Town Centre Enhancement Project now on display
Anyone who missed the public consultation day in King House recently for the Boyle Town Centre Enhancement Project can now view it online here or in the front window of the Boyle Municipal District Office.
Following our story yesterday about the viewing opportunity, and since the public consultation, the feed back has been mainly positive towards the enhancement scheme which is most encouraging. While there have been a few comments on the need for trees in the area, the idea is to make the Crescent more visually attractive which is not the case at present. In addition, the trees shown on the drawing are for illustration purpose only and show them at their most mature.
The plans are now on display for the next four weeks and Roscommon Co Co invited submissions from the public. The project will then be voted on by the local councillors and then have to go through a part 8 planning process. After that, an application will be lodged for funding and if all goes to plan, work could start early next year.
Unfortunately the reporting in the print media on the project was not 100% correct. There is no plan for ‘removing parking spaces from the Crescent area’. There will be plenty of parking on the Crescent area with parking repositioned to both sides of the road leading up the Crescent, and on either side of the top end of the Crescent with both parallel and oblong parking. It is also planned to mark out an area around St. Joseph’s Hall and Green Street car park for parking along with increasing spaces in the Shop Street car park, so in effect there will be minimal if any spaces lost in this project. For clarification also, there is no new ‘footbridge over the Boyle river’ as some have thought following the print report but the existing ‘green bridge’ will get a form of upgrade.
Local connections to European Rowing Championship
A young Ballymote man will participate in the Junior European Rowing Championships in Belgrade this weekend. 18 year old Brian Colsh is a Leaving Certificate student at Colaiste Mhuire in Ballymote, and will be competing in the Coxless Fours event. He was selected for the National team after a tough week of trials in Cork last July. Not only is he the only Connacht man in the boat, he is the only rower not from Cork! He will compete in Belgrade after spending eight weeks in camp with the National Squad. In a double Boyle connection with Brian’s endeavors, the young boatman is sponsored by local law firm Callan Tansey who have supported Sligo Rowing Club for a number of years. In another local connection, Brian is son of former Garda Inspector Tom Colsh who was Inspector in Boyle for a number of years before taking up his present position as Superintendent in the Castlerea Garda District. We all wish Brian the best in Belgrade this weekend.
Good news for Pleasure Ground Playground
Concerns have been expressed locally for some time now at the condition of the playground in the Pleasure Grounds in Boyle. Many parents feel the facility has become run down and the equipment not in a satisfactory condition. This week Junior Minister Frank Feighan tells us that following his representations to Roscommon Co Co, the playground “is going to be upgraded as part of the regeneration of the pleasure grounds and surrounding areas”.
It is understood the Playground upgrade will be included in a major upgrade of the Pleasure Grounds that is due to commence shortly.
Covid situation is very serious locally
The serious Coivid situation around county Roscommon has been the subject of much discussion in the last week or so. On Wednesday, a publican in Elphin spoke to the media to address some of the speculation that has been circulating all week concerning a party in his pub last Saturday night. This was of interest to many from Boyle whose teenage sons/daughters had attended the party in the pub in Elphin.
Closer to home, the Gardai issued a statement to this website last Friday evening advising the public to reconsider holding Confirmation gatherings and reminding the public of the recommendations in relation to limited house gatherings and the request that people do not travel outside of Dublin (ie do not invite relations or friends from Dublin for celebrations). On Wednesday, Carrick on Shannon Chamber of Commerce took the unprecedented step of appealing to people based in Dublin to stay away from the Leitrim town until Level 3 restrictions are lifted.
With First Holy Communion taking place locally this weekend, and with news this morning that the surge in Covid cases in Donegal can be linked to communion and confirmation parties, Gardai are again advising against large indoor gatherings following the ceremony and indeed other large gatherings in pubs following sporting events. They are also discouraging any form of indoor house party that exceeds the guidelines. If we want to keep Covid-19 at bay in Boyle, where the Boyle LEA now has 19 confirmed covid cases and a 14 day incidence rate above the national average (Boyle LEA 87 v National Average of 70.7), then do not host a large gathering in your house, do not attend a large gathering anywhere else this weekend or over the next few weeks and do not encourage your Dublin (and Donegal) friends and relations to visit Boyle for the time being.
New footpaths and lights for Main Street
Work is scheduled to commence next week on the laying of Portuguese granite footpaths on Main Street in Boyle and the installation of lower level street lighting that will hopefully be more effective than the current low energy lighting that is on the street. Added to by the repainting of the buildings on the street that took place last year, we will hopefully see our Main street looking a lot brighter in time for Christmas. Next up after this work is the laying of new high quality paths from the conclusion of the cycleway on Military Road, down by the library and along the rear of Main street. It is also good to see local firm Feelystone being awarded the contract to supply the granite for Main Street.
Need for a rubbish bin on Military Road
A local resident has asked us to highlight once again the need for a rubbish bin at the bus stop on Military Road. The viewer forwarded photographs of rubbish left in the shelter, as there is no bin to put it that area. The same resident also asked us to highlight indiscriminate parking in the Warren Estate in Boyle, again providing us with photographs of cars and vans on both sides of the road in one part of the estate on Thursday afternoon, causing an obstruction to motorists trying to get to and from their houses.
Quote of the Week….
“What’s more important…the health of the nation or the wealth of the nation” – Ryan Tubridy during a discussion on reopening Ireland during the covid crisis.
And finally….!
A man walks into a bar for a pub lunch. As he’s drinking his pint, waiting for his food a young gentlemen walks in and sits with him. After ordering a drink, they begin to talk. Mid-conversation the man hears a beeping sound. The man, confused, asks where the sound is coming from.
The gentlemen, smiling, pulls up the sleeve of his shirt and shows a small screen in his arm, saying, “OH, I went to Japan earlier this year and got a pager fitted into my arm.”
As they resume talking, a second man walks into the bar, and after ordering a drink, joins in the conversation. After a few minutes, the first man notices a ringing noise. “Can you hear that?”
The new gentlemen opens his palm, and then proceeds to talk into his thumb. The first man, very confused, asks what he is doing.
The new guy says, “Oh, i went to Japan a few months ago and got a phone fitted into my hand. Sweet isn’t it!”
At this point, the first gentlemen felt a little left out, and excused himself to the loo. After about an hour, the other too began to worry. They decided to wander into the toilets and check-up on him.
On entering the toilets, they saw him naked, hand up against the wall, with toilet paper sticking out his bum. The man turns around and says “Hey, I’ll only be a second, I’m just receiving a fax!”
