The Thirtieth Anniversary Celebrations
Skerries Shines for Town Twinning Pearl Anniversary
What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon - enjoying the sunshine and clapping along with the audience as the Dublin Airport Police and Fire Service Band gave a rousing rendition of the Radetzky March to conclude a fantastic outdoor concert at Skerries Mills – one of the many highlights of the celebrations to mark the 30 th anniversary of the official twinning of Skerries and the Canton of Guichen (Brittany).
Once again Skerries’ residents opened their homes and gave a warm welcome to our 26 visitors from France who were with us from 15 th to 19 th August. The host families, some of whom in previous years had themselves travelled to Brittany, welcomed their guests on Thursday 15 th at a reception in Skerries Rugby Club.
The following morning the group gathered at the Boules (Pétanque) Court, beside Skerries Mills, for a workshop facilitated by our visitors from the Laillée Pétanque Club with the participation of the Skerries Pétanque Players and Skerries Men’s Shed. The remainder of the group explored the new Skerries Art Trail and had a chance to do some birdwatching thanks to local members of Birdwatch Ireland, Frank Prendergast and Cathal Copeland.
Prosper Fingal was the venue for a presentation on the story behind the photographs that are featured in the European Heritage Photographic Exhibition which is currently on display at Skerries Mills. The photographs depict the heritage of Skerries, the Canton of Guichen and their partner (Srem, Poland) under 17 diverse themes such as habitat, local industry, sport, traditions etc. This exhibition was created by the Canton of Guichen with inputs from Skerries and Srem. The exhibition toured various towns in Brittany during 2023 and has been brought to Ireland specially for our 30 th anniversary celebrations. The exhibition was mounted with the assistance of Skerries Men’s Shed.
The exhibition was officially opened on Friday afternoon by the Skerries Town Twinning members who worked on the display (Geraldine McQuillan, Stephanie Bourke and Nora Friel). Among the dignitaries in attendance were acting Mayor of Fingal, Councillor Robert O’Donoghue; M. Théo Chauvenc, Chargé de Mission of the French Embassy; Louise
O’Reilly T.D., Cllr. Brendan Ryan and Cllr. Malachy Quinn. The French delegation included Deputy Mayor Lucie Saëz and Councillors Sylvie Houssin and François Charmeteau as well as three former presidents of the Guichen twinning association (CRIC) i.e. Guy Appéré, Michel Bachelot and Philippe Gourronc. Michel and Philippe were also present at the original twinning ceremony in 1994. Other people in attendance, who were also present at the original twinning ceremony, included Yolande Bachelot, Maryse Gourronc, Dominic and Geraldine McQuillan, Brendan and Nora Friel, John Coleman and Mary Collins, Reg Armstrong and Marie Stafford, Resa Moore, Annmarie Herron and Máire Moloney.
Twinning provides an excellent forum to get to know one another’s culture and lifestyle. All were delighted with the traditional music and dancing session in Skerries Sailing Club on Friday evening where the group enjoyed a geat evening of entertainment by Rush Traditioanl Musicians and Skerries Dancing Academy with Breton singing and dancing thrown into the mix.
Following a visit to Malahide on Saturday the visitors attended a tree planting ceremony beside Skerries Mills where three trees were planted to commemorate 30 years of twinning.
On Sunday morning, the harbour was buzzing with activity (as the Triathlon was taking place) when our visotors arrived for a visit to the Lifeboat Station. Ronnie Horan of the RNLI talked about the work of the station and members of the crew demonstrated the equipment and protective clothing used. The highlight of the visit was the launching of the lifeboat.
The weekend ended with a dinner at Skerries Golf Club attended by the Breton guests and host families. Photos of various visits to Skerries from 1994 onwards were on display.
Plans for a return visit next Summer to Guichen are already in place.
Skerries Town Twinning would like to thank our host families, Roadstone, Capitalflow, Prosper Fingal, RNLI, Dublin Airport Police and Fire Service Band, SuperValu, Eurospar, C&T’s, Lidl, Skerries Pharmacy, Skerries Mills, Skerries Men’s Shed, Skerries Rugby Club, Skerries Golf Club, Skerries Pétanque Players, Skerries News, Joe Lannon, Birdwatch
Ireland, Rush Traditional Musicians, Skerries Dancing Academy, Fingal County Council and the people of Skerries for their support.
Town Twinning aims to foster friendship between communities by means of cultural, sporting and interest-centred contacts and exchanges. It exists on a premise of mutual hospitality, by opening homes to each other and extending the hand of friendship. It’s a way of seeing how other people live and of making new friends. Town Twinning is a great experience for all – families, individuals, students and groups.
Skerries Town Twinning is part of Skerries Community Association. If you’re interested in Town Twinning please email us at skerriestwinning@gmail.com
