Author name: oisinkelly

New research shows further evidence that people are better off having a job than living on the dole. The ESRI has found that most people who claim benefits are single and childless – and would be paid more on the minimum wage. Even when work does pay less than welfare – 7 out of 10 […]

A man in his 30’s is currently in a critical condition in Altnagelvin hospital following an assault in Derry last night. He was assaulted outside licensed premises in the Waterloo Street area at around 9pm Detectives investigating the incident have arrested a man in his 20’s on suspicion of grievous bodily harm following. The arrested

Obesity expert Dr Donal O’Shea said he is distraught after being informed St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin is suspending life-saving gastric-bypass operations on dangerously obese public patients. It is one of only two hospitals in the country offering the operation to desperate clinically obese patients who have developed serious health complications and may die without

A pizza delivery van was hijacked and burnt in Derry last night. The delivery driver was threatened by a group of youths in the Creggan area just before 11 o clock. The van was found burnt out at Creggan shops a short time later. It’s the sixth Paolos Pizzas delivery van or car to be

The chairman of the west and north-west hospital group, Noel Daly, has resigned following controversy over his links to a company commissioned to carry out a review of maternity services in the region. The Health Minister confirmed last night he had been informed of Mr Daly’s decision to resign. Minister James Reilly said Mr Daly

The Irish Cancer Society is welcoming the introduction of laws that will ban branded cigarettes from being sold in Ireland. We’ve become the first country in the EU to introduce laws for plain packaging of cigarettes – after Ministers signed off on the legislation at this morning’s Cabinet Meeting. Ireland will follow Australia and New

A young Donegal man remains in a critical condition in hospital today following a serious accident while on holiday in Spain. 19-year-old Oisin Merritt, who plays with Finn Harps Reserves, is from Stranorlar. He sustained a fractured skull as a result of the accident, and has been placed in an induced coma. Oisin was on

If you’re the mother of a primary school child, chances are you’re thinking about buying a thank-you present for their teacher as another school year ends. But, before you splash the cash, it’s worth bearing in mind that for many teachers a home-made gift or card is worth its weight in gold.Some schools have even

Sinn Fein’s Gary Doherty has been elected as the first Cathaoirleach of the new Stranorlar Municipal District Committee. He was elected to the chair at today’s inaugural AGM of the Committee today. It is anticipated that many of the decision effecting the Stranorlar Electoral area that were previously taken at full council meetings in Lifford,

A 40-year-old Derry man has admitted a number of terrorism related charges, including the possession of images of a police headquarters in England. Kevin Barry Concannon, from Beechwood Avenue, Derry, pleaded guilty to seven offences at Belfast Crown Court. He is due to be sentenced in September. Kevin Concannon from Derry has pleaded guilty to

Almost 100,000 new books were dumped into a skip outside a Derry bookshop yesterday after the receiver ordered that the contents of the shop, which closed two years ago, should be disposed of. Hundreds of people, many of them tourists, made off with handfuls of books after they were dumped into a skip outside the

The majority of Irish people say they’ll be backing Brazil to win the World Cup. Ahead of kick-off tomorrow, statistics from website hotels.com also shows that Argentina and Spain were close runners up in a poll to find out who Ireland will be supporting. Neighbours England is the least favourite to win with Irish sports

Letterkenny General Hospital is the third most overcrowded hospital in the country today according to figures released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Association. Their figures, collated this morning, show that there are 21 people classified as either being treated or awaiting treatment on trolleys – a further 11 are ‘in wards’. The only other

Serious flash floods struck Kerrykeel around 5.30pm Tuesday and a sports complex and family homes on two estates have suffered severe water damage with residents forced to vacate their homes. At the height of the deluge it was reported that a tornado was seen nearby on Mulroy Bay. Firemen from Milford were at the scene

A clean-up continues in Kerrykeