Marking the anniversary of Rockingham House fire
Last Saturday night was the 59th anniversary of the devastating Rockingham fire which seen the majestic palatial home of the King Harmon family reduced to a smoking shell. While Sir Cecil was anxious to rebuild the house, he did not have the resources available to undertake such a costly project and so the whole demesne – all 2,400 statue acres – was offered at a public auction in Dublin on May 5th 1959. The Land Commission acquired the Rockingham Estate with the official handing over ceremony taking place in on November 2nd 1959. The sale severed a long link with the past as it had been in the possession of the King Harmon family since 1608. Rockingham House and the town’s association with the King Harmon family is very much part of our heritage. In 2017, as we enter the 60th year of the unforgettable fire, it would be a fitting tribute if some form of memorial ceremony took place next September 10th at the site of the great house. Now is the time to start planning.
Rejuvenating our town centres
Ballaghaderreen native Patsy McGarry who is the Religious Affairs correspondent with the Irish Times penned an interesting article in the newspaper on his home town during the week. The article could in fact concern any rural town including Boyle. Patsy talked about the demise of the town centre and how families have upped and moved out of the middle of Ballaghaderren. Boyle has suffered a similar fate. From Clarke’s to what was known as Ryan’s Corner there are now approx only five premises that are lived in. On Main street there are roughly the same again and from McDonagh’s corner to the Crescent there is no one living over a shop. This trend is indeed worrying but all is not lost. It is understood that Roscommon Co Co are working closely with various organisations in the main towns of the county, including Boyle, to devise a plan to rejuvenate town centres. Any plan would be welcome as getting people back living in the middle of the town is paramount if we are to see them prosper again.
Scouting in Boyle goes back to the 1930’s
Next Wednesday, Boyle Scouts will hold their 2016/17 registration night in the Scout Den for all new and existing members. Scouting is a great way for young children to integrate into the community and to gain a sense of independence. For many who join the Beavers section, a weekend camp with the group could probably be the first time ever that they have spent a night separated from their parents. Many who go through the ranks, culminating in the Venture’s section feel a sense of loss when they have to leave the organisation and speak of the great assistance scouting was in building their self esteem and sense of independence. Boyle has a long tradition of scouting dating back to the 1930’s. After a lapse nearly half a century, the group was restarted in 1979 and has since gone from strength to strength. So this Wednesday, why not drop down with your child to the Scout Den between 7pm and 9pm to see what scouting entails. Of course the movement can not function without a dedicated bunch of leaders and in this regard, any adult who would be interested in becoming a leader is asked to also attend on the night.
N61 still causing problems for motorists
Thankfully the arduous journey from Boyle to Roscommon has been made somewhat easier this week with the reopening of the Tulsk to Four Mile house section of the N61 a week or so ahead of schedule. Surface overlay took place from the Tulsk junction to just before the infamous traffic lights approx 3k from the village on the road to Roscommon town. One wonders why the local authority did not use the opportunity, when the road was closed, to fix the subsiding wall at these ridiculous lights. The lights are still in place and motorists have already been warned by An Garda Siochana that they will prosecute anyone found breaking the lights. It has been reported, true or not, that in one day recently, 70 people were caught on one day by observant Gardai who remained at the lights issuing fixed penalty notices to those who did not wait for green.
A valuable asset to Boyle town
The evenings are busy now in Boyle with courses, clubs and activities all having commenced for the autumn/winter period. One of the busiest places in town seems to be the Boyle Family Resource Centre (formerly Boyle Family Life Centre). There is something happening every day and evening in the Centre. One only has to pass down Military Road to see the volume of parked cars as people avail of all the Centre has to offer. A place like the Family Resource Centre is a valuable asset to the town of Boyle as it is not only locals who used the facilities, but people from all over the county and further afield, all who but petrol, diesel any other items in our town.
The Boyle’d Pot wins silver award
The Boyle’d Pot unfortunately did not receive the overall award at last night’s 2016 Blog Awards in Dublin…but it came a credible second. At the event, the judges complimented all blogs in the final on getting through the stringent selection criteria required by the judging panel. For the Boyle’d Pot, having been judged a silver winner from a long list that included a number of top names who got eliminated at the earlier stages of the competition, is an award in itself. Being judged silver among the top blogs in the country is solid recognition on a national level of the weekly effort that goes into compiling The Boyle’d Pot. The online voting by you, our loyal viewers, helped get us into the runner up position. Next up – the Web Awards – where Boyletoday.com and Boyeltm.com will go head to head with Ireland’s finest websites in this prestigious competition at the end of September.
And finally….!
Children’s Logic: “Give me a sentence about a public servant,” said a teacher. The small boy wrote: “The fireman came down the ladder pregnant.” The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. “Don’t you know what pregnant means?” she asked. “Sure,” said the young boy confidently. ‘It means carrying a child.”
