While on a recent trip to Ireland, Mayor Ginny Dickey met with Sean Counihan, past mayor of Killarney, Ireland, and current chair of the Killarney Town Twinning Association – their version of the Sister Cities program.

Counihan and Mayor Dickey discussed the many comparisons between Fountain Hills and Killarney, and national government issues as well. They then focused on some of the ways Killarney and Fountain Hills conduct their “Twinning” programs, from student exchange to government operations, and how their programs are sustained. Killarney is a “Twin” with 10 cities, five of which are in America, including Fountain Hills’ neighbor, Scottsdale.

Killarney, a community of about 15,000, is much the same as Fountain Hills in many ways, but admittedly, Killarney also has Muchross Abby, Ross castle, and history dating back pre-1000 AD. It borders Killarney National Park and in the recent past was voted as Ireland’s “tidiest” town. Killarney is also featured in a song by one of Ireland’s most famous artists, Van Morrison.

It was noted there are very few traffic signals – but signalized crosswalks – and the town has “too many roundabouts to count.”

Counihan conducted a walking tour of Killarney, including its Town Hall and some major landmarks including the memorial featuring a life-size statue of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, the heroic priest who helped save thousands of lives in Nazi-occupied Rome during the Second World War.

“Sean Counihan was a welcoming and informative host,” Dickey said. “Thank you to our Sister Cities champion, Carol Carroll, for graciously arranging this get-together to learn more about each other’s communities.”