Rose of Tralee winner Maria Walsh has opened up about her sexuality and revealed that she is "gay and proud".
Walsh, who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but moved to Shrule in Co Mayo when she was seven, took home the Newbridge Silver crown as the Philadelphia rose on Tuesday night.
Proving a very popular winner, the brunette beauty spoke to the Irish Sun on Sunday about her sexuality.
"I'm not ashamed of my sexuality by any means," Walsh said, "I'm confident in who I am as a person".
"To me, being gay is normal. I told my parents and they were supportive as they knew would be".
The 27-year-old graduated from Griffith College Dublin in 2009 and now lives in Philadelphia where she works as a studio manager for clothing and lifestyle brand, Anthropologie.
Walsh admitted that she is currently single and that the question of her sexuality never cropped up during the festival.
"The Rose of Tralee is about celebrating women's intelligence, careers, their volunteer work," she continued.
"The question of sexuality never came up. To me, being gay is normal; it's natural".
Executive chairman of the festival, Anthony O'Gara, said that the news may "create some interest, hopefully all positive".
Although in 2014 we would like to think that someone's sexuality shouldn't make the headlines, or be classed as 'news', we do admire Maria and wish her all the very best in her year as Rose of Tralee.
