Ballina initiates north twinning

Ballina initiates north twinning


Anna-Marie Flynn

BALLINA has moved towards creating an official twinning link with Craigavon/Portadown in Armagh.  At the May meeting of Ballina Town Council held last week, Mayor, Cllr Mary Kelly told councillors she requested the item be included on the  agenda as she felt it was ‘important to make a formal twinning arrangement if possible’.
“Since 2002, Ballina Salmon Festival and the Country Comes to Town Festival in Portadown have enjoyed an informal twinning arrangement and each year more and more exchanges between the two towns take place. In 2009, a total of eight exchanges took place and the relationship between the two places is very strong,” she said.
Mayor Kelly expressed her wish to make the twinning formal by writing to Portadown/Craigavon to have the item discussed and considered at their local authority meeting.
Cllr Mark Winters seconded the proposal stating it was the perfect opportunity to acknowledge the reciprocal aspect to the informal twinning between the two festivals. “Often twinning is criticised particularly with long distance twinning in America or France where travelling incurs costs. With this, Portadown is just three and a half hours away and it makes perfect sense to formally twin with this town. Making this connection has provided huge benefits already and can only be good in the future,” he said.
Cllrs Michelle Mulherin, Gerry Ginty, Barry McLoughlin and Johnnie O’Malley all commended the move and said they were supportive of a formal twinning arrangement.
Mayor Kelly proposed the authority write to the Portadown/Craigavon and have the authority consider the move. “I do hope this comes to fruition, however if it is rejected on political grounds then it is rejected, however I would love to see this happen,” she said.