Athboy prepares to host milestone town twinning 10th anniversary

Preparations are now well-advanced in Athboy for the forthcoming 10th anniversary celebrations of the town's twinning with Autonne Villages in the Picardy region of France. The activities will take place over the weekend of 9th-11th September next when an entourage of approximately 80 French visitors will be hosted by families of the Athboy Twinning Association. This will mark the second stage of a similar event which took place at this time last year in the Autonne region, when the 10th anniversary of the signing of the original twinning charter in 2000 was celebrated. Since 2000, the two areas have developed many links and relationships. Various exchanges and visits have taken place for young and old alike. Exchanges for teenagers at Halloween and a school exchange at Easter are now regular events on the twinning calendar. On the evening of Friday 9th September, an official reception will be held in the recently opened Athboy Stables Market. During Saturday morning, the visitors will have an opportunity to take part in activities organised by some of the many local voluntary groups. There will be an exhibition of memorabilia from the last 11 years in the public library and a display of entries for the children's art competition which was organised in conjunction with the event. Sean nós dancing workshops will also be in full swing as part of the Éigse Uí Ghramhnaigh festival which will take place in Athboy on the same weekend. After lunch, the official signing of the Reaffirmation of the Twinning Oath will take place at the Fair Green in Athboy. Local and regional dignitaries and a representative of the French Embassy will be joined by their French counterparts for this official ceremony. Entertainment will be provided by the orchestra from the Erik Satik Ecole de Musique from Crépy-en Valois and local dance and music groups from Athboy. Various local clubs have been invited to display their skills during the remainder of the afternoon, during which the All-Ireland Sean Nós Dancing Competiton will also take place. On Saturday night, the official banquet, with dancing to the Navan Swing Band, will take place in the Old Darnley Lodge Hotel. Further events are planned for Sunday morning before all the French and Irish families enjoy lunch together. The visitors will return home on Sunday night. The anniversary event will serve to showcase the many fine facilities and organisations available in Athboy as well as forming new links between the two areas which can be developed over the next decade and perhaps even further into the future.