This year’s Dublin Rose, 25-year-old Suad Mooge, received hateful comments after being chosen, with many of them saying she was ‘not Irish’ despite her being born in Sligo
Suad Mooge, the Dublin Rose(Image: @dublinroseoftralee / Instagram)
The CEO of the Rose of Tralee says the festival unequivocally condemns the racism and abuse directed towards the new Dublin Rose.
Suad Mooge opened up earlier this week about the racist comments she has been receiving on social media since she was chosen to represent Dublin at this year’s Rose of Tralee.
The 25-year-old medical scientist explained that many of the comments said she was ‘not Irish’ and that she wasn’t born in Ireland, despite her actually being born in Sligo and brought up in Dublin. She said that, sadly, the abuse she is receiving is all “part of the experience of growing up in Ireland as a person of colour.”
Suad also mentioned that there were over 4,000 posts on X (formerly Twitter) about her win, and that she had to turn off her TikTok notifications because people were commenting every few minutes.
Now, the festival is speaking out against the hateful comments, saying it celebrates “Irish women from every background, culture and community”.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the CEO of the Rose of Tralee, Anthony O’Gara, said: “Suad Mooge is the 2026 Dublin Rose, chosen by her community from an exceptional group of thirty-eight women, and a worthy and popular winner. We are proud to have such an accomplished woman represent Dublin at this year’s Festival.
“The Rose of Tralee International Festival celebrates Irish women from every background, culture and community, at home and around the world. That has always been at the heart of the Festival and remains central to who we are today.
“We unequivocally condemn the racism and abuse directed at Suad. There is no place for this behaviour, online or otherwise. No individual should be subjected to it, and we commend Suad for the dignity and strength she has shown.
“The Festival wholeheartedly supports Suad and we look forward to welcoming her on her exciting journey to Tralee in August and indeed through the rest of her year as the Dublin Rose. We will not be engaging further on this, nor amplifying commentary that seeks to misrepresent Suad or the Festival.”
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