Boyle County Roscommon is to twin with the French town of Saint-Witz.
The oldest links Boyle has with France date back to the twelfth century, when Cistercian monks from Mellifont Abbey founded a monastery here.
Today a group of fifty people from the town of Saint-Witz in northern France joined local people on a tour of Boyle Abbey, lead by newspaper editor and local historian Mícheál Ó Callaghan.
Not even the inclement weather could dampen the spirits. A singsong was underway as the group arrived back into the town centre,
The Gallic bonhomie really came to life.
The French delegation have enjoyed their visit to Ireland so far and have been made feel very welcome. Jean Paul Espimasse tells RTÉ News,
We really get this spontaneous friendship, and we appreciate this very much.
At heart it is a cultural exchange, says James Condon of the Boyle Town Twinning Committee,
A means of broadening our horizons in Boyle.
In three weeks' time a sixty-strong delegation from Boyle will travel to Saint-Witz to complete the ceremony.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 16 May 1983. The reporter is Jim Fahy.
