AS gardaí conduct an investigation into an alleged racist verbal attack on the newly crowned Rose of Tralee, the chief executive of the festival said the reality is that people like Kirstin Mate Maher will experience incidents like that every day of their lives.
CEO Anthony O’Gara said he was at two public events with Kirstin since she was crowned Rose and he detected “an undercurrent” among people who would otherwise consider themselves to be very intelligent and smart.
“I would have noticed it when we went out in public, and indeed in Tralee and among our own family in the Rose, a little bit of unease and a little bit of awkwardness. It’s very small but you begin to notice it when you’re in the company of Kirstin and her family,” Mr O’Gara told Radio Kerry.
Gardai were called to a fast food outlet in Kilkenny city in the early hours of Sunday morning where Kirsten and her boyfriend were allegedly verbally abused by two male customers.
It is understood Ms Maher had been out socialising with friends and had called to the fast food premises on their way home at around 3.00am. One man is alleged to have racially abused her and when her boyfriend asked him to stop, another man became involved.
It is understood gardaí were summoned and took statements from a number of people present.
Reacting to the reports of alleged racist abuse, Mr O’Gara said: “It’s just not acceptable in the modern world. Irish people suffered enough around the world over the last few generations. We, of all people, should know that to judge people on the basis of their race is just entirely wrong.”
The festival chief insisted, however, that Kirstin – the first African-Irish winner of the Kerry pageant – is more than capable of rising above the reaction from a minority of people.
“There is no longer an excuse for it but it takes time for hate to move out of people’s mentality,” he said.
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