.
Speaking to The Echo, he expressed his enthusiasm after being picked to be an escort and the sole Tallaght representative.
He said: “I love meeting new people and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to be an escort.
“It’s a great chance to meet lots of amazing people from all walks of life and have some fun in the process.”
He spoke of his closeness with the Cronins: “I used to work in the family pub, they’re just lovely people. Amanda is gorgeous and we’re all proud of her.
