Maria Walsh – from Rose of Tralee to MEP

The Mario Rosenstock Podcast

My guest on this episode was crowned Rose of Tralee in 2014 and she has pretty much been in the public eye ever since. She came out publicly for the first time just days after winning the contest, making her the first ever openly gay Rose of Tralee. Then in 2019 Maria was elected as an MEP for Midlands–North-West constituency at the European Parliament elections, and in doing so she became the youngest Irish MEP in the European Parliament. We chat about Maria's experience growing up between the US and Ireland, the whirlwind that was the rose of Tralee, the opposition she experienced when running for election, right wing politics, and lots more. COMEDY – Maria’s phone was buzzing in advance of this episode going live, check out the voicemails from well-known personalities…