Copyright 1997-2006 Omniture, Inc. More info available at "I was so excited to be able to go back to the country and just for the whole overall experience of the festival," Frawley said with her eyes smiling. A second grade teacher who can dance a mean Irish jig, Frawley is not your typical pretentious beauty pageant contestant.

She finds her joy in helping academically challenged children learn how to read. She also helps out at the Irish Immigration and Pastoral Center in Upper Darby. The center is responsible for sponsoring the pageant every year.

But then again, Rose of Tralee isn't your typical beauty pageant; in fact, it's not a beauty pageant at all. The premise of the competition is based upon an old Irish folk song, also titled "The Rose of Tralee." The song tells the story of Mary O'Connor, a maid to a wealthy family.

It was love at first sight when one of the sons of the family, William Mulchinock, set eyes on Mary. But it wasn't because she was a great beauty that William became so enamored with her; it was her kind heart and gentle eyes that captured his affections. William, who was a poet, wrote a song for his beloved, referring to her as "the rose of Tralee.

" "She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer, Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me. Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee." The pageant is open to girls between the ages of 18 to 27 who are of Irish descent and have never been married or have children.

It is held every year at the Hyatt Regency Hotel at Penn's Landing. The lucky winner gets to travel to Tralee to compete in the International Rose of Tralee, which is a week long festival in Ireland. Through the competition, contestants say they build a camaraderie.

"All of the girls were so sweet and well mannered. It wasn't like a competition at all. It was like living in a dorm with 30 of your closest friends.

One girl was engaged and she remarked to everyone that she felt like she had 30 bridesmaids," Frawley said, laughing. When asked what a typical day in the life of a Rose of Tralee contestant at the festival, Frawley summed it up in one word: "busy." "You have to get up at the crack of dawn, get dressed, and eat breakfast.

Then each girl gets sent to do different photo shoots with various organizations and companies," Frawley recalled. "They might send the Philadelphia, Australian, and Boston roses to do a photo shoot for a fund-raiser at a children's hospital, while three other girls may get sent to a photo shoot for the cover of TV Guide. Your whole day is mapped put for you.

You also have to ride on a bus with the other girls to each location. A lot of nights you didn't go to bed till two in the morning. There are just so many fun things to do.

" The contestants are treated like celebrities by the people of Tralee. "There would be rows of people lined up outside when you got off the bus. There were all these little girls wearing rose crowns, asking for your autograph and saying that they wanted to be a rose when they grew up, too," remembered Frawley fondly.

Although she loved every minute of the experience, a few instances stand out as Frawley's favorites. "It had to be when the Lord Mayor stood up to talk at the festival," she said. "She said she would like to talk to the International Roses.

The Lord Mayor went on to say how when Ireland was going through such turmoil, it was our country that welcomed the Irish immigrants. She said because of our country having such open hearts, the immigrants were able to live peacefully and start families. She wanted to thank us for that and welcome us to our second home, Ireland.

Her speech really touched my heart." Now its time for Frawley to dust off her tiara and past the torch on to the next Rose of Tralee, she has been busy helping plan this year's upcoming competition with the members of The Irish Immigration and Pastoral Center. This year's event will be held June 22 again at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Philadelphia.

In addition to the traditional Rose of Tralee pageant, girls ages 5 to 12 can sign up to be a "rosebud." The rosebuds help the roses dress the night of the ball.