How drugs may find their way into Boyle
Anyone who thinks that drugs are not circulating in Boyle is naïve. Like every town in Ireland, there is a drug scene in Boyle and it is not always those who you would suspect that are the users and the dealers. Thankfully, the Gardai are getting on top of the problem nationwide with large finds nearly every day of the week, putting a dint in the supply of cannabis, cocaine and other illegal substances. One alleged mode of drug transportation is the rail network with Gardaí commenting this week that they plan to increase patrols on trains after noticing an increase in addicts travelling on the rail network to Dublin so that they can purchase drugs during the lockdown. There is no indication that drugs are being transported on the Dublin – Sligo line that passes through Boyle but if the rail network is being used as alleged, then you can be sure some drugs coming into Boyle and the North West make their way here via the train. Perhaps a surprise journey by the customs drug dog Bailey may be what is required.
Motorists advised of Deer on N4
Boyletoday.com annually issues warnings to motorists during the rutting season about the dangers of deer on the N4 and other back roads around Boyle. But motorists should be aware of deer all year round and those using the cycleway near the Woodenbridge on Wednesday morning would see why. It seems a deer was hit by a vehicle overnight and ended up dead on the grass verge of the cycleway adjacent to the N4. The matter was brought to the attention of Roscommon Co Co who were promptly on the scent to dispose of the animal.
There has been an increase in the deer population around Boyle in recent times with the animal mentioned above probably coming from what is referred to locally as “The Dereens”, just across the road from the cycleway. There are reports also of other herds on ‘The Plains’ and in Carrickmore, while Corrigeenroe, the Curlews and around Cloonloo where deer all are seen roaming freely.
‘Where are theses people going to live?’
Following on from last week’s piece on the benefit of remote working strategy could have on Boyle, we were contacted by a viewer to ask where do we think “these people are going to live considering the shortage of housing stock in Boyle at present”.
Indeed there is most definitely a shortage of ‘housing stock’, as the viewer put it, in Boyle with any houses that come on the market – particularly three bed semi’s – selling very quickly, with very few properties available for rent either. The answer to the problem has to come from the town centre where there are many properties lying idle. If you take Main Street- there are approximately 5 premises lived in. On the town side of St Patrick Street, there are roughly the same number and on Bridge Street up to the Crescent a similar scenario exists, even thought there are a large number of properties on these streets that could accommodate people if they were refurbished.
Boyle was one of six towns chosen a few years back as a pilot town to establish how we could get people back living in the town centre. The findings of that study have been forwarded to Government and hopefully they will be acted on soon to breathe new live into town centre living. 15 suggested actions were recommended including disincentives to leaving buildings idle and incentives to refurbishing those buildings through taxation strategies.
So if we are to accommodate the new generation of remote workers, we need to get high quality apartments and town houses in Boyle town centre with public realm enhancements and facilities in the town to entice people to live there.
New features planned for popular cycleway
One of the most utilised pieces of infrastructure in Boyle right now is the Lough Key to Boyle cycleway. Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions, the cycleway is not being used by the general public (ie those outside 5k from Boyle) and the town is not seeing the benefit from the path like it would have if the tourist season was open and life was normal. The cycleway was recently the recipient of a welcomed €20,000 in additional funds which will be used to install seating huts, age friendly seating and picnic benches along the cycleway, with construction of these to commence hopefully this year. Maybe mid to late summer there will be more tourists about to enjoy the cycleway and the new pieces of infrastructure.
Speeding motorist in Boyle town centre
Figures released during the week show that over the Christmas and New Year period (4th December – 5th January), An Garda Síochána and GoSafe checked 186,125 vehicles nationwide and detected 892 vehicles travelling in excess of the applicable speed limit. Gardai have requested that “drivers increase their compliance with speed limits in order to lower speed related collisions. This will reduce injuries on our roads and save lives.”
The figures above would seem to indicate that some motorists think that because there is a lockdown in place, there are less vehicles on the road and they can go faster. This is certainly the case in Boyle, especially in the town centre where speeding up and down the Crescent and on Elphin Street is common place, by some – especially late in the evening and at night. In addition you have impatient motorists who cannot bother to go around the roundabouts in the town and cut to the side of them. Add to that those in Boyle who think the traffic lights at road works around the town do not apply to them and regularly overtake lines of cars waiting for the last few seconds until the lights go green. These law breakers and speeding motorists are the ones who need to be dealt with.
Traffic management on St Patrick Street
Thankfully there were no passing walkers (or cars) on St Patrick Street last evening (Thursday) when a large portion of a chimney from a derelict building fell onto the footpath and roadway. Boyle Gardai and Roscommon Co Co personnel were quickly on the scene to get the debris cleared and a traffic management plan put in place in case some more masonry became dislodged. If you are driving on the street over the next few days please be aware (and obey) the traffic lights that are facilitating a one lane system.
And finally…….!
The Chief of Staff of the US Air Force decided to personally recruit some pilots and he saw two young twins.
He looked at the first young man and asked: “Son, what skills can you bring to the Air Force?”
The young man looks at him and says: “I’m a pilot!”
The General gets all excited, turns to his aide and says: “Get him in today, all the paper work done, everything, do it!”
The aide hustles the young man off. The General looks at the second young man and asks: “What skills to you bring to the Air Force?”
The young man says: “I chop wood!”
“Son,” the general replies: “We don’t need wood choppers in the Air Force, what do you know how to do?”
“I chop wood!”
“Young man,” huffs the general, “You are not listening to me, we don’t need wood choppers, this is the 20th century!”
“Well,” the young man says, “You hired my brother!”
“Of course we did,” says the general, “He’s a pilot!”
The young man rolls his eyes and says: “So what! I have to chop it before he can pile it!”
