Mayor O’Grady’s ‘visit’ to Kempten
THERE have been numerous exchange visits between Sligo and its German twin town Kempten since the twinning association was established 30 years ago.
While restrictions imposed during the Covid pandemic have interrupted these contacts, Mayor of Sligo Municipal District Cllr Rosaleen O’Grady and Mayor of Kempten Thomas Kiechle were anxious to find a way of maintaining this long-standing friendship while travel restrictions are in place. On Thursday last the mayors hosted a virtual meeting, which included a special message from German ambassador to Ireland Deike Potze, who is a regular visitor to Sligo. Attending from Sligo were Mayor O’Grady, Sligo County Council’s acting chief executive Tom Kilfeather, Cllr Declan Bree of Sligo Town Twinning Committee, Dymphna Gorman, president of Sligo Town Twinning, and Kevin Colreavy of the county council. Accompanying Mayor Kiechle were his wife Ulli, Claudia Michna of Kempten Town Twinning, and Elisabeth Heinz of the Kempton Mayor’s Office. Cllr O’Grady said: “While we would naturally have preferred to maintain our long-standing friendship with personal contacts, this virtual forum marks a first in the Sligo-Kempten association. “Following a hugely challenging year for our respective communities, there is a glimmer of light on the horizon and we hope in the coming months to regain a semblance of normality in our lives. Until that day comes we will continue to be cautious, to take the necessary precautions, and to be mindful of the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable members of our community.”
The Mayor introduced a special video message from the German ambassador Deike Potze, and said Ambassador Potze as a very generous and welcoming host, recalling a visit of a Sligo delegation to the German embassy in 2019.
In her video message, Ambassador Potzel commended the people involved in Kempten and Sligo who had maintained this “vibrant friendship” by arranging exchanges at many levels, civic, sporting, educational and cultural, and commended the twinning associations for finding new ways of communicating during the pandemic.
Mayor Kiechle recalled the origins and development of the Kempten-Sligo association, and paid tribute to two people who have made an outstanding contribution to the relationship, Dymphna Gorman in Sligo and Claudia Michne in Kempten.
He discussed the impact of the Covid pandemic on his local community and was interested in comparing details of the situation in Sligo relating to hospitals and schools. Councillor Declan Bree informed Mayor Kiechle of the arrangements for hosting council meetings during the pandemic, noting that they were able to conduct their business in a hybrid format with a number of members attending in the council chamber and others attending virtually. Chief executive Tom Kilfeather outlined the national and local economic position, noting that the government had been very supportive to date of businesses and people who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
Dymphna Gorman discussed recent initiatives and said she has been working closely with the German embassy in Dublin to promote a language skills programme through local schools
Mayor Kiechle outlined plans for a ‘virtual’ annual festwoche (festival) in August, and Mayor O’Grady looked forward to welcoming Kempten friends to Sligo when restrictions allow.