Unbelievable four month road closure from Boyle to Tulsk
During the week, the unbelievable three month road closure of the N61 came into place between Gannon’s Corner in Boyle and Shankhill Cross outside Elphin. The date of the closure has changed weekly since early February but finally became a reality on Wednesday last.
For the many who travel from Boyle to work in Roscommon on a daily basis, and indeed the many who also travel from Roscommon to work in Boyle and Sligo – this closure of a 15k portion of the N61 will be a major inconvenience. Motorists are being officially advised to divert via Frenchpark, Ballinagare and Tulsk but alternative routes have been suggested locally, using back roads which could pose problematic as these roads are not suitable for large volumes of cars (or trucks) who will no doubt travel in excess of the speed limit, which is the inevitable result of any diversion as people try to make up lost time.
Rail passengers advised to ‘keep an eye on their luggage’
Rail passengers on the Dublin- Sligo line are being reminded to take care of their luggage after it emerged that an individual recently had their bags stolen from the train and dumped in the Royal Canal in Mullingar. A person out running in the Westmeath town saw bags in the canal and fetched them out to find most of the contents that belonged to a passenger in the bag but their money and coat were missing. It would appear that this was not an isolated incident and other passengers have reported having their bags stolen by thieves who alight at Mullingar and who then dump the bags in the canal after taking out any items of value.
Graffiti on the ‘White River Otter’ was unacceptable
Last week we reported on the drawing of graffiti on the highly acclaimed ‘White River Otter’ at the riverside in Boyle. This piece of art is part of the Sculpture Trail that is planned throughout the town and funded under Fáilte Ireland’s Developed and Emerging Destination Towns Capital Investment Programme. On Thursday week, a person felt it appropriate to write a message on the sculpture in black marker naming two local individuals. This website was sent a photograph of the graffiti and decided, before publication, to eliminate the names of the two individuals who were mentioned in the graffiti as there was no indication at the time that either person named had anything to do with the act of vandalism. On Friday afternoon a civic minded citizen, who wishes to remain anonymous, contacted Boyletoday.com and advised that they had the graffiti professionally removed, for which we are all very thankful.
If you see any person(s) interfering with the art work in the Pleasure Ground or along by the river, please let them know that it is not acceptable. We do not have much vandalism in Boyle at present and we need to keep it that way.
IDA visit is a bright light for the future in Boyle
For the first time in many years, representatives of the IDA (Industrial Development Agency) visited Boyle last week. The representatives were on a fact finding mission and met with a number of local companies and those with office and industrial space for rent. Armed with the knowledge they gained, the delegation plan to bring their findings to the attention of their colleagues overseas in an effort to attract FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) into the town.
The visit is of major significance for Boyle. For years now, local civic bodies have been literally begging the IDA and other state organisations to look at our town for investment. Now the IDA have at last taken notice of Boyle (helped in no small way by the positive national publicity we have received of late and all the efforts of various groups to regenerate Boyle). The delegation were impressed with all that was on offer, especially the beautiful scenery around Boyle from a work life balance, our proximity to Ireland West Airport and our regular train services to Dublin along with the availability of 10Gb broadband connection in the town centre. Unfortunately, the lack of large scale ready to use industrial space was noted as a potential drawback to attracting larger scale FDI to the town but the view was we are well positioned for smaller financial type businesses.
WDC mobility index featured Boyle
The Western Development Commission recently published a mobility index for regional towns in Ireland’s west region including Boyle. The report outlined a number of statistics including: 25% of households in the Boyle area are without a car, 37.9k is the average commuting distance by car for town residents, 32% are at work as a percentage of the population and the median gross household income is €28,922. Better understanding of active modes and public transport in a rural context is an overall objective of this Sustainable Mobility Index. This reflects the shift in transport policy to more sustainable travel, with a particular focus on public transport and active travel (cycling and walking) and the necessity of reducing carbon emissions from personal transport. You can read the report in full here
Festival organisers publish shuttle bus details
As advised here on Boyletoday.com, the organisers of this summer’s ‘Night and Day’ festival in Boyle’s Lough Key Forest Park have published updated details of the shuttle bus/train pick up’s for the festival. A graphic a few weeks ago stated “Get the train to Carrick and we will collect you at the station”. As soon as the graphic was published, Boyletoday.com contacted the organisers and advised them that they should also mention Boyle station which they undertook to do, but not before one or two tried to generate local debate online and get the public up in arms at the post. As promised the organisers subsequently published another posts advising that the Shuttle Bus would pick up at Cryan’s and the train station in Carrick before travelling to the train station in Boyle, King House and onto the Park, which is logical.
Despite the division and s..t stirring one or two keyboard warriors may like to undertake locally, we need to let the public (and organisers) know we welcome an event like this in Boyle with open arms. Time and energy now needs to be spent not picking holes with the festival, but finding ways to attract the concert goers into our town while giving them happy lasting memories of their time in Boyle and our national park.
And finally…!
Three old golfers are walking down the fairway, or in their case riding down the fairway,
“Sixty is the worst age to be,” said the 60-year-old,
“You always feel like you have to pee. And most of the time nothing happens.”
“Ah, that’s nothing,” said the 70-year-old. “When you’re 70, you don’t have a bowel movement anymore. You take laxatives, eat bran, you sit on the toilet all day and nothing happens.”
“Actually,” said the 80-year-old, “Eighty is the worst age of all.”
“Do you have trouble peeing too?” asked the 60-year-old.
“No, I pee every morning at 6.00 am. I pee like a racehorse; no problem at all.”
“Do you have trouble having a bowel movement?” asked the 70-year 0ld.
“No, I have one every morning at 6.30 am.”
Puzzled with this the 60-year-old said, “Let’s get this straight. You pee every morning at 6.00 am and poop every morning at 6.30 am.
So what’s so tough about being 80?”
“…I don’t wake up until seven.”
(No Boyle’d Pot next Friday – St. Patrick’s Day)
