Rose tour comes to Kildare next week ahead of 2018 Rose of Tralee Festival

The contestants for this year's International Rose of Tralee Festival will be touring around Kildare in the coming week, with the group of ladies set to take in a large number of sights in the county.

They arrive on Monday afternoon at around 3.30pm in Athy where they will be greeted with a welcome reception with Mayor of Kildare Seán Power and Co Council CEO Peter Carey.

They will visit the Athy Heritage Centre, Town Hall and Emily Square on their tour of the town.

On Tuesday morning one group of Roses will be in Celbridge to learn about Arthur Guinness, while another group of Roses will be in Kildare Town before having a look around Kildare Village.

Other sites that the ladies will be taking in include Lullymore Heritage Park in Rathangan and The K Club in Straffan before their tour ends.