Town’s most famous adopted son to be honoured in Tipperary on St Patrick’s Day

Clonmel doesn’t want to miss out on commemorating the 150th anniversary of Charles Bianconi’s death, and the 40th anniversary of its town twinning pact with Costa Masnaga in northern Italy, during this year’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

This was stated by District Administrator Carol Creighton at a meeting of Clonmel Borough District.

She said that council staff were working with the town twinning committee, and ideas and plans were being discussed. They hoped to link up with the Tipperary Museum of Hidden History and local schools to enhance the anniversary celebrations.

Representatives from Costa Masnaga and Clonmel’s other twin towns have been invited to attend the celebrations in March.

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Charles Bianconi (1786-1875) was the immigrant Italian who put 19th century Ireland on wheels by establishing the country’s first regular public transport system.

He served as Mayor of Clonmel on two occasions, in 1845 and 1846. He is buried in the Bianconi Chapel in Boherlahan, having died at Longfield House.

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Charles Bianconi hailed from Costa Masnaga near Como, in northern Italy.

His first horse-drawn carriage travelled from his headquarters at Hearns Hotel (which is now an IPAS centre) in Parnell Street, Clonmel on a ten-mile journey to Cahir in 1815.

The issue was raised at the Borough District meeting by Cllr Niall Dennehy.

He described Bianconi as the town’s most famous adopted son, who was the pioneer of transport infrastructure that led to the modern day economy.

He said that last year saw Boherlahan, his burial place,, mark the 150th anniversary of his passing. Cllr Dennehy said he had requested Clonmel’s participation in these celebrations but nothing had happened.

“My understanding is that this year marks the 40th anniversary of our twinning with his birthplace Costa Masnaga, in Italy. This has to be capitalised on by Clonmel, given Bianconi’s high-profile association with Edmund Rice, Daniel O’Connell, Frederick Douglass, the American civil rights activist, aka ‘the Black O’Connell,’ and Abraham Lincoln.

“The potential is just enormous,” he stated.

Cllr Dennehy said he had been a member of the Borough District, which he described as “this sub-committee of Tipperary County Council for almost seven years now; not once has town twinning been discussed”.

He said that all of the town twinning pacts had been facilitated by the former Clonmel Corporation.

Cllr John FitzGerald agreed that Bianconi’s legacy should be remembered and all the town twinning agreements were worth persevering with.

The presence of representatives from Clonmel’s twinned town brought atmosphere to St Patrick’s Day, and this should be looked into.

“Clonmel needs to recognise Bianconi,” he said.

Cllr Siobhán Ambrose agreed they should be looking at themes around Bianconi for St Patrick’s Day, such as transport, the great link to Hearns Hotel and the connection with the village of Nine-Mile-House. There was a wonderful history around Bianconi.

She also said that the late Monica Cullen del Bigio, the Clonmel-born opera singer who lived in Monza in northern Italy and who died in recent months, was also instrumental in establishing the town twinning with Costa Masnaga.