Pat O’Brien OBE the ex – Provost of East Lothian in Barga

Pat O’Brien OBE, the Provost of East Lothian when the twinning took place between Barga and East Lothian back in 2007 (article here) was once more in Barga this week, although this time not in any official capacity but just here enjoying the city as a visitor.

In fact he has been a regular visitor to Barga in the intervening years as you can hear in the interview recorded this morning on the terrace outside the Mayor’s office in Barga Vecchia, this week was his tenth visit to the city.

Although the twinning between Barga and East Lothian has not been recently in the news, it does not mean that the enthusiasm for the project is in any way diminished according to Pat O’Brien and the Mayor of Barga, Marco Bonini who both expressed their belief in the future and both citing the recent exchanges between schools as an example of how relevant and important the twinning remains.

Pat O’Brien was also extremely pleased that Barga was taking part in Scotland’s Diaspora Tapestry – the project involves communities around the world in the celebration of Scottish heritage and culture. The tapestry is being created by volunteers in communities around the globe. It will be assembled and displayed in Scotland as part of the 2014 Homecoming celebrations. The Barga Embroiderers are: Lucia Pieroni | Lia Baldacci | Federica Caproni | Roberta Carradini | Maria Elena Caproni . (article here)