Big games for the Abbey Park
The Abbey Park will be a hive of activity tomorrow (Saturday) evening with two senior football championship matches due to be played on the scenic pitch. At 6pm Castlerea St. Kevins and Kilmore battle it out while at 7.30pm hosts Boyle take on St. Brigid’s. These are two big games for the Boyle venue which should draw a large attendance to the town. While the crowds will hopefully come to see the game, it is then up to the shops, pubs and restaurants to ensure they remain on and visit their premises by enticing them in with special offers and promotions. Nowadays business will not walk in your door – you have to look for it with value for the consumer. While on the subject of GAA, there was some concern locally last Saturday that Club Rossie, the fundraising arm of Roscommon GAA organised their pre and post minor match stop off in Co. Sligo and did not come to Boyle which is the first town in the home county and on the way home for many supporters after the game.
Speed restriction still in place
It seems a bit ridiculous to still have the 60kph speed limit in place on the N4 between Boyle and Carrick considering the pipe laying work has been suspended for a few weeks now. Locals are probably aware of the limit but others may not be (even though the signs are still visible) and for speed detection personnel it ‘s like plucking goldfish out of a bowl. Be warned!
IrishTV film in Boyle once again
It was great to see IrishTV.ie back in Boyle on Wednesday last filming King House and Boyle Men’s Shed. IrishTV were previously in the town for the Lough Key Classic cycle event in May when the town looked great on screen. IrishTV are a Westport based TV company operated by a husband and wife team. They broadcast on the Sky network and the internet and are a lot more approachable and open to covering events than the main stream TV companies. They have a cameraman and presenter in each county in Ireland who produce a weekly show. The Roscommon show is broadcast each Monday evening at 6.30pm. With such beautiful scenery around our town, any publicity we can get on television can only assist in promoting Boyle as a popular tourist destination.
Signage needed at Car Park exit
When discussing the one way system in Boyle, talk automatically turns to Main Street and Bridge Street and the crazy junction at Mc Donagh’s corner. But spend some time in the Crescent car park and you will see that the one way system exiting the car park is as dangerous as anything else around town. Visitors who do not know the area exit the car park and turn left – straight out into the path of car’s that have turned in half way up the Crescent. In the space of one hour this week, 6 cars were witnessed making this manoeuvre. Line painting and additional signage may help avoid an inevitable accident here.
Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann and Boyle
This weekend sees the start of Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann in Sligo and with it an expected 300,000 visitors. Hopefully Boyle will see a spin off from the huge crowd as accommodation is at a premium in the North West town with those unsuccessful in seeking a bed looking to nearby areas as their base from which to travel daily for the competitions and music. As Boyle has a direct rail link to Sligo it is well suited for those Fleadh visitors. With such a large crowd comes associated problems. Additional Garda including the air support unit will be deployed to Sligo for the week long event to ensure crime is under control and traffic disruption is kept to a minimum. The regional hospital, which many from Boyle use, is also expecting to be busier than normal. Mention of the Fleadh brings back memories to when Boyle hosted the festival back in 1960 and 1966 during which the town witnessed crowds never seen before.
Boyle river – our jewel in the crown
Well done to Boyle Angling Club who have organised a river clean up for this coming Wednesday evening. The river is a focal point in Boyle that has so much potential and needs to be kept in good condition. Despite the weirs that were installed north of the bridge a number of years ago, water levels obviously drop during the summer highlighting the algae and rubbish that has accumulated or been washed down stream. It all seems to get caught around the bridge so a good clean up will work wonders. If you are around at 6.30pm on Wednesday, please drop down and give a hand.
And finally…..!
In life there are two things to worry about: either you are well or you are sick. If you are well then there is nothing to worry about, but if you are sick there are only two things to worry about: either you get well or you die.
If you get well then there is nothing to worry about. But if you die there are only two things to worry about: either you will go to heaven or to hell.
If you go to heaven then there is nothing to worry about. But if you go to hell, you’ll be so damn busy shaking hands with friends you won’t have time to worry.
