It was always a fail safe for the Rose with two left feet, but this year organisers have banned the poetry recital from the Rose of Tralee competition.
This year the ladies who take to the stage in Kerry will have to pull out all the stops when it comes to the 'party piece' segment, with Rose of Tralee spokesperson John Drummey telling the
Irish Independent that the decision was part of an effort to keep the competition "modern" and "fast moving".
While Drummey said organisers had "nothing against poetry or the creative skills of our Roses who like to write their own poems", keeping the entertainment upbeat (and avoiding verse after mournful verse of rhyming ode to Ireland) should improve the pace of the show.
One of Ireland's oldest festivals, The
Rose of Tralee International Festival celebrates its 57th year this summer, with all 65 of those who survived the regional finals descending on Tralee for the qualifying selections tonight, Wednesday and tomorrow, Thursday.
Only 32 will join returning host Dáithí Ó Sé on the live TV shows this weekend.
