Minister Calleary to visit Boyle next week
Minister for Rural and Community Development and Social Protection Dara Calleary will pay his first official visit to Boyle next Thursday. When in town, Minister Calleary will be shown the new paved areas on Bridge Street and Shop Street, the redesigned public car park in An Rioga and visit the site of the new town library. He will also travel to King House to see a variety of energy efficiency measure undertaken in the historical building. The Minister will also head to Doon Shore to see the upgrade this facility has received and he will also officially open the accessible for all ‘Kayak Launch’ that is located there.
Prior to his visit to Boyle the Minister will visit Arigna and Cootehall.
Dara Calleary’s predecessor Heather Humphreys was a good friend and regular visitor to Boyle. Hopefully the same interest and friendship can be built with Minister Calleary so his department can assist a further range of additional infrastructural developments planned for around the town.
Australian film crew in Boyle’s Lough Key Forest Park
An episode of the Australian TV series “The Great Outdoors” was filmed in County Roscommon recently and it included Boyle’s Lough Key Forest Park. The series will air this summer on the ‘Seven Network’ and will feature outdoor experiences around Ireland. When in Roscommon, the crew also visited Kilronan Castle, River Shannon, Sligo Oyster Experience, Coney Island, Strandhill, Gleniff Horseshoe, VOYA Seaweed Baths and Atlantic Sheepdogs. Sofia Hansson, Tourism Ireland’s Manager for Australia and New Zealand, said: “Tourism Ireland was delighted to invite Australian TV presenter James Tobin and The Great Outdoors crew to come and film on our beautiful island. It’s a wonderful opportunity to highlight our fantastic outdoor activities and spectacular scenery to around 1 million Australians, inspiring them to come and experience the destination for themselves.”
New service to Dublin Airport welcomed
The new partnership between Irish Rail and Aircoach whereby passengers on the Sligo – Dublin line that serves Boyle can book one ticket that includes your fare from Boyle to Drumcondra and Aircoach to Dublin airport, is a step in the right direction. The Aircoach bus will leave from directly outside Drumcondra station and during the day – will run 4 times per hour. Heretofore, many people who do not have a car, took the Bus Eireann service from Boyle to Dublin airport but that was not always reliable and there have been well documented stories of passengers left waiting in Boyle for the bus, especially late at night. Let’s hope Irish Rail do something about their ongoing “technical” and “operational issues” that sees their service on the Sligo Dublin line often running behind schedule. If they do, then this initiative with Aircoach will be a good one.
Pleasure Grounds MUGA now open
Work commenced on Monday last on another Boyle Town Team led initiative – a new Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) in the Pleasure Grounds, on the site of the current basketball court and it is now open – a day ahead of schedule. The work includes a new colourful surface, repairs to fencing and new basketball posts with height adjustable baskets. Funded by CLAR and Boyle Town Team, the project is part of the Team’s commitment to enhancing local recreational facilities and providing an accessible, multi-functional space for community use. Previously Boyle Town Team funded a new Callisthenic Park and a number of solar lights in the Pleasure Grounds. Power washing around the MUGA was carried out by Roscommon County Council.
Boyle name checked in Dail Eireann
It was good to have Boyle name checked in Dail Eireann last week by a TD who represents Kildare North! Deputy Joe Neville is also the current Mayor of Kildare and his mother comes from outside Boyle, so he is very familiar with the town. Calling for more regeneration funding for Kildare, Deputy Neville said: “Boyle is a town that is rejuvenated. I have seen how it can work (in Boyle) and how there are positive solutions through Government funding and I would like to see this rolled out throughout the country and in Kildare”.
Sometimes us locals can take for granted all the work that has been done in recent times in Boyle but it can take an ‘outsider’ like Deputy Neville to appreciate how much better the town centre now looks.
Ardcarne Garden Centre honored recently
Hat’s off to Ardcarne Garden Centre who were honored recently by the Brothers of Charity service for their 30 years of supported employment. On the day, a presentation was made to Ronan O’Conghaile to acknowledge the positive working relationship both Ronan and Ardcarne Garden Centre have had with the Brothers of Charity. The popular Garden Centre has been the workplace of Boyle man James Lloyd for the last 32 years and James and his family thanked the team in Ardcarne and the Brothers of Charity for all they do for him. Ronan remarked that James is one of five staff to serve more than 30 years in the Garden Centre which is testament to the business.
