Twinning

The Twinning or Sister city concept developed in Europe following the Second World War. It was seen as a way of removing old enmities which had developed in the war years and it is now grown to such an extent that it covers not just the European mainland, where it began, but also the United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Asia, Africa and beyond. Cork is currently twinned with six cities.

The objective of twinning is to help develop links in: cultural, educational, social, tourist, technical, scientific and economic areas. It is hoped that the development of such links would have benefits for all communities involved.

Twinning Grants 2024

Cork City Council is pleased to invite applications from interested organisations for projects and activities which will strengthen Cork’s relations with its international twinned cities.

 The city is currently twinned with Cologne, Coventry, Rennes, San Francisco, Shanghai, and Swansea.

 Speaking ahead of the launch of this year’s grant, Lord Mayor Cllr Kieran McCarthy said: 

“The twinning grant has funded a vibrant range of activities over the years, which have served to enhance and deepen our sporting, cultural, educational and people-to-people links internationally. I would encourage interested organisations to reach out to our International Relations Office and submit an application”.

 Applications may be submitted online here

 The closing date for submission of application forms is no later than 5pm, Tuesday 5th March, 2024.

 Cork City Council’s International Relations team are on hand to answer any questions on the application process, and can be reached at international_relations@corkcity.ie.