Train service cancellation angers passengers
There was a palpable sense of anger on Sunday morning last when the 09.05 train from Sligo to Dublin failed to show up. Passengers were left waiting in Boyle (09.39) and at other stations for information which was not forthcoming unless you were on ‘X’, where Iarnrod Eireann posted “Due to an operational issue this morning’s 09.05 Sligo/Connolly service will start from Mullingar”. Some people enquired “What is the situation for waiting passengers in Sligo, Boyle etc…are they to wait for the 11.05 to depart or is there a bus transfer/extra train service running for them?”. Iarnrod Eireann replied: “Unfortunately, no other transfer is possible this morning. Passengers will need to wait for the arrival of the 11.05 Sligo/Connolly service”. This reply drew even more anger as passengers posted that they had been told that a bus was en route from Sligo but the company said this was not the case. Many others complained of missing flights and appointments due to the ‘operational issue’. Irish Rail later confirmed that the train did not run due to ‘driver illness’.
And to add to passenger problems with Irish Rail, on Wednesday there were further delays on the Sligo line due to a ‘technical issue’.
A different type of holiday in Boyle
A number of visitors are spending a different type of holiday in Boyle this week. A group of approximately 10 people – mainly from the US – are staying in rural Boyle for what has been described as ‘a pilgrimage designed for a small intimate female centered group of diverse and inclusive individuals who are on a journey to enrich their spiritual experiences alongside other like-minded individuals seeking a deeper meaning within themselves”. According to the organisers: “The group are staying in two private homes in the countryside in Boyle. The main home where we will be based for all meals, groups and activities sits on top of a hill overlooking a vast valley, complete with streams, vistas, starry skies, nearby cows and donkeys and an herbalist’s paradise of wild medicinal plants”. The group are visiting Boyle Abbey and all local historical sites, Lough Key, Carrowkeel/Carrowmore, Caves of Keash and Knocknarea.
This trip is a great example of how the unspoilt beauty and history of Boyle can attract visitors to our town. Well done to the organisers who have seen the beauty around this area that we sometimes take for granted.
Memories of an extraordinary man
News of the passing of 107 year old Michael Coyne on Tuesday last was greeted with sadness in his adopted town of Boyle where he lived in Sycamore Crescent with his nephew Neil McGarry for many years. Michael was a familiar figure around Boyle, having his lunch regularly in the the various food outlets in the town. When he got out of Neil’s car, Michael put the head down and went at pace to his destination – no holding onto walls for support by this man even when he was well over 100. He also enjoyed a tipple and when this website went to visit him on a wet Monday afternoon in January 2018 as he celebrated his 101st birthday, he declined to speak until this writer agreed to take a drop of Jameson with lime with him, and then, after a brief silence Michael began the discussion saying “I’d say you’re a bit of a chancer”! (some would say Michael was a good judge of character!)
Well know local photographer Brian Farrell took some great shots of Michael over the years and was always on hand to mark his birthdays. Talking to Brian after his passing, he remarked “He’ll be raging he didn’t get to vote in the upcoming elections”.
And so we bid goodbye to a man of an age we may not witness again, and that he lived among us here in Boyle for so many years was indeed a blessing and an inspiration.
Retro Cannonball in County Roscommon on Saturday
Kilronan Castle will host a lunch stop for this year’s Retro Cannonball Run this Saturday May 25th with cars arriving at approximately 12.30pm. The 100 classic cars are coming from Westport to Kilronan but it seems like they will travel there via Co. Sligo and not Boyle. Retro Cannonball starts at Thomand Park in Limerick today May 24th at 9.30 a.m. It then takes in part of the Wild Atlantic Way with lunch in Fiddle & Bow Hotel in Co. Clare, arriving in Westport for an overnight stay. It will then travel on to Roscommon (Kilronan Castle), Cavan, arriving in Mullingar for an exciting finish line. The classic car convoy will include rare cars such as the Lamborghini Diablo, Jaguar E-Type, Ferrari 348 GTS, Mercedes-Benz SL Classics, Lancia Beta, BMW 635CSI, Porsche 911 Carrera and Targa, MG Midget, Ford Escort Cosworth, Chevrolet Corvette, VW Beetle, Ford Thunderbird, mini cooper and many more. Spectators can get up close, view the cars and take photographs at each of the start and finish lines, pitstops and lunch stops.
More funding for Boyle clubs and groups
A number of Boyle projects were awarded funding on Wednesday under the Local Enhancement Programme. The funding will provide capital supports essential for the many small community groups and organisations, particularly those who serve disadvantaged areas in rural and urban areas. In Boyle the following were among the successful recipients: Boyle Arts Festival €1133; Boyle Bridge Club €571; Boyle Family Resource Centre €6000; Boyle Film Club €1206; Croghan Community Projects €1153 and Ardcarne Park Development Committee €365;
News snippets from around Boyle
Well done to the person who cut the grass at the second gate of Rockingham last weekend. It is understood Roscommon Co Co has been requested to include this newly upgraded area in their schedule but the grass had got so long, a good nature man took matters in to his own hands and did the necessary…………..Following our piece last week in relation to the need for further accommodation in Boyle, we are enlightened to hear that a number of bed and breakfast and rooms are being planned at present by various individuals for the town – and they can’t come quick enough………The Department of Rural and Community Affairs has launched their video on all the work that is ongoing and planned for Boyle. That the Department picked Boyle just goes to show the belief they have in the town which has resulted in this Government pumping millions of euro into various projects around Boyle. You can view the video here………Famous film actress and Boyle native the late Maureen O’Sullivan would have celebrated her birthday last Friday having been born in the town on May 17th 1911. Her daughter, Mia Farrow tweeted about her mother on the day………Tickets are still available for Boyle Musical Society’s Ruby Anniversary Concert, celebrating 40 years of musicals in Boyle, which will take place at 7pm next Sunday, May 26th in St. Joseph’s Church. Tickets priced at €15 are available now from the Boyle Craft Shop, Taylors Jewellers, Magee’s Fashion Shop and Natural Options. Please note that all seats are unreserved. Telephone bookings can be made on 071 966 3033 from 10am to 4pm daily…………Well done to the Tidy Town volunteers who took to the Crescent area last evening and cleared the Plaza in front of the Courthouse of weeds………Irish Rail have now put on an extra train from Carrick to Dublin for the Roscommon game on Sunday. Why not put it from Boyle which is in County Roscommon?………….A defibrillator will soon be installed at St. Joseph’s Church. If anyone wishes to partake in the defibrillator training, please leave your name and contact number into the Parish office or Sacristy or by emailing [email protected]. Training will be held on Wednesday 29th May from 7 p.m. in St. Joseph’s Resource Centre……….Breathwork Classes will commence in the Fitt Factory in Boyle on Friday June 9th. Details on the Fitt Factory FB page and to book please message Nathan on 0862397268………..Great to see Ireland West Airport being utilised for Wednesday night’s European Cup Final. A charter from Cologne landed fans in Dublin on Wednesday and repositioned to IWAK, overflying Boyle around 3.30pm. Fans were then bussed to IWAK after the game and the flight departing at 4am……..Traffic was once again held up on Bridge Street in Boyle on Saturday afternoon when a car decided to illegally park on the path outside An Rioga with it’s rear out on the road and front facing the archway. It was there for a period of time and resulted in tail backs and pedestrians having to go onto the road to get past. Time for An Garda Siochana to start giving out parking tickets…….The new Mayor of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council in Wales was inaugurated last week. At the ceremony Councillor Matthew Crowley spoke of his proud Irish ancestry which dates back to Boyle in the 1800’s.
And finally….!
A bagpiper was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man.
He had no family or friends, so the service was to be held at a cemetery in the country.
As the bagpiper was not familiar with this area, he got lost and, being a proud man, didn’t ask for directions.
Finally, an hour late, he arrived and saw the funeral director had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight.
There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. He felt very bad and apologised to the men for being late.
He went to the side of the grave and looked down to see the vault lid already in place.
Not knowing what else to do, he started to play.
The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around.
He played out his heart and soul for this man with no family and friends.
And as he played ‘Amazing Grace,’ the workers began to weep. They wept, he wept, they all wept together.
When he finished, he packed up his bagpipes and started for his car.
Though his head hung low, his heart was full.
As he opened the door to his car, he heard one of the workers say: “I never saw anytin’ like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”
