A TALE OF THREE TWIN TOWNS
- Online Journalist
- 22 hours ago
- 5 min read
by Jim Kelly
2025 is proving to be THE BEST OF TIMES and the busiest of times for the Carrigaline Twinning Association. We are juggling three twinning partnerships now:
-Guidel, Brittany since 1986
-Kirchseeon, Bavaria since 2015 and
-Newport News, Virginia, USA since 2023
Guidel
We are still recovering from the visit of our friends from Guidel who arrive on the ferry on 9th April last for a full program of events.
The program involved trips to Dingle, Killarney and Kinsale and a gala dinner on 13th April in Carrigaline Court Hotel. There was a superb musical concert on Tuesday 15th April in the Inkwell Theatre, Minane Bridge featuring Les Calfats de Pays Lorient, a Breton Sea shanty group, and Los Paddys from Co Clare.
Other exclusive acts were a short excerpt from Philip O’Byrne’s new play, Never Going Back Again, and the sublime violin of Brian Murphy. Brian serves as the leader of the City of Cork Symphony Orchestra, where he plays a crucial role in shaping the orchestra's performances and public engagements. Under his leadership, the orchestra has been involved in numerous events and collaborations aimed at enriching the cultural landscape of Cork.
Also featured was the multi-talented Danny Dineen and numerous local musicians.
Twinning and its various initiatives is a potent opportunity to strengthen economic and cultural ties and to promote the Carrigaline Municipal area and beyond as a destination for tourists and visitors. Recent figures show the average spend of tourists to Ireland last year, excluding travel costs to and from Ireland was approximately €1000 per head.
Plans are well underway for the trip to Guidel in the summer of 2026 to celebrate the 40th (Yes 40th!) anniversary of the signing of the twinning charter in Brittany in 1986. We anticipate that a large group of people, including councillors and musicians, dancers and artists will travel from Ringaskiddy to Guidel on board the Pont Aven on 7th June 2026. It promises to be a week to remember.
On behalf of Carrigaline Twinning Association, I wish to offer our heartfelt congratulations on the significant achievement of winning the World Pipe Band Championship.
 Carrigaline Twinning Association has strong links with the Carrigaline Pipe Band.It was at the Festival Interceltique in Lorient, Brittany in 1986, that Jean Emmanuelle Plouet and Denis O’Flynn got together and came up with a plan to twin the towns of Guidel in Brittany and Carrigaline. We are hoping that the Pipe Band will come to Guidel with us to celebrate 40 years of collective and collaborative piping. The people of Guidel , known as Guidelois, are hoping also!
While many similar twinnings between towns in Brittany and Ireland were formed around that time, the Carrigaline- Guidel arrangement is one of the very few towns to maintain active strong links between the towns. Regular visits take place to each town and music,dance, art and culture generally is celebrated.
If you would like to participate in any twinning activity please see contact details at the end of this piece.
Kirchseeon
We are planning to invite our Bavarian twin town Kirchseeon to visit us next year. We went there last July to celebrate 10 years twinned, and to take part in their wonderful citizen festival Burgher fest. Burgher is an old-fashioned term for a well-to-do resident of a town and not to be confused with burgers!
There were in fact delicious beef burgers to fortify us, and plenty of pretzels, sauerkraut and bratwurst, washed down by litres of Bavarian beer brewed in strict accordance with the Purity Law for beer making.
The statute , over 500 years old, limits German beer brewers to just four ingredients: malt, hops, yeast and water.The decree known as the Reinheitsgebot, issued in Ingolstadt in 1516, had three aims: to protect drinkers from high prices; to ban the use of wheat in beer so more bread could be made; and to stop unscrupulous brewers from adding dubious toxic and even hallucinogenic ingredients as preservatives or flavourings. We are only celebrating 10 years of twinning this year, which is miniscule compared to 500 years of brewing!!.
The Mayor of Kirchseeon Jan Paeplow welcomed us and planned a memorable and busy schedlule The hospitality of our hosts is legendary and always includes a visit to Munich and surrounding areas. This year the highlight was a trip up the Wendelstein mountain in the Bavarian Alps, height 1,838m (6030 feet).
Compare thIs to our biggest mountain Carrantuohill in the Kingdom of Kerry, a piddling 1,038m (3,407feet).
We are usually treated to a performance by the Bavarian Perchten. This is a local traditional custom where local men and woman dress in fabulous costumes and wear intricately carved timber face masks, either gorgeous or grotesque! There is a thrilling, scary edge as they perform with only drums for their annual fundraising normally during Advent. Not for the nervous among us!!The unworldly chanting, drumming, dance and good causes remind us of the annual performances of straw boys in Carrigaline on St. Stephen’s Day.
Newport News, Virginia USA
Christopher Newport University from our newest twin town isent two groups of students to Carrigaline this year.
Firstly, a cohort of leadership training students arrived to get work experience in Fort Camden and Templebreedy from 19th to 24th May. Largely spearheaded by Councillor Audrey Buckley, this was a huge success. Like last year, they were accompanied by a number of teachers and committee members. The group was led by Professor Will Reddy. Another group spent three weeks exploring politics and literature of the early 20th century. This included a visit to Dail Eireann arranged by Seamus McGrath TD.
Known in the USA as Sister Cities, our twinning relationship is only 2 years in existence. However both sides have forged an immediate liking for each other, in particular their characteristics of music, sport and history. Chair of Carrigaline Twinning Jim Kelly and his wife Michelle visited a St Patrick’s Day party by zoom recently to greet the Newport News team and sang some songs to entertain them.Â
Head of history in UCC, Professor Hiram Morgan is our expert on the historical backdrop of the link between Carrigaline and Newport News. Daniel Gookin, a gentleman adventurer sailed from his home in Carrigaline Castle in the early 1600’s to participate in the colonization of Virginia. It is hoped to renovate the castle in the medium term, but in the interim to mount an educational sign at the site informing visitors of the history.
 In terms of sport, there is now a hurling club set up in 2024 in Newport News after the students fell in love with the incredible speed and skill needed to play our leading national game. They were treated to an exhibition match and then skills training by Councillor Una McCarthy of Carrigaline GAA. Watch this space as who knows there may be a Hurling Super Bowl in USA within the next twenty years!
A visit stateside is planned for next year so start saving now. The last one in 2024Â was very memorable and enjoyable.
The Carrigaline Municipal area is fortunate that we have three vibrant twinnings on the go, with very different characters and cultures. In truth we are fairly unique in Ireland and it is vital that we obtain new members to ensure a successful future. Continued support over the years from Carrigaline Community Association , and the executive and elected members of Cork County Council has been helpful but it is also essential to involve new people to help shoulder the work load involved.
Watch out here for more updates and follow the Carrigaline Twinning Association Facebook page. If you would like to get involved in one or all our twinnings, please contact one of the following:
-Jim Kelly Chairman 086 2321064
-Michelle Hogan PRO 086 3218861
-Mary Long Secretary 087 9804451