Published on: Wednesday, 04 May 2016

CIT’s Department of Tourism and Hospitality recently played host to that most discerning of culinary audiences – the French. By all accounts the twinning group from Plougonven, Brittany, came away highly impressed not just with the fine food on offer, but by the whole Institute.

Plougonven and Inniscarra Twinners enjoyed their visit to CIT

The lunch menu and its quality were warmly appreciated by the visitors from Plougonven, who were impressed that first year students could prepare and serve an exquisite meal with total assurance.

On a sunny April day, fifty of the visitors and their host families from Inniscarra were welcomed to the Tourism and Hospitality Department by Head Adrian Gregan. The event was part of the Inniscarra-Plougonven Twinning, a 25-year partnership which counts a number of current and former CIT staff and students among its members. Inniscarra Twinning Chairperson Edmond Riordan and President of the Comité de Jumelage de Plougonven Jacqueline Rolland thanked the Institute for its welcome to their group. They pointed out that the theme of the 2016 twinning was “Remembrance – how understanding the past can guarantee the European future”.  In this context, it was salutary to mark the contribution made by CIT to Ireland and to Europe. 

CIT Registrar Dr Barry O’Connor (un vrai francophone) welcomed the group on behalf of CIT, pointing out that the Institute has over 12,000 registered students and 1,500 staff; and that the employment statistics for its graduates are very strong. Dr O’Connor highlighted the contribution of lecturers Mary McCarthy and Edmond Riordan, retired Deputy Registrar, both for their work with the twinning and for their contributions to CIT. 

Afterwards, one of the hi-tech demonstration theatres in the T & H Department made an excellent venue for a retrospective photo show and talk on the history of the twinning, presented by Paul Frost. For the final photo, the Inniscarra-Plougonven twinners were still profitant du soleil de printemps.

The Plougonven group were impressed by CIT – and the sunshine!