Austin and Limerick, Ireland set to officially become sister cities this week

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The cities of Austin, Texas, and Limerick, Ireland, are taking the next step in their relationship; the pair are officially becoming Sister Cities this week.

On Thursday afternoon, Limerick Mayor John Moran, Consul General Robert Hull of Ireland, and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson are set to participate in a signing ceremony officially establishing Limerick and Austin as Sister Cities, per a Nov. 29 Limerick City Council memo.

The memo stated that a representative from Limerick visited Austin to represent the Irish city at the 9th annual Austin Passport to the World festival last month to "underline Limerick's commitment to the deepening relationship in advance of the proposed formal signing of the Sister City Agreement."

Texas's capital city and the Western Ireland city started taking steps toward becoming Sister Cities in January 2019 when elected officials from both cities signed a memorandum of understanding, which aimed at strengthening links between the cities, according to the Consulate General of Ireland Austin.

Limerick -- Ireland’s third-largest city, with a population of about 102,300, and one of the country's oldest cities -- is home to a Dell manufacturing facility, and both cities have strong music and film industries, according to an announcement about the signing ceremony. The announcement also said the Central Texas Learning Festival is based on a Learning City model that Limerick is a part of.

According to the City of Austin's website, the Sister Cities Program "fosters friendly relations and understanding between the citizens of Austin and our sister cities around the world. The program promotes Austin’s educational, cultural, and economic presence in the international community."

How is a sister city relationship established?

These are the minimum requirements that must be met for a sister city relationship to be established, according to the City of Austin.

Initial steps

• Both cities sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to pursue at least one exchange.
• Formation of an committee of at least 15 people to coordinate exchanges between Austin and the international city.
• Establishment of relations between the two cities, along with a suggested two years worth of continual exchanges. This is to make contacts, build programs on each side and develop good communication links.

Next steps

• Mayors of both cities sign a Friendship City Agreement outlining the original exchange and updating the original MOU with a strong economic development component
• Two years of continual exchanges

Finally, both mayors sign a Sister City Agreement.

Christopher Adams contributed to this story.