40° Anniversario del Gemellaggio Costa Masnaga - Clonmel

Forty years of friendship between Italy and Ireland

The municipality of Costa Masnaga, in the province of Lecco, is celebrating an important anniversary in 2026: the fortieth anniversary of its twinning with Clonmel, a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. The pact, signed in 1986, links two geographically distant communities united by a shared history, in a relationship of cultural exchanges, institutional visits, school projects, and associative collaborations.

The story of Carlo Bianconi

At the root of the twinning is the figure of Carlo Bianconi, born in Tregolo, a hamlet of Costa Masnaga, in 1786. He emigrated to Ireland, where he became a pioneer of public transport, founding a network of coaches that made him famous and beloved in Clonmel, a town where he also served as mayor. The link between Costa Masnaga and Clonmel stems precisely from the memory of this illustrious fellow citizen, a symbol of an ideal bridge between the Lecco Brianza region and Ireland.

Three days of celebrations

The festivities are spread over three days. It begins on Friday with the inauguration of the exhibition of works by students from the Don Bosco middle school and a concert by the Travirgolette choir. Saturday is dedicated to music, with the Bruno Bigoni Junior Band and the Corpo Musicale Santa Cecilia (Saint Cecilia Music Corps). Sunday is the day of the official ceremony: a procession from Piazza Carlo Bianconi to the church of Santa Maria Assunta, Holy Mass, a solemn town council meeting in Piazza Confalonieri, a public aperitif, and a lunch for the authorities.

A community celebration

Organized by the Municipality of Costa Masnaga, the fortieth-anniversary celebration is a moment of strong identity and civic value, involving schools, choirs, bands, and associations. It is an opportunity to renew a concrete and lasting international friendship and to rediscover the historical roots that connect the small town of Costa Masnaga to the distant Clonmel.