The first ever town twinning arrangement involving Adare moved a step closer this week when a Council official from the French town of Villecresnes travelled to the County Limerick town.
The outgoing Cathaoirleach of Limerick County Council, Cllr. Jerome Scanlan joined members of Adare Community Council and a representative of Villecresnes’ municipal authority in signing a letter of intent regarding the proposed twinning relationship.
Relations between Adare and Villecresnes have been developing since October 2012 when officials from the French town, located 20 kilometres southeast of Paris, contacted Limerick County Council looking for a potential twinning partner in Ireland. The Council in turn raised the proposal with members of Adare Community Council who visited Villecresnes in January 2013 before hosting a return visit by a delegation from France in April.
According to Cllr. Scanlan: “It is a great honour for Adare to have been selected by Villecresnes as a potential Irish twinning partner. I look forward to the outcome of the various cultural and community exchanges between Adare and Villecresnes over the next 6 to 8 months as both locations seek to build further on the links that have already been established.”
Commenting on the background to the proposed twinning link the Chair of Adare Community Council, Meriel Clarke stated: “The Municipal de Villecresnes contacted Limerick County Council late last year as they were looking to twin with somewhere in an English speaking country, having already established twinning relationships with towns in Germany and Italy. They were particularly keen to link with a town or village that also was located close to a city.”
“Over the coming months we will be linking up young people in the two towns via email and Skype as well as initiating cultural, music and sports exchanges between the people of both communities. We have also been invited to attend an artisan trade fair in Villecresnes this November during which we will seek to promote some of the art, food and craft products produced locally in Adare. We would like to thank Limerick County Council for originally suggesting Adare as a possible twinning partner and we now look forward to officialising our twinning arrangement on a permanent basis,” Ms. Clarke added.
Conseiller William Rostène, Conseil Municipal de Villecresnes, represented the Mayor Daniel Wappler at the letter signing in Adare this week. He commented: “Travelling now is much easier than it used to be. Exchanges between towns are a wonderful opportunity to meet new people, new cultures, a new way of living. Such exchanges allow all the generations of citizens to find a common interest in culture, sport, dance, music, through associations and individual relationships.”
He continued: “For us, French people, Ireland is an attractive country; we appreciate its friendly people, its great landscapes, its pubs, and its rugby. We think that EU has a lot to offer apart from political and economical aspects. In our country, everybody has to learn English and the best way to do it is to have exchanges with English-speaking countries. Our families will be happy to have an opportunity of setting up exchanges with children from Adare and the neighbouring villages.”
“And I am sure the Irish school children, as well as their parents, will appreciate the opportunity of spending some time in a pretty little town which is both close to Paris and half an hour from EuroDisney,” Conseiller Rostène concluded.
Located 20 km from the centre of Paris in the Île-de-France Region, Villecresnes has a population of just under 10,000 people. It has been twinned with Zibido San Giacomo in Italy and Weißenhorn in Germany since 2010. Villecresnes will be Adare’s first twin town.
The outgoing Cathaoirleach of Limerick County Council, Cllr. Jerome Scanlan joined members of Adare Community Council and a representative of Villecresnes’ municipal authority in signing a letter of intent regarding the proposed twinning relationship.
Relations between Adare and Villecresnes have been developing since October 2012 when officials from the French town, located 20 kilometres southeast of Paris, contacted Limerick County Council looking for a potential twinning partner in Ireland. The Council in turn raised the proposal with members of Adare Community Council who visited Villecresnes in January 2013 before hosting a return visit by a delegation from France in April.
According to Cllr. Scanlan: “It is a great honour for Adare to have been selected by Villecresnes as a potential Irish twinning partner. I look forward to the outcome of the various cultural and community exchanges between Adare and Villecresnes over the next 6 to 8 months as both locations seek to build further on the links that have already been established.”
Commenting on the background to the proposed twinning link the Chair of Adare Community Council, Meriel Clarke stated: “The Municipal de Villecresnes contacted Limerick County Council late last year as they were looking to twin with somewhere in an English speaking country, having already established twinning relationships with towns in Germany and Italy. They were particularly keen to link with a town or village that also was located close to a city.”
“Over the coming months we will be linking up young people in the two towns via email and Skype as well as initiating cultural, music and sports exchanges between the people of both communities. We have also been invited to attend an artisan trade fair in Villecresnes this November during which we will seek to promote some of the art, food and craft products produced locally in Adare. We would like to thank Limerick County Council for originally suggesting Adare as a possible twinning partner and we now look forward to officialising our twinning arrangement on a permanent basis,” Ms. Clarke added.
Conseiller William Rostène, Conseil Municipal de Villecresnes, represented the Mayor Daniel Wappler at the letter signing in Adare this week. He commented: “Travelling now is much easier than it used to be. Exchanges between towns are a wonderful opportunity to meet new people, new cultures, a new way of living. Such exchanges allow all the generations of citizens to find a common interest in culture, sport, dance, music, through associations and individual relationships.”
He continued: “For us, French people, Ireland is an attractive country; we appreciate its friendly people, its great landscapes, its pubs, and its rugby. We think that EU has a lot to offer apart from political and economical aspects. In our country, everybody has to learn English and the best way to do it is to have exchanges with English-speaking countries. Our families will be happy to have an opportunity of setting up exchanges with children from Adare and the neighbouring villages.”
“And I am sure the Irish school children, as well as their parents, will appreciate the opportunity of spending some time in a pretty little town which is both close to Paris and half an hour from EuroDisney,” Conseiller Rostène concluded.
Located 20 km from the centre of Paris in the Île-de-France Region, Villecresnes has a population of just under 10,000 people. It has been twinned with Zibido San Giacomo in Italy and Weißenhorn in Germany since 2010. Villecresnes will be Adare’s first twin town.
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