France/ Antibes, Newport Beach and Kinsale celebrate 35 years of twinning

Happy anniversary to the twinning between Antibes, Newport Beach (USA) and Kinsale (Ireland)! For 35 years, our three towns have enjoyed a special relationship through school and cultural exchanges, facilitated by the Antibes Jumelages association.

On July 4, the American national holiday, delegations from both towns were welcomed to the Villa Eilenroc by the Harmonie Antiboise orchestra. Gillian Coughlan, deputy chairman of the Bandon Kinsale Municipal District, and Truly Boring, president of the Newport Beach Twinning Association, presented gifts to Jean Leonetti, as a sign of the reaffirmed friendship between the three seaside towns.

School exchanges for 35 years

As part of the Irish delegation, Mary Riordan remembers a time that no one under the age of 20 can imagine. When the twinning agreement was signed in 1990, the retired French teacher volunteered to take part in the first school exchange between Kinsale and Antibes. "First it was with the Lycée du Mont Saint-Jean," explains the Irishwoman in the language of Molière, recalling that exchanges are now taking place with the Lycée Audiberti. "This twinning allows 30 students to meet each year. The Irish usually come to Antibes in February and the Antibois to Kinsale in April", continues Mary Riordan.
Over the years, the Irishwoman has forged many links. She likes to come back regularly for coffee with Olga, a soon-to-be-retired Antibes teacher, and to stroll around town. "Downtown Antibes has a unique soul," admits Mary Riordan, who even bought a pied-à-terre here.

An enduring friendship

As for the American delegation, the association Truly Boring presides over was created by his grandfather 40 years ago. Antibes was one of Newport Beach's first twinned towns.

And one of the farthest, since the two coastal towns are separated by almost 10,000 km. "We're delighted that our partnership has lasted so long," enthuses Truly Boring, delighted to be discovering Antibes for the first time. "We were also doing exchanges with high school students and would love to see this program resume. In the meantime, we're organizing trips for adults and building friendships," says the Californian.

Antibes has been twinned with nine towns around the world, including Aalborg (Denmark) for just over 50 years and New Orleans (USA), the latest to share its love of jazz with our town since 2022.

Students from Schwäbisch-Gmünd (Germany) visited Antibes in May and took part in the 80th anniversary of May 8, 1945. This highly symbolic visit represents Antibes' strong commitment to friendship between peoples.

Source: www.antibes-juanlespins.com/