Will Boyle Garda Station go back to full hours?
Considering it is not “fully” closed, it is doubtful that Boyle Station will be one of the six Garda Stations that could be reopened by the Government under guidelines agreed this week with the Garda Commissioner. 139 Garda Stations have closed since 2011 with a handful, like Boyle, having reduced hours imposed and a downgrading of status. Government sources are insisting the decision on the openings will solely be a matter for Garda management and the process and success of those re-openings will then be reviewed by the Policing Authority. With the exception of a handful of concerned locals, the people of Boyle have not shouted loudly enough to get our Garda Station back to full hours. Minister Denis Naughten was made aware of the situation last week at the public meeting in Boyle and he assured those present that he would bring the matter to the attention of the Minister for Justice. It’s still not too late to make you feelings known on the reduced hours to Minister Fitzgerald and Commissioner O’ Sullivan. If you feel Boyle Garda Station should be open longer and at hours that suit the public and not hours that suit Garda shift patterns, then please write without delay to both the Minister and the Garda Commissioner making both ladies aware of your feelings.
The Boyle Broadband Battle
Contrary to the belief of one or two, the majority of the people in Boyle are not happy with the broadband service they are receiving in town. If you are lucky enough to live beside one of the six Eircom cabinets in Boyle you will get super fast broadband but if not, you will struggle to get 6mb of download speed. The weekly Boyletoday.com poll on this website currently shows that 86% of those surveyed are not happy with the service. While the town centre seems to have good quality broadband, there are many operating businesses from homes on the outskirts of Boyle who need a better connection. Hopefully the lobbying by Boyle Chamber of Commerce and Boyle Town Team for the town to be included in the soon to be launched FTTH (Fibre to the home) will be successful and will remedy the problem.
Can Boyle benefit from Brexit?
In business as in life we should look to turn every negative into a positive. For the town of Boyle, could we look at the United Kingdom’s decision to exit the European Union as a negative and see how we can make that into a positive for our town? It has been suggested this week that some of the larger urban centres like Sligo and Athlone are ideally suited for foreign multinationals who might decide to leave the UK. But why should they not come to Boyle? We have high quality office space to lease, are only forty minutes from Ireland West Airport, two hours from Dublin by road and are on the rail network. In addition we have a quality of life in a scenic location that equals the best in Ireland. All we need is the will of the state agencies to believe in Boyle and efforts made by a dedicated hand picked task force of locals to sell the town. If the state agencies won’t listen, why not do what Martin Mitchell, Vincent Regan and Gerry Mattimoe did many yeares ago for tourism…go to the UK ourselves and sell the benefits of Boyle? An opportunity now exists for our town. Let’s not let it pass.
Time to stamp out this type of behaviour
Yet again a petty act of vandalism has seen our town hanging baskets destroyed. Last year it was the turn of the thugs to damage the planter at Christ the King junction on a number of occasions and for shrubs to be stolen from the welcome to Boyle signs on the old Carrick Road. Last years thefts seem to have resulted in no planting on the Carrick Road this year which is a shame really considering it is a main access point to the town. The damage and theft of the baskets coincidential occured around the same time that Boyle witnessed fairly high levels of anti social behaviour on Sunday evening last following the Ireland soccer match. Thankfully the drunkness, shouting and obstruction of traffic that was witnessed is not common in Boyle and is in fact alien to our town. Perhaps the two incidents are not connected but one could easily assume that the taking of the baskets was a drunken prank that seemed like fun at the time but is in fact an act of vandalism. We live in a relatively crime free area and we need to nip these small actions in the bud straight away before they escalate into bigger crimes.
Freight services on Dublin Sligo Line
Last Tuesday Irish Rail trialled the longest freight train ever the run on the rail network when a 440-metre, 27-wagon train ran from North Wall in Dublin to Claremorris in Mayo. Irish Rail says that, as well as increasing the capacity and competitiveness of rail freight services, the environmental benefits of rail freight would also be enhanced by larger trains which is to be welcomed. Here in Boyle the station sees very little freight pass through it. Once upon a time all supplies of Guinness etc came via rail to Boyle and was delivered through town by horse and cart and in later years by truck. Now all deliveries to Boyle come via the road network. Lets hope going forward that the Dublin Sligo line sees some of these “super freight trains” that could serve all towns along the way. Increased usage of the line will also ensure protection of the stations on the route, including Boyle.
And finally…….!
A crusty old Marine Sergeant Major found himself at a gala event hosted by a local liberal arts college. There was no shortage of extremely young idealistic ladies in attendance, one of whom approached the Sergeant Major for conversation.
“Excuse me, Sergeant Major, but you seem to be a very serious man. Is something bothering you?”
“Negative, ma’am. Just serious by nature.”
The young lady looked at his awards and decorations and said, “It looks like you have seen a lot of action.”
“Yes, ma’am, a lot of action.”
The young lady, tiring of trying to start up a conversation, said, “You know, you should lighten up. Relax and enjoy yourself.”
The Sergeant Major just stared at her in his serious manner.
Finally the young lady said, “You know, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but when is the last time you had sex?”
“1955, ma’am.”
“Well, there you are. No wonder you’re so serious. You really need to chill out! I mean, no sex since 1955! She took his hand and led him to a private room where they got more than friendly.
Afterwards, panting for breath, she leaned against his bare chest and said, “Wow, you sure didn’t forget much since 1955.”
The Sergeant Major said, after glancing at his watch, “I hope not; it’s only 2130 now.”
