boyle local area plan 2012 - 2018 - Roscommon County Council

PART II: DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR 2012 – 2018 & BEYOND Chapter 5: Recreation, Leisure & Tourism
on an ongoing basis. The Council will continue to support the implementation of the
current Plan and subsequent Arts Plans. The County Development Board promotes
the development of accessible infrastructure to support the development of heritage,
arts and sport including the promotion and development of a County Arts Centre and
the development of cultural infrastructure (fixed and mobile) for the County.
With regard to local cultural events and facilities, Boyle Arts Festival is highly
regarded for its group exhibition of contemporary Irish art, which every year features
up to a hundred of Ireland's leading artists and sculptors. Boyle is also renowned for
its programme of classical music with concerts by young and established soloists,
ensembles and choirs. Other areas catered for each year include local art exhibitions,
jazz, traditional and world music, drama, literature, storytelling and singers nights,
comedy, workshops, dance, street theatre and children's programmes. Owned and
managed by RCC, King House provides a magnificent setting for the award winning
Boyle Civic Collection of contemporary art and sculpture. It also has a programme
of concerts and events throughout the year and provides meeting and conference
facilities.
‣ Boyle Arts Festival
Boyle Arts Festival has established a reputation for excellence, earning it a place as
one of the best festivals in Ireland each summer. The festival has been the winner of
several national awards and welcomes new and innovative contributions. Events
include a major art exhibition of works by contemporary Irish Artists, Classical and
Traditional Music, Poetry, Drama, Lectures, Dance, and Children’s events.
‣ Boyle Civic Collection
The Boyle Civic Collection is now widely considered as a collection of paintings and
sculptures by the very best of contemporary Irish artists. The acquisition of works
commenced in 1990, and the ever-expanding collection now is in excess of 150
paintings and sculptures. The objectives of the Trustees are; to build a collection of
contemporary Irish art of the highest quality, to encourage the local community to
visit and take pride in their collection, and to encourage artists, businesses and
organisations to donate work.
Rotated regularly, a part of the collection is on permanent view at King House
during opening hours, except during the Arts Festival when they are removed to
make way for the main exhibition. In keeping with the aim to make art and the arts
more accessible to the people of Boyle, a number of works are also on loan to Boyle
Railway Station, The Plunkett Home for the Elderly and the school for disabled
persons. The collection is acquired mainly from the revenue generated from the sale
of works at the BAF group exhibition each year. Donations have also been gratefully
received from artists and from The Haverty Trust. Prize money received from AIB
Better Ireland Awards has also funded the purchase of a number of works.
‣ Fishing
Fishing is a very popular activity with many fishing lakes and rivers close by.
Annual fishing competitions also take place on Lough Key. Coarse angling is
available on the Boyle River and Lough Arrow is popular for Brown Trout fishing.
Further tourism and recreation opportunities in the area include camping,
orienteering, nature walks, climbing, hiking, boating, sailing, rowing, golf, and
swimming, to name but a few.
The following are some of the places of interest/visitor attractions within and in
close proximity to Boyle. See appended Map 10, which is not exhaustive.
Table 4: Places of Interest/Visitor Attractions in the sub-region of County Roscommon
in proximity to the LAP area
Places of Interest/Visitor
Examples in County Roscommon
Attractions
Amenity Areas
Pleasure Grounds, Boyle
(open space amenity areas utilised Lough Key Forest Park Amenity Area
for recreational purposes)
Keadue Heritage Park
Knockranny Wood Amenity Area
Cavetown Lake Amenity Area
Lakeside Amenity Area, Lough Allen
Strokestown Park
Castlerea Demesne
Lake O’Flynn Amenity Area
Ballaghaderreen Community Park & Play
Area, Ballaghaderreen
Places of Interest
Curlew Mountains
Arigna Mountains
Elphin Windmill
Boyle Local Area Plan 2012-2018 Page 52