Kildare Rose Jess Hunter on her journey through loss, faith and resilience

THE 2026 Kildare Rose, Jess Hunter, was excited to take to the stage, ahead of this year’s Rose of Tralee Festival in County Kerry, and said she hopes to show a sense of pride for her community and for herself and how far she has come.

The Kildare Town native who was travelling across Ireland with the other Roses ahead of the televised selection, said the experience has already exceeded anything she imagined when she entered the competition.

Speaking while on tour in Kerry, Jess said the group had just crossed into the county and were enjoying a busy day in Killarney before making their way to Tralee.

“We've been having so much fun already,” she said, joking that her voice was already going hoarse despite the festival not yet reaching Tralee.

Jess's Rose journey began almost a decade ago, when she was selected as a Derby Festival Queen in Kildare.

At just 19, she took part in a local version of the Rose tour after being encouraged to enter alongside friends.

Years later, while clearing out her room, she came across her old sash and Rose pin.

“I just kind of thought, you know what, wow, I've really been through life since then,” she said.

The discovery made her reflect on how much she had changed over the years.

Having spent two years living in Dubai as cabin crew with Emirates, before returning to Ireland, she said the experience had taught her to celebrate herself and her achievements.

“I'm probably not fully there yet, but I'm still not as naive as I was back then,” she said.

“I just kind of wanted to celebrate the woman that I've become.” Jess also sees her participation as a way of honouring her late grandmother, Margaret, who she described as an important figure throughout her life.

She recalled watching the Roses with her nanny, who would dance and do face masks with her while they watched the programme together.

“She'd be great craic watching the Roses over the years in the kitchen, doing a little jig and a reel and egg white face masks on us, the two of us,” she said.

Jess said she wanted the experience to be “a nice nod to her”.

Despite ultimately winning the Kildare selection and progressing to the international festival, Jess said she never expected to go as far as she has.

“I never in a million years thought I was ever going to win,” she said.

The journey to becoming Rose of Kildare was not an easy one for Jess, as she experienced a very difficult period of time in Dubai, before her return home to Kildare Town.

During that time, her grandmother passed away. Jess returned home to spend time with her grandmother in hospice care and was present for her final moments. At the same time her family dog of 18 years, Socks, died also.

She later returned to Dubai, where she was involved in an emergency situation on a flight to Bangladesh when a passenger suffered cardiac arrest.

Jess and other colleagues performed CPR, but the passenger sadly died. She subsequently suffered injuries to her wrist, neck and knees and was out of work for a period.

The difficult experiences ultimately contributed to her decision to come back to Ireland.

Jess said she felt her mother Catherine's prayers had been answered when she announced her decision to leave Dubai.

“I packed up my bags. I left my uniform and I may have taken the hat,” she joked.

Since returning home, Jess said she feels her life has gradually fallen into place. She has returned to working as cabin crew with Aer Lingus and rekindled a relationship with her now boyfriend Jack, who she called the “love of her life”.

The pair had known each other before Jess moved to Dubai, but began dating after she returned to Ireland.

“I came home on a Sunday and we were stargazing by the Monday night,” she said.

“We've been tied to each other ever since.” Faith has also played a major role in Jess's journey. She became involved with the Open Arms church in Newbridge when she was around 11 and said her relationship with God became particularly important during the challenges she faced in Dubai.

“I wouldn't be the woman I am without God by my side,” she said.

Jess hopes to use her platform as a Rose to encourage other women, particularly younger women, to embrace who they are and recognise their own worth.

“I hope there is a little girl, just one out there that can look up and say, wow, you don't really have to have your life together to be confident and be who you are and celebrate it for the person you are,” she said.

The Kildare Rose also hopes to speak openly about faith and the idea that people can have a personal relationship with God without fear of judgement.

Her mixed Irish and Hong Kong heritage is another important part of her identity. Jess said that while being of mixed background has not always been easy, travelling the world has helped her appreciate the different cultures that have shaped her.

“I've learned to just appreciate it and embrace it because it's made me who I am,” she said.

Her career as cabin crew has taken her around the world, including China, Brazil, South Africa and North Africa. She believes that travelling has given her a greater sense of pride and understanding of who she is.

“I think my travelling has just given me a sense of pride in who I am. Now I know who I am as a woman.” For Jess, however, the festival is about much more than the competition itself.

She highlighted the charitable and community-focused elements of the Rose experience, including a recent gala in Limerick supporting Milford Care Centre. She also hopes to raise awareness of Barretstown, a charity she has supported and describes as an important cause close to her heart.

“It's not a beauty pageant,” she said. “We're not here to be pretty girls.” Instead, she believes the Roses are there because of their connection to their communities and their desire to make a positive contribution.

As the festival approaches its televised selection, Jess said she is determined to enjoy every moment alongside her fellow Roses.

And while she would undoubtedly welcome the chance to become the 2026 International Rose of Tralee, Jess says winning is not ultimately what she wants people to remember.

“I suppose it's giving everyone that sense of pride and belonging for whatever diversity or whatever place or community they're in,” she said.