28th February, 2002
A reader and a resident of Frankfield who also
happens to be an indoor bowls player asked me to mention the
condition of the road into the community hall in Frankfield. He
told me that it’s in a terrible condition and the members of
the local bowls club now feel embarrassed when visiting clubs
come to the hall. Perhaps one of our local T.D.’s/Councillors
might take a look at the condition of the road into the hall, and
hopefully get something done so that visiting teams will soon
exclaim ‘What a lovely road’ into Grange/Frankfield
community park.
The good news for the long suffering motorists who travel down
into Douglas West every morning at a snail’s pace. Batt O’Keeffe
tells me that there are two lanes to be introduced at the bottom
of the hill (where traffic turns right at Daily’s Corners).
I know we have all been saying that for years , one car wishing
to turn right at Daily’s could hold up thirty or forty cars
behind. Now the traffic should flow quicker and more freely. Also
to be introduced at the junction are traffic lights. However,
sometimes at peak times traffic lights can also cause serious
delays. I suppose anything is worth trying if it will improve the
present situation.
I’m told that Douglas Village Shopping Centre have
reluctantly decided that they have to introduce clamping. Picture
the scene: you own a shop with a few car spaces outside for your
customers, then another business man who runs a business about
two hundred yards from your shop parks his car outside your shop
so that the space outside his own business is free. You wouldn’t
be too happy, would you? we all know that our parking in Douglas
is at a premium and that more and more people who come to work in
Douglas are now even beginning to park in housing estates (for
example, the residents of Gartan Park, situated off Tramway
Terrace have an ongoing problem). Perhaps a little consideration
for the traders in Douglas Village shopping Centre might be
appropriate. They need these spaces for their customers. So
drivers, the maximum time you are permitted to park in Douglas
Village Shopping Centre is three hours. The security staff will
be on duty early every morning to monitor every car entering the
centre. You have been warned, the Douglas Village Shopping Centre
car park is for shoppers, it is not an all day free car park.
Those days are gone. We do need to respect other people’s
right to provide a service to their customers.
It was great to see so many of you at the Home Design 2002
Exhibition in the Rochestown Park Hotel last weekend. I took a
lot of photos which I hope to include in the weekly during the
next few weeks. Congratulations to Christine Davis from
Carrigaline who won the super prize of the Hanley’s
sponsored super home with all mod cons included. Organiser Peter
Crowley tells me that he’s got an even bigger show organised
for next year, with a few new ideas and surprises lined up. So
watch this space.
Regarding the letter in this week’s weekly concerning the
lack of a postal service in the Passage West/Rochestown area on
Monday and Tuesday. The writer of the letter firstly telephoned
our office to tell us about the situation and we asked her to
drop in a letter which she did. I rang local Councillor Deirdre
Forde, explained the situation (this was at 3.30) and at 9.30pm
Deirdre rang my mobile phone to tell me that the problem had been
resolved, and that the residents should have their mail by
Wednesday afternoon. I wish to thank the caller for taking the
trouble to drop in the letter on a wet and cold Wednesday night,
and also to Deirdre who took the time to rectify the problem. Don’t
forget folks, the Douglas Weekly is also your voice, wherever you
live, or wherever the Douglas Weekly goes to.
I went to the Opera House on Sunday night to see the country
music tribute show to Jim Reeves, Glen Campbell, Dolly Parton and
Tammy Wynette. The narration was by George Hamilton IV, the
singers were Sandy Kelly, her sister Barbara Ellis. The Sandy
Kelly band were brilliant, Matt Levy did the tribute to Glen
Campbell, which was very good. He also did the tribute to Jim
Reeves, but I thought h is voice was a bit too high for the part.
Cork’s Oliver Barrett would have been perfect for the part.
He’s the closest one will ever hear to gentleman Jim Reeves.
Verdict, a nice pleasant Sunday night away from the T.V. zapper
for a change, and that can’t be bad, can it?
Finally, happy birthday to the Douglas Weekly!! Yes folks, way
back in the last century (1998) on February 28th, your paper hit
the streets of Douglas for the first time. Eight pages of black
and white print and a dream. Now thanks to you, and my
advertisers. The dream has become a reality. A thirty two page
colour weekly, with outlets in Douglas, Blackrock, Ballinlough,
Ballyphehane, Carrigaline, Kinsale Road. This April The Douglas
Weekly sponsors its third year Douglas Rose night when the winner
goes forward to the Cork final in Jurys and who knows a Douglas
Rose in Tralee. And the other big night which goes from strength
to strength is the Women’s Little Christmas night and a few
weeks ago we introduced for the first time The Douglas Weekly
Christmas party night, which was a sell-out, and we’ve got
even bigger things planned for the coming year. Last week one of
my advertisers made my day when he told me that he had sold three
units through advertising in the Douglas Weekly. The customers
were in Ballyvolane, the Lough and Bishopstown. They told him
that they had seen his advert in the Douglas Weekly. I thank you,
the readers for supporting our advertisers and we will continue
to grow bigger and better with your continued support. I would
like to point out that we have no connection with any other
publication in Cork or any other bearing the Douglas name. there
is only one douglas Weekly, situated in St. Patrick’s Well,
run by douglas people, graphically designed by a Douglas man,
printed by a Douglas company, delivered by Douglas people. That
is why we would like to say that we are ‘your voice, and
your choice’. Thank You.
Bye for now,
Michael O’Hanlon.
P.S. Happy sixteenth birthday to Helen O’Mahony of Galway’s
Lane and O’Brien’s Sandwiches who always makes me laugh.
P.P.S. Now at 1.30am on Wednesday morning before I go to bed, I’ll
retire to the sitting room, put the headphones on and listen to
the City of Cork Male Voice Choir singing ‘Softly as I leave
you’, ‘A Soldiers farewell’ and ‘Mo ghile
Mear’ from their new cd ‘The Rhythm of Life: Beautiful,
beautiful, beautiful. Buy it, buy a bottle of wine and you’re
in heaven. Well done guys.
