Monroe County Executive Adam Bello welcomed a delegation from Cavan County, Ireland, the Sister County of Monroe County, to sign a memorial resolution reaffirming the bond between the two communities. The Monroe County Legislature unanimously passed the
resolution on September 13, 2022.
The Irish delegation, comprising Cavan County Council Chief Executive Tommy Ryan, his wife Ann Ryan, Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Councillor John Paul Feeley, and his wife Niamh Feeley, brought a twin resolution approved this month by the Cavan County Council. Once signed, the two solutions were exchanged.
The Sister County bond between Monroe County, New York, and Cavan County, Ireland, was established through an act of the Monroe County Legislature in May of 1995; this year marks the 27th Anniversary of linking the two communities. Monroe County and Cavan County are connected through Col. Patrick O’Rorke, born in Cavan, Ireland, in 1836 and immigrated to Rochester, New York, with his family as a young boy. O’Rorke became the first Irishman to attend West Point and served under President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. He was killed in 1863 while leading the New York 140 Infantry at the Battle of Gettysburg. O’Rorke is buried at Holy Sepulture Cemetery in Rochester. In October 2004, a new lift bridge in Charlotte near the mouth of the Genesee River and Lake Ontario was dedicated as the Col.
Patrick O’Rourke Memorial Bridge in his honor.