Washington DC Rose of Tralee contestant has strong Mayo connections
Soracha McGrath's late grandfather PJ refereed the famed 1982 All-Ireland football final when Offaly beat five-in-a-row seeking Kerry
THE Mayo flag will be flying in style at the Rose of Tralee down in Kerry in August. The Washington (DC) Rose for 2025 is Soracha McGrath whose parents hail from Claremorris and whose late grandfather, PJ McGrath, refereed the famous All-Ireland Final between Offaly and Kerry in 1982 when the Midlanders famously denied Kerry the five in arrow with a late goal from Seamus Darby.
Whether host Daithi Ó Se will reference that remains to be seen but the Claremorris contingent will be there in style to lend support to Soracha on the night. She is daughter of Seán and Valerie McGrath and was born in Dublin, attended pre-school in Claremorris, and after moving to Dublin in 2003, completed 1st year in Loreto, Rathfarnham, before she moved with her family to live in Washington DC.
Having graduated from High School in the USA capital, she moved back to Dublin where she attended University College Dublin, graduating in 2022 with a degree in economics and political science.
In September of that year, she accepted a position as a Junior Professional Associate at the World Bank Group back in DC and this autumn will commence a Masters in international business at the McDonagh School of Business, Georgetown University.
Her dad, Seán, is son of Phil and the late PJ McGrath, Kilbeg, Claremorris, and her mother, Valerie (nee Heaney) is daughter of the late Val and Carmel Heaney of Carrowsteelaun, Claremorris.
One of Soracha’s abiding passions is her love for Mayo football and she will have no shortage of support in Tralee from her aunts and uncles and the family connections in Mayo, Galway, Dublin, Australia and America. We wish her all the best on this special occasion for all the McGrath and Heaney family circles.