A Black Rose Blooms in Philly
Irish Voice, Vol. 18 No. 27, Wed., June 30 – Tues. July 6, 2004
Page 6
by Georgina Brennan
In a historic decision, the Philadelphia Rose of Tralee Committee had chosen the first African American candidate for the Kerry festival.
Sinead deRoiste, 25, a Penn State graduate and daughter of an Irishman and African-American woman, will be the first black Rose contestant in the 45-year history of the contest.
DeRoiste, who lives in Harrisburg with her mother Leah Roche, spends most of her summers in County Cork [Ireland] with her father, ex-Army lieutenant Donal, who is from County Tipperary [Ireland].
Why is Sinead deRoiste called “African American” when her father is Irish? If her mother were English, would she be called “English American” when she is a person of Irish parentage participating in an Irish event? Sounds a little too much like the old “One Drop” myth to me. Few Irish Americans are purely of Irish descent. Why can’t she just be another Irish-American?
I (Sinead Christina DeRoiste) am African-Irish American…not one or the other but BOTH.Thanks