The Town I Love So Well … (part one)
Some will remember the old Sinatra song …
“There’s nothing left for me, of days that used to be
They’re just a memory, among my souvenirs”
• The song could have been written with the current town of Boyle in mind, a time when we had two thriving hotels, in excess of 30 pubs, a fish factory, several B&B premises, two corn mills, a Main Street full of shops, All Ireland, County and Connacht Fleadhs, a Town Council … and much, much more
• Back then Boyle was defined as a “Thriving Market Town”
• Now we have no hotel, no fish factory (but thank God for the renamed Vention factory), 14 pubs, fewer B&Bs, no mills, empty shops … a €6 million Health Centre that cannot find a doctor, a Chamber of Commerce and a servant of the Co Council – the ubiquitous “Town Team”.
Ahh, The Town I Love So Well … (part two tomorrow)