Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin

Aoibhínn Ní Shúilleabháin won the 2005 Rose of Tralee contest held in Tralee, County Kerry. She was born in Carnacon, Co. Mayo, Ireland in 1983. Her parents are Mary and Art Ó Súilleabháin.

Ní Shúilleabháin was the bookmakers' favourite to win the Rose of Tralee. She is the 47th Rose and the first from County Mayo. As well as the prestige of the title, she received a trip around the world worth €25,000 paid for by Kerry Group, jewellery and homeware from Newbridge Silverware and a car provided by Smart Telecom. A record 920,000 people watched her being crowned on television.

Ní Shúilleabháin received First Class Honours in her Physics degree from University College Dublin in December 2005.Her academic achievements include a student placement in 2004 at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Geneva, awards in the international Mathematical Modelling Contest, an Entrance Scholarship from UCD in 2001 and scholarships from Bord Na Gaeilge.

Ní Shúilleabháin is the oldest in a family of six. She is a fluent Irish language speaker as well as an accomplished musician having won several awards for sean-nós singing. She has been a member of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann for many years, Cómhra Gaeilge and Grúpa Ceoil.

Ní Shúilleabháin is a frequent panellist on RTÉ's flagship political satire programme "The Panel" and is currently a singer with the traditional Irish music and dance group, Rágús.

ources

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* [http://www.castlebar.ie/photos/greenandred/aoibhinn/aoibhinn.htm "A Rose by Any Other Name – The Green n Red Interview"] , on [http://www.castlebar.ie Castlebar.ie]
* [http://www.westernpeople.ie/news/story.asp?j=26653 "Aoibhinn is all set to blossom in Tralee"] . Western People, 16 August 2005.
* [http://www.rte.ie/tv/scope/scope06/SCOPE3_show02_profile.html Scope profile of Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin]
* [http://www.witsireland.com/BA2005-2.html Rose of Tralee Promotes Maths and Science at BA Festival of Science]