A York artist is doing his bit for twin-city relations by making a splash in Munster.

Milladdio, otherwise known as Andy Hinkles, was commissioned by Munster's twinning authority to portray one of the German town's historical figures, philosopher and resistance leader Baron Franz Josef von Sonnenberg in 1805, for an exhibition in the city.

"The Baron's army had held out against the French forces who were invading the German state, but sadly he threw himself from a window when his heart was broken by losing not only his country but also the love of his life, who had left him" says Milladdio. "I'm the only foreigner exhibiting in the show."

Milladdio first exhibited in Munster two years ago in a town-twinning series of workshops in the streets.

"I asked if I could do anything to repay them for their kindness and they said, 'Yes, do a portrait of our Grand Lord Mayor, Oberburgermeister Dr Berthold Tillmann'."

Milladdio painted the piece in three days, sitting at a bench in the peace of a dormitory at the Munster police academy. "I told them I had my crayons, my lamps and the photo references for the painting, but there was no seat or a drinks machine. The caretaker soon came back with a trolley with two crates of beer and a cushion cover. "You drink, you sit," he said.

Milladdio was commissioned to paint a work depicting his impressions of Munster from the workshops, and he came up with The International Tree Of Art, featuring the Lord Mayor in a German T-shirt alongside artists from each of Munster's seven twin towns.

A NUMBER of people have remarked how strange it was to have a pipe band in York's St George's Day parade. St Andrew, yes, but bagpipes for England's patron saint? Surely not.

Right enough, the splendid City of York Pipe Band wear tartan and the musical instrument is generally linked to Scottish culture, but the bagpipe has a long history in England too.

Records show that several kings of England employed bagpipers at court. In the late 15th century, an English piper played for the King of Scots (James IV) at Linlithgow. Indeed, long before he was a bear, Pudsey is in the records as an English piper.

These days too, there are lots of pipe bands all over England, so pipe down all those who think bagpipes weren't fitting for St George.

Updated: 10:14 Wednesday, April 26, 2006