Greenway, Boardwalk or nothing at all?
Confusion has arisen this week in relation to the “Greenway” project from Lough Key Forest Park to Boyle town. Launched in the Park by An Taoiseach in May 2015, the €400,00 project was billed as “a major tourism project linking the town with the county’s flagship tourist facility at Lough Key Forest & Activity Park.” Fifteen months passed with no sign of any Greenway and no word of it’s dveleopment. Then in September of this month, election candidate Eddie Conroy wrote to Minister Paschal Donohoe inquiring as to the current status of the project. The Minister responded stating “Given the amount awarded was far less than RCC had requested in their application under the National Cycle Network Funding call 2012-2014 it was necessary for the authority to reduce the scope of the project and identify elements which could be delivered within the resources available and which would delivery a worthwhile cycling experience. In brief the project currently being delivered is a group of amenity cycle trails around Lough Key Forest Park, beginning and ending in Boyle and is scheduled for completion at the end of the year”. And so we all assumed the project was shelved….that was until Tuesday of this week when Deputy Frank Feighan issued a statement saying “The contract to construct a boardwalk linking Knockvicar and Lough Key Forest Park as part of the new Boyle Greenway will be awarded shortly. “This boardwalk is part of the first phase of the overall project and will form a significant part of the greenway, which will be both a cycleway and walkway.” So now it looks that despite Minister Donohue saying the greenway allocation had been reduced, a boardwalk is now to be constructed as part of the greenway project. It’s all very confusing with no one really quite sure what is happening
Tidy Towns Committee needs your help
The adjudicators report from the Tidy Towns judges which was published on Boyletoday.com last Monday does not make for pretty reading. It must be extremely frustrating for the small number of hard workers who year on year try their best to move Boyle forward in this competition. Boyle Tidy Town committee need additional members if the town is to gain the extra points that are required. While the comments from the adjudicators can seem quite harsh, it is sometimes beneficial to have an outside person cast a view over the town and highlight some negative items that we in Boyle may take for granted. Armed with this report and an enlarged committee, Boyle can progress further in the Tidy Towns competition.
McAleese Collection is another jewel for Boyle
After months of discussion and planning, the McAleese Collection will be launched in King House this day two weeks, Friday October 16th. Comprising more than sixty gifts received from various heads of state by the former President during her 14 years in office, the collection will be a great tourist attraction for King House and another reason to visit the fabulous facility, once it is in site. Deputy Frank Feighan is to be complimented on all the work he has conducted behind the scenes on having the collection go on display. In Boyle, we are blessed to have King House right in the middle of our town. With a coordinated marketing campaign including the Abbey, Lough Key and King House, there is no reason why Boyle can not attract visitor numbers like the Rock of Cashel or Newgrange with all we have to offer.
No Boyle bypass on the cards
The main project to benefit in this area from the Government’s €27bn Capital Investment Programme announced Tuesday is the much anticipated upgrade of the Castlebaldwin to Colloney section of the N4. No mention though of the Carrick bypass or indeed the Boyle bypass. Viewers may recall the Boyle bypass (not to be confused with the Curlew bypass) was first mooted many years ago with the proposal to link the Roscommon road with the N4 at the Kilbryan junction. The chosen route caused uproar at the time with a controversial flyover at Carrickmore near Maple Drive being a source of concern. In addition, many felt that the Curlew Bypass had taken business as well as traffic from the town and wondered what would happen if another bypass was constructed. At this stage it looks like we will not have to worry about a Boyle bypass for the foreseeable future.
Boyle to the fore with County Senior Team
There is a real feel good factor in the county at present with news of the appointment of the “Dream Team” to manage Roscommon football for the next 3/4 years. Hopefully the same feel good factor will spill over to Boyle considering the strong local involvement with the team from a managerial and player level. Anyone with any belief in Roscommon football knows that something good lies ahead and recent announcements should put Roscommon football right up there with the best in the country. Exciting times lie ahead.
National recognition for The Boyle’d Pot
Regular viewers will be aware that the Boyle’d Pot was short-listed recently for the Blog Ireland Awards 2015. To progress to the final, viewers were asked to participate in a voting process. With your help The Boyle’d Pot has progressed and is now in the last ten in the Lifestyle category and last thirteen in the Marketing and Communications category. The winners of the awards will be announced at a presentation evening in the Tivoli Theatre in Dublin on October 22nd. Thank you all once again for taking the time to vote and for the emails and messages of congratulations since the announcement.
And finally….!
Due to a power outage, only one paramedic responded to the call of a mother in labour.
The house was very dark so the paramedic asked Sophie, a three-year-old toddler, to hold a torch high over her mother so that he could see while he helped deliver the baby. Very diligently, Sophie did as she was asked.
The mother pushed and pushed and, after a little while, baby Billy was born.
The paramedic lifted him by his little feet and spanked him on his bottom whereupon Billy began to cry.
The paramedic then thanked little Sophie for her help and asked the wide-eyed girl what she thought about what she had just witnessed.
Sophie quickly responded, “He shouldn’t have crawled in there in the first place, smack his ass again!”
