It’s nice to be nice
The thank you letter published on Boyletoday.com last Wednesday from a lady who visited our town seeking her ancestry could be used as a positive marketing tool for all that is wonderful in Boyle. From the first person she met to the last person she met, everyone that this lady had contact with were helpful, friendly and did that little bit extra to assist her in her quest. Similar reports of the friendleness of our locals was told following the recent Lough Key Classic cycle where the competitiors spoke of the warm smiles and helpfullness of each of the marshals on the day. Being welcoming – saying “Good morning, how are you today” or “Are you enjoying your stay in Boyle” are simple little actions that make the visitor feel they are respected and that we appreciate their custom. If we build on what we currently have in Boyle, from a welcoming perspective, we will reap rewards when the lucky break finally arrives.
An old tradition that is still alive
It is great to see the annual Corpus Christi Procession still taking place in Boyle. The procession of the Blessed Sacrament this Sunday will head out Abbeytown, past the Boyle Abbey and onto Abbey Haven Nursing Home for Benediction. Those of a certain age will have fond memories of warm after Mass Sunday’s many years ago when the Procession took place. Big men like Willie Joe McNamara, Tom Carroll and Anthony Martin held the canopy covering the Blessed Sacrament as those with strong voices like Agnes Josephine Devine Conlon led the procession in song chanting “Oh sacrament mot holy, oh sacrament devine”. Apart from the singing and low level reciting of the Rosary, as a youngster you were forbidden to speak (by your parents). On reflection, there was something a bit frightening about the procession, as it was not every day you saw those who were the older folk of Boyle, walk through town praying out loud. Thankfully, while the formality of the event still exists, it is not seen nowadays by our young people, as a sign that dooms day is just around the corner.
Primary Care Centre is good news for Boyle
It was heartening for Boyle to get a bit of good news on Wednesday when details of the new Primary Care facility were announced. Work will begin this week on the Centre, bringing with it, a welcome jobs boost for the town. While the contractor will not be local, there will be a noticeable increase in workmen in the town during the construction period. Once operational, in the twelve to eighteen months, the facility which will include include GP suites, consulting rooms, physiotherapy and occupational therapy suites along with a separate dental wing, will be a new welcomed employer in Boyle and will hopefully see people from the catchment given another reason to visit our town. In all the discussions on this great news, we should not forget former TD Frank Feighan. Despite opposition to the project from some quarters, Frank fought hard for a Primary Care Centre to be located in Boyle and when in Government, he worked behind the scenes to ensure this town was on the list of fourteen locations nationwide where the Centres would be built.
Belief brought the local link bus service to reality
“From little acorns…well done to all who believed in this initiative and to all the local businesses who stumped up the money to get this off the ground a couple of years back.” That was the comment from well know local man Brendan Reid on Facebook during the week at news that the National Transport Authority would fund the new local link bus service around Boyle and to Roscommon. The little acorns that Brendan referred to were the predecessor of this new iniative – the Lough Key Shuttle Bus. Indeed it was Brendan who entered discussions with this website a number of years back for Boyletoday.com to become the main funder of the bus and he secure a four figure sum which we were glad to provide each year to assist in getting the pilot bus service to become a reality. The Boyletoday.com contribution, in addition to donations from other local businesses, saw the bus bring many visitors form the Park into Boyle and in the process, copper fasten our link with Lough Key Forest Park. Of course there was the usual detractor who tried to belittle the iniative at the start, but the town once again rose above the negative, personal comments and this week all that hard work has been rewarded with the new service. We’ll done to all involved.
And finally…!
On their honeymoon, the newly married bride slipped into her marital bed, with great anticipation of what their first night together would bring, only to find her new Catholic husband had settled down on the couch.
When she asked him why he was apparently not going to consumate their marriage, he replied, ‘It’s Lent.’
In tears, she sobbed, ‘Well, that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!
Who did you lend it to, and for how long?’
