‘Celtic deserve to be Club of the Year
The news that Boyle Celtic has been shortlisted for the FAI club of the year is a fitting tribute to a local club that has entertained and united the town like no other previously. The winter and spring of 2017 will go down in local history as one of great excitement in Boyle as ‘Celtic got to within one game of an historic appearance in the Aviva Stadium. We can only dream now of what fun and craic that weekend would have been! Unfortunately the soccer season closes with no silverware on the table but a club of the year title would be sweet and give all associated with Boyle Celtic a timely boost. Fingers crossed…..
The future of the Royal Hotel
There was minimal damage to the old Royal Hotel last Sunday evening following a quickly extinguished small blaze in former function room of the now derelict building. The fire has once again brought the spotlight on the Royal Hotel and it’s future. It is widely know at this stage that the building, and others in the town centre along by the river, are understood to be in a flood plain. Should that be the case, the chances of us ever seeing a hotel again on the Royal Hotel site are very slim and we must move out thoughts away from our hearts and look at alternative uses for the site. What is needed now is patience for a short while at least, until we see what the future holds for the old Royal Hotel in Boyle.
How about a Street Feast in Boyle
There is still time for Boyle to become involved in this year’s Street Feast – Ireland’s annual day of street parties and community lunches. People are invited to host a party with neighbours on Sunday 11th June. The party can be anywhere – out on the street, in a local park or green area or in your front garden.There are lots of good reasons to have a Street Feast, the main ones being to celebrate your local community and meet new people who live near you.When you register your feast on streetfeast.ie and you will receive your free party pack to help you get started. This is the 8th year of Street Feast with over 120,000 people taking part in 1,215 Street Feasts last year. It would be great to see a few around Boyle
Changes needed to facilitate tourists
If we are to take tourism seriously in Boyle this summer season, we need to start urgently preparing for our visitors. Having staggered opening hours in our restaurant’s would be a start. Last Monday evening there were six boats moored in the Marina. On assumption, it looked like five of the six families had wandered into town seeking an evening meal but to their dismay, the majority of our restaurants were closed. One family were even seen heading into a supermarket at 7pm seeking hot food from a deli counter, with none available. The same scene was played out again on Tuesday evening. It is understandable that there may not be enough business in Boyle on a Monday or Tuesday evening to sustain all restaurants but surely a rota could be drawn up that a certain amount were open seven days per week. Those early week evening tourists may return to Boyle at some stage for the beautiful scenery, but unless changes are made – they won’t be returning for our Monday/Tuesday culinary choices.
Boyle Abbey numbers
The news that Boyle Abbey lost €160,000 last year is a wake up call and a signal that cost saving measures and a marketing drive are needed at the Boyle tourist facility. While it is accepted that it is not all about money, the stark reality is that operations like Boyle Abbey have to make money or at least break even if they are to remain viable. Many questions arise from the report. Why does Boyle Abbey have to foot the cost of maintenance personnel who the report states “carry out maintenance on other national monuments nearby”? Surely this cost should be included in the bigger OPW operation’s wage bill. In addition, income of €18,000 for the Abbey is relatively low when one looks at other OPW operated sites. The 2015 figures show Boyle Abbey had 6,919 visitors, Sligo Abbey (15,592), Donegal Castle (47,136) and the highest of the old castles the Rock of Cashel (300,749). Boyle Town Team, who came up with the idea of joint local ticketing, has started to address the problem by requesting the OPW to include Boyle Abbey in the ticket. But that in itself will not be enough. A planned marketing campaign, bus parking and diver incentives are all needed in addition to local input from Town Team, Chamber and tourism interests if Boyle Abbey is to reach it’s full potential.
And finally…..!
The flight attendant sees a suspicious looking couple onboard, so she reports it to the Captain immediately.
“Sir, I think we have a case of human trafficking! There is a very pretty, good looking female passenger onboard, who looks quite frightened and the man she is with is a fat old slob who looks like a lecher, very sullen, mean and dangerous!”
The captain responds, “Patricia, I’ve told you this before. This is Air Force One…”
