Kinsale St. Patrick's Day Parade committee is delighted to announce that Mr. Rick O'Neill of our twin town, Newport, Rhode Island, has accepted our invitation to be Grand Marshall of our Parade this year.
Rick is a longtime friend of a lot of people in Kinsale and has worked endlessly and tirelessly to promote the sister city pact between our two countries, having been involved since the initial contact was made back in 1999 and continuously promotes the twinning anyway he can. Over the years Rick has always made time to show visiting Kinsale people around Newport, arranging for them to meet the right people and taking them to the Visitors Centre where they are always well looked after by Kinsale's other good friends, Cathy Morrison and Katherine Farrington.  He has also taken care and watched out for students who have gone to Newport on the J1 Visa Scheme for the Summer months.
Rick and his wife Barbara are the ultimate ambassadors for the twinning project and we as the St. Patrick's Day Committee in Kinsale,  felt it was a fitting tribute to bestow this honour on him for all his hard work and dedication in keeping this sister city pact alive and well.  
We understand Rick will be celebrating 40 years participating in the Newport Parade when he marches in the city's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 15th before he travels to Kinsale to take up the role of Grand Marshall in our Parade, an achievement in itself!  
We look forward to welcoming Rick, Barbara and the group travelling from Newport for our annual St. Patrick's Day Parade on Monday 17th March 2014.
Let's give them a warm Kinsale welcome and a trip to remember!