May 19, 2021 by Gary Singh
CITY SLICKERS: The president of Ireland, Michael Higgins, visited San Jose in 2015 as part of the two cities partnership.
Photo by SanJoseStock.com
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the San Jose-Dublin Sister City relationship, triggering me to reflect on the benefits of person-to-person diplomacy and international partnerships.
The history is not complicated. Sometime during 1986, San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery and Dublin Mayor Bertie Ahern had a pint that launched the relationship. From there, Silicon Valley companies eventually opened up shop in Ireland, exchanges unfolded and, to this day, the relationship is much deeper than most sister city partnerships in the U.S. Much of the story appears in Tim Pat Coogan s book, Wherever the Green is Worn.