Blossoming all over the world

New York Rose has Cavan roots

A Ballyhaise woman has been selected as this year’s New York Rose. Billie Cooper joins Cavan Rose, Grace Farrelly and San Francisco Rose, Maggie Baglin, in representing the Breffni County at this year’s Rose of Tralee competition.

Billie grew up in Ballyhaise before moving “all over the place”, as she puts it - from Ireland, to Singapore, China and eventually the United States.

Living in New York for the past year, Billie spoke to the Celt bright and early at 10am EDT, which was afternoon here in Ireland at 3pm.

The five-hour time difference from Eastern Day Time (EDT) to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) doesn’t just affect Billie while speaking to her local newspaper. It also affects the amount of time she, and so many others living abroad, have to spend speaking to their families. The Irish diaspora living abroad is a topic Billie is keen to represent at this year’s Rose of Tralee competition.

“I just want to tell my story and hopefully tell the story of as many people as I can,” she said, adding that she wants to represent her family in Ballyhaise and Killeshandra and “other Irish folks living abroad”.

Since the selection in Rory Dolan’s pub on June 7 and 8, Billie has been delighted to see so many people and groups with Cavan connections reaching out to her. The Cavan Protectors & Benevolent Association of New York, a group set up in 1848 to support those forced to emigrate, are among those to have made contact.

“They’ve been so kind and so I’m really looking forward to meeting more people from Cavan,” said Billie.

During her interview on selection night, Billie spoke about her roots, particularly those in Ballyhaise and Killeshandra, from where her mother Therese Teevan hails. Billie’s father Patrick travelled the 1,145.84km distance from Chicago to be present for the selection, while her family in Ireland stayed up until 6am to watch as she was crowned the New York Rose live on Facebook.

“I have such a big family and such an amazing family, I feel so lucky to have them back there. This has been just such a great reminder that they’re all there and that my roots are there, that that’s my home,” she said, adding that she was inundated with messages of congratulations.

Hosted in Rory Dolan’s Restaurant, a place with “big Killeshandra roots”, Billie said it felt “very full circle” when it was pointed out to her afterwards that the function was held in ‘The Killeshandra Room’.

“I got goosebumps,” she said.

“It's been amazing, just feeling that Killeshandra and Cavan presence.”

Now studying at Columbia University with aspirations of becoming a therapist, Billie moved to Singapore when she was just seven years old. She later lived in China for a year before moving to the United States in 2014 with her family.

There she lived in Michigan, and studied in Boston for six years. One year ago, she moved to New York.

Despite loving life in the Big Apple, Billie dreams of eventually returning to Cavan.

“I do miss it sometimes, I miss the peace and quiet of Cavan because it does get a bit busy here.

“I’m a dual citizen so I love having the freedom to stay here and go back to Ireland whenever I feel like it, I do feel very lucky to have that option.”

“Being Irish in New York is such a special experience and I really do love being Irish here.

“Everyone has Irish connections somehow and it’s always so exciting to get to share my story being from Cavan and hearing their stories as well.”

Currently, Billie returns home twice per year with her next trip planned for August. She now deems her mother a “momager” as she already has a schedule planned for the homecoming.

“I’ve already been talking to the other Roses, we’ve got a little Whatsapp going, which has been so exciting,” Billie shared.

She was inspired to apply for the competition by her cousin Abbie Sexton from Cavan Town, who missed out on the opportunity to be this year’s Cavan Rose.

“I’m so proud of myself for taking on the challenge and I feel really capable already of taking it on for the next year.”

Billie balances this with working and studying for a Masters Degree by running, which she loves. She completed the London Marathon last year and this year hopes to do the Chicago Marathon.

“It’s a great way to breaking up my time, with school and with work and now with this I’m sure I’ll be very very busy.”

She also loves exploring Cavan pubs in New York, her favourite bring ‘The Molly Wee’ near Madison Square Gardens.

Billie thanked the organisers of the New York Selection and the 2023 New York Rose, Róisín Wiley, for their support. She looks forward to returning to Ireland to participate in the competition in the coming months

“The support I’ve received from everyone has been so overwhelming and beyond anything I could have asked for so I just want to make everyone proud.

“I think it’s just such a privilege to have the opportunity to get up on that stage.

“I just feel so so so lucky to be in this position now, I don’t think it’s fully hit me.”

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Rose, Maggie Baglan, also has Cavan connections. Her parents are Ann and Mike Baglin - cousons of Declan Sheridan in the Meadow View and Gerry Sheridan in Ice Cream Treats in Killeshandra.

More on Maggie next week.