Popular bike installations to return to Carrick-on-Shannon

The popular up-cycled painted bicycle installations along the riverside green area of Carrick-on-Shannon are set to return.

Carrick Tidy Towns spokesperson, Phil Faughnan, has confirmed to the Leitrim Observer that the bicycles will be restored to their former locations after an “outpouring of love and support for them and the Tidy Towns volunteers” on social media over the weekend.

Phil said that she had started painting the bikes and signage during Covid to “give a splash of colour” adding “people just love them and were doing selfies”.

She said her father-in-law, Peter Faughnan, who originally owned the bikes, would be “looking down from heaven and laughing at all the attention his bikes are getting”.

“People have said how much they love the bikes and people want them back. It has been very heartening to see the support the Tidy Towns committee has received over the last few days,” she said.

Phil explained that the bicycles were seen as an art installation and the signage on the green was an integral part of this. So it was the understanding of the Tidy Towns that the bicycles would have to be removed as well as the signage when the request was made by the Council at a meeting last Thursday.

However she said that while the signage will not be replaced she, as the owner of the bicycles, has decided that they will be reinstated as there “was such an outpouring of love for them”.

“I want to thank everyone for the love and support that has been shown for the work of the Tidy Towns in recent days. It means a lot. We are a group of volunteers. We aren't business owners, we just love our town,” she said.

Phil pointed out that the Tidy Towns group is involved in more than simply cleaning up the town - although they do that too! - noting the work of Veronica Kelly, who has painted ESB boxes in the town and down at the Linear Park.

“Children find these boxes now as part of a treasure hunt, which is wonderful,” said Phil.

She said that the group also organise fundraisers and have even knitted hats for premature babies in neo-natal units - organised by Matilda Fallon - and for homeless people.

The Tidy Towns have also painted three derelict houses over 24 hours; have organised a tree planting project with Ukrainian arrivals; helped raise funds for Focus Ireland, Daffodil Day and the North West Hospice and even set up a dog library!

Every Sunday morning between 20 and 30 volunteers litter pick for nearly two hours.

“It is not just about picking up litter and cleaning up the town. I can think of 22 fundraisers and projects we have done just off the top of my head. We just do it because we love Carrick-on-Shannon, all the members are just so passionate about this area and we will continue to do it," she said.

Local councillors have welcomed the news of the restoration of the bicycles.

At Monday's Carrick Carrick-on-Shannon Municipal District meeting, Cllr Finola Armstrong McGuire highlighted the concerns raised on social media following the removal of the bicycles and signage and sought clarity.

She said that the “bikes in particular had a very positive message. They were up-cycled and were attractive” and paid tribute to the work of the Tidy Towns volunteers.

Her comments were echoed by all councillors. They said the bicycles were a welcome focal point and they expressed their concern over some of the comments made about the removal of the signage and bicycles on social media.

District engineer, Darragh O'Boyle said Council representatives met with the Tidy Towns last week and “We asked them to remove the signage on the bollards and lamp posts. We never asked them to remove the bicycles. I want to make that 100% clear.”

Director of Services, Joseph Gilhooly, said there is “a huge amount of investment in terms of time and money by Leitrim County Council with the local Tidy Towns”.

He acknowledged the Tidy Towns group had been asked to remove the “prolific signage” on the riverside green area adding the rules about signage “have to be seen to be applied fairly. I have no idea where the assumption came that the bicycles had to be removed,” he said.