Great reaction to news of Aldi’s plans in Boyle
It was the news we all knew, but were waiting for the confirmation – Aldi are planning to come to Boyle and the news has been received with open arms in the town. As announced exclusively here on Boyletoday.com last Wednesday afternoon, a planning application is soon to be lodged with Roscommon Co Co for a 1,839 sqm store on the former Candon’s site on St. Patrick Street. This exciting development will be one of the biggest commercial investments in our town in many years and having a national brand like Aldi come to Boyle is a major vote of confidence in our town and will most likely attract further national investment. Sure, there will be some who may not like competition, but competition is good for everyone – especially the consumer. There are so many positives to this development that is near impossible to document them all. One important positive is that the many people from Boyle and it’s hinterland who travel daily to Carrick for their shopping will now stay in Boyle with the result that all of the town will benefit. And those from west of Boyle who may have travelled to Sligo to visit stores like Aldi, will also now come to Boyle.
– The 96 car parking spaces associated with the store are also to be welcomed, as are the plans to turn the derelict houses fronting the development into much needed town centre residential dwellings, while maintaining and improving the current streetscape..
– The new store will also give an employment boost to the town and while exact numbers are not known, similar size stores across the country have resulted in around 30 jobs being created with upward of 80 people involved in the construction phase.
– On our social media – where we painstakingly monitor all comments to ensure accuracy and factuality, nearly everyone welcomed the news. But we did have to ‘call out’ one person who stated that previous applications from Lidl and Tesco was rejected in Boyle. This is 100% untrue and another viewer also agreed it was untrue giving a link to Roscommon Co Co planning department which showed no applications were ever submitted. The origional poster subsequently deleted his comments – and the thread, once he had been proven incorrect.
– Despite what some have said, St. Patrick Street is not dead with 12 businesses and up to 30 people now operating from the Spool Factory and a number of other successful businesses also located on the street, but the Aldi plan will bring greater focus on this part of town with public realm work on undergrounding cables and installing new footpaths, hopefully forming part of future plans.
– The planning application by Aldi is absolutely brilliant news for Boyle and it fits in perfectly with the Governments ‘Town Centre First’ strategy which aims to have any new commercial operation located in a town centre as opposed to on the outskirts. Let’s hope the application gets the full support from the people and businesses of Boyle, as it has the ability to be the catalyst to regenerate the town centre and build on the great work currently being undertaken by so many.
Boyle is most definitely ‘on the up’
Exciting times now lie ahead for Boyle. Along with Aldi’s plans for the town, work is progressing behind the scenes on the Lough Key Masterplan – a €15m redevelopment that will see visitor and employment levels double in Boyle’s Lough Key Forest Park over the next few years. Add in the multi million euro new Library that will start construction this year and some other developments that are in the pipeline for the town and Boyle is most definitely on the way up. Conscious of all these plans, Boyle Town Team and Roscommon Co Co have been working closely together on the public realm so the town centre looks well. Construction work also commence this week on The Lawn upgrade which will be a great addition to the town centre when completed and will compliment the rear of An Rioga and the Pleasure Grounds as a scenic walkway through the town centre, adjacent to the river. The multi use games area in the Pleasure Grounds will also start construction shortly.
Well done to all who have worked, and are working, so hard behind the scenes on the Aldi plans and all developments outlined above and others. They ignored the negative comments and those who said Boyle was forgotten about and they kept their belief in their town alive. While they deserve to smile this week, it is important that they continue to guide current and prospective new business owners in Boyle, to provide the facilities we need to deal with the future economic and visitor growth, and that includes the badly needed hotel.
Publicity that is worth it’s weight in gold
Boyle was really in the news the past week or so. Firstly, the town’s famous son Chris O’Dowd gave Boyle and the Arts Festival a brilliant plug – as he always does, on the Graham Norton show on Saturday night. And last night, the town once again got a great mention and several scene shots on Chris’s new series on Sky Atlantic – ‘Small Town, Big Story’. On Sunday, the Great House Revival TV series travelled to Boyle’s Lough Key Forest Park to see how Architects Fiona Brugha and Paddy Dunne turned an old cowshed that formed part of the former Rockingham estate into a contemporary family home. As usual the Park looked great and gave a reminder, if one is needed, as to the natural beauty that lies all around us here in Boyle. Publicity like the above is worth it’s weight in gold for a town like Boyle. If you missed the Great House Revival programme you can see it here.
Time for An Garda Siochana to dish out the parking tickets
Illegal parking in Boyle is totally out of control and it’s mostly down to inconsiderate drivers. Last weekend, An Garda Siochana put out three ‘No Parking’ cones on the yellow hatched area on Main Street. They were no sooner down until a driver got out of a car, put them on the footpath and parked their car illegally, with another two vehicles pulling in right behind and causing traffic to back up. Elsewhere on the same street, the personnel involved in the public realm work put cones on the footpath as they finished work Friday only to see them pushed up against the wall the next day and a car proceed to park right on the path for a long period on the Saturday.
It is now past time for Gardai to start patrolling the town, especially on a Friday and Saturday and commence issuing tickets for cars parked on footpaths, in addition to disabled spaces where motorists are parking ‘for a few minutes’ as they use the ATM or other services.
New effort to get an early morning train service to Sligo
A notice of motion was passed unanimously at last Monday’s meeting of Roscommon Co Co calling for an early morning train from Longford to Sligo. The motion was put forward by Councillor Sean Moylan who said his colleagues in Longford, Leitrim and Sligo County Councils will also be backing the call for an early train service.
This request is not new and in fact similar calls were made in the late 1990’s here in Boyle, with delegations going to meet various Ministers at the time looking for such a service. That was over 25 years ago and all such calls have fallen on deaf ears, but times have changed and there is a greater need now than ever before for a train that will serve all stations along the line, including Boyle and arrive in Sligo at 8.30am for school and college goers, workers and those with hospital appointments.
Remembering the ‘Big Snow of ’47’
Last Monday February 24th was the 78th anniversary of what was termed the “Big Snow of ’47”. On that day in 1947 Ireland was hit with one of the biggest snowfalls ever seen in the country. An artic cold wind blew for many weeks before the faithful night leading many to believe something strange was about to happen. The snow started falling on the Monday evening and came down heavy all day and all night resulting in Boyle town, like many others across the country, being cut off for many days from the rest of the world. In fact it was over 40 days before the snow cleared. There are still many stories told of heroism, bravery and dedication during the ’47 blizzard and none more so than that of Postman John Gormley who left Boyle Post Office on the Tuesday morning by bike with his delivery for the Curlew Mountain. Half way up Brislagh Hill, John abandoned his bike such was the depth of snow and got on with his job by foot. Tuesday evening came and there was still no sign of John. A search party departed to locate him but to no avail. Thursday then Friday passed and John’s family feared the worst but on Saturday morning an apparition appeared on the Crescent and a shaken John emerged from the drifts. It transpired he collapsed in the line of duty around Cloonloo and was taken in by a farmer until he was strong enough to walk back to Boyle. Lough Key also froze over and a game of ice hockey took place on Kearn’s Bay in Erris. This was the first time the lake froze since 1939. There was concern also for a passenger bus travelling from Sligo but it finally arrived in Boyle with all passengers safe and well.
News snippets from around Boyle
With the flood lights currently not switched on or broken on Boyle Abbey, one wonders if they will be operational in time for St. Patrick’s weekend when the monument is traditionally lit in green………Traditional music session in Cleen Hall, Knockvicar this Sunday March 2nd at 4pm. All welcome…….New 6 week Pedal Strong course commencing in the Fitt Factory on Wednesday 5th and Friday 7th at 7am. Bookings to 0860878676…….Lough Key Tri Club will host an Open Day on Saturday March 1st in the Moylurg Room in Lough Key Forest Park (10:30-12:00 just after parkrun). Whether you are new to triathlon, returning or an experienced triathlete, there will be something for everyone. Discover the TryIT program launching in mid-March, learn about gear, distances, training and target events, meet club members, chat about your goals and see how the club can help. All welcome……….The Circus returns to Boyle this weekend with performances in the Spots Complex on Saturday 1st at 5pm and Sunday 2nd at 1pm……….Curlieu Wheelers Cycling Club AGM in the Spool Factory on Tuesday March 4th at 8pm…….With less than 17 days to go to St. Patrick’s Day, the GoFundMe page set up to run the parade is well short of it’s €6k goal – in fact it is €3,600 short! Thank you to all who have donated so far. If you have yet to donate you can do so here……..Congratulations and well done to ‘Paul’s Retro Eats’ Food Truck on the Carrick Road who came away with not one – but four awards at this week’s Irish Takeaway Awards………The brilliant Wednesday morning Tidy Town volunteers were at it again this week when they did a great tidy up of the cycle way from the Shilling Hill down the Sligo Road………Lough Key Swim Club Registration for Open Water Swimming in 2025 will be held in St. Joseph’s Resource Centre, Boyle on Wednesday March 6th from 6.30pm – 8pm……..Cloonloo N.S. Open Evening is taking place on Thursday, 6th March from 5pm to 6pm. All children and their families who may be enrolling in Cloonloo NS are invited to visit the school at this time or phone the school on 071-9663684 if this time does not suit. School is now accepting applications for enrollment for 2025-2026……It only took four years, but finally, the street light’s at Lower Marian Road/ the Pleasure Grounds have been fixed. Next up please – the light at the former National Irish Bank on St. Patrick Street.
And finally….!
An American couple are on a driving holiday through deepest Wales, and pass through the town named
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
They were obviously having trouble trying to say the word and neither really knew the correct Welsh pronunciation.
They decided to stop for lunch in the town and maybe ask a local to say the name properly for them.
As they sat in the restaurant, the husband leaned over to talk to a young boy sitting at the next table.
“Excuse me” said the man. “We were wondering if you could tell us the name of where we are. Could you pronounce it really slowly? Would you mind?”
The young boy looked at the man in a slightly bemused way, leans over towards him and says…
“Burrrrrr…Gurrrrrr…Kiiiiiinnng”
