The Honorable Mayor Henry F. Winthrop along with the members of the Newport City Council are once again inviting the public to a reception welcoming a delegation from Newport’s sister city, Kinsale, Ireland on Friday, March 16, from 5-6 p.m. at the Harp Donnelly Gateway Center.
This year’s delegation, which includes four members from the Bandon-Kinsale Municipal District, will be led by the Mayor of the Bandon-Kinsale District, the Hon. Rachel McCarthy. She will be joined by her husband Adrian Tyner; Councillor Gillian Coughlan; Charles Henderson and his wife Teresa Henderson; and John Twomey, and his wife Mary Twomey.
Also traveling with the group will be former mayors Carmel Murphy and Michael Frawley, Jr.; Mary Ryan, Director of the Bandon-Kinsale Municipal Services; and John Hartnett, head chef of The White House restaurant, who also took part in this year’s Kinsale-Newport Chef Exchange.
All will march in Newport’s 62nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 17, 2018.
This year marks the 19th anniversary of Newport’s sister-city relationship with Kinsale, a historic port and fishing town on the coast of County Cork, Ireland. Like Newport, the town boasts a significant military history, seasonal tourism economy, and is known for its lively restaurant scene.
Bonded by common geography and bolstered by Newport’s own proud Irish community, the two cities have forged a particularly strong relationship since formally establishing a sister city relationship, with regular cultural exchanges centered around St. Patrick’s Day and Kinsale’s celebrated annual Gourmet Festival, in which many chefs from Newport have taken part over the years.
During the reception members of the delegation will be introduced to the public and a gift exchange will take place between the two communities. The event is free and open to the public.
