25th anniversary of twinning of Roscommon and Chartrettes celebrated
A 20-strong group travelled from Roscommon to Chartrettes recently to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the twinning with the French town. The group was led by chairperson Noel Connolly, who said it was a “great honour” to be in Chartrettes to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the twinning.
He said: “We remembered all those who were there at the beginning and those who have contributed since to the success of this great friendship between our towns”.
Mr. Connolly added that “music, song, dance and language have played a major role in developing our strong cultural relationship”. He thanked Roscommon County Council for their support and generosity over all these years in helping to make the Town Twinning initiative a success.
Cllr. Orla Leyden, representing then-Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council, Cllr. Tom Crosby, said that the welcome given to the group was exceptional and heartfelt. Commenting that there was a great sense of joy, cultural exchange and “pure fun” over the weekend, Cllr. Leyden said it was lovely to see old friends meeting up and new friendships being formed. She said it was great to see new people from Roscommon getting involved with the twinning experience. Cllr. Leyden said she could see the young people from Roscommon engaging with the French language in a practical way that will stand to them with their studies.
Cllr. Leyden highlighted the contribution Comhaltas Ceoltóiri Éireann Ros Comáin members made over the weekend, which she said was something to remember and treasure.
“They did Roscommon proud. They were absolutely brilliant…fantastic, talented musicians, singers and a world class Irish dancer in Eddie Devlin”.
In her speech at the Chartrettes Cultural Centre, Cllr. Leyden paid tribute to all those who were involved with the successful twinning over 25 years. She thanked them for growing this wonderful twinning project and gave special mention to the late Tom Foxe, then-Mayor of Roscommon, and the late Tino Petruzzi, then-Mayor of Chartrettes, who established the twinning. She thanked the current Mayor of Chartrettes Pascal Gros and Chairperson of the Chartrettes Twinning Committee Linda Lauro for the warm welcome.
During her speech, Cllr. Leyden relayed a message from the Acting Chief Executive of Roscommon County Council, Mr. Shane Tiernan, to the effect that Roscommon County Council is delighted to continue to support twinning initiatives between the two towns, and pledging that there will always be a warm welcome in Roscommon for the people of Chartrettes who wish to travel to visit Roscommon and experience the rich tourism and heritage of the town and county.
Cllr. Leyden presented a piece of art by Rita Oates to Mayor Pascal Gros on behalf of Roscommon County Council and presented Roscommon Tourism hats to the four members of the Chartrettes Twinning Committee and Roscommon Bound pins to the French host families. Noel Connolly presented a piece of art by Rita Oates to Linda Lauro, Chairperson of Chartrettes Twinning Committee.
Comhaltas Ceoltóiri Éireann Ros Comáin members who travelled to Chartrettes for the celebration and performed brilliantly over two nights, were led by the Roscommon Twinning Committee Cultural Officer, Liam Ó Cinemagoing (Bill Cunningham).
Check out the gallery from France below…
