N61 road to close from Boyle to Tulsk
Motorists travelling on the N61 Boyle to Roscommon road will have to deal with yet another diversion. From 7.30am on Monday November 9th until Friday November 20th, the section of road between Gannon’s Corner in Greatmeadow and Tulsk will close each day until 6pm to facilitate road resurfacing. The suggested alternative route is via the N5 from Boyle to Frenchpark and onto Tulsk. Last month, the N61 was also closed for a number of weeks between Tulsk and Four-Mile-House also for resurfacing work.
Boyle named as one of the safest towns in Ireland
Boyle was recently listed as “One of the 9 Safest Towns in Ireland for Senior Living” by online website WorldAtlas.com. WorldAtlas is one of the largest publishing resources in geography and other topics. It covers, sociology, demography, environment, economics, politics and travel. In 2019 alone, WorldAtlas has served over 165 million readers from around the world. The nine towns listed in the story were Bantry, Boyle, Clonakilty, Kinsale, Roscommon, Trim, Skibbereen, Cobh and Cahir. On Boyle, the website said: “Safety in Boyle is reinforced by a crime trend moving in the right direction. Boyle Garda Station recorded 110 offences in 2025, compared with 197 in 2020. Boyle is also particularly relevant to senior living because it already has an older population profile: Census 2022 recorded an average age of 43.9 in the town, among the more mature profiles in the country. The HSE’s Boyle Primary Care Centre provides local access to community healthcare on weekdays, reducing the need to leave town for every routine appointment. Boyle’s Age Friendly work goes further into everyday life. Boyle Library, for example, provides large-print and audio books, reading glasses, and activities for Active Age groups. Boyle’s main attractions also span different levels of activity. King House stands in the town itself, while the ruins of Boyle Abbey are nearby. Lough Key Forest and Activity Park provides woodland and lakeside surroundings a short distance away, giving residents an outdoor alternative to the town’s heritage attractions”.
Boyle misses out on first round in ‘Vacant to Vibrant’ scheme
Unfortunately Boyle was not one of the town’s named by Government in the new ‘Vacant to Vibrant’ scheme, which is a shame, as this scheme would be ideal for Boyle and would build on all the work that has and is going on to regenerate the town centre. The initiative, announced by Minister of State for Retail Alan Dillon, will see local authorities, Local Enterprise Offices and regeneration officers work together to identify opportunities to bring vacant shopfronts back into productive use and support the establishment of new businesses. Strokestown is the only town in County Roscommon that was among the 26 nationwide that will benefit from the scheme. Locally, Carrick-on-Shannon and Tubbercurry are also included. It is understood there may be a Phase 2 in this scheme. If that is the case, it is imperative that Boyle is included in the next round of announcements.
Boyle Christmas Shop Window Advent Calendar
In another great promotional idea for the town by the good folk in Una Bhan Tourism, they are running a “Boyle Christmas Shop Window Advent Calendar”. From December 1st-24th, they will reveal one participating business window each day on their socials, counting down to Christmas and showcasing the wonderful businesses that make Boyle so special.
All 24 shop windows will remain on display throughout December as they are revealed, creating a festive Christmas trail around Boyle for everyone to enjoy. Businesses will also have the opportunity to share a special Christmas offer, promotion or festive experience on their reveal day – giving customers even more reason to visit, explore and shop local! Entry limited to 24 businesses with €50 participation fee.
A note from Una Bhan about participation: Each business will be responsible for decorating their own shop window and creating a festive display featuring its allocated Advent Calendar number. The €50 participation fee covers entry into the campaign and promotional exposure. Any decoration costs will be the responsibility of the individual business.
Interested in taking part? Get in touch with Úna Bhán Tourism to register your interest. Email: [email protected]
News snippets from around Boyle
Tawnytaskin Community Centre Community Mass will take place in the Centre on Friday evening
November 6th at 8p.m. Everyone welcome. Refreshments will be served after. On Sunday, the Rambling House will take place in the Centre at 3pm with music, song, dance and storytelling…………Good luck to the Boyle Scór finalists in the County Final on Sunday: Rose O’Dowd – Singing, Caoimhe Battles – Recitation and Ruadhan Egan, Emer Feely, Dorothy Wallace, Anna Kell – Trath na ngCeist………….TFI Local Link advise that from November 9th to 20th, Route 570 (Boyle to Roscommon) will not serve Ballinameen due to road resurfacing works on the N61……….Storybook Adventure in Boyle Library this Saturday November 6th at 10.30am. This is a free one hour baby/toddler (0-3 years) class that explores the Storybook adventure. It is also an opportunity for parents/ caregivers to share the magic of reading and storytelling. Spaces are limited and booking is essential with [email protected]………..Anyone out for an evening/night stroll during the week will have noticed light aircraft from Atlantic Flight Training in Strandhill orbiting the skies over the Boyle. The clear skies of recent nights are ideal for student pilots who are training for their night rating qualification. Aircraft from the National Flight Centre in Weston often visit Boyle also on training flights, mainly during day light hours……….Following on from their successful community draw last November the committee of the proposed Corrigeenroe Community Centre has been working with Jennings and O’Donovan (Sligo) to complete the feasibility study for the development of the Centre. Feedback will help shape future plans for the community and ensure they are focusing on what matters most to the people who live there. The survey is open here until November 25th and every response will make a difference………..Another exciting event in King House on Friday 13th is “The Pale Blue Dot Show”. The show is performed by Elevation Ensemble, a string quartet with a difference from Co. Galway. They will perform specially commissioned new works by Irish composers Linda Buckley and Jonathan Nangle, alongside Traditional music from Azerbaijan, Benin, Bulgaria, Japan, USA that was actually put on the Golden Record. The show will also feature the musical and creative responses of some fantastic young musicians from Music Generation Roscommon, who have been working with Elevation Ensemble to contribute to the “reimagining” of the Golden Record………….Good luck to Boyle U15 girls camogie team who contest a county final on Sunday against St. Dominic’s in Knockcroghery………..Last Wednesday morning our dedicated Tidy Towns volunteers took to the Sligo Road and cleared leaves from the cycleway. Thank you for this and all you do for our town.
And finally…….!
One morning a husband returns to the cabin after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap.
Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out, since it is such a beautiful day.
She motors out a short distance, anchors, and reads her book.
Along comes a Game Warden in his boat.
He pulls up alongside the woman and says,” Good morning, Ma’am, what are you doing”?
“Reading a book,” she replies (thinking, “Isn’t that obvious”?)
“You’re in a Restricted Fishing Area,” he informs her.
“I’m sorry, officer, but I’m not fishing, I’m reading.”
“Yes, but you have all the equipment. I’ll have to write you up a ticket.”
“For reading a book”? she replies.
“You’re in a Restricted Fishing Area,” he informs her again.
“But officer, I’m not fishing, I’m reading.”
“Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I’ll have to write you up a ticket and you’ll have to pay a fine.”
“If you do that, I’ll have to charge you with sexual assault,” says the woman.
“But I haven’t even touched you,” says the Game Warden.
“That’s true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment.”
“Have a nice day ma’am,” and he immediately departed.
