"Our immediate priority is to support the health and civic authorities."

The Rose of Tralee has been cancelled for the first time in history. The annual festival, due to take place in August, has been postponed until next year following government advice on restrictions around Covid-19. This is the first time that the competition will not be taking place in its 61 year history. Anthony O'Gara, executive chair of the Rose of Tralee International Festival, said today that cancelling this year's event is the "right decision." "Over the past few weeks, our team have been considering how best we could safely deliver some, or all, of our 2020 Festival events," he said. "Taking into account Government guidelines, the safety of our communities and the ability to deliver a wonderful Festival; we have decided to postpone our 2020 Festival until August 2021. "This is the first time in our 61 year history that the Festival has been postponed, but it is the right decision as we all play our part right now in keeping each other safe and well." O'Gara said that the Rose of Tralee is a year long event, and that the committee would continue to support Irish communities and their charitable efforts over the next 12 months. He also extended the committee's support to Ireland's frontline staff, among them 2019 Rose of Tralee, Dr Sinéad Flanagan. "We will each have a role to play in restoring our communities and local economies following this pandemic, and we look forward to coming together in celebration in August 2021," he said. "Our immediate priority is to support the health and civic authorities in doing whatever we can to keep each other safe and well, and ultimately to protect lives." This comes after the government announced a ban on any gatherings of more than 5,000 people until the end of August at least.  An update on the current lockdown restrictions in place is expected later this week.