Murtagh entered the competition after three women spotted her in a pub in Limerick and praised her eye-catching red hair.
Murtagh came tops in a final that featured thirty roses from around the world.
“This is the best group of girls I’ve ever met in my life and I will try to represent to the best of my abilities these thirty amazing women,” she said after being proclaimed the winner.
Murtagh, whose Irish roots are in County Limerick, had grown into a strong favorite with the bookmakers as the competition, in its 48th year and decided by a five-member judging panel, reached its zenith.
“I’m so proud of my daughter,” said Lisa’s mom, Breda.
This year’s final was a standout event for the Roses who had traveled to Tralee from the U.S. and Canada.
“Philadelphia Rose Colleen Gallagher sang a show-stopping version of the song The Impossible Dream, that drew tears from her parents in the audience,” the Irish Examiner reported.
“We’re all absolutely delighted. It’s been seven years since an American center has won the Rose of Tralee,” Elizabeth Kee, who runs the New York event, told the Echo.
Back in New York, Murtagh, who works at the Manhattan law firm of Clifford Chance, was quick to thank her local sponsors, the Bliss Street Bar and Restaurant in Queens and Prime Cuts Butchers in Woodlawn.