In 2023, looking to launch a social media campaign called "Letters to Letterkenny," a pen pal program between Elizabethtown and its Irish sister city, located in County Donegal, Kim Winey found a robust Facebook page, Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter. She connected with a man named Donnan Harvey through the page and proposed the concept. 

Harvey's response, however, revealed a surprise: The two towns are no longer sister cities.

"He let me know that the Letterkenny town council that signed the 2002 memorandum had dissolved in 2014, due to an economic collapse, making the agreement null and void," Winey shared. "However, they were excited to hear from Elizabethtown and expressed an interest in establishing our partnership again."  

Harvey continued talking with various leaders in Letterkenny, while Winey communicated with leaders in Elizabethtown to see if a reunification could take place.

Winey and Harvey chatted regularly through Facebook and, in 2024, a plan came together.

Winey had been hired for a job in Europe. "I noticed that the Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter page didn't have many professional photos representing the area," she recalled. She reached out to Harvey to propose an idea: She'd come to Ireland to take photos for the page if he'd put her up somewhere and provide an itinerary of things to do in the Letterkenny area.

Winey told him she'd be coming only as a representative of herself and her business, not in any official Elizabethtown capacity, but Harvey and the Letterkenny leaders rolled out the red carpet for Winey and her sister, Dana Smith. 

"Donnan's a visionary and a doer," Winey said. "While we were there, I was given an official greeting and handshake on the square from the mayor and several Letterkenny leaders. I wasn't in a position to sign anything, of course, but it felt like we were giving new life to the cause. After the meeting, I shared a video of greetings from a few Elizabethtown leaders, including Mayor Mummert, who was also one of the original memorandum signers."

While in Ireland, Winey noticed the striking similarities between Lancaster County and County Donegal.  "We flew from Paris to Dublin, then took a bus to Letterkenny. As we were riding along, I thought, 'No wonder people from Ireland settled in our area of Pennsylvania.' The similarities in the landscapes were uncanny," she said. "It was just beautiful."

During their time in Letterkenny and the surrounding areas, the sisters enjoyed historical tours, visited museums and natural attractions, savored Irish cuisine and met people who are as passionate about reconnecting the two towns as Winey is.

Since her return, she has partnered with local organizations to continue the connection with Letterkenny. She has also kept the conversation going with the Elizabethtown Borough as the towns start a process to revive the sister cityhood.

"Moving forward, I've proposed a twofold plan to keep things relevant and longer lasting this time around. Number one, we could make a yearly commitment instead of an open-ended agreement," she said. "The new memorandum could start with a short list of what we want to accomplish and be amended and re-signed, each year." 

Second, Winey suggests having representatives paired up from each town. "Having individual people directly connected to their sister city counterparts would create so many cross-connecting points that would help to carry the initiative forward," she said, emphasizing that she is a visionary of ideas but has no decision-making power when it comes to the memorandum.

Reconnecting the two towns is a passion project for Winey, who said she can see many benefits. "We can gain so much from each other. My visit there was very inspiring," she remarked. "The more I learn about Letterkenny, what it's overcome, as well as what its future plans are, the more I'm impressed. Additionally, forming the partnership again will help to further establish E-town's identity. Our origin story largely comes from County Donegal, given that many immigrants settled here. The oldest building in Elizabethtown was built by a Scots-Irishman. Our founding family, who laid out Elizabethtown, also has County Donegal roots. And one of our historical museum's buildings is a Scots-Irish-built log cabin."

As St. Patrick's Day approaches, Winey is hard at work on a new aspect of the project: bringing Harvey to Elizabethtown to experience it firsthand. Several entities are working behind the scenes to create "An Irish Weekend with Letterkenny," set for Thursday through Sunday, March 13 through 16. Donnan and Sean Cafferkey - a Letterkenny native who guided Winey and her sister through Ireland before relocating to Harrisburg in 2024 - will enjoy the same royal treatment that the sisters experienced abroad.

Several of the weekend's events are open to the public. For more details visit http://etownsirishweekend2025.stickyfolios.com/.

"Elizabethtown is eager to revive this connection to Letterkenny, and we welcome all to be part of the journey," Winey said. "Whether you have Irish roots, a love for cultural exchange, or simply want to experience the joy of this rekindled partnership, we invite everyone to join in the celebration!"