THE CO MONAGHAN border town of Carrickmacross set a quirky record over the weekend with the successful assembly of the largest gathering of twins on the same day at the same location.
Organised by the local Lions Club, the gathering saw 231 sets of fraternal and identical twins arrive in support of the club’s charitable activities – in this case raising several thousand euro for the provision of transport to bring Alzheimer’s patients to and from care centres in the northeast.
The pairs arrived not only from several Irish cities and towns, but also from England, France, Spain, and even the Democratic Republic of Congo. Huge crowds packed the streets cheering and applauding as the twins parade was led off by the president of the Lions Club, Paddy Gollogly and his twin brother, Jimmy, on a bicycle made for two.
Happiest parents were Seán and Sheila Gallagher from Clogherhead, Co Louth. Their daughters – Georgina and Leah aged just 25 days – won the award for the youngest participants.
Organisers are preparing a bid to secure a place for the town in the next edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, as the "only location on the planet, where 231 sets of twins came together on the same day".
