The Aran island of Inis Oírr is twinned with the South Pacific island of Fakarava.
Inis Oírr has twinned with Fakarava in a symbolic gesture of solidarity to protest against the French government's decision to resume nuclear testing at a site near the French Polynesian island. Fakarava is an atoll in the west of the Tuamotu group of islands.
The twinning ceremony on Inis Oírr was attended by John Collinge the New Zealand ambassador to Ireland and the Australian deputy ambassador, David Morris. The men unveiled a two metre high stone inscribed with a radiation symbol and a plaque commemorating the twinning. Both the New Zealand and Australian governments have been vocal in their opposition to the French plans.
The twinning was organised by islanders and Greenpeace.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 25 August 1995. The reporter is Cathy Halloran.
