The New York fire fighters, who were among the first wave of emergency rescuers called to the Twin Towers tragedy along with four representatives from American Airlines, which lost two planes with their crew and passengers in the terrorist hijackings, will check out some of Waterford’s tourist attractions during their visit.

The US visitors will be given a VIP tour of Waterford Crystal on Saturday morning followed by a scenic trip on the Suir Valley Railway. And they will round off an enjoyable morning in the county with lunch in The Cosy Thatch pub in Kilmeaden. They will be joined at this lunch by senior representatives of Waterford City and County’s Fire Service.

Waterford City Fire Chief Tony Gleeson said they were delighted that this group of New York fire fighters was visiting Waterford and that representatives of the city and county’s fire service will get a chance to meet them.

This is the third visit by members of New York’s Fire Department to Waterford since the September 11 terrorist atrocities that shocked the world.

Organiser of the trip, Tony Doran, a training inspector with Bus Eireann, said all the New York fire fighters visiting Waterford this weekend were part of the “first response” wave of emergency services to arrive at the World Trade Centre after the first plane crashed into its north tower on September 11.

Most of the New York fire fighters, who died or were injured when the Twin Towers collapsed, were first responders.

Waterford is one of a number of destinations the fire fighters and American Airlines representatives are visiting during their trip to Ireland, which has been sponsored by Tesco, the Irish Hotels Federation and CIE group of companies.

Mr. Doran said the fire fighters and airline staff will be given a reception by the CIE’s Chairman John Lynch in Jury’s Hotel, Ballsbridge, on Friday and after their visit to Waterford they will travel to Kilkenny on Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday, the group will take part in a march in Dublin in memory of three Dublin Bus workers, who died in the 1974 Dublin bombing.

And afterwards they will attend a Mass in the Adam & Eve Church on Merchant’s Quay in honour of these Bus Eireann workers; all those who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks as well as the two gardai recently killed by joyriders in Dublin.