Visitors from Roscommon’s twin town of Chartrettes in France were among those who enjoyed the weekend’s activities in Roscommon, including the Fleadh, Easter Parade and the Point to Point. 19 visitors from Chartrettes arrived on Saturday week last and stayed until Tuesday. Highlights included a visit to the Farmers Market, the Point to Point in Lisbride, a historical tour of Roscommon with John Kerrigan and of course the Fleadh which was underway all weekend. On Monday night, a farewell dinner was held in Gleeson’s restaurant, attended by the French visitors and their local host families as well as members of the twinning committee. Chairman of the Roscommon Town Twinning Group, John Earley welcomed guests to the twinning farewell dinner. He especially welcomed the Mayor of Roscommon Charlie Hopkins, Deputy Denis Naughten, and Christine Soret, Chairperson of the Chartrettes Twinning Committee. He noted the number of young people present and said ‘we hope they will carry the torch forward between Chartrettes and Roscommon for the betterment of both towns.’ He thanked all who co-operated with the twinning group in Roscommon, including Fiona Ní Chuinn from Roscommon County Council, Richard Farrell of Roscommon County Library, John Byrne of the local museum and local historian John Kerrigan. He also thanked committee members and all who had sponsored the various events. Chairperson of the French Twinning Committee, Christine Soret thanked everybody in Roscommon for the warm welcome received and said that the French group greatly appreciated the quality of the welcome received. ‘I am personally happy to note the presence of the new families who have brought their children to Roscommon,’ said Ms. Soret. ‘We like to have a good number of children because this is a sign of the interest and contributes to the success of the venture.’ Next month a group of teenagers from Roscommon travel to Chartrettes for a two-week visit and Ms. Soret pledged that the people of Chartrettes would make every effort to ensure the success of that trip. Mayor Charlie Hopkins said that the twinning is a marvellous idea. ‘There are so many children here, it shows that this twinning will grow and strengthen.’ He also invited the group to visit Arigna Mining Museum during their next visit. The visit concluded on Tuesday with a trip to Dublin taking in the National Art Gallery and Book of Kells before departing for France at 4.30 pm.
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