On Friday August 31st 2018 we were delighted to welcome His Excellency, Pierre-Emmanuel de Bauw, Ambassador of Belgium to Ireland, to visit Carlow County Museum and Carlow Cathedral. Ambassador de Bauw visited both locations to hear about St. Willibrord’s connection to the county, as Belgium is one of the countries his 7th century mission visited and still has devotion to him to this day.
Carlow and Belgium
The Ambassador was also delighted to see other historical links between Belgium and County Carlow, namely the former pulpit from the Cathedral now displayed in the Museum, the development of the Sugar Factory by Belgium company Lippens and to here that the county honours its fallen World War One soldiers in a memorial in Leighlinbridge, based on the design of the Menin Gate, Ypres in Belgium.
Ambassador de Bauw was welcomed to Carlow by Cllr. Brian O’Donoghue, Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council, Dr Séamus Ó Murchú, Chairperson of the Board of Carlow County Museum along with Members of Carlow County Council, the Museum Board and staff of Carlow County Council.
Following the visit to the Museum he visited the Cathedral of the Assumption and was welcomed by Fr. Ruairi O’Domhnaill, Administrator. As well as outlining the history of the Cathedral Fr. O’Domhnaill showed Ambassador de Bauw the lovely bronze ‘Relic of St. Willibrord’ that is on permanent view in the Cathedral since June 2017.
