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Scranton's sister city celebrates parade, region's Irish connections

Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and Ballina Mayor Mark Duffy pose at the center of a group of Scranton officials and Ballina, Ireland residents at Scranton City Hall.
Sarah Scinto
/
WVIA News
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and Ballina Mayor Mark Duffy pose at the center of a group of Scranton officials and Ballina, Ireland residents at Scranton City Hall.

After spending the St. Patrick’s Day parade weekend in Scranton, a delegation from Scranton’s sister city of Ballina, Ireland, has plenty of ideas to bring home.

“We were just saying that the pipe bands and touring through the different bars… that’s very unique,” Ballina Mayor Mark Duffy said. “The whole city switches off and enjoys the day.”

The delegation from Ballina started their weekend by helping raise the flag of Ireland over Scranton City Hall. They walked in the parade on March 11 and toured Scranton throughout the weekend.

Some of the group planned to stay through the week.

Ballina in County Mayo has been Scranton’s sister city since 1990. Duffy said Scranton already had ties to Ballina before they became sister cities - President Joe Biden’s family traces their roots to the town, for example, and many other residents have family ties to Ireland.

“That’s because during the famine times so many of our people left County Mayo or left Ballina to seek a better life,” he said.

Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti said the sister city relationship between Ballina and Scranton has helped residents connect with their roots.

“We have so many actual, true family connections between Ballina and Scranton,” she said. “Especially with the onset of … all of those genealogical products, you have more and more people that can know their ancestral connections.”

Duffy said the sister city relationship with Scranton not only encourages connection, but can also increase tourism between the two cities. Ballina celebrates its 300th anniversary this year, and he said they’ve already invited Cognetti and other officials to come for a visit.

Cognetti said Scranton is now a part of Sister Cities International, a non-profit organization which serves as the national membership organization for individual sister cities, counties, and states across the United States, according its website.

Through Sister Cities International, Cognetti said the city will be looking to establish more sister city relationships, starting in Ukraine.

“We have a lot of Ukrainians here in Scranton,” she said. “We want to make sure that we’re developing those relationships and supporting Ukraine how we can.”

Sarah Scinto is the local host of Morning Edition on WVIA. She is a Connecticut native and graduate of King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, and has previously covered Northeastern Pennsylvania for The Scranton Times-Tribune, The Citizens’ Voice and Greater Pittston Progress.

You can email Sarah at sarahscinto@wvia.org