Signing off
Dear Readers,
As of today, 17th October 2025, I have decided to unpublish all content on my website. I have made this decision with regret and apologise to all of you who have enjoyed reading about Bonane since I created my website back in 2018. Thanks very much for your interest, encouragement and praise.
When I first published my website 7 years ago, I did so because there was very little information about the delights of Bonane in one single location on the Internet. Few local businesses owned websites to promote their own commercial interests, but Bonane Community Council – as self-aggrandizing as they may be – had neither invested effort nor finances in establishing an actually useful, up-to-date website to showcase our community as a whole.
Researching, condensing and then writing up the details found in a way that was not just informative but hopefully also somewhat entertaining to read was, as you can imagine, a lot of work – albeit very pleasant work. It has also cost me a fair amount of money during the 7 years my website was online; domain name rental and web hosting don’t come for free.
Imagine my surprise then, when I was recently tipped off that Bonane Community Council have finally improved their website Bonane.ie, but have very obviously taken substantive inspiration from my own website. I’m trying to be polite here. Particularly their post about Releagh Bridge takes the proverbial biscuit. I wonder if the narrowminded clique that is Bonane Community Council have ever heard of such things as intellectual property theft or copyright violations? Merely shortening a text and swapping a few words around when the end result is still clearly identifiable as someone else’s creation is just not good enough. (‘Voussoirs’, anyone?) Neither is publicly encouraging trespass over someone else’s private property. Is this what is called ‘Community Spirit’? I should hope not!
I ask myself, why Bonane Community Council did not simply approach me with a request to use some of my work and ideas? It’s not as if they don’t have my contact details or know where I live. Did they seriously think I would not find out what they’ve done? This latest stunt is a new low, even for those allegedly acting on behalf of our community, a community whose majority either wants nothing to do with their unusually stagnant and worryingly introverted Community Council, or is actively discouraged from getting involved by certain self-important individuals.
So, in disgust and anger, I’m retiring my website today to prevent its contents being scavenged any further by those acting antisocially and disrespectfully to long-standing members of their own community, and too lazy to come up with their own original ideas.
I remain regretfully yours,
Heike