Tipperary extends hand of friendship across Europe to Austria

A group from Clonmel’s town twinning committee and the Deputy Mayor of Clonmel, Pat English, visited Austria recently for the 20th anniversary of the town twinning with Trofaiach. 

Coincidentally, Trofaiach was also celebrating its fortieth year as a city. 

The connection with Trofaiach was initiated by Desmond Doyle, originally from Pearse Park, Clonmel, who has lived in Austria for many years and has brought hundreds of Austrian visitors to Clonmel in that time. 

The city council in Trofaiach also has a twinning pact with the Slovenian town of Kamnik and the mayor Matej Slapar and other citizens of Kamnik also celebrated the 20th anniversary of their twinning.

Above - Deputy Mayor of Clonmel, Pat English (seated, second from left), members of the Clonmel Town Twinning committee, Clonmelman Desmond Doyle (back, second from right) who lives in Trofaiach; and Mario Abl, Mayor of Trofaiach (seated, left) at the town twinning celebrations in Austria 

Five days of celebrations were planned and the twinning anniversaries played a very central part in the festivities. 

On the first day of the Clonmel delegation’s visit a small gathering took place in the city hall, where the renewal of the twinning agreement was discussed and a review of the activities in the last 20 years was highlighted. 

Afterwards a huge celebration took place in the sports hall of Trofaiach, where an orchestra from Kamnik and the O’Kelly dance school from Austria entertained more than 800 guests. 

Deputy Mayor Pat English and the Mayor of Trofaiach, Mario Abl, spoke about the deep roots that unite the two municipalities, and the translations were made by Maeve Doyle, Desmond Doyle’s daughter. 

On the following day the three Mayors planted trees as a symbol of the friendship between the towns. 

Above - From left: Matej Slapar, Mayor of the Slovenian town of Kamnik; Mario Abl, Mayor of the Austrian city of Trofaiach; and Pat English, Deputy Mayor of Clonmel, at the town twinning anniversary celebrations in Trofaiach 

An oak was symbolically planted to represent Ireland and a plaque was unveiled in the city park to mark the occasion. 

The group from Clonmel also visited many historical and industrial sites in the district, including the world-famous library in the monastery of Admont; and a global player in the steel industry, the Voest Alpina in Leoben. 

Pat English and town twinning committee member Ted Boyle paid a short visit to Simons Mill, a flour mill that has been unused for nearly 50 years in the city centre that Desmond Doyle and a group of other people are renovating and opening as a cultural centre. 

In trips organised by Desmond Doyle, Clonmel will welcome several guests from Austria next year with groups arriving in April, May and September to stay for a week at a time in The Clonmel Park Hotel.  

As part of the cultural exchanges between the towns, Tipperary-based artists Ronnie Fitzgerald and Michael Hunter will exhibit in the cultúral centre in Trofaiach as part of the global art initiative www.see-the-big-picture.com. 

Above - Old friends Desmond Doyle and Pat English were delighted to meet up again in Trofaiach, Austria 

The city of Trofaiach spared no expense in celebrating the town twinnings and its 40 years as a city. 

Much more will happen in the coming years and the Clonmel and Tipperay connection remains strong in this district of Austria.

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