Over the years individual young people from Carrickmacross and Carhaix have been placed with families and / or with employers during the summer holidays to help them improve their language fluency. Several Carrickmacross people are fluent French speakers as a result of time spent working in or around Carhaix. One young Carhaix girl spent nine months working in Carrickmacross. She successfully qualified as a secondary school English language teacher a few years ago. Over nine hundred adults and young people have participated in group exchanges or holidays over the years.
July 2008 – Holiday in France
Would you like to spend a week in France in July, as part of an adult group, for just €575? This is an ideal holiday for couples or friends who would like a bit of foreign travel in the security of numbers. Departure date: Saturday, July 5th
Full details here >>
April 2008 – Carhaix Students in Carrickmacross
The Twinning Youth Programme is still going well. A group of 43 junior secondary school students and their teachers from Collège Saint Trémeur, Carhaix, were in Ireland and Carrickmacross last week. An aspect of their European Studies Course includes a project visit to another EU Member State. The French students were introduced to the history of their twin town Carrickmacross from its foundation by doing a guided walking tour. They learned about the famous Harry Clarke stained glass windows in Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church. The high point for many was the excellent PowerPoint presentation and guided visit of The Workhouse on the Shercock Road. Thanks to Kevin and Yvonne.
They were welcomed to Carrickmacross on Thursday, April 10th by Deputy Mayor, Mary-Kerr-Conlon. The Twinning Committee gratefully acknowledges the generous hospitality offered to the young French visitors and their teaches by Carrickmacross Town Council.
August 2007
A group of 40 adults from Carhaix will be in Ireland from Thursday, August 16th to Thursday 23rd inclusive. They will spend the night of the 16th in Dublin and travel to Carrickmacross on Friday 17th. After the weekend, they will leave for two nights in Donegal and then return to spend another night in Carrick before returning home.
Once again, application for grant aid has been made to the European Union. Our European Theme this year is: The Positive aspects of the European Union for Ireland, France, the UK and Lithuania, including historical awareness of the 50 years since the Treaty of Rome, and the entry of 27 Member States from 1957-2007.
More information on European Union Historical Awareness is available here >>
There are plans to hold formal and informal meetings involving citizens from the four countries to discuss the theme. The historical awareness aspect will be delivered through a 50 Question Bilingual Table Quiz. Traditional Irish and Breton music and dance will also feature in the social activities. It is hoped that there will be a wide variety of local community participation in the European Union Historical Awareness aspect of the Programme resulting in greater social integration of fellow EU citizens living and working in Carrickmacross and Carhaix.
2006
An adult / family group from Carrickmacross spent some time in Carhaix celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the signing of the Charter to formally twin Carrickmacross and Carhaix.
2005
There was a school exchange programme and an adult / family group from Carhaix spent three nights in Carrickmacross and then went to Cong and Limerick to complete their Irish holiday.
2004
An adult / family group from Carrickmacross spent some time in Carhaix with host families before going to tour the Normandy Beaches, Liseux and other areas of tourist interest in Northern France. A school exchange programme was also organised.
2003
An adult / family group from Carhaix came to Carrickmacross and then went on to hotel accommodation for the second part of the week.
2002
A Carrickmacross adult / family group spent a few nights with Carhaix families before heading off to hotel accommodation in Saint Malo and the Loire Valley. More school exchanges took place.
2001
A School Exchange Programme.
2000
An adult / family group came from Carhaix in August to spend a few nights in Carrickmacross and then went touring other parts of Ireland. An adult group from Carrickmacross participated in a Heritage Weekend in Carhaix to promote Carrickmacross and Ireland. There were more student exchanges that year.
1999
A group of adults / families from Carrickmacross went to Carhaix on the return leg of the exchange. They were hosted by Carhaix families. Up to seventy students from each town participated in the school exchange programmes that year.
1998
The first adult / family exchange took place when a group of Carhaisiens spent three nights with Carrickmacross families before heading off to finish their holiday in the West and South of Ireland. More school exchange programmes also took place.
1997
A School Exchange Programmes were organised.
1996
Seventeen people, including Carrickmacross Urban District Council Chairman Francie O’ Donoghue, travelled to Carhaix for the official ceremony on April 6th to formally twin Carrickmacross and Carhaix. Two weeks later, twenty people, including André le Roux Mayor of Carhaix came to Carrickmacross to finalise the formal twinning. The first senior student exchange programme was organised for students from Lycée Paul Serusier and girls from Saint Louis Secondary School. A group of 50 young adults from Oirtzum, one of Carhaix’s five twin towns, spent a number of days camping behind Carrick Emmett’s GAA Centre.
1995
In spring 1995 English language teacher, Michel Abeguilé organised a group of junior secondary school students from Collége Saint Trémeur to visit Carrickmacross for a week. The students were accommodated in the homes of students from the three-second level schools in Carrickmacross. Students from Carrickmacross spent a week in Carhaix in September. That marked the beginning of the highly successful schools’ exchange programmes.
In the summer of 1995 Carrickmacross Scout Venturers travelled to Carhaix for a two week camp. The were given accommodation in Carhaix Camping and Caravan Park and were provided with a marquee tent, bikes and other equipment.
1994
In April a delegation of 6 people travelled from Carrickmacross to Carhaix on the invitation of James le Rest, President of the Carhaix / Irlande Twinning Committee. The purpose was to assess Carhaix as a suitable twin town for Carrickmacross.
In October, seven people from Carhaix came for a weekend to see Carrickmacross for themselves. A decision was made to ask the town councils to formally twin the two towns. Carrickmacross / Carhaix Town Twinning Association was launched. Michael Mc Mahon was elected President while Marie Louise Huiban replaced James le Rest as President of the Carhaix / Carrickmacross Town Twinning Association.
