Students carry on Gorey’s strong links with Germany
THE close association between Germany and Gorey is still going strong with the arrival of 41 German students and five leaders last week.
The German group arrived in Gorey on July 24 and will stay in the town until August 10.
For the past 26 years the group has been coming to Gorey with numbers increasing each year.
In keeping with tradition the students and leaders stay with host families in the town organised by Tommy Fitzpatrick and are ferried to various destinations around Wexford by bus drivers Jimmy, Billy and Declan from Gorey Coach.
The students and leaders enjoy a busy itinerary while here with the exception of Sundays when they spend the day with their host families.
The mornings are generally spent doing lessons in Gorey Community School where they are taught English by Jacqueline Sheill, Fiona Kinsella and Fiona Quirke.
Caretaker Martin Bolger and all the people at the GCS work hard to ensure that the students feel like the school is a home away from home.
The students also enjoy trips around the country to get a flavour of all the culture that Ireland has to offer. This year they will enjoy trips to Dublin, Enniscorthy dog track, Kilkenny castle, Dunmore Caves, New Ross, Waterford Crystal, Wexford Heritage Park, Glendalough, Hook Head and many more places.
They will also take in a trip to Craanford Mill with Anna and Michael Lyons, Gorey Cinema and Ferns Castle.
Several of the students are here on return visits.
The students are brought over to Gorey each year by Ulf Brix whose first visit to Gorey was in 1976, 40 years ago, when local man Bruce Copeland picked up him in Bray as Ulf was hitch-hiking.
Ulf, a young teacher at the time, was brought to the Copeland farm in Huntington, Clough where Ulf met the rest of the extended Copeland family and a firm friendship was born.
‘I am very lucky to have met Bruce that fateful day I was hitch-hiking’, said Ulf. ‘As this is my 40th anniversary of coming to Gorey I have a special gift for Bruce.’
The close association doesn’t just end with the Copelands as Tommy and Sheila Fitzpatrick are regular guests at the Brix home in Germany.
Ulf thanked everyone for the hospitality shown to him and the students so far and said he hopes the visits will continue for many years saying that Gorey is like a second home to him.