Sister City

Hackettstown, New Jersey and Hacketstown, Ireland – “Sister Cities”

Joe Barnes didn’t expect what would happen when he responded to a letter from Hackettstown, NJ firefighter Jeff Saunders in 1995.  Since then, officials from Hackettstown, NJ and Joe Barnes, a native of Hacketstown, Ireland have traveled back and forth, exchanging gifts and marching in each other’s’ parades.  “I didn’t expect the relationship was going to expand so much.  It gradually got bigger and bigger and bigger.
Hacketstown, Ireland is a small community of about 900 people in County Carlow in the southeast of the country. 

Since 1995, every Hackettstown, NJ Mayor has visited Hacketstown Ireland. Now Assemblyman John DiMaio, who was Mayor in 1995; Roger Hines and Michael Lavery visited during their Mayoral terms.  Current Mayor Maria DiGiovanni visited Hacketsttown in 2018. 

Currently Mayor DiGiovanni and officials in Hacketstown, Ireland and County Carlow are working on an official “twinning city” agreement.  This will include school program exchanges, programs to foster further friendships and cultural exchanges.

The Hackettstown, NJ Business Improvement District, responsible for the organization of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade have announced that Joe Barnes will serve as the Grand Marshall for the 2020 Parade.