‘Ah sure feck it, I’ll be grand’
The ‘Ah sure feck it, I’ll be grand’ attitude of so many people, young and old, could very easily see this county enter Phase 3 lockdown very soon. Birthday parties, funeral parties, confirmation parties, communion parties, after match celebrations and after match commiserations have all resulted in large gatherings of people recently in the towns and villages throughout the county. Unfortunately for those who heeded the recommendations and had limited numbers at family event’s and who did not go to parties, their efforts seem to be all in vain which is very frustrating. It is also sad for those who have abided by all the rules but who picked up the virus from a family member who ignored the call to avoid large gatherings and went to a house party or a social event.
What we need to do now is not waste any further time or energy divisively blaming those responsible for the mess we find ourselves in here in County Roscommon. Going forward, ever single one of us need to act responsibly, reduce our social contacts, wash our hands, adhere to sneeze and cough etiquette and wear our face masks. Covid-19 is real and will be with us for a long time to come. If we do not change our lifestyles and learn to live with the virus, we will see loved ones die and businesses close forever. It is quite literally in our hands and if we want to see some sort of normality for Christmas, please make the necessary changes in your day to day life from this day forward.
Construction works should give an economic boost to the town
Work commenced Tuesday on the installation of the Portuguese Granite footpaths and kerbing, along with new lighting on Main Street in Boyle. The project, which will last 4 weeks, will cause parking and traffic disruption. While the disruption is regrettable, remember ‘you can not make an omelette without breaking eggs’. Now is really the best time to get as much of the ‘disruptive’ work done around Boyle as Covid has made this town, and every other town around Ireland, scarily quiet. Hopefully the planned work on the Pleasure Grounds, the rear of Main Street and the Royal (where workmen should be on site mid October) will give a positive economic boost to the town as the presence of contractors and sub suppliers should be felt in the shops, restaurants and filling stations during what will be a quiet winter.
Virtual Women’s Marathon in Boyle on Saturday
Good luck to all the ladies from Boyle who will run the virtual VHI Womens Mini Marathon in Boyle tomorrow morning (Saturday). The 10k event was traditionally held in Dublin every June bank holiday weekend but this year the event takes place virtually when women can run or walk the 10k anytime between October 1st – 10th. The group plan to meet at the Royal car park at 8am.
More eir broadband issues this week
Those unlucky enough to not be connected yet to the eir FTTH system have reported a spike in problems with their broadband in Boyle over the past week. The problem was worse on Thursday with the service coming and going for a number of minutes at a time. Many eir customers tell of their frustration in getting through to the customer service department of the company with an hour wait time common place. When you finally do get through to talk to someone, chances are you will be told it is ‘congestion’ where the network is carrying more data than it can handle. The answer here in Boyle town centre is to get the final connections made to the FTTH system so that those who were promised super fast broadband, can access same without any further delay.
Public consultation on new N4 road
As work progresses apace on the N4 Castlebaldwin to Collooney dual carriageway, the first public consultation on another major carriageway for the area, the N4 Carrick to Dromod road project will soon take place place – online. This new section of road is proposed to commence east of Carrick on Shannon Golf Club at Drumharlow and join up with the dual carriageway at Dromod. A website has been set up for the project which is accessible here with closing dates for submissions on public consultation number 1 due by 23rd October 2020.
A bleak winter for air travel in the west
We are very lucky to live approximately 45 minutes from Ireland West Airport in Knock. Due to it’s proximity and ease of access, there are many from Boyle who have used the facility on a regular basis to travel to or from the UK or for the annual holiday to the sun. But the Covid crisis has hit the airport hard with only one or two flights arriving in Knock daily and on some days, no flights at all. This has had a devastating effect not only those who work at the airport, (including a number from the Boyle area), but also those who service the airport and the tourism industry in general in the region. What the future holds for Ireland West Airport this winter is anyone’s guess but with a 90% drop in passenger numbers and little sign of an improvement in air travel we could be looking at a bleak winter for air travel in the west.
And finally…..!
Once, there was a preacher who was an avid golfer. Every chance he could get, he would be on the golf course swinging away.
It was an obsession.
One Sunday was a picture-perfect day for golfing. The sun was out, no clouds were in the sky, and the temperature was just right.
The preacher was in a quandary as to what to do, and shortly, the urge to play golf overcame him.
He called an assistant to tell him that he was sick and could not do church, packed the car up, and drove three hours to a golf course where no one would recognize him.
Happily, he began to play the course.
An angel up above was watching the preacher and was quite perturbed.
He went to God and said, “Look at the preacher. He should be punished for what he is doing.”
God nodded in agreement.
The preacher teed up on the first hole. He swung at the ball, and it sailed effortlessly through the air and landed right in the cup 250 yards away. A picture-perfect hole-in-one.
He was amazed and excited.
The angel was a little shocked.
He turned to God and said, “I beg your pardon, but I thought you were going to punish him.”
God smiled. “Think about it-who can he tell?”
