Sister Cities partners from North Carolina in the USA visited Warrenpoint last Friday and were welcomed by the Chairman of Newry Mourne and Down District Council, Cllr Mickey Ruane.
The Council was delighted to welcome the partners for the first time since signing a new agreement as part of the Sister Cities International Summit in Dublin. The American partners had just got off the plane and visited Newry City, the Ring of Gullion, the Mournes, Strangford Lough and St Patrick’s Country.  And one of the highlights of their tour was a visit to Mourne Mountains Brewery in Warrenpoint and managing director Connaire McGreevy explained that they  had already started exploring the possibility of twinning with Southern Pines Brewery in North Carolina.
Cllr Michael Ruane said: “I am delighted to welcome our Sister Cities partners to the district and to the summit in Dublin. It is vital our district’s development has an outward looking vision and partnerships such as this are crucial to this process.
“We look forward to showcasing all our district has to offer and exploring new potential opportunities for partnership working. “
As the second leg of the tour, the delegation will be participating in an All-Ireland /United States Sister Cities International Summit in Dublin. The summit will provide an opportunity to renew the change in practical terms and relationships between the US and Ireland at local authority and citizen level.
Cllr Ruane added: “This will be done in a way that reflects what has passed but more importantly identifies what way the future can be shaped. We will be one of the 62 US/Ireland City Partnerships attending from throughout of Ireland.”
The Mayor of Pinehurst, Nancy Roy Fiorello, said: “We are delighted to be here in the Newry Mourne and Down District area. We have just arrive and already we are impressed by the beautiful countryside. This is our first trip over to Ireland for the summit on the Sister Cities programme.
“I know you have a lot of great golfers and golf courses here. Pinehurst is the home of the US Open where it has been held three times. We are really looking forward to this trip and developing good relations with our Sister Cities.”
