Twins celebrate 10th anniversary of charter signing
The still developing twinning ambitions between Bannalec, in Brittany and Castleisland go back a few years beyond the decade celebrated in Browne’s Bar here in Castleisland on Sunday night.
Newly appointed, Castleisland Chamber Alliance events committee member, Neil Browne sent out the invitations and was delighted with the response.
All involved in the twinning process were invited to join in the evening’s celebration to welcome the travelling Bannalec twinning group.
Castleisland Twinning Committee Chairman, John O’Donoghue expressed his appreciation at the how the event was attended, handled and organised.
“We had a fantastic night and we are very appreciative of Browne’s Bar, Neil Browne and the Castleisland Chamber Alliance for the effort they put into organising such a welcoming event for our Breton friends and visitors.
“It was a great occasion of meeting and mixing with local musical talent of all ages involved and our visitors really appreciated and enjoyed the night,” said Mr. O’Donoghue.
Plans were afoot as far back as as the summer of 2003 and the steps being taken then towards the process were tentative.
There were some trips to and fro in that time but they too were of an experimental nature. There didn’t seem to be any great permanence about the project until the signing of the ‘ twinning charter’ at An Ríocht Athletic Club Hall in the dying days of autumn 2007.
Up to then the links had to be resuscitated several times and letters setting out each sides requirements were being swapped.
On receipt of one such letter from Bannalec, the Castleisland side leader of the time, Seán Linnane called a now or never meeting at the River Island Hotel for early February 2005.
The aim of the meeting was to set the twinning process in motion and to organise a delegation from Castleisland to visit Bannalec the following summer.
That letter from the Breton side stated that the process should be put in motion to further the relationship with an Irish town and countryside.
It stressed the non-profit, non-tourism aspect of any union between the two sides and emphasised the thinking there that Irish and Breton people have a lot in common and much to gain by developing mutually beneficial relations.