A lot done but more to do in Tidy Towns competition
Well done to all the people who contributed to Boyle increasing it’s mark in the Tidy Towns competition this year. The adjudicators report show that the main increase was in ‘Streetscape and Public Places’ with the public realm upgrade of Bridge Street and Shop Street most likely being the main reason for this. “Tidiness and Litter Control” also saw an increase, thanks to the Wednesday morning crew and the mid week cleans up’s that take place through out the summer.
We are moving in the right direction in this competition, but if we are to progress further and get the town looking in top shape, an increased buy in from the community is require – especially those who own or rent properties in the town. Some business have weeds growing on the footpaths right outside their premises. Surely businesses or property owners could take a few minutes every week to get rid of these weeds and not be waiting for others to do it. In addition, many properties that are not in use (and indeed some that are) could do with a coat of paint, which owners might consider for Spring 2026. With so many ‘sold’ or ‘sale agreed’ signs now around the town, especially on St. Patrick Street, (in advance perhaps of Aldi getting favourable permission), hopefully we might see some buildings in the town being repurposed and getting an upgrade in advance of next years Tidy Towns competition.
Conservation management plan for McDermott’s Castle
For many years the Boyle’d Pot has been raising the issue of the condition of McDermotts Castle on Lough Key. The Castle is one of the areas most iconic buildings and is in need of urgent repair. We have regularly remarked that if something was not done to save the Castle, gone forever, would be one of our most historic buildings.
So this week, we were delighted to hear from Roscommon County Council that a Conservation Management Plan is being developed for the site with thanks to the Community Monuments 2025 funding. This will provide an opportunity to celebrate the importance and value of this significant historical site and, through a collaborative approach, develop a set of policies and priorities to support the protection and conservation of the site for future generations.
The project team is led by Aoife Leonard RIAI Grade 1 Conservation Architect Cala Architects; Dr. Tomas Finan, PhD, FSA, Archaeologist; Jon Avent, BSc (Hons) CEng MIStructE IHBC Conservation Structural Engineer and Ecologist: Dr. Caroline Shiel, B.Sc., Ph.D; in collaboration with site owner Sean Simon, OPW – Office of Public Works and National Monuments Service – Archaeology
The Community Monuments Fund is administered by Roscommon County Council Heritage Office on behalf of the National Monuments Service and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Cafe gifting platform launched in Boyle
Brontie.ie launched in Boyle last Monday in King House Tea Rooms. Brontie.ie is a new online cafe gifting platform allowing users to gift cafe items such as a coffee and a cake to a loved one. The concept was launched initially in Kildare but has expanded to Boyle. Brontie is now live at King House Tea Rooms, offering a small selection of coffees and treats that can be sent instantly to friends, family, or colleagues. It’s a simple way to make someone’s day, and to support independent Irish cafés at the same time.
Boyle features in County Tourism Strategy
As one would expect, Boyle features prominently in the Roscommon County Tourism Strategy 2025-2030 that was presented at the most recent meeting of Roscommon County Council. County Tourism Officer Lisa Joy went through the strategy and explained how they hoped to support “diverse and accessible accommodation in the county” and “create favourable conditions for the private sector to look at new areas for accommodation like glamping pods and hotels”. She also spoke of the opportunities festivals like ‘Night and Day” and the ‘Ballooning Championships’ can bring, saying Roscommon Tourism media sites had over two million views during the Championship. The Lough Key Masterplan was also discussed, which Lisa said would “provide a wider range of activities” along with “expanding the accommodation offering”. Listening to Lisa and knowing the great work going on behind the scenes, it is safe to say every effort is being made to increase the tourism accommodation offering in Boyle that is so badly needed right now.
Seven days of darkness in Boyle town
During the week, Boyletoday.com tried unsuccessfully to contact Electric Skyline – the company tasked with maintaining our public lighting – to see why large parts of the town were without public lighting since Thursday week. Yesterday, we also put in a phone call to the company but were left waiting for an operator for 14 minutes, before we hung up. Then as if by magic, the lights came back on, 7 days after they went off. We are also aware that Councillor Leah Cull did everything she could to get the lights fixed, so with all the representation, the end result was a positive one.
On reflection, it is not good enough that a large town like Boyle should be without public lighting for over a week. It is also not acceptable that Boyle still has a large number of public lights not in operation, despite a number of the faults being logged with Electric Skyline over 3 years ago! You can see the number of street lights in Boyle that are not in use on the company’s website here and by clicking on a chosen light, you can “escalate” the request, but don’t hold your breath – that has been done by some nearly weekly, with a number of lights now out of order for over three years.
Visitor numbers soar in Boyle’s Lough Key Forest Park
Boyle’s Lough Key Forest Park was the 6th most visited Coillte Recreational site in the country last year with 139,000 visitors. The most visited was Avondale in Wicklow (344,765) followed by Rossmore (343,074) and Ticknock (264,441). Lough Key Forest Park recorded 45,975 visitors in 2023.
Coillte’s head of recreation, Daithi de Forge, said: “As Ireland’s largest provider of outdoor recreation spaces, Coillte is delighted to see the growth in visitor numbers to three million, across our most popular recreational sites in 2024. This increase highlights the importance of outdoor recreation and reflects a growing demand by the public to spend time in nature. “Storm Éowyn caused unprecedented damage in January to our productive and recreational forests, as well as to biodiversity areas across the country. Almost 100 Coillte recreation locations were closed after the storm and we’re pleased that 92 of these sites have since reopened following significant efforts by the Coillte team, with just eight sites remaining closed at this time. With an open forest policy, Coillte is proud to support local businesses who enhance the services available in our forests, and we look forward to continuing the delivery of the highest quality outdoor recreation experiences for communities across Ireland”.
News snippets from around Boyle
Traditional music session in Cleen Hall, Knockvicar this Sunday November 2nd from 4pm-6pm with everyone welcome……..Tickets for Boyle Musical Society’s ‘Curtains’ will go on sale at 1pm on this Saturday, November 1st from An Ríoga on Bridge Street. Telephone bookings on 087 386 4145 – Please note that this line will not be open until 1pm on Saturday, November 1st. ‘Curtains’ will be staged in St. Joseph’s Hall, Boyle from Wednesday 19th to Saturday 22nd November at 8pm nightly………..Fashion Masterclass with stylist Maria Carton in King House on Saturday week November 8th from 12noon – 2pm. Booking available here…….For anyone travelling the Castlerea direction, the R361 Frenchpark to Castlerea (N5 Project) road closure has been extended until 14th November 2025………The Rosary will be prayed in Assylinn (Old) Cemetery on Sunday 2nd November at 12.30 p.m. and on Sunday 9th November in Assylinn (New) Cemetery at 12.30p.m. The Rosary will be prayed at Plunkett Avenue Cemetery on Sunday 2nd November at 11a.m……….Ardcarne Garden Centre’s annual Christmas Hospice event, celebrating the official opening of their Christmas shop, takes place this Saturday November 1st. Please come along and support Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation while enjoying some special offers and mulled wine………….SpaceX Falcon 9 dumping some fuel was seen by many in the Wednesday evening sky over Boyle. The process involved a fuel release at high altitude, freezing into ice crystals and was visible as a circular or “swirly” pattern in the sky and witnessed by many people……..Boyle Film Club free Halloween Movie Night on Friday 31st at 7.30pm in Boyle Family Resource Centre commencing at 7.30pm. “The Dead Zone” 1983 based on a Stephen King story. Directed by David Cronemberg. Age rate 15………Intending rail passengers this Saturday should note that due to Engineering Works between Longford and Dromod the following service alterations and amendments will occur: 19:32 Dublin Connolly to Sligo will operate to Longford only, bus transfers from Longford to Dromod, second train departing at 21:55 from Dromod to Sligo and 19.05 Sligo to Dublin Connolly will operate to Dromod only, bus transfers from Dromod to Longford, second train departing at 20.50 from Longford to Dublin Connolly…………Torrential rain all day, a tea time downpour and gale force winds yesterday in Boyle with no Status Yellow warning issued for the county while neighbouring counties along the Atlantic seaboard were under an alert!………‘Make a Ghost’ childrens craft session in Boyle library this Saturday at 11am. Places are limited and booking is required. Please call 071 9662800 or email [email protected]………A few tickets are still available for Luka Bloom live in King House on Saturday night commencing at 7.30pm. Tickets €25 – Call 087 144 4739 to book.
And finally….!
Daddy is digging in the flower bed when little seven year old Alice comes running out of the house, shouting, “Daddy, Daddy, what’s sex?”
He slowly drops his spade, straightens up and draws a deep breath.
“Well, darling, it’s like this… ” he says, and starts rather reluctantly, giving a long and careful explanation of the ins and outs of the whole thing.
After about ten minutes he asks her if she has understood all he has said.
She nods silently.
He then asks her why she so suddenly asked this question.
“Oh, it’s just that Mummy said to tell you that lunch will be ready in two secs”, she replies.
