Building Bridges Between Kenmare and Carantec

Kenmare was delighted to recently welcome visitors from Carantec in Brittany, France, as we continue to explore an exciting new relationship between our two towns, with the hope of developing a formal town twinning partnership in the future.

Gérard and Anna from Carantec spent time in Kenmare meeting members of Kenmare Tourism and discovering more about our town, its people, heritage, culture and tourism offering.

A Friendship Already Rooted in Ireland

Carantec already has a wonderful connection with Ireland.

Each year, the Breton town welcomes **Irish musicians to Carantec to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, bringing Irish music and culture to the community and creating a natural connection between our two countries.

It is a relationship that we believe has enormous potential to grow.

The ambition is for a future partnership between Kenmare and Carantec to extend well beyond tourism, creating opportunities for **student exchanges, cultural and musical collaborations, heritage projects, community exchanges and shared tourism initiatives.

For younger generations in particular, a student exchange programme between the two towns could provide a wonderful opportunity to experience another language, culture and community while creating friendships that may last a lifetime.

A Warm Kenmare Welcome

During their visit, Gérard and Anna met with members of Kenmare Tourism including John Daly, Chair; Jamie Stevenson Hamilton, Membership and Relationship Lead and our very important fluent French speaker; Aileen Hanley, Secretary; and Patrick Hanley, Tourism Strategic Development Lead.

But no visit to Kenmare would be complete without getting out and experiencing the area for themselves.

Our visitors had the opportunity to go kayaking and enjoy some of the hospitality, experiences, scenery, heritage and culture that make Kenmare and its surrounding area so special.

There was plenty of conversation too about the similarities between our two communities and the possibilities that could come from developing closer links between them.

Kenmare to Carantec Next!

The hospitality is set to be returned, with the Kenmare delegation very kindly invited to visit Carantec and experience the town, its community and Breton culture for themselves.

Situated on the beautiful coast of Brittany, Carantec shares many characteristics with Kenmare. Both are communities where tourism, landscape, local culture, heritage and a strong sense of place are hugely important.

While the process of establishing a formal town twinning arrangement will take time, we are delighted that a friendship between our communities is already beginning to develop.

Sometimes the best partnerships start simply by bringing people together.

We hope this is just the beginning of a long and meaningful friendship between Kenmare and Carantec.

À bientôt, Carantec! 🤝