Lessons learned from the flooding crisis
The inclement weather and resultant flooding has been the main topic of converstion over the Christmas and New Year period. When news broke on this website of flooding around the Boyle area, we were contacted by national media assuming the problem was in Boyle town centre adjacent to the Boyle river. But the town centre remained flood free while an area just out the road, with no river running through it, suffered unbelievable damage. The community spirit that this area is famous for kicked into action when the Brady family in Lisserdrea found flood waters rising around their home. Neighbours, organisations and people with no connection to the family or area offered help and assistance filling sandbags and manning pumps during the crisis. When Ann Brady made a 999 call in desperation as the flood waters rose, it was directed to Castlerea Garda Station where luckily, Boyle resident and Castlerea based Sergeant Frank Egan was on duty. Frank subsequently alerted the Lough Ree Sub Aqua Club who arrived in Lisserdrea that evening. Was Frank not on duty that faithful night, one wonders how the situation would have unfolded. What is surprising in the sequence of events, is that that 999 call was directed to the Gardai. One would have assumed it would have gone to the fire service who have portable pumps etc on their appliances in Boyle to deal with such emergencies. Recent events goes to show the need for Boyle Fire Service to have an RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) as part of their equipment. The flooding, a river running through the town and our proximity to Lough Key makes the need for a rescue boat on our fire brigade, a matter of necessity and one which should be campigned for immediately.
One for everyone in the town
Since the advent of the internet, the printing of telephone directories must surely have taken a reverse step. But still there are some who turn to the printed page to access a telephone number. Over the Christmas period a number of these telephone directories were delivered around Boyle. You would have to say the people who got that job to do, did what they were told and delivered a directory to every home in the town – new, old, lived in and not lived in. For anyone away on holidays, a telephone directory left at the door for a few days was a real giveaway that the house was unoccupied. Would it not be wise to have some arrangement whereby directories are only left in houses where people answer the door?
Boyle fuel the cheapest around
Thankfully for the counsumer, competiton in the fuel business has led to Boyle being one of the cheapest places in the country for petrol and diesel. At 105.9 for diesel and 122.9 for petrol we are nearly 6 cents cheaper than many towns and ten cents cheaper than certain forecourts in Dublin. This is a great plus for the town and if marketed enough, should see people travelling to Boyle to fill up their cars and vans.
Plans for commuter train to serve Boyle
The 2016 Irish Rail timetables have recently been published which show changes to operation times on the Dublin Sligo line. Click here to see the proposed changes.The consultation period for commenting on the new timetables closed in December so there is no avenue of complaint at this stage. One area that has not been addressed, but will hopefully get an airing this year, is the provision of a commuter train to serve Sligo. Boyle Town Team are making this project one of their priorities for 2016 and are understood to be organising meetings between the various bodies to see if the proposal is viable.
The five changes needed in Boyle for 2016
2016 is now a week old and plans for the coming year are well afoot. Locally, if Boyle is to develop this year, a number of items and changes are required and some may not like the truth of the 5 suggestions you will read next…
1. We need a hotel. A decision has to be made public on the position with the Royal Hotel. If its not going to be sold, then efforts can be made to progress other avenues for a hotel in town. If it is going to be sold, and there are those interested in purchasing, it needs to happen very soon.
2. Retail businesses in Boyle need to meet quarterly and devise an collective marketing strategy for the town. Certain business people need to stop complaining and need to forget looking over their shoulder, trying to better those who are in the same business. If the traders in Boyle don’t work together and help each other out to market what they have, then they are wasting their time.
3. The begrudgery has to stop. Boyle is like every other small town in this regard. But if we are to develop, the resentment of those who are seen as successful or who try something new, has to cease. Instead of trying to find a bad angle on people, they should be complimented and supported. Likewise the publication of rumour, gossip, innuendo and personal attacks on those who do not sign up to an individuals belief has also to stop, as this is a major catalyst in dragging the town backwards.
4. A feeling of belief in Boyle has to be instilled in our people. Ask any teenager what they think of the town and you may not get that positive of an answer. We need to start at primary school and work our way forward to sow seeds of admiration for what we have, not what we dont have, in our young and indeed not so young. Why not have a “Boyle Day”. Bring the people out and show them what we have. How many locals have set foot in Boyle Abbey or King House or experienced the Boda Berg or Zipit in Rockingham?
5. Get a replacement industry for the Green Isle factory. If there were 50 to 100 semi skilled jobs in Boyle, it would change the economy of the town forever. The young who have to emigrate would remain in Boyle with a disposable income to spend in the pubs and shops resulting in a major boost to the town.
If the above five changes happened, major stumbling blocks in Boyle’s endeavours to move forward would be removed.
And finally…!
A husband takes his wife to a nightclub.
There’s a guy on the dancefloor giving it large – break dancing, moon walking, backflips, the works.
The wife turns to her husband and says “See that guy? 25 years ago he proposed to me and I turned him down”.
The husband replies “Looks like he’s still celebrating”
