Approval granted for proposal to twin Cork town with Newport News in Virginia

APPROVAL has been given for Carrigaline to twin with the town of Newport News, Virginia, in the US.

Councillors were informed at this week’s Carrigaline Municipal District meeting that the proposal for the Cork town to twin with the town in Virginia was approved by the International and European Affairs Committee last month.

It was subsequently approved at the Corporate Policy Group meeting, which was held on July 5.

Communication will now be initiated with the mayor of Newport News in order to embark on the official process of twinning the two towns.

Carrigaline Municipal District officer Carol Conway welcomed the official go-ahead for the twinning to take place.

“It has been approved which is great news,” said Ms Conway.

“The International Affairs Committee met, and they approved the proposal for twinning.

“It then went to a meeting of Corporate Policy Group.

“The next step now is to make contact with the mayor of Newport News.”

Fine Gael councillor Jack White also welcomed the news.

“It is great news and very welcome,” said Mr White.

“We will all look forward to progressing it from our end as best we can.”

The twinning opportunity was initiated by the mayor of the Virginia town, who contacted the previous chair of Carrigaline Municipal District, Independent councillor Marcia D’Alton.

There are already strong links between Carrigaline and Newport News which stretch back to 1621.

In that year, two Carrigaline men landed on the shores of the James River, in the colony of Virginia.

There, they developed a large homestead on what is now Newport Newspoint.