AUSTIN, Texas — It’s official. The Austin family is growing with the addition of a new sister city—Limerick, Ireland. 

What You Need To Know

  • The city of Austin and Mayor Kirk Watson hosted Limerick Mayor John Moran on Thursday for the signing of a Sister Cities Agreement, where they also unveiled the addition of Limerick to the sister cities’ sign outside City Hall

  • The agreement comes after years of talks between the two cities that started in 2019 with the signing of a memorandum of understanding

  • Limerick—which is the third-largest city in Ireland—is already home to a Dell manufacturing facility

  • Limerick joins 12 other cities across the world that are a part of the Austin Sister Cities Program, which started in 1968 with Saltillo, Mexico

The city of Austin and Mayor Kirk Watson hosted Limerick Mayor John Moran on Thursday for the signing of a Sister Cities Agreement, where they also unveiled the addition of Limerick to the sister cities’ sign outside City Hall. 

The agreement comes after years of talks between the two cities that started in 2019 with the signing of a memorandum of understanding. That kicked off the multi-year process of creating programs in the two cities and culminated in this week’s declaration.

“This Sister Cities Agreement with Limerick represents a new chapter in Austin’s global outreach,” said Watson in a news release. “Together, we will create opportunities for cultural exchange, economic collaboration, and shared innovation that will benefit both our communities and foster a lasting friendship across the Atlantic.”

According to the news release, the two cities have agreed to collaborate in “areas such as business development, science and technology, the creative economy, education, tourism, and urban development.” 

Limerick—which is the third-largest city in Ireland—is already home to a Dell manufacturing facility. The city is located in southwestern Ireland and is one of the oldest in the country.

“We are delighted to formalize our partnership with Austin, a city just like ours, renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit and creative energy,” said Moran in the release. “Limerick is Austin’s closest E.U. city neighbor. We are proud to already be home to a number of Austin businesses, just as Austin has become a valued home for many originally from Limerick. We see this agreement as a chance to deepen connections, share knowledge, and foster mutual growth. Building a bridge of collaboration is how we will inspire progress and enrich both our cities.”

Limerick joins 12 other cities across the world that are a part of the Austin Sister Cities Program, which started in 1968 with Saltillo, Mexico.

The idea of sister cities came from President Dwight Eisenhower when he proposed the People-to-People program back in 1956. Since then, over 2,000 cities from across the U.S. have partnered with other international cities.

Here is a list of all of Austin’s sister cities:

  • Adelaide, Australia
  • Angers, France
  • Antalya, Turkey
  • Gwangmyeong, Korea
  • Koblenz, Germany
  • Lima, Peru
  • Maseru, Lesotho
  • Oita, Japan
  • Pune, India
  • Saltillo, Mexico
  • Taichung, Taiwan
  • Xishuangbanna, China