This year in July a delegation from Clonakilty spent a week in Waldaschaff in Bavaria to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the twinning between the two towns.
The 37 strong group travelled from Kerry Airport to Frankfurt Hahn from where they were collected by bus for the two hour trip to Waldaschaff. As there was a four hour delay in the flight the planned reception and meal in Hotel Krone for the Irish guests had to be cancelled. The delegation included Chairman of Clonakilty Twinning Association Michael Kenneally, member of Clonakilty Mayoral Council Anthony McDermott and member of Cork County Council Paul Hayes. The programme for the week included a 90 minute hike through the forest to Waldmichelbach on day one of the visit and on Friday 5th July there was an enjoyable bus trip to the historic town of Bamberg for a meal and a full day of sightseeing organised by Freundeskreis Clonakilty.
The official ceremony took place on Saturday 6th July with a reception hosted by Burgermeister Marcus Grimm at Waldaschaff Town Hall followed by a parade to the open-air festival area where the speeches and exchange of gifts took place.
Having being part of the original delegation in 1989 it was a significant memory for both Michael Kenneally who was Clonakilty Town Clerk in 1989 and Paul Hayes who was a teenage member of the Clonakilty Brass Band.
The Twinning Charter was signed in Waldaschaff on Sunday 2nd July 1989 by Chairman of Clonakilty Town Council Charles R Cullinane and the former Burgermeister of Waldaschaff Peter Winter. Over 100 people from Clonakilty travelled to Waldaschaff for the event including Chairman of Clonakilty Town Twinning Association Danny Lordan, Clonakilty Town Clerk Michael Kenneally and the St. Patrick’s Brass Band (now Clonakilty Brass Band) under the leadership of Brawny Wycherley. Clonakilty Town Councillors Donal Cullinane & Diarmuid O’Donovan also attended as did Monsignor Daly PPVG and Principal of Clonakilty Sacred Heart Secondary School Sr. Eilish McGrath.