Letterkenny gets ready to welcome German friends - Donegal News

LETTERKENNY is set to host its largest ever delegation from its German twin town this September.

Around 60 people are expected to travel from Rudolstadt in the eastern state of Thuringia to Donegal for an official visit.

The two towns have been formally twinned since 2018 and delegations from the towns have been making the journey over and back ever since.

An Irish delegation travels to Germany every year in March for the St Patrick’s Festival in Rudolstadt.

The Rudolstadt delegation will arrive in Letterkenny on Friday, September 18 and will spend their time touring Donegal with a packed itinerary of events, taking in the best the county has to offer.

Local councillor Jimmy Kavanagh has been involved in the planning of the Rudolstadt visit and was part of the delegation who headed out to Germany earlier this year.

“We’re really looking forward to welcoming the Rudolstadt delegation to Letterkenny,” he said.

“It’s coming up on ten years since the twinning agreement was made. The partnership between the two towns has been working really well.

“We were very well looked after during our trip to Rudolstadt in March.”

This year is extra special as a piece of Rudolstadt will be making its way to Letterkenny.

German artist Ulrich Giller presented three paintings to Rudolstadt Mayor Jörg Reichl which are expected to be handed over as gifts during the upcoming visit.

The watercolour paintings show the majestic Heidecksburg Castle, which overlooks Rudolstadt, as well as the Marienturm and Preilipper Kuppe.

The partnership between Letterkenny and Rudolstadt has been growing from strength to strength.

One of the leading figures in establishing the twinning agreement was Letterkenny man Karol Kerrane, who founded the successful Letterkenny Irish Pub in Rudolstadt over ten years ago.

A school exchange programme has been in place for the past few years, and students from Rudolstadt are set to arrive in Donegal soon.

St Eunan’s College, Coláiste Ailigh and Errigal College have all been involved with language exchange projects.

Strong friendships have formed between the two towns over the years.

A delegation from Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania visited Letterkenny last month and the new Twinning Charter and Agreement was signed.

This comes 24 years after the now-dissolved Letterkenny Town Council first established links with the borough in Lancaster County.

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