King House looking great after it’s makeover
The launch of the new Roscommon tourism brand in King House last week gave many an opportunity to see firsthand the brilliant makeover our top tourist attraction has received, courtesy of Roscommon County Council. All internal walls of the house have been repainted in vibrant colours, new curtains hang in the main salon and the exterior of the building has been washed down. It is yet another vote of confidence in the town by the Council, whose CEO Eugene Cummins spoke warmly at the event of the close cooperation of the various civic bodies and positive attitude that now exists in Boyle with the results that ‘This town is going places’. Unfortunately, not that many locals attended the launch which is a shame. There were some accommodation providers in the audience but not many publicans or restauranteurs – people who will benefit from the new tourism brand for the county, which you can view here
Celebrating Bonfire Night
Sunday night is Bonfire night which will no doubt be celebrated around Boyle as has been the case for many years. Bonfire night is a tradition that is carried on from the pagan midsummer festival. In the past – people would say prayers around the fire, asking for God’s blessing upon their crops. They would also take ashes from the fire, and spread them over their land as a blessing for protection for their crops. It was also common to have music, singing, dancing around the bonfire. As might be expected, there was plenty of eating and drinking. In some areas of Connacht a special dish called “Goody” was made. This was white ‘shop-bread’ which had been soaked in hot milk and flavored with sugar and spices. It was usually made in a large pot that was either placed on the bonfire or heated on a smaller fire close by. Revelers brought their own spoons and bowls if they wanted to share in the “Goody.” Some people would bring home an ember from the communal fire and place it on the family hearth. Some families also kept ashes from the fire for luck, others because they believed the ashes would ensure a peaceful death to old people who were ailing. In later years around Boyle the Bonfire tradition has been kept alive in certain areas of the town and privately in back gardens of houses, which is good to see.
Nestor Cup celebrations in Boyle
What a great sense of joy there was around Boyle last Monday afternoon when the Roscommon team and the Nestor Cup visited the town. Unfortunately there was not that much advance publicity about the visit resulting in a few disappointed fans who only found out that the team were in town after they saw photographs on this website and various other social media platforms. But the opportunity to meet their heroes and see the cup presented itself once again on Thursday night when the entourage visited Boyle’s Abbey Park.
The past week’s celebrations in Boyle were a great occasion for the extended Smith, McGrath and McKeon families who were delighted that their sons and grandsons played a part in bringing the Connacht Final cup on a visit to their hometown. With only a few weeks to the next game, let’s all now row in behind this Roscommon team – join Club Rossie if you have not already done so and keep the flags and bunting fresh for the next outing on July 13th/14th in the Hyde.
Another connection to the Nestor Cup
There was another Boyle connection to last week’s Connacht Final. During half time, the victorious 1994 Nestor Cup winning Leitrim team were honoured. Among them was Boyle based Garda Fergal Reynolds. Fergal played at right corner back for Leitrim on Sunday 24th July 1994 when they overcame Mayo in an historic victory, bridging a gap of 67 years back to the only other Senior Championship success for Leitrim in 1927.
New Cathaoirleach for Boyle M.D.
The new Cathaoirleach of the Boyle Municipal District is Strokestown’s Joe Murphy. Councillor Murphy was elected unopposed at the recent AGM of the newly elected Council. Leas Cathaoirleach is Castlerea’s Liam Callaghan. The position of Cathaoirleach of a Municipal District carries an annual allowance of €6,000 on top of a Councillors basic salary.
And finally…..!
Paddy walks in the local newsagent and one of his shoelaces was undone, so I said, “watch out you don’t trip up over your laces, Paddy.”
Paddy says, “yeah, it’s these bloody instructions.”
I said, “what instructions, Paddy?”
Paddy says, “underneath the shoe, it says ‘Taiwan’.”
And finally..finally….!
A Kerryman gets on a bus and asks the driver how long the trip is from Limerick to Cork. “About 2 hours,” says the driver.
“Okay,” says the Kerryman “then how long is the trip from Cork to Limerick?”
The irate driver says “It’s still about 2 hours. Why’d ye think there’d be a difference?”
“Well,” says the Kerryman, “It’s only a week between Christmas and New Year’s, but it’s one hell of a long time between New Year and Christmas!”
