An apprentice electrician from a dairy farming background in Co. Laois has been crowned the 2025 Rose of Tralee.

Laois Rose Katelyn Cummins, from Ballyouskill on the Laois/Kilkenny border, became the 65^th winner of the competition, and the first winner of the competition from Co. Laois, during the second evening of this year's competition last night (Tuesday, August 19).

The 20-year-old is currently in the third phase of an electrical apprenticeship, and hopes to do an engineering degree in the future.

Katelyn grew up on a dairy farm, where she said her "love for the outdoors has blossomed from".

She is currently the chairperson of North Kilkenny Macra.

Outside of her trade and farming background, she has also seen success with her local camogie club, and also takes part in set dancing and jiving.

In a post on Facebook, North Kilkenny Macra said: "Huge congrats to our amazing chairperson for winning the Rose of Tralee. Katelyn’s grace, charm, and unreal jiving skills truly shone on stage.

"We’re beyond proud of her representing us with such poise and talent. We can't wait to see [her] back in Ballyouskill and what a night we will have. What a remarkable achievement," North Kilkenny Macra said.

As a 'Rose' with a farming background, Agriland spoke to Katelyn earlier this month about growing up on a dairy farm.

She told Agriland: "Our dairy farm in Castlemarket, near Ballyouskill on the border of Kilkenny and Laois, has been in the family for four generations. My dad took it over from his father and has since progressed with it.

"Being in the outdoors from a young age and learning to work definitely shaped me into who I am today," she added.

Katelyn said she always helped out a lot on the farm when she was young, feeding calves, milking cows, covering silage pits and dosing cattle.

"Being the oldest child in my family, I never had much choice but to help out, but I will say it will always be a memory I can share with my dad," she said.

She decided to pursue a career as an electrician after completing a week of work experience with a local electrician while in Transition Year.

"I loved every second. We worked on various different sites, such as a cheese factory; a swimming pool; a warehouse, and a normal house. I was so intrigued by the different schematics needed in each different setting," she said.

"Growing up on the farm is a huge part of why I am training to be an electrician today. The support and enthusiasm I got from local neighbours and friends was extremely positive. It definitely helped me to keep pursuing my goals," Katelyn told Agriland.