Match Day Saturday
There should be a steady flow of traffic through Boyle tomorrow (Saturday) as football fans make their way to Markievicz Park for the Connacht semi final between Sligo and Roscommon. Following a discussion with An Garda Siochána, and in order to avoid a clash with Sligo Races and the consequent traffic congestion in the area on Sunday May 1st, Connacht GAA has refixed this game for 5pm on Saturday. With Boyle being a half way stop for many from mid Roscommon, there is certainly an economic opportunity for the town to capitalise on the match traffic, as many fans will want to stop off for food and hopefully a celebratory drink or two on their way home from Sligo. Considering the strong Boyle involvement with the team, it would be great also to see an array of flags and bunting flying from town centre premises over the weekend.
Donie pedals to Poland
A well known Boyle man has commenced an exciting journey of a lifetime, as he cycles his way from Achill to Auschwitz. Donal O’Connor is best known as a musician, but early morning risers will be familiar with the Boyle native as he takes his daily exercise around the town on foot or in recent times, by bike. His two month journey will take him from Mayo to Poland (“with a few gap days”) and in the process, raise funds for Ukraine via Unicef Ireland. If you would like to donate to Donal’s trip, just head to his Facebook page where there is an online link.
Boyle looking great on Ireland’s County by County
The Boyle area most certainly came out the winner (ok….maybe we are a bit biased here!) in the Roscommon segment of the recently launched ‘Ireland’s County by County’ programme. The Roscommon Tourism backed 26 minute video, showcases all that is on offer to the visitor in County Roscommon and starts off in Boyle’s Lough Key Forest Park and finishes up in King House with both venues looking superb. Strangely, there was no mention in the programnme of our other great tourism asset – Boyle Abbey – but what was included will most certainly whet the appetite of any would be tourist to the region. It is important now that the programme, which you can view here, is aimed at the right audiences to gain maximum effect.
Ukrainian families arrive in the area
It is not yet known if any properties or buildings in Boyle are among the 89 nationwide that have been identified as suitable locations to host Ukrainian people who have been displaced by the war in their country. It is reported that all local authorities have also been asked to identify land in their area that is serviced with water, electricity and transport connections that could be used for building modular homes also for Ukrainian people.
Separately, Ballinafad has become home to over 30 Ukrainian people who are living in the former Field Centre beside Ballinafad Castle. It is also understood that one or two families in the general area are also housing some Ukrainians but as of yet, there are not a larger number of so called ‘refugees’ living in Boyle. The families in the general Ballinafad area have been warmly welcomed, with some younger members starting school this week in Corrigeenroe and in Abbey Community College in Boyle.
- The Spool Factory has this morning announced that it is offering desk space free of charge to a Ukrainian person in the area who would like to run their business remotely. (More details on the Spool Factory website and social media pages)
Great work done at economic plan workshop
There was a great turnout for Wednesday evenings workshop on developing a community and economic plan for Boyle town. The wide mix of attendees split into 4 groups and detailed all that is good in the town and all that could be better, under four separate headings: Town Appearance and Presentation, Tourism, Arts, Culture and Events, Economic Development and Business Support and Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion. The findings will now be complied and discussed once again at the next meeting on May 5th (details to follow closer to the date). If you missed Wednesday night’s event and would like to have an input into the future of the town, please come along to King House Thursday May 5th at 7pm.
An old tradition that will hopefully be continued
This Sunday is May 1st and the day will hopefully see an age old tradition continue in Boyle of leaving flowers on doorsteps. Over the years, the tradition has been visible on St. Patrick Street, Termon Road, Station Road and Plunkett Avenue and other areas, where bright flowers were left on private dwellings and some business premises. Years ago, it was traditional in Boyle that one would pick some May Flowers at Patrick’s Well to put on the doorstep. Some people placed flowers in the well to protect the water supply and the livelihood of those who used it. Mayflower water taken from the well on May Day was said to offer protection and cures. This water and May morning dew was believed to be good for the complexion.
May Flowers were traditionally picked on the evening before May Day or La Bealtaine. Yellow flowers, such as primroses, buttercups and marigolds were especially popular, possibly as they reflected the sun and summer. Furze and ferns were also put around the outside of the home. The flowers were then placed on the doorsteps of houses and on windowsills. They were believed to offer luck to the house and offer protection from mystical forces. It was believed that the fairies could not enter the home as they could not pass such sweet smelling flowers!
Great reviews for Boyle girl Sian Costello
A viewer has contacted us to tell of her delighted, as she flicked through the pages of ‘Grazia’ magazine, to see Boyle’s Sian Costello’s ‘Wishful Self-Portrait 111’ portrait jump out at her! Sian was exhibiting at Simone Rocha’s curated ‘Girls Girls Girls’ exhibition at Lismore Castle and her work made the popular magazine and other publications. The Guardian newspaper reviewed the exhibition and had this to say about Sian: “The baby of the show is the formidably talented Sian Costello, who works in Limerick and is yet to be snapped up by a gallery. Her three paintings titled Wishful Self-Portrait show a girl who could be a Velázquez infanta, or a model in one of Rocha’s puffy Victorian nightie-inspired gowns that were much in evidence over the launch weekend, but was inspired by Whistler’s women in white, says Costello. The images are smudgy, ambivalent, and one is missing her head, so that all that remains is the performance of her frock. These little girls punch above their weight”. Congratulations and continued success Sian. Boyle is very proud of you!
And finally….!
An elderly woman was enjoying a good game of Bridge with her girlfriends one evening. “Oh, no! I have to rush home and fix dinner for my husband! He’s going to really annoyed if it’s not ready on time!” she exclaimed suddenly.
When she got home, she realised that she didn’t have enough time to go to the supermarket, and all she had in the cupboard was a wilted lettuce leaf, an egg, and a can of cat food. In a panic, she opened the can of cat food, stirred in the egg, and garnished it with the lettuce leaf just as her husband pulled up.
She greeted her husband and then watched in horror as he sat down to his dinner. To her surprise, the husband really enjoyed his dinner. “Darling, this is the best dinner you have made for me in forty years of marriage. You can make this for me any old day.”
Needless to say, every Bridge night from then on, the woman made her husband the same dish. She told her Bridge friends about it and they were all horrified.
“You’re going to kill him!” they exclaimed.
Two months later, her husband died.
The women were sitting around the table playing Bridge when one of her friends said, “You killed him! We told you that feeding him that cat food every week would do him in! How can you just sit there so calmly and play Bridge, knowing you murdered your husband?”
The wife stoically replied, “I didn’t kill him. He fell off the mantel while he was cleaning himself.”
