An idea more than two decades ago has resulted in a lasting friend­ship as Newport is set to welcome a delegation of nearly 100 people from Kinsale, Ireland, for the 25- year anniversary of the Kinsale Sister City “twinning” celebration.

A symbolic “wee” parade and re-affirming of the twinning docu­ment will be held on April 12. The Newport AOH Pipe & Drum band and the Newport Artillery Com­pany will lead the processional from city hall to the Colony House at 2 p.m. AOH and LAOH members, Clann Lir dancers, the Rogers High Key Club, the Thompson Middle School band and a Newport fire engine will join other city officials marching.

At the Colony House, the Kinsale and Newport delegations will sign the 2025 “twinning” compact. The AOH Men’s Singers and Clann Lir dancers will add to the festivities. To mark the milestone, the city will livestream the Colony House event via the city’s web page.

“Over the past 25 years, we have built a solid foundation developing initiatives that have mutually ben­efited both communities, focusing on numerous economic, cultural, social, culinary, educational and athletic partnerships,” said Rick O’Neill, chairman of the Newport Twinning Committee.

The process officially started with a council resolution in 1998, which read, “Whereas, the Council of the City of Newport would like to enter into a Sister City cooper­ation and friendship agreement with the Urban Council of Kinsale.”

Under the leadership of the late state Rep. Paul Crowley, the late Newport Mayor Robert McKenna, former Congressman Patrick Ken­nedy, the then Newport Conven­tion and Visitors Bureau and others, the official twinning document with John Twomey, chairman of the Kinsale Twinning Committee, and Michael Frawley Sr., owner of The White House restaurant in Kin­sale, was signed on Oct. 19, 1999, formally establishing the twinning of Newport and Kinsale.

The bond between the cities has grown stronger with time. Over the years, there have been chef ex­changes, golf competitions, rugby matches, sailing regattas and stu­dent exchanges.

Recently, students have taken advantage of the J-1 exchange program, spending up to four months working in local restau­rants, hotels, yacht clubs and other businesses to serve Aquidneck Island’s surge of vacationers from late spring through summer.

Erin Donovan-Boyle, CEO of the Greater Newport Chamber, said sister city relationship with Kinsale has helped create a pipeline. Sail Newport employs about a dozen Irish-certified sailing instructor students each summer, and the arrangement appears to be mutually beneficial.

“We’re earning way more than we would have in a job at home,” Alex O’Hare, of Dublin, told NTW.

Newport native Paul Shea, best known for spearheading the long-running chef exchange across the pond, has facilitated bringing several hundred Irish stu­dents here for work. His passion for food and drink remains as strong as ever this year by helping to co­ordinate the “Taste of Twinning” event at the Gardiner House. He extends thanks for the generosity, cuisine, time and talent to Fastnet, Malt, McGrath Clambakes, Kitchen Companion, Marriott Skiff Bar, Sardella’s, Gardiner House, Rogers High School culinary students, Clarke Cooke House, Protective Club and Beech of Jamestown.

“We say that [food] is where the rapid growing seeds of friendship were sown,” said Frawley’s son, Michael Frawley Jr., in a prior visit.

At the White House, a visitor’s book for guests from Newport and the surrounding area has been signed nearly 4,000 times. “And that’s just the people who know about the book,” Frawley said. “Kinsalers and Newporters have a similar love of life, song, story and food, and they both live to share them at every opportunity.”

Shea and O’Neill have both been honored by carrying the shil­lelaghs as the grand marshals in Kinsale’s St. Patrick’s Day parades, but O’Neill says the twinning is deeper than that. The twinning committee of more than a dozen to plan the anniversary events are a testament to that.

“Our vibrant relationship has more importantly created lifelong friendships between countless individuals that will ensure our bonds will strengthen and con­tinue to grow as we plan for future endeavors,” he said.