The mayor of Freehold, New Jersey and representatives from Newbridge Municipal County Council in Co Kildare are embarking on an official "twinning relationship," according to a report in the Irish Echo.
None other than Irish American rocker Bruce Springsteen provides the common link between the unexpected pair.
While 'The Boss' is famously proud of his Jersey roots, he also has connections to Rathangan in Co Kildare, the hometown of his great-great-grandmother Ann Geraty.
The twinning of the two communities will be more than symbolic, Mayor of Freehold Kevin Kane told the Irish Echo. The mayor said a group from Rathangan will visit New Jersey in March and participate in the Freehold Borough St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which is set for Sunday, March 16.
“New Jersey and Ireland, and, more importantly, those that call these two wonderful places ‘home,’ have a lot more in common than most people might realize,” Kane said.
“We are as proud of our connection to Rathangan as we are of our connection to Bruce Springsteen, and we are going to celebrate that as much as we can.”
Kildare County Council has been keen to seize on the Springsteen link, and a twinning arrangement was noted in the Council's October 2024 report on the public consultation for the renewal of Rathangan Town.
The report said that there "has been an increase in American tourists since Burce Springsteen" visited, and among the proposals was the provision of a plaque or something similar to identify the rocker's ancestral Irish home.
According to the Irish Family History Centre, Bruce's great-great-great-grandfather Christy Gerrity and his sons, originally from the parish of Rathangan in Co Kildare, arrived in the US via Canada circa 1850.
In November 1853, Christy's young daughters Ann (Bruce's great-great-grandmother), Catherine, and Eliza joined their father and brothers in Monmouth County, New Jersey, and "the family lived near each other for the rest of their lives."
Christy became a naturalized US citizen three years later.
Bruce, who was born on September 23, 1949, in New Jersey, grew up on the same block and had a great relationship with his great-grandmother Jenni McNicolas, Ann's daughter in Freehold, New Jersey.
Springsteen discussed his Irish roots in 2010 when he was honored at the Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards.
During his speech, Springsteen thanked the O’Farrells, and the O'Hagans, as well as the McNicholas clans.
Thanking his "Sicilian and Scots-Irish" Patty, he joked: "Together, we carry on the Irish-Italian mating tradition of central New Jersey."
His mom and two aunts joined him on the stage for the award.
Springsteen has returned to his ancestral home of Ireland plenty of times throughout his career - he recalled in his 2016 memoir "Born to Run" how the crowds at Slane Castle in 1985 scared him.
Bruce Springsteen plays Slane in 1985A look back at Bruce Springsteen's legendary gig at Slane in 1985. The crowd of 65,000 was the largest he'd ever played before and tickets cost just £15!!
Posted by Entertainment on RTÉ on Friday, May 27, 2016
The Boss continues to draw big Irish crowds.
In the summer of 2023, he made a splash when he played a string of sold-out shows in Ireland. During his visit, Springsteen made time to visit Co Kildare.
Fittingly, he performed an impromptu version of his song "My Hometown" in a local pub, The Burrow:
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Last year, Springsteen ended another sold-out run of Irish gigs at Croke Park in Dublin where he officially played to his 1 millionth Irish person.
During his final night at Croke Park, Springsteen paid tribute to his friend, the late, great Shane MacGowan.
It was so beautiful ❤️ @ShaneMacGowan would be so delighted @springsteen is incredible and such a kind and warm hearted man ❤️ https://t.co/fzTSEhpkM3
— @victoriamary (@Victoriamary) May 19, 2024
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