Extra resources needed to cope with population increase
On Wednesday last we published details of the €689,000 fund Roscommon Co Co has received to help communities who have welcomed and are hosting families and citizens from Ukraine and other countries. Boyle is one of the towns that could benefit from this fund with a number of suggestions made by the funders including the upgrade of community facilities such as play areas, walkways, parks and community gardens.
While Boyle and the surrounding area is currently home to a number of Ukrainian people, it is understood the town may soon welcome a larger number of Ukranian’s and persons seeking international protection, who are due to arrive into private accommodation.
To ensure services like schools and the health system can deal with our new visitors, it is imperative that additional resources are now provided to Boyle to help with our new residents. We have written at length about the current strain on our medical services where some new residents cannot get to see a doctor. With an anticipated increase in population led by Ukrainian people and those seeking International protection, Boyle, like other towns, will need more Doctors, Teachers, Gardai and community support. At the moment, we do not have enough Gardai serving Boyle, who operate from a station that is not even open 24 hours a day. Our medical services are under severe pressure and our schools need additional teachers – and all this before we welcome an influx of new residents to the town….!!
Another plus that we need to shout about
Like free parking, Boyle town should be shouting louder about the high speed broadband that is currently available in the town. Granted, some rural areas outside the town have very bad or no internet coverage but in the general town envelope, speeds of 100Mb are common and in some instances 1000Mb and 10 gigabit are understood to be in operation. This is unbelievably fast and way above what can be obtained in some major cities. Following pressure from Boyle Town Team over the years, and with assistance from then Minister for Communications Denis Naughten and Deputy Frank Feighan, most of the town centre is now 10Gb enabled which should be a strong selling point to any business thinking of setting up in the centre of Boyle.
January can not go quick enough
There’s a good chance most people will be happy to see the back of January. The month has brought a lot of sadness to our town. In the first three weeks of January, we published eight death notices on this website, which is above average for the period. The winter flu (which seems to take weeks to shake off), RSV, various viruses and Covid have all made for a month that is best forgotten. Add in the grey days of the early part of the week plus the five Monday’s that were in the month and we can only look forward to the next four days of January passing as quick as possible. But better days are coming, the birds are beginning to sing, the evenings (and soon the mornings) will be getting brighter and by Valentines Day you will see daylight at 6pm!
A lesson in communication during a crisis
Hats off to Sligo County Council’s communications department who were on the ball last week during the cold spell of weather. The local authority had their first road update on Twitter and Facebook at 6.30am with many more uploaded throughout the day and evening with the last one’s usually around 10.30pm. The councils website was also updated regularly which was most welcome by road users and people who had to travel to and from the county during the snow and ice. Other local authorities could learn a lesson from Sligo Co Co on how to communicate in times of crisis.
Could Boyle capatalise on film fame?
There was a great reaction to our story yesterday (Thursday) about local resident Megan Hines and her involvement in the hit film the Banshees of Inisherin. (3,900 views on website and a reach of 9,628 on Facebook!) Megan trained Jenny and Rosie, the donkeys who star in the film. Based in Knockvicar, Megan is highly regarded as Ireland’s only qualified Connection Training Coach. Having well known local musicians John and James Carty also star in the film is another local bonus. For a small town we seem to regularly hit the headlines in the global film and music industry. Perhaps there is another opportunity here that the town could capatalise on………?
Attracting visitors to Boyle Abbey
A few weeks ago we mentioned the many uses that could be made of the glass side isle that now adorns the north wall of Boyle Abbey. Our comments drew a number of emails from viewers on the Abbey and it’s promotion (or lack of same) and who is to blame for the demise in visitor numbers at the tourist attraction. Some put the blame solely at the door of the OPW and wondered if the organisation was serious about the Abbey, asking “why have they not finished the work they commenced” citing the “non removal of plastic inlaid gravel van parking at the front of the Abbey” as an example. This viewer also wondered if the ‘prefabricated building lowered by crane into place in 2015 is the new, specially designed, Information/Guide Facility that was promised in November 2011 at a ceremony in King House”?
Others blamed the town in general and the civic bodies for not promoting the Abbey and all it has to offer.
Boyle Abbey and King House are our two top town centre tourist attractions. It is past time that a productive meeting is held between Roscommon Co Co, the OPW and local interested parties to ensure the Abbey and King House are marketed and maintained to a standard that attracts a larger number of tourists to the facilities than at present.
And finally….!
A man passed out on the beach for four hours, and got a horrible sunburn, especially to the front of his legs above his knees.
He went to the hospital and was promptly admitted after being diagnosed with second-degree burns.
With his skin already starting to blister and the severe pain he was in, the doctor prescribed continuous intravenous feeding with saline, electrolytes, a sedative and a Viagra pill every four hours.
The nurse, who was rather astounded, asked, ‘What good will Viagra do for him, Doctor?’
The Doctor replied, ‘It won’t do anything for his condition, but it’ll keep the sheets off his legs.’
