THE joy and delight which greeted the crowning of Athy girl Clare Kambamettu as the second successive Rose of Tralee to hail from the South Kildare town, was in sharp contrast to the dejection of the downhearted supporters who streamed out of Croke Park on Sunday evening.
There were tears on and off the pitch as the semi-final game reached its dramatic climax, with the chance of a second Kildare goal remaining alive right to the bitter end and the narrow margin of the final score making the defeat, if anything, harder to bear.
There was no doubt that this was a team which had given its best but the hush which fell across the county following the match was the kind of stunned silence which is, alas, all too familiar in Kildare.
It was in stark contrast to the all-night party that followed Tuesday night’s Rose of Tralee contest, with winner Clare Kambamettu admitting that she literally had just a couple of hours’ sleep before being called back in front of the cameras.
Clare, from the Prusselstown area, follows in the footsteps of fellow Athy resident Charmaine Kenny, who was the 2009 Rose of Tralee, and both girls entered the contest as the London representatives.
The victory certainly gave Kildare people something to celebrate in a week which otherwise brought a sad end to what has been a thrilling season for the county’s football fans.