The annual general meeting of the twinning of Bannalec and
Castleisland will take place on this Friday evening, March 15th at 7.30pm in the River Island Hotel.
The twinning of these two market towns in Brittany and South West Ireland respectively has been active for almost 20 years.
However, like most things, the twinning exchanges have become yet another victim of the Covid era restrictions.
The Castleisland Twinning Committee is very keen to reactivate the two-way visits which became an integral part of the initiative taken in the early 2000s.
Invitation to Become Involved
“We would like to invite people to become involved in our twinning with Bannalec in Brittany, France,” said Hugh O’Connell.
“It is not necessary to be able to speak French to participate in the twinning, as many of our guests from Bannalec are fluent English speakers.
“Bannalec is a small market town in Brittany, France and similar in many ways to Castleisland.
“Both communities have much in common; we have a common Celtic background, which is very much acknowledged and celebrated by both communities,” said Hugh.
Twinning Promoted Locally
Both towns are situated quite close to well-known international tourist destinations i.e. Killarney and Pont Aven.
The twinning is promoted by our local committee in Castleisland, with the support of Kerry County Council. The committee has a permanent display situated in the local civic offices in Castleisland. “This gives the locals of Castleisland and surrounding areas an opportunity to view and understand the important cultural links between both communities.
Before Covid, groups of up to 20 people from Bannalec visited Castleisland every second year, with a group from Castleisland travelling to Bannalec on the alternate years.
Three or Four Day Stays
The guests from Bannalec normally stay for three to four days and have attended many local events in Castleisland and in Kerry generally.
“They have experienced the Patrick O’Keeffe Traditional Music Festival in Castleisland along with events in Siamsa Tire; Dingle peninsula; the Ring of Kerry; Muckross House and Killarney House and Castleisland coursing and many other events and attractions,” said Hugh.
For more information on the twinning contact: Hugh on 085 1740677 or Maggie on 087 6185022.
First Explored and Proposed in 2003
A proposal to twin Castleisland with the Bannalec area of Brittany was first made in June 2003 by the then Sliabh Luachra ADM manager, Eamon O’Reilly. When he moved from Castleisland this was one of the batons he passed to his replacement, Sean Linnane. Mr. Linnane then took a fresh look at the possibility of twinning the two areas.
Similar in size, industry, music and sport to Castleisland, the area holds a festival every August 15th. to remember disappearing crafts and traditional practices. The first trip from Castleisland took place in June 2005.
Relations Between Celtic Traditions
Ancient wedding customs are part of the festival and of course there are music and dance clubs with the bagpipes prominent among the instruments favoured there.
Early correspondence from the Breton side in 2003 informed potential twins that the project is not a tourist orientated undertaking. Its purpose is to establish friendly relations between two Celtic traditions which have been separated for too long for historical reasons.
Relationships, they stressed, would be based on exchange in order to enhance conviviality, better knowledge of natural and cultural environment and the low cost of visits.
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