‘Twinning must be better used to promote region’

A RADICAL overhaul has been demanded of Cork city’s approach to twinning as part of a new drive to promote the region.

Cllr Dara Murphy (FG), who chairs the city’s International Relations Committee — a sub-committee of its Planning Committee — also wants county councillors, TDs and business people to get involved.

He said the “pooling” approach would help the city and county get more out of their respective twinning links with foreign cities.

“I believe the potential exists to achieve further benefit from our sister city relationships,” he said.

“I believe greater influence both at home and abroad can be achieved.”

He has now proposed a series of measures to maximise the potential benefit to the county as a whole from the several twin and sister city relationships which exist. They include:

* Cork County Council would be invited to provide elected members (perhaps two) to join the city council’s twinning committee and that the county council do likewise.

Mr Murphy said each local authority would retain “ownership” of the sister city relationship but that the benefit of the twinning would be spread across the region.

* Cork City Council would invite the region’s Oireachtas members to sit on the twinning committee.

* The business community would be invited to supply at least one member for each committee.

* The third-level institutions would provide a member.

* Schools would be included in some part of the annual twinning programme.

* Each committee would strive to arrange an annual cultural programme.

* Civic, business and academic leaders would have round-table discussions to identify potential future twin cities.

Mr Murphy suggested cities in India and Africa as areas with potential.

The proposals will be discussed at a full council meeting next Monday.

Cork city is twinned with Coventry in England, Rennes in France, San Francisco in the US, Cologne in Germany, Swansea in Wales, and Shanghai in China.

Cork county signed a Sister County Agreement with Cook County in Chicago in July 1999 to foster economic, commercial, cultural and educational links.

Several large county towns also have their own separate twinning arrangements, including several links to Brittany.

Mallow is twinned with Tréguier in Brittany and Tinley Park, south of Chicago, in the US.

Fermoy is twinned with the French commune Ploemeur in Brittany.

Bantry is twinned with La Crosse, Wisconsin in the US, and with Pont-n-Abad in Brittany.

Clonakilty has links with Waldaschaff in Bavaria and Chateaulin in Brittany while Baltimore/Skibbereen are twinned with Penmarch in Brittany.

Macroom is twinned with the Breton town of Bubry. in Brittany, and Marcallo con Casone in Italy.

Carrigaline, meanwhile, is twinned with Guidel in Brittany and Ballincollig is twinned with Saclay in the suburbs of Paris and Mechterstadt in Germany.