Another piece of new infrastructure for Boyle
The proposed new Boyle Library at the rear of the Royal Building will be a welcomed development and an important piece of infrastructure for future generations in the town of Boyle and surrounding area. It’s construction will also free up the basement of King House, allowing that part of the historic building to be used for additional development. The new library will be bright and modern in design, while keeping some similarity to it’s nearest neighbour – the Royal building, with both having an ‘A’ pitched roof. The soon to be constructed riverside walkway from the pedestrian crossing on Bridge Street and the regeneration of the rear of Main Street, along with the upgrade of what is known locally as the Royal Car Park will further complement the new building. But a word of warning. The new library will only happen if the construction funding application, from Roscommon Co Co and Boyle Town Team is met favourably by Government, and of course that the application goes smoothly through the planning process. Should the application be successful and the new library is built, we will have come a long way from the days of the old library at the side of the Courthouse on the Crescent where the late Kathleen Cryan was never to hard on you if you were late back with a book or two!
Plenty of love for Lovage
One of the business success stories in Boyle over the last year or so has been ‘Lovage at the Gate Lodge’. This Cafe/Restaurant on the bank of the Boyle river, has changed the face of dining locally, serving a wide selection of delicious food with an emphasis on sustainability, healthy options and local produce. In addition, their evening meals on Friday and Saturday are proving very popular with locals and visitors alike. Now the enterprising duo behind Lovage – Karol and Magdalena – have spread their wings further and are supplying their food in the reopened canteen at Abbey Community College. In a post on social media during the week the College said: Wonderful start by “Lovage” in our new school canteen. Lots of variety, colour, great taste and good value. Great soups especially suitable for these cold days. All healthy food and all disposable packaging. Students/staff can pay by cash or card. Menus evolving and developing as demand increases.
Town Centre First plan will be good for Boyle
Boyle figured prominently once again in a Government report that was launched last Friday. The report, or in this instance – policy document, titled “Town Centre First” used Boyle as one of five case studies nationally, which is most encouraging and shows we are heading in the right way with our regeneration plans. The Town Centre First policy will most certainly benefit a town like Boyle as it aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into town centres around the country. Putting town centres first has always been the aim of Boyle Town Team and Roscommon Co Co, learning as we have from the mistakes of other towns.
The new policy is underpinned by a multi-billion euro investment spread across major Government schemes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), Croí Conaithe (Towns) Fund and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme – all funds that Boyle has benefitted from to date. In addition, for the first time ever, designated towns will gain their own dedicated Town Regeneration Officers, who will be crucial to driving future development. The policy also contains a range of actions designed to achieve key objectives such as social and economic revival in towns, the provision of housing, as well as addressing challenges like vacancy and derelict buildings. The actions also support the protection of our environment, as well as the heritage and culture of our towns. The job now is the ensure Boyle is ready to take advantage of all the assistance the Town Centre First initiative will provide.
Frankie goes to Poland
Local politician, Minister for State and Boyle native Frank Feighan will represent the Government and people of Ireland in Poland on St. Patrick’s Day. Frank is one of a number of politicians who will travel to 33 locations all over the world in the first full programme of ministerial visits since before the Covid-19 pandemic. The central message of this year’s St Patrick’s Day visits is that Ireland is reopening, and the international programme will focus on the theme of Rebuilding Connections and Supporting Communities across the globe.
We need to keep our rental rates competitive
During the week we were told that rents have increased in County Roscommon by 22.5%. But still, Roscommon is a relatively cheap location in which to rent a house and is in fact the fourth cheapest place in the country with an average monthly rent of €912. The information is contained in the Daft.ie Rental Report for Q4 2021 and it also shows, as expected, that South Dublin is the most expensive place in Ireland to rent a house at €2,258 pm.
There is no doubt we need more housing in Boyle for rental purposes and indeed more housing for would be purchasers. But we do need to be careful that we keep our rental rates competitive and build on the name that we have, as a relatively cheap county in which to rent or relocate.
More problems on the Abbeytown road
A number of viewers have been in touch about the situation this week in Abbeytown/Warren area where the street lights have been out of action for the last few nights. Residents and walkers who use the route have been the most inconvenienced. A quick look at the Electric Skyline website (who maintain public lighting) shows that no fault seems to be logged for the area. On saying that, there are two lights logged in fault, east of the Church Avenue, and when you check the status of these lights, it is stated that they will be fixed by 15/9/23!!
The journey on horseback from Dallas to Forth Wort is a long ride along a dusty trail and for any cowboy, it’s thirsty work.
So when George passed through a small town along the way he decided to stop at the saloon for a cold beer to quench his thirst.
Well, the locals were none too friendly to strangers passing through their town and George could sense a negative vibe immediately, as he tied up his horse to the post before walking through the saloon doors.
When he’d finished his beer, George walked outside and he was non-too-happy to discover that someone had stolen his horse.
So he walked back into the bar, drew his gun from its holster, spun it around his finger in impressive fashion, and then shot a bullet straight through a whisky bottle standing at the other end of the long bar.
The place went silent and you could hear a pin drop, until George shouted, “Now which one of you sidewinders stole my horse?”
No one said anything. The place was deadly quiet.
George shouted menacingly, “Now you listen to me! I’m gonna sit here and have another beer and if my horse ain’t back outside by the time I’ve finished my drink then I’m gonna do what I dun in Dallas. And I don’t want to have to do what I dun in Dallas.”
The locals shifted nervously in their seats. They didn’t like strangers much but they liked trouble even less.
So when George had finished his beer, he looked outside and sure enough there was his horse tied to the post and waiting for him.
George saddled up and then started to ride slowly along Main Street.
The bartender had wandered outside and stood and watched George go.
“Hey partner,” said the bartender, “so what happened in Dallas?”
George smiled and said, “I had to walk home!”
