Science video award for Boyle students
Congratulations to the sixth class students from Scoil na Aingeal Naofa and teacher Sinead McManus, who were runners-up in the ReelLIFE SCIENCE Video Competition Awards which were announced during last Sunday’s Galway Science and Technology Virtual Festival Show. Their entry was titled ‘Cells in our Bodies’, winning the School €500. Judge Ferne Corrigan praised this “beautifully produced multimedia video” which “really captures the complexity of human biology. The stop-motion was used to excellent effect, such great communication. I loved the ambition of the project and you worked on a cutting edge area of academic research.” You can see their video here
Boyle streetscape to develop but Crescent to remain as before
The public, elected members and local authority have all spoken and the Boyle Town Enhancement project will now proceed to funding stage – but without any upgrade or modernization of the Crescent area of the town. Local Councillors voted last Friday in favour of the recommendation of the County Manager that the Crescent area be omitted from the enhancement project following a review of the submissions received. While it is accepted that there were concerns among some – mainly the traders on the Crescent – at the loss of parking and traffic movement in that area, it must also be remembered that there were many more members of the public who were in favour of the full project and the positive change and increased footfall it would have brought to the centre of the town. But the final decision has now been made to leave the Crescent as it is. Time will tell if that was a good idea or not.
Now the reduced project goes forward for RRDF funding and should this become available next year, we will have half the town upgraded and the other half (the Crescent) remaining as it has been for the last number of years.
It has been commented on that had the timeline between the Part 8 and the application for funding been of a longer time frame, an opportunity to address the parking and traffic concerns could have arisen, that would then have left the way open for an enhancement of all the town centre – not just the area to the north.
It was also suggested last Friday that perhaps the Crescent area could form part of another application next year but the overriding question remains “will there be money available then as there is now”?
In looking through the submissions that were received on the project, the loss of parking spaces on the Crescent and the workability of the proposed two way traffic and the parking layout on the top of the Crescent seem to have been the most commented on, but there were some other observations that stood out among the 7 submissions received from the members of the public:
A suggestion from Brian Kane that a taxi rank be included in the scheme, while it was explained would require a separate bye law process, was not thrown out completely, with the comments added ‘there is scope to examine the provision of dedicated taxi parking within Boyle’.
The submission from An Garda Siochana, understandably dealt mainly with traffic considerations on the top of the Crescent and Ross Lane, but interestingly suggested that “a number of parking spaces be kept on the Crescent area beside the three designated casual trading areas”. The reason given by An Garda Siochana for this was “for persons attending the funeral home, events in St. Joseph’s Hall and to facilitate elderly people while shopping and to compensate for any other loss of parking spaces from the proposed works.”
Boyle Town Team suggested that as outlined in a section of the Boyle 2040 plan to make Boyle a ‘Smart Town’, digital signage should be erected as part of the enhancement project to identify the various car parks and parking spaces around the town, with all car parks including the area around St. Joseph’s Hall lined out into parking spaces. The Team also suggested that parking be retained on Boyle Bridge.
The Crescent Traders and the Town Team both suggested opening Shop Street from the bottom of Marian Road to the Shop Street car park. The traders also queried what was going to happen with the casual traders on the Crescent. They also ‘request that all other existing parking is retained, specifically around the bridge and to the southern side of Termon Road’.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland said they were ‘not aware of any advance consultation in relation to the Part VIII proposals impacting the N61 national road.’ They also stated ‘There is no evidence that road safety audit has been undertaken for the proposed works in accordance with the requirements of TII Publications GE-STY-01024 Road Safety Audit’.
The new Boyle Town Centre Enhancement Project will now go forward to the relevant Government department for RRDF funding for which the deadline for applications is this Monday. A decision on the award of funding is expected in Q2 2021
Your support is needed now more so than ever
As we exit Level 5 restrictions, many Boyle businesses are once again getting ready to reopen their doors and this year, more than ever, they need your support. We are all familiar with the annual call to ‘shop local’ but now that call is more important than at any time previously.
We are blessed here in Boyle to have a large number of long established and well respected shops and businesses and a number of new ones also who have all been closed for the last six weeks. These diverse range of enterprises have all suffered but they are still in the race. They stock a wide range of goods and if you look hard enough, you will find that you can most likely get anything you want here in our town so why leave Boyle to do your shopping? In addition, many Boyle businesses have spend extra money this year in establishing an online presence so you can shop from home – maybe tell your family and friends who don’t live in Boyle to look at these businesses first (The list of online businesses is in a news story on the homepage of this website). If we support each other, stay local and shop local, Boyle will prosper this Christmas.
A good week for Boyle
Despite everything that is happening nationally and globally, it really was a good week for Boyle. During the last five days on this website, we detailed the announcement of two important local projects (in addition to the Town Enhancement) – the upgrade of the Pleasure Grounds and the upgrade of the Doon Shore. Many have asked will the play area in the Pleasure Grounds also get an upgrade and the answer to that is – yes, it will. A separate tender went out recently for some remedial work on the playground to bring it up to an acceptable standard. So when the Royal eventually starts, when the Pleasure Grounds with it’s planned natural amphitheater is completed, when the Bridge Street, Shop Street and rear of Main Street work is done, when the Doon Shore is brought up to the standard it deserves, added to by a few other projects that are gaining momentum – Boyle will be a much better looking and sought after town going into the future.
Garda operation takes place from Boyle base
Early morning local walkers and commuters around Boyle on Wednesday morning would have seen a high level of activity around Boyle Garda Station. It later transpired that Boyle Station was the geographical base for an operation that took place shortly after 8am in Strokestown where arrests were made at a property on foot of a high court order. It has been a while since Boyle Garda Station seen such activity.
And Finally……!
Three Irishmen were sitting in the pub window seat, watching the front door of the brothel across the road.
The local vicar appeared at the brothel door and quickly went inside.
“Would you look at that!” said the first Irishman. “Didn’t I always say what a bunch a hypocrites they are?”
No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a Rabbi appeared at the door, knocked, and went inside. “Another one tryin’ to fool everyone with pious preachin’ and stupid hats!” said the second Irishman.
The three continued drinking their beers, roundly condemning the vicar and the rabbi.
Then they saw their own Catholic priest knock on the brothel door.
“Ah, now isn’t that sad,” said the third Irishman. “One a the girls must have died.”
