WESTERN DUHALLOW
TIDY TOWNS
Even though this year’s Tidy Towns competition has been shelved due to the Covid-19 pandemic, its wonderful to see the spirit in the local villages where volunteers gather weekly to try and enhance their local areas.
Over the past week Cullen took a major step with the planning of well structured flower beds near Luibin na Rinnce. Previously, this was a well maintained sloped green area and now the addition of the flower beds has added both colour and style to the village entrance.
Knocknagree and in particular their landmark, the Fairfield, looks a picture and is well designed with seated areas, flower beds, shrubs etc.
This takes a lot of maintenance and the continued time and effort of the very active committee is there to be seen. They also do an early morning litter pick on all the approach roads. The houses and businesses ‘pubs’ too look fresh and attractive.
Ballydesmond people must find it difficult to get motivated in this regard as for a long time now they have had to watch machinery of all sizes and shapes digging up and filling in trenches and holes sometimes more than once, in surfacing and recently the newly designed footpaths.
The work seems to be ongoing and what will they start next which makes one wonder why don’t those who make the decisions at county Council level or whoever cannot consult with one another and take the whole project along at the same time thus avoiding months into years of inconvenience for the residents and the public in general.
The present main road through the village is so uneven it doesn’t need any speed ramps – they seem to have grown there.
Kiskeam are probably ahead of others with progress as they have been active for far longer. The stone wall at the West End was recenly capped off while the area opposite the Grotto looks like a wonderful place to relax and chill out.
The rippling water must sound peaceful while Our Lady looks down on the area from the well maintained Grotto on the Rock Road.
The village itself always looks tidy with the local volunteers and Community Scheme workers combining to keep the village looking well.
Overall, Western Duhallow is a proud area and steeped in heritage, the people love their homeland.
LIVERPOOL’S WIN
It was a long time to be waiting, so I suppose they were entitled to get excited when crowned league champions at the weekend.
I refer of course to Liverpool winning the league and the joy it brought to the Duhallow supporters whose members were estatic when she finally docked. She had anchored at sea during the lockdown but when the engines restarted it floated home well ahead of schedule.
With the pubs still on hold the celebrations are also on hold, so it will give time to those who are not familiar with the goings-on to learn a few lines of ‘Liverpool Lou’ and join in the chorus.
Meanwhile, we the unconnected can sit back and enjoy the banter.