Night and Day time has finally arrived
This weekend is the big one in Boyle’s Lough Key Forest Park as another year and more of planning see’s the 2025 Night and Day Festival finally arrive. Full details of everything you need to know about the festival with links to stage times, shuttle buses etc can be found on the main page of Boyletoday.com. There really is a great line up of acts and events that are sure to bring a huge crowd to the Park. While all the events are obviously in the Forest Park, many festival goers will arrive into Boyle on the train and those who drive have to get diesel and provisions so there should be a spin off for the town. The publicity the event can also give to Boyle is immense and copper fastens the fact that the address of the festival is “Lough Key Forest Park, Boyle, Co. Roscommon”. Let’s hope the weather plays it’s part and that everyone has an enjoyable and safe time at the event.
Upgrade for touch screen information points
Many people have queried, and commented on the touch screen information points that were installed in various locations around town earlier this year. It is understood there were initially some technical problems with the screens but thankfully this is due to be rectified this week. Updating of images was posing a problem but training is taking place this week on the screens and new and correct format images and information on tourism product providers and local events will soon be uploaded, which is a welcome development. It is understood an agreement is also in place for the information points to be cleaned on a regular basis.
Boyle not included in fast charging hub announcement
We recently wrote here in the Boyle’d Pot about the benefit fast car chargers would be to Boyle. Unfortunately the town was not included in the list of new sites nationwide that were recently announced as locations for new high powered recharging hubs. Glancys in Carrick and Duffy’s and McLoughlins in Ballaghaderren along with Westward Centra in Tarmonbarry and Supervalu in Strokestown are among the hubs in County Roscommon. Hopefully it is not too late to have Boyle included in a further roll out of these fast charging hubs.
Boyle native priest celebrates silver jubilee
Boyle native and Sligo based priest Fr. Pat Lombard recently celebrated his 25th anniversary in the priesthood. Fr. Pat, who initially spent 16 years in banking before joining the priesthood, was ordained in St. Joseph’s Church in Boyle on June 18th 2000. He has spent all his priestly life in Sligo, first in Calry, then in the Cathedral and finally in St. Anne’s. There was many messages of congratulations for Fr. Pat over the last week not just from his parishioners but also from his many friends in Boyle, some who joined the Lombard family for a celebratory Mass in St. Annes on Wednesday June 18th.
Concern raised again at use of top floors in An Rioga
It has emerged that Roscommon Co Co has leased the second floor of An Rioga to Coillte for a period of 3 years. The information was provided to members of the local authority at last Monday’s monthly meeting and it has once again raised concerns. Viewers were in touch with Boyletoday.com this week to vent their anger at a building that has been “built with grant aid and tax payers money”, being rented for profit – this time to a semi state company. One viewer wrote: “I heard this week that the Council has leased another floor in the old Royal Hotel to another business – this time a semi state company. I thought this building was renovated for the use of the people of Boyle – not for commercial business? Was it not the tax payers money and grant aid that funded the refurbishment of the building? Where will the profits gained from the two companies renting the offices go? Will it be reinvested directly in Boyle? The art gallery on the ground floor is a great addition and a lovely enterprise but it is a real shame that all we can access is only the gallery on the ground floor of the Royal”.
Submissions required on Lough Key Greenway
There was a steady flow of interested parties to Public Consultation 2 on the proposed Lough Key Greenway on Tuesday last in the Visitor Centre in the Park. A number of route options were on display varying from paths adjacent to the N4, the railway line, via Knockvicar and via Cootehall and onto Carrick-on-Shannon. There is also a plan for a new cycle way to Boyle or an upgrade of the existing cycle path, which is welcomed. The project is currently at Phase 2 of a 7 point project phase. Feedback is required to help shape the Greenway as it progresses and you can do so here with the closing date for submissions for this phase, 4pm Friday July 18th. During Phase 2, which is where we are at right now, Route Corridor Options are thoroughly examined, considering their costs, benefits and environmental impact. The goal is to identify a Preferred Option, which will then move forward to Phase 3 Design and Environmental Evaluation. Phase 4 is the Statutory Process, Phase 5 Enabling and Procurement, Phase 6 Construction and Implementation and Phase 7 Close Out and Review and that could be 2030.
News snippets from around Boyle
Best of luck to Boyle GAA U15 boys and their management team who will represent Roscommon in the National Feile competition this weekend in Derry………..There will be Mass and Blessing of Graves on Sunday next 29th June at 3p.m. in Assylinn (New) Graveyard……….Boyle Golf Club Lady captain Fiona Keenan has a number of events planned for her Lady Captains weekend this Friday, Saturday and Sunday with more details on the ‘Boyle Golf Club News’ story on the homepage of this website…….Keash King of the Hill 10k, 5k run and 5k walk takes place on Saturday evening at 7pm starting at Eastern Harps GAA grounds……..There will be no parkrun in Lough Key Forest Park this Saturday June 28th………A book of local interest is now on sale with mention of Fair Days in Boyle many years ago. “Hiding from the Heart” is written by Keash native Martha Higgins and is set outside Carrick in the 1970’s . Read more here and you can purchase the book here……….Today Friday June 27th is the closing date for inclusion in Boyle Arts Festival Art Trail…….Next up after Night and Day Festival in Boyle’s Lough Key Forest Park is National Play Day on Sunday 6th July. This is a free event and there will be lots to see and do. More details on Boyletoday.com next week……There have been a number of complaints in relation to the diversions and traffic management plan for the R294 road closure at Mocmoyne this week. The closures are scheduled to continue into next week. Some viewers have also voiced their concern that the new surface may entice motorist to drive even faster at Mockmoyne. Currently it is like a race track……….Well done to legal firm Callan Tansey who have office in Boyle and who scooped a number of awards at the recent Irish Law Awards 2025………Boyle Arts Festival is one of five finalsist from Co. Roscommon in this year’s National Lottery Good Causes Awards. The awards ceremony will take place on October 18th. Category winners will each receive €10,000……..Deputy Claire Kerrane and Councillor Leah Cull monthly constituency clinic this Saturday in the Spool Factory……….Great to see the hedge cut on the left as one enters Rockingham from the first gate. It was so overgrown it had become a real traffic hazard.
And finally…!
Two hunters are out in the woods hunting bears when one of them suddenly collapses.
The other guy checks him over and realises that he’s not breathing and his eyes are a bit glazed.
So he grabs his phone and immediately calls 999.
“I think my friend’s dead!” he yells down the phone with panic in his voice. “What should I do”?
“Sir, if you can just calm down I’ll help you” says the operator calmly. “Let’s just make sure he’s dead first”.
There’s then a moment of silence, followed by what is clearly a gunshot.
Back on the phone, the guy then says to the operator, “Right, now what”?
