Mayor of Freehold to visit Kildare to progress twinning with Rathangan, the ancestral home of Bruce Springsteen

The Mayor of Freehold New Jersey and a delegation of visitors from the town will visit Kildare on May 17/18 to progress the twinning process between Freehold and Rathangan, the ancestral home of Bruce Springsteen.

Last March, Freehold Borough formally passed a resolution to twin with Rathangan. This resolution was presented to the Rathangan Freehold Twinning Association who were invited by Mayor Kane to Freehold for St Patricks weekend.

"Rathangan is the ancestral home to multiple Freehold residents, including Bruce Springsteen, whose great-great-grandmother, Ann Geraty (on his father's side) went to Freehold New Jersey from Rathangan in 1853," said the committee.

The Rathangan Twinning Association have invited the Mayor of Freehold and their delegation to Rathangan. The Mayor of Freehold will meet with Kildare County Council officials to progress the formal twinning process and will also visit a number of sites in Kildare and Rathangan on their trip.

"It is planned to have a tree planting ceremony on Saturday afternoon May 18 at 14.30 in Rathangan, where Mayor Kane and Bruce Springsteen's cousin Glenn Cashion will plant a copper beech tree on behalf of Bruce Springsteen to commemorate the occasion. This has significant importance for Bruce Springsteen, as in 1853 Ann Geraty brought a young copper beech tree from Rathangan and planted this tree beside Bruce Springsteen's ancestral home in Freehold, New Jersey. This tree grew to be enormous and featured prominently in the life of Bruce Springsteen," added the committee.

Bruce Springsteen visited Rathangan on May 4 2023 and the CPA performing arts group briefly performed for Bruce in the Rathangan Community centre.

Freehold will be the future home of the “My Hometown: The Bruce Springsteen Story Centre,” a multi-purpose museum and event space at the firehouse. The Bruce Springsteen Archives and Centre for American Music at Monmouth University and Freehold are collaborating on the effort.

"The Rathangan Freehold Twinning Association are delighted to welcome Mayor Kane and his delegation to Kildare and Rathangan this month and to further progress the twinning process. We look forward to further strengthen our ancestral, and cultural ties with Freehold. The Rathangan Freehold Twinning Association would like to thank Kildare County Council
and all of the local sponsors for their support for this event," concluded the committee.