Märkischer Kreis firefighters visit Déise
The groups mingle in the Mayor's Parlour at City Hall.
On Friday, October 4, Waterford City Hall welcomed a delegation of firefighters from our twin district Märkischer Kreis.
Over two dozen visitors braved the wild Irish weather to come and see Waterford and to meet their Déise counterparts.
Led by Deputy Mayor Frank Quinlan, the group were led around City Hall, where they learned about the history of the building and about Ireland's oldest city.
They were brought into The Large Room, and learned about the electoral makeup of the county and city, the architecture, and, of course, the glass.
Firefighters from Portlaw, Tallow and Waterford City were there to greet them all.
The delegation came from the town of Mellen, a district located in the town of Balve.
In the Mayoral parlour, Deputy Mayor Quinlan gave a warm official welcome to the visitors.
He said: "As deputy Metropolitan Mayor, it is my pleasure to welcome you all here today. Since Waterford and Märkischer Kreis were twinned in 2023, we've shared many visits to and from our respective regions.
"Recently, my colleague Jason Murphy welcomed the Mayor of Märkischer Kreis Marco Voge."
He continued: "I would like to welcome Ms Sieglinde Drees, who is coordinating the tour, and Mr Eugene Schultz, who is the head of the Mellen fire brigade and the firefighters who have made the journey over.
"I understand that all the firefighters are volunteers. I commend you all for your dedication to your job. I would also like to thank staff from both the city and county council and in Märkischer Kreis and their continued hard work in building the relationship between our regions."
Co-ordinator Sieglinde happily presented Mayor Quinlan with a thoughtful gift basket containing delicacies and produce from their homeland.
She said: "First of all, we'd like to thank you that you invited us to come over here. Thank you very much for everybody being here, welcoming us.
"It was a great pleasure when we heard that Waterford became twin city or twin county with Märkischer Kreis, we thought: "Ok, we have to go there."
Sieglinde revealed that their hometown was almost twinned with the Welsh town of Wrexham.
She explained: "Before it was Wrexham in Wales, unfortunately because of Brexit we lost contact. I went there lots of times with my school classes, but well, no more choice. And we said, okay, a new Twin City."
Interest in the South East of Ireland sparked the eventual twinning: "We really want to know what life is like in your part of Ireland. And we are really, really happy to be here."
Among the lovely gifts, there was schnapps ("You like whiskey and we take the schnapps"), homemade bacon ("don't fry it, eat it as it is") and a miniature mammoth.
According to Sieglinde: "The Mammoth is an animal which lived in our area in the last Ice Age, and now it's a symbol of the town."
