Kilkee Plouhinec Twinning Association

Almost twenty eight years ago two towns, Kilkee and Plouhinec in Brittany, France signed a twinning agreement to promote social, cultural and commercial exchanges between the two communities. Many towns in France and particularly Brittany, a Celtic region, have twinned with Irish towns.

Geography:
Plouhinec consists of its town, two villages on the nearby River Etel and the surrounding rural area. The principal economy is mixed farming with a thriving vegetable cooperative, rural tourism and aquaculture,  fishing and employment in Lorient. There is a beach south of the town and some interesting terrain along the coast and river inlets. French is the spoken language, although some older folk speak Breton. The overall area has many interesting features both natural and historical.

What Twinning Does:
Mainly it has been focused on youth exchanges-students from both communities have stayed in homes in the twin town. There have been adult visits from either side. Some cultural groups have visited notably the Kilkee Drama Group in 1989. There have also been some house exchanges between the communities on a private basis and some young people have undertaken summer work in their twin town. There are a number of close friendships between people and families on both sides. No marriages have resulted so far, but be patient !

Possibilities:
Some of these are mentioned above and are still a possibility – if interested let someone know! There is also the possibility of further exchanges of social (music & dance- traditional & other, various associations like ICA, Ladies group, dramatics, religious), sporting (Gaelic & Hurling, Soccer, Rugby, Scuba, Fishing, Running, Athletics, martial arts etcetera), farming, fishing & aquaculture, tourism, transport, community (services, schools, local government etc.). Groups could avail of cheaper ferry and air rates through the twinning connection. There is a lot to be learned in all these fields that is of benefit. The twinning is not confined to Kilkee Town alone and is open to all SouthWest Clare.

The educational value of exchanges should not be overlooked. A week with a local family in a small community can in many ways give a deeper insight into another culture and way of life than twice as much on a school trip to a major city, where the distractions are far too many. The rural aspect is also valuable in that some sense of values still remains over there, that may have been lost here to some extent- the attitude of children to parents especially at teenage stage is one area.