You can not plan for ignorance
The fine weather of the past week or so has seen huge crowds converge on Boyle’s Lough Key Forest Park, especially at the weekend, and with the crowds comes the indiscriminate parking. Despite the best efforts of the Park personnel, you can not plan for ignorance. With space available in the car parks, motorists continue to park on the grass and all along the double yellow lines at the lake front. In addition, walkers leave their cars right under the ‘No Parking’ sign at the entrance to the cycleway just past the second gate. Some also park at, and on, the crossings of the cycleway after the second gate and also past the Beech Walk. Apart from being a danger to cyclists and those using the cycleway, these cars are blocking the entrances to the tracks in the event of an emergency vehicle needing to gain access. If visiting Lough Key Forest Park for a day trip or to use the cycleway, please obey the parking rules and be considerate of others.
Covid-19 will see Boyle’s population increase
Everyone at some point over the last five months has ‘taken stock’ or priorotised their lives in light of the Coronavirus pandemic. Some people have decided to ease back a little and reorganise how they do things, while for others the opportunity to spend some quality time with family has led to thoughts of the continuation of homeworking and putting an end to the long commute and the exorbitant rent that is being charged in Dublin, London and elsewhere. Estate Agents in Boyle will tell you of the increase in enquiries for property in the town and surrounding area. Those who are now enjoying homeworking and not having to spend hours in traffic and on public transport are among the enquirers, as are people who have been regular visitors to the town on holiday’s or who have family connections to Boyle. They see that a 3 bed roomed house (if you can get one) can be rented in Boyle for a quarter what you pay in the major cities, you don’t have a long commute, your quality of life is way better and you can keep the job you had when in the city via homeworking! As a result, there is no doubt we will see an increase in population in Boyle over the next few years as people get to change their living and working ways.
Should we write off this year’s tourist season?
The ongoing closure of Boyle Abbey is not helping our tourist offering here this summer. Viewers of Boyletoday.com will be aware that following a query from this website, the OPW informed us at the start of July that “due to essential maintenance works to the sewage infrastructure at the Abbey, the re-opening date is delayed until further notice”. It is now mid August and we have got in contact with the OPW again this week. They replied stating “essential maintenance works to the sewage and waste infrastructure at the Abbey are still being carried out. In light of the above, we cannot give a definitive date for the re-opening of the Abbey until such works have been completed”.
With the Abbey closed, a number of restaurants or shops in the town not yet open and some pubs not planning to open until Christmas, perhaps we should really write off this year’s tourist season and start planning now for 2021.
Battle of the Curlews to pass without remembrance
Every year around this time mid August we write about the Battle of the Curlews. Unless it is mentioned here on Boyletoday.com, chances are the anniversary of this famous battle would go unnoticed, which is a real shame. Many years ago, a festival was held locally to mark it’s 400th anniversary but since then there was been no remembrance of the event. It is said over 200 soldiers died in the battle on the Curlew mountain pass just outside Boyle. One wonders at the amount of historical armory that must be buried under the mounds of bog and heather at the unmarked site as you travel up the old mail coach road from Boyle. Read more here
A tough decision accepted with grace
There was some dismay on Monday when well know licensed premises – Mattimoes on Bridge Street did not reopen as planned. The licencees – Joe Ryan and Barry Simon had an arrangement in place for food to be served in the bar from the adjacent Thai Chi Court restaurant – not unlike what is happening the length and breath of Ireland. The two lads got in touch with An Garda Siochana and explained what they were planning and got their blessing. They then went to the HSA who advised them against opening.
One has to commend Joe and Barry on a number of fronts. 1. They had the initiative to look at a way of reopening their business. 2. They went about it properly and contacted the authorities. 3. When they got the news that they could not open, they did not start blaming this one and that one and commenting negatively on social media as most people would do, instead accepting the decision, while stating “When you see 190 cases yesterday it puts it into perspective that we are not out of the woods yet”.
More favorable local publicity on Twitter
Every week sees new post on Twitter from the famous and not so famous about the great time they have had in Boyle and the general area on their holidays. One mention in the last week or so was from well know TV chef Catherine Fulvio who is also the proprietor of Ballyknocken House & Cookery School. Catherine tweeted about her holiday in the general Boyle area and on Lough Key. She mentioned the great time she had cycling in the Forest Park, her ‘delicious dinner’ in The Moorings, how you ‘could loose yourself in the stillness’ at Doon and the peacefulness of Lough Meelagh at Kilronan Castle.
And finally….!
A man calls Irish Rail sounding very frustrated.
“I am sick and tired of your online system” he said.
“What is your problem sir?” asks the call taker.
“Well I have been trying to buy a return ticket to Dublin for over an hour now and I am getting rightly peed off” said the man.
“And what part of the process is your problem with?” the call taker asks again.
“It keeps asking me ‘where do you want to go” said the man
“So I click the icon that says ‘Home’ and every time I do, it makes me start all over again”
