Hale and hearty Michael enters his 103rd year
Congratulations to Boyle resident Michael Coyne who celebrated his 102nd birthday on Monday last. Michael is well known and respected in his adopted town and is a weekly lunchtime visitor to the various restaurants around Boyle in the company of his nephew Neil McGarry. One could be forgiven for thinking that Michael, who resides in Sycamore Crescent, had celebrated his 80th birthday such is his mental and physical ability. He recently attended the Roscommon GAA convention and was in the Percy French Hotel in Strokestown last week for the Boyle Municipal District Fianna Fail convention. In an interview with Boyletoday.com on his 101st birthday, the Cloonfinglas, Fairymount native put his longevity down to “hard work and never taking a holiday”. Michael remarked how life is so much easier nowadays for people. “It seems to me that there are are no hard times anymore. You can now have turkey and ham any day. Things are a lot easier”. Michael moved to Boyle five years ago and gave up driving around that time having purchased his first car in 1953. Michael drank all his life but “not too much” and smoked also, “I always had a packet of cigarettes in my pocket. I took the odd one when I was having a drink or if I was a bit nervous”. Born on the 14th January 1917, he recalls how his family and others around him always grew their own vegetables and were self sufficient. His parents “never seen the pension” but his late brother did live into his eighties. Michael also has fond memories of fair days in Boyle and driving cattle “Up the Green”. Asked at the time what advice he would give to young people, Michael’s eyes open wide and with a long stare, he says ” What would I be bothered giving a young person advice for? Sure they wouldn’t listen to you anyway. Too many young people think they know everything, but they are not always right you know”. Well done to the inspirational Michael on entering his 103rd year – a truly remarkable man to have in our community.
PO closures can benefit Boyle
The closure of Post offices in areas around Boyle like Knockvicar, Ballinafad and Monasterdaen, while devastating for the rural communities they have served for many years, can be a bonus for remaining Post Offices like Boyle. Numerous people from these areas adjacent to the town now travel to Boyle each week to conduct their financial affairs, like collecting their pension and paying bills, and while here, they buy fuel and provisions in the town’s shops and businesses. Likewise the rural bus services that operate into the town each week also brings shoppers that spend money here. We may never get the big out of town spenders into Boyle but we do have niche markets that we can build on, especially from a rural perspective.
The need for ‘starter’ housing in Boyle
The sale of 16 houses in Forest Park Manor as announced here on Boyletoday.com last Tuesday has been welcomed locally. Presently there is a shortage of affordable ‘starter’ type homes for sale in Boyle for young couples or those getting onto the property ladder. What we urgently need now is more houses and land released in the town envelope to allow developers to build estates to cater for those who are starting off on the property ladder or for those downsizing and coming into Boyle to spend their retirement years. While there are currently plans being devised on how to get people to live in the town centre, there will always be some who will want to live just outside the town – in places like the Forest Park Manor – an estate that is crying out for completion. The estates proximity to town should hopefully see a developer snap up the 16 houses and land and provided much needed accomodation in Boyle for the growing demand that presently exists in this sector.
The county’s first ‘Fit Friendly’ town
Boyle could surely be ranked up there among the fittest towns in Ireland – that is if there was such a thing. One only has to head out on the Maple Drive, Carrick Rd, Abbeytown circuit any night and you would be forgiven for thinking that the French ‘Gilets Jaunes’ or yellow jacket protests had hit our streets as scores of walkers and joggers pound the pavement. Add to this over 100 Boyle Athletic Club members that train on the paths every Tuesday and Thursday night and you can see how fashionable exercise has become in our town. We also have at least five gyms/ fitness centres, numerous sporting clubs and tentative plans for a sports centre on the Termon Lands. Boyle is soon to become the county’s first ‘age friendly town’ and the first ‘cycle friendly town’. Maybe the county’s first ‘fit friendly town’ could be another arrow in our quiver??
And finally….!
Two Irish nuns have just arrived in USA by boat, and one says to the other,
“I hear that the people in this country actually eat dogs.”
“Odd,” her companion replies, “but if we shall live in America , we might as well do as the Americans do.”
As they sit, they hear a push cart vendor yelling, “Hot Dogs, get your dogs here,” and they both walk towards the hot dog cart.
“Two dogs, please!,” says one. The vendor is very pleased to oblige, wraps both hot dogs in foil and hands them over.
Excited, the nuns hurry to a bench and begin to unwrap their ‘dogs.’
The mother superior is first to open hers.
She begins to blush, and then, after staring at it for a moment, leans to the other nun and ina soft brogue whispers:
“What part did you get?”.
