Sister of student who passed away in Berkeley tragedy to enter Rose of Tralee

Amanda Donohoe, who lost her sister and cousin in the Berkeley balcony tragedy almost two years ago, is to take part in the Rose of Tralee this year.

Amanda, a physics student at the University of Nevada, lost her sister Ashley Donohoe and cousin Olivia Burke when the balcony of a fourth floor rented apartment collapsed. The Berkeley tragedy rocked the nation for months afterwards - four more Irish students visiting on J1 visas, Eoghan Culligan, Lorcán Miller, Niccolai Schuster, and Eimear Walsh, were killed in the horrific accident and seven others were left with serious injuries. 20-year-old Amanda was crowned the San Francisco Rose as part of the recent St.Patrick's Day celebrations in the city, with Irish Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald attending. In her Rose of Tralee biography which you can see in full here, Amanda writes:

"My parents are from Dublin, and I have a strong sense of Irish tradition and heritage in my heart. Two traditions I've always loved, was helping my mother make Irish Christmas cakes using my granny's famous recipe as well as pulling the crackers on Christmas Day".

It's clear she's embracing the role and looking forward to the festival itself in August. <

"I'm very excited for the Rose of Tralee Festival to celebrate all the amazing and strong women that the Irish community has produced around the world".

We wish her all the luck in the world!

Congratulations to Amanda Donohoe, San Francisco's new @RoseofTralee_ Your sister would have been so proud of you, as are we! ????? pic.twitter.com/ZgV1bT4iFd

— Irish Consulate W US (@IrelandSanFran) March 4, 2017

Mian image via Twitter: Irish Consulate W US