Boyle is the place to be on Saturday
Let’s hope the weather plays it’s part for the official switching on of the Boyle Christmas Lights and Tree and the visit from Santa tomorrow (Saturday) evening at 4.30pm (see story on homepage of Boyletoday.com). It is great to see this event taking place in our town once again as it had to be cancelled last year due to Storm Darragh. Before that it was 2018 when Santa last came to town on the Fire Brigade – the same mode of transport he will use tomorrow. And what a bonus it is to have local rowing star Thomas Sheridan perform the official switching on of the lights. Hard work and months of training has seen Thomas represent his country last November at the World Rowing Championships in Turkey.
There was a stage a few weeks ago when there was a good chance there would be no Christmas Lights and no visit from Santa to Boyle. But thanks to an energetic group of locals, we now have lights and Santa is on his way. Over the last few weeks the Christmas Lights volunteers have sourced new lights (the old ones were damaged in the storm), hung and fastened each string of lights to catenary wire and screwed in each bulb by hand, that’s before they went out in rain, hail and wind to have the lights, features and trees erected in an effort to have our town look so well for Christmas. Entertainment on Saturday will be DJ Stan from 3pm along with Music Generation, face painting and hot chocolate from 4pm, with Santa due to arrive around 4.30pm. The committee would love to see as many as possible turn out on Saturday evening to make it a real community event. You can still donate to the Christmas Lights fund here.
Illegal dumping persists in Boyle
Following the illegal dumping of a number of refuse sacks of rubbish on Sunday November 9th at the Marina, comes word that over 10 bags of clothes, old toys and children’s nappies were left beside the Bottle Bank at the rear of St. Joseph’s Hall in recent days. It is understood that the Litter Warden was informed and he was due to attend to check if any information could be obtained from the rubbish to perhaps lead to a prosecution.
Dumping large refuse sacks is not the only litter problem we face in Boyle. Members of the public have been observed putting their household rubbish into the litter bins around town. This obviously happens after dark and is the main reason we do not have a large number of litter bins in the town.
In an attempt to reduce illegal dumping, Roscommon Co Co has now introduced a “reverse register” to identify households and commercial premises without an authorised bin collection service. This is part of a wider effort to improve waste segregation and tackle illegal dumping. Waste collection companies are required under the Waste Management Act 1996 (as amended) to maintain records of households and commercial premises with an authorised waste collection contract. They are now mandated to provide the Eircodes of premises that avail of an authorised collection service to Roscommon County Council. If you don’t have a waste collection contract, you are requested to complete a self-declaration form. Businesses and households need to provide proof of responsible waste disposal (e.g. receipts or statements). Failure to comply with the requirements of the byelaws may result in a €75 fine or up to €2,500 upon conviction. Let’s hope the the Local Authority start imposing this reverse register in Boyle very soon as there is too much illegal dumping and misuse of litter bins going on.
The need to report every crime committed in Boyle
In recent weeks Elaine Byrne, the chairperson of the Policing and Community Safety Authority spoke about rural crime and policing matters ahead of the Authority’s meeting with Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly. In relation to reporting crime, Ms. Byrne told the Irish Farmers Journal that a recent Irish Farm Survey found 29% of people would not report a crime on their land or home to Gardai. “Perhaps there is a reluctance to dial 999 to report an incident as people seem to think this is reserved for what are perceived to be emergencies like RTC’s or fires. I think there is a piece of work that needs to be done by the Gardai to communicate the message more effectively” Ms Byrne said.
Many in Boyle can relate to the above comments as many crimes are going unreported in our town. This could be down to the fact that once you call Boyle Garda Station, chances are you are redirected to Castlerea and could in fact even end up on the line to the regional control centre! But if crimes in Boyle remain unreported we will never have a chance of getting more Gardai into our town. Currently it seems the number of Gardai in Boyle is very low and those members who are in the town are stretched to the limit having such a wide area to cover that they are not always visible in the town and surrounding area.
It is vitally important that the public in Boyle phone or call in to An Garda Siochana anything they think is worthy of investigation as the new policing model now seems to operated on statistics and if it the stats show no crimes reported in Boyle – then we have no hope of getting more Gardai or additional services or even maintain what we currently have.
Flu season has arrived early
Traditional it was always after Christmas when most people got the flu, blaming the ‘”Home from England’s” for bringing the virus with them! But Christmas or the visitors from across the pond have not even arrived yet and flu is already rampant. With this in mind, HSE West and North West has called on all eligible people in County Roscommon to get vaccinated against flu immediately. Data shows that the total cases notified to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSPC) nationally have more than doubled, showing that flu cases are surging within communities. The number of people presenting to hospital with flu is increasing and this is putting pressure on already busy healthcare services. A spokesperson for the HSE said: “It is really important those groups eligible to get a flu vaccine, including those over 60 years, those aged 2-17 years, people with underlying medical conditions and healthcare workers, take action now to protect themselves and others by getting vaccinated. This will help to reduce the number of people who need treatment in hospital.” Details of where you can get the flu vaccine locally is available here.
News snippets from around Boyle
Boyle Ladybirds, Brownies and Girl Guides annual Christmas Jumper Party takes place on Sunday December 7th in St. Joseph’s Hall from 3pm-5pm. Face painting, goody bags, disco, meet Santa, cake sale and raffle on the day. Super prizes including €100 voucher for Emerald Park, hamper from the Shed Distillery, Christmas cake, chocolate and wine. This event is for 12’s and under who must be accompanied by an adult. €5 entry per child. Complimentary tea/coffee for the adults………Switching on of the Christmas Lights in Monasteraden will take place this Sunday at St. Aiden’s Church grounds at 6pm. There will be hot chocolate, reindeer food to give out for Christmas Eve and someone special could make an appearance!…………The Annual Appeal for the Society of St Vincent de Paul will take place from the 6th December, 2025. Donations can be made through the church collection or online at http://www.ie/stjosephsboyleappeal25, or by phone to 0818176176. Your donations are greatly appreciated and all funds raised are distributed locally. Our contact number is 087 9292627. The collection will take in the following churches within the Conference’s catchment area: Ballyfarnon, Ballinameen, Boyle, Breedogue, Corrigeenroe, Cootehall and Crossna”…………A big shout out to Sorcha and Fiachra Mulrennan from Boyle who will represent Co. Roscommon in the county parade on tonight’s Late Late Toy Show. And well done to Mike ‘Junior’ Smith from Smith Auctioneers who sponsored their county jerseys for the night…………..Would you like to be involved in the design and process of a new mural in Boyle FRC? We would like to invite you to our community mural consultation evening in Boyle FRC on Tuesday December 9th at 7pm, facilitated by the artist Nickie Harrington. We would really value your input and support……..Santa comes to Cloonloo Hall on Sunday December 14th. Booking is essential by December 8th on 087 2447315………Congratulations to all who maintain the Abbey Park in Boyle. Their hard work and dedication was recognised at the recent GAA Co Board Convention when the Park won “Roscommon GAA Club Ground of the Year 2025″………Boyle One Voice Singers will perform at next Thursday’s Festive Connect cafe in Boyle Family Resource Centre. Enjoy Christmas Carols and seasonal refreshments from 6.30pm – 8.30pm…….In yet another example of community spirit and local organisations working together, the Tidy Town Wednesday morning crew spend a number of hours cleaning up and weeding the Crescent area in preparation for Santa’s visit and Christmas Lights switch on this Saturday……..Boyle Camogie Club Bake Sale takes place on Sunday 7th December after 11:30am Mass in the Resource Centre. There will also be a raffle, face painting and mulled wine………Victoria Walker Dance Presents “Extracts of The Nutcracker” in St. Joseph’s Hall this Sunday December 7th at 7pm. Step into a world of magic and wonder as our dancers bring The Nutcracker to life in a series of heart-warming extracts. From twirling snowflakes to brave toy soldiers, this festive performance is sure to warm your heart and capture the true spirit of the season………..Christmas Indoor Craft Fair in Tawnytaskin Community Centre this Sunday from 2pm-6pm. Everyone welcome……….Roscommon Library Service Mobile Library will visit Boyle on Tuesday December 9th at King House car park from 11am-3pm……….Well done to Abbeytown native John McDermott who, along with his team mates, set a new world record in the 4 x 400m M80 event at the NIA Live Meet on Wednesday. What an inspiration John is!
And finally…!
Ninety-year-old Mr Tomkins went in for his annual checkup.
When the doctor asked how he was feeling, he said, “Never been better! I’ve got an 18 year-old bride who’s pregnant with my child! What do you think about that Doc?”
The doctor considered this for a moment. “Let me tell you a story,” he said.
“I knew a guy who was an avid hunter. One day he went out in a hurry and accidentally grabbed his umbrella instead of his gun. He was in the woods and suddenly a grizzly bear appeared in front of him! He raised up his umbrella, pointed it at the bear and squeezed the handle. And do you know what happened?”
“No,” the old man said. “Tell me.”
“The bear dropped dead in front of him!”
“That’s impossible! Someone else must have shot that bear.”
“Well, that’s kind of what I’m getting at,” the doctor replied.