News snippets from around Boyle
It has gone way past time for An Garda Siochana to start issuing tickets to able bodied motorists who constantly park in the disabled spot on Main Street so they can use the ATM………….Local authority partners from Mayo, Sligo, Galway City and County including a number of trade/accommodation and activity providers recently visited Milan in partnership with Tourism Ireland where they hosted a networking event with over 50 Italian trade and tour operators. One wonders why Roscommon was not represented at this event?………Rakish in concert in King House this evening Friday May 30th commencing at 7.30pm. Tickets priced €15 available on 0871444739……. Good luck to Roscommon senior footballers and all from Boyle associated with the team who take on Meath in Hyde Park on Saturday evening. On Sunday, our neighbours Sligo meet Kildare also in the Hyde. There should be a good crowd of Sligo supporters coming through Boyle to and from that game which gives an opportunity for restaurants and cafes to get more business – if they are open and advertise their menus……….Roscommon Co Co has advised that it propose to declare the roads located in Foxwood Manor, Bramble Hill and Silveroe housing developments as public roads……… 128 second-year students from Patrician Presentation (Tipperary), Duiske College (Kilkenny), Mercy College Woodford (Galway), and St Tiernan’s College (Mayo) enjoyed a day of learning and adventure at Lough Key Forest Park after they completed Coillte’s World of Work programme 2025. In partnership with Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI), this programme gives students first-hand insight into the world of forestry – from exploring career paths to understanding the multiple benefits of forests for climate, nature, wood, and people along with learning about the important role forestry plays in their local community………….Bernie Cahill is running the Cork City Half Marathon this Sunday in memory of her friend the late Evelyn O’Donnell. All monies raised will go to the Mayo Roscommon Hospice. Donations gratefully accepted here……No extra train this weekend for those traveling from Sligo to the Bloom Festival. Extra trains have been added on the Westport, Galway and Cork lines but nothing on the Sligo line……Let’s hope the Doon Shore is not taken over this weekend by certain overnight motor home owners who have left the place in a disgraceful state on numerous other bank holiday weekends………Your support would be appreciated for the great work the Tidy Town group are doing around Boyle at present by supporting their GoFundMe page here……..There are, no doubt, parents from Boyle who have had reason to use the paediatric ward in Sligo Hospital and who would have got to know Dr. Ali Al Najjar who is a highly regarded paediatrician there. This week Dr Ali got the horrific news that his nine nieces and nephews were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza……….“A Word in Your Shell-Like” explores creating your own small paper shell art work that can be taken home to display. A note, message or a meaningful word can be written inside. Maybe a message to your future self, a remembered dream or what was the best day ever. This event takes place in King House on Saturday June 7th from 2-4pm for ages 10+ years. Booking Essential. Email: [email protected]………..Planning permission is being sought by Noel and Paula Sharkey for 8 glamping pods, car parking, reception/games room, new waste water treatment system and upgrade of existing entrance onto public road at Glooria Td., Cavetown, Boyle……..Traditional Music session in Cleen Hall on Sunday June 1st from 4pm-6pm………..Roscommon County Council (Data Controller), SKYFAB will be undertaking Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Drone video and photographic aerial surveys for Active Travel projects in County Roscommon from the 3rd June 2025 to 21st April 2026 and included is “Scoil na nAingeal Naofa, Carrick Road, Boyle Safe Routes to Schools Scheme”.
And finally…..!
A newlywed couple from England spend their honeymoon at Niagara Falls.
While his new bride is unpacking in their honeymoon suite, the young groom goes out of the Hotel to find a suitable restaurant for their evening meal.
He finds a suitable place and across the street he sees an unusual shop sign: “Chief Bald Eagle, Memory Man – He Knows Everything”.
Intrigued, he pays his dollar, goes in and asks Chief Bald Eagle: “Who won the first English FA Cup Final football match?”.
The Chief draws thoughtfully on his pipe and says “Wanderers v Royal Engineers, 1872 – Wanderers win one-nil”.
Stunned, the groom returns to his new bride and bores her all evening with how amazing this Chief Bald Eagle is.
Twenty-five years later, they go back to celebrate their anniversary and to the groom’s astonishment, amid radical changes to the rest of the area, Chief Bald Eagle is still there in the same shop.
He pays his ten dollars, goes in and respectfully greets the old Chief with a raised hand and the word “How”.
The old Chief squints at him through a wreath of pipe smoke and says “From a corner”.
