Author name: oisinkelly

Police in Derry have made three arrests in the past 24 hours for drugs offences. There has now been a total of eight drugs arrests in Derry since the weekend. Officers found a number of suspected Ecstasy tablets during the arrest of a woman in Derry City Centre in the early hours of this morning.

Police are growing increasingly concerned for the safety of 35-year-old Shane Sharkey from the Omagh area who has been reported missing. Shane was last seen on the September 4th at 10.30am, and it is now believed he was in the Dublin Road area of Omagh, walking country bound. He is described as being 5′ 6″

There are fears that Russian customers of Irish Agri-food producers could find other suppliers while the Russian trade embargo of EU Agri-goods continues. Midlands North West MEP Matt Carthy, says Russian customers could forge long-term trade agreements with alternative producers. Speaking at the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, Mr Carthy warned the impact of such a

A Letterkenny based councillor is urging people offered council houses to accept them after a recent meeting of the Letterkenny Municipal District was told that dozens of council houses are being turned down. In many cases, the reason given was concern about the area the house is in, with prospective tenants concerned about possible anti-social

A court in Carndonagh has dismissed a case in which Customs challenged a local man who had borrowed a car from a relative in Northern Ireland. It’s the first such case following a European Court of Justice ruling that borrowed vehicles are not subject to VRT, and cannot be touched. irrespective of how long the

A Councillor has hit out at a parades commission decision to allow a loyalist band parade to take place this Saturday evening in the town of Castlederg. The Castlederg Young Loyalists band parade will take place between 8pm and 11pm, with 88 bands and up to 2000 supporters. Sinn Fein Councillor Ruari McHugh says he

A Donegal County Councillor has said that people should not be forced to pay for water that is not suitable to drink. Cllr Gary Doherty says he has been contacted by dozens of people in the Finn Valley area complaining about their water quality. He says that Donegal County Council had identified that pipes in

Sinn Féin MLA Maeve McLaughlin has welcomed support for the expansion of Magee during an adjournment debate in the assembly last evening. However, the Minister with responsibility for the issue made it clear that while he will carefully study the business case that will be on his desk within weeks, no money will be available

The ESB is urging Donegal fans not to attach flags or bunting to their poles as it presents a real danger of electric shock. The company is asking those who have already done so to contact the ESB so they can be safely removed. Arthur Burns of the ESB says that flags or bunting does

The shooting of a 17-year-old man in Derry on Monday night was the 13th incident of its type in the North West this year, the areas police commander has said. Chief Superintendent Stephen Cargin said there had been a fourfold increase in the number of shootings so far this year compared to all of 2013.

Gardai are investigating an incident in Dunfanaghy on Sunday in which at least seven cars were damaged. The cars, all of which were parked close together in a car park overlooking Sheephaven Bay, had paintwork scored, and in some cases, tyres slashed. There were hundreds of visitors in the area for the Jazz and Blues

A 17-year-old teenager was shot in both legs in an attack in Derry last night. The teen was shot in the O’Riada Court area of Ballymagroarty near a childrens playpark at around 11.15pm. He was taken to hospital by a family member and police described his injuries as not life-threatening. It’s thought two men, wearing

Recruitment is underway for the 7th Donegal Youth Council, which will see 36 young people chosen to represent 12 to 16 year olds in the county for the next 2 years. The Youth Council aim to represent the views and opinions of the youth of Donegal who don’t have a vote, by building and strengthening

A Derry man, described by a judge as ‘an idiot’ because he could not distinguish between an Italian and a Pakistani, has been jailed. 24-year-old Raymond Anthony Lishman of 2, Wesley Street in Derry admitted a series of charges when he appeared at the local Magistrate’s Court. The court was told that on October 29

Minister of State Joe Mc Hugh says it is incumbent on everyone to support the rebuilding of the Orange Hall in Newtowncunningham. He was speaking after visiting the hall yesterday following an arson attack on Sunday morning which caused extensive damage to the hall and destroyed much of the lodge equiment and memorabilia inside. Minister

Up to 60 jobs are at risk at a private hospital in Derry because the NHS has stopped referring patients there under the waiting list initiative. 180 people are currently employed at the North West Independent Hospital in Ballykelly, where management confirmed last evening that a redundancy consultation process has begun with staff. A statement

The Standards in Public Office Commission has published details of how much was spent by candidates contesting the European Elections in May. The spending limit per candidate in all constituencies was €230,000, with all candidates in Midlands North West well below that figure. The highest election expenditure recorded in Midlands North West was incurred by

A man has appeared in court in connection with an attempted hijacking of a female taxi driver’s car in Derry. 18-year-old John Paul Moore, from Carlton Court, Ballymagroarty, is also charged with being armed with a dinner knife. The court was told that Moore allegedly wrapped his arm around the throat of taxi driver Linda

The Orange Order say they have been told by gardai that a fire which badly damaged the orange hall in Newtowncunningham was started maliciously. The blaze was first reported at 8 o’clock yesterday morning, and was fought by several units of the fire brigade. Treasurer of Newtowncunningham True Blues Loyal Orange Lodge 1063, Stewart McClean,

A programme to promote the North West Health Innovation Corridor has been launched in Derry by the Massachusetts State Senate President Therese Murray, who was instrumental in the conception of the health corridor and its launch last year. The programme involves collaboration between the University of Massachusetts, the University of Ulster, Letterkenny Institute of Technology

The family of a 95 year old man have criticised Letterkenny General Hospital after he was refused the use of a non-emergency ambulance following discharge. The cancer patient, who requires the use of a wheelchair, attended the hospital following a referral from his GP, but when he was discharged later that evening, he was refused