THE TWINNING OF CAHIR, CO TIPPERARY, WITH SCARBOROUGH, NORTH YORKSHIRE Not an arranged marriage –more a love match. It was not until the formal twinning of Cahir with Scarborough was proposed that the long connection between the two towns was revealed.  Below is a letter written to the Scarborough Evening News in 2003, which traces the first link back to 1943. "I wonder if your readers are curious about the Scarborough/Cahir connection?  It all came about because my brother Paddy Fox (now at Cloghton) fell in love with a local lass while he was staying at the Burniston Barracks.  They married in 1943 and had a wonderful family of seven, one of whom Linda Rowley, still lives in the Old Town in Longwestgate. My second brother Mike followed Paddy and on his demob from the1st Battalion Green Howards joined the NR Police, initally serving at Scalby with the much respected Sgt Kettlewell. Another brother Bill came and he enlisted in Scarborough aged 17, making the Army his career.  He is now a very happy Chealsea Pensioner and was recently featured in your paper while speaking at the HaworthUnit.  Then I followed in 1954 and went on to train as a nurse at Scarborough Hospital, where I enjoyed a super career, retiring just two years ago.  Our nice Patricia Rackham (nee O'Flaherty) came in 1967.  She had worked at Joconelli's during her summer holidays and so returned stay. It was Patricia who started Irish Dancing here and was responsible for the Cahir/Scarborough friendship.  The Mayor of Cahir in those days was John Quirke who was a school friend of the family. Perhaps it would be of interest to say that one more brother and two sisters joined the British Army, and yes, we all came from Cahir, Co. Tipperary. We have much to be greatful to Scarborough for and we would be delighted to be twinned with our home town.  I can assure the people of Scarborough that Cahir is a pretty and prosperous and the people would welcome you with open arms" Edith Stanford (nee Fox), Burtondale Road, Crossgates.   Patricia Rackham was active in the – now defunct – Scarborough Irish Society and when this group was organising a Festival in 1994, she contacted Dan Costigan.  He was, at that time, Chairman of Cahir GAA. Dan put together Hurling and Football teams, who travelled to Yorkshire along with a coachload of supporters. As well as Gaelic sports, there was a Tug-of-War on one of the lovely beaches, between Scarborough Rowing Club and a Cahir team, which Cahir won. During this visit, many friendships were forged and by 1997 Mike Manning was organising annual visits to Cahir and has brought a coachload of Scarborians to South Tipperary every September since then.  There is now a waiting list for places that become vacant. Subsequently, Mike, Brian Ewer and Cllr Ian Stubbs set up a Community Youth Trust to fund trips to Cahir for children who would not otherwise have a holiday.  Considerable fundraising is carried out every year, and Specsavers is a substantial supporter of this charity.  A similar Trust is being set up in Cahir with the same aims, and Specsavers in Clonmel has promised financial support. Meanwhile, parties of Cahir people have made annual pilgrimages to Scarborough, strengthening the friendships in both places, and a second group of Scarborians set up Scarborough 4 Cahir, bringing schoolchildren to Cahir in the Spring half term break. As with the first organisation, these are children who would never have a holiday. A few years ago people in both towns started talking about Twinning, but such is the disparity in their sizes - about 3000 : 106,243 in 2003 – that it was not possible. However, the laws governing twinnings were changed and it became possible for Scarborough to be twinned with the County of South Tipperary – their populations are comparable.  When the proposed twinning was accepted unanimously by the County Council here and by Scarborough Borough Council, the rest was easy.  Although perhaps not quite as easy as it sounds – a lot of spadework was done at both ends to achieve this highly satisfactory result. On 4th September 2003, the formal Twinning Ceremony took place in Cahir with the Mayor of Scarborough Borough Council, Cllr Frieda Coultas, signing the Charter at a ceremony in Cahir Castle, along with Liam Simpson, the Chairman of the Cahir/Scarborugh Twinning Committee, and the Cathaoirleach (Chairman) of South Tipperary County Council, Cllr Sean McCarthy. Frieda had a few whirlwind days in Cahir and she and her husband are looking forward to an unofficial visit when they will have more time to renew acquaintances and see the Golden Vale properly. Dinner in the Galtee Inn with Dan Costigan, Eleanor Morrissey, John Quirke, Frieda Coultas, Liam Roche, Maria Taylor, Owen Coultas and Liam Simpson.  Maureen Calvert was there too behind the camera.   Frieda Coultas with Owen and Liam Simpson leaving Cahir Castle for the Swiss Cottage The Scarborough end of the Twinning took place in April 2004 in the elegant Town Hall there, attended by a large number of Cahir people. The visitors had a brilliant time, being shown many of the North Yorkshire beauty spots, when the Scarborough Borough Council provided a coach for them for a day.  Everyone from Cahir who makes the trip once wants to return and most of them do. This is one Twinning arrangement that isn’t going to fade away! Maureen Calvert, 3rd August 2005.