Kevin McKeown Negotiates Treaty with Galway Ireland

Santa Monica soon may have a new "sister," on the intensely Gaelic west coast of Ireland.

Councilmember Kevin McKeown, while on personal vacation, met this week with senior leadership of Galway about entering into a "sister city"

relationship like Santa Monica currently enjoys with Hamm, Germany, Mazatlan, Mexico, and Fujinomiya, Japan. Last year, while Mayor, McKeown

visited Fujinomiya to celebrate forty years of friendship.

Galway would in many ways make an ideal sister city, said McKeown. "We are both small west coast cities fortuitously situated on an eponymous

bay," he wrote in an introductory letter to Galway City Hall. Like Santa Monica, Galway is an actively sustainable city with strengths in

technology, education, and the arts. McKeown, vice-chair of the Irish-American Caucus of the California Democratic Party, visited Galway

during their annual Arts Festival.

"I've already had encouragement from the Santa Monica Sister City Association," says McKeown, "and will bring the proposal for Galway to our

City Council when I return." The same process will be underway in Galway, with Santa Monica on their future Council agenda.

Sister cities typically exchange students and cultural events. Galway is both a university town and a current candidate for European Union Cultural

City of the Year.

For more information on Santa Monica's sister city program, visit https://www.facebook.com/SMSisterCityAssociation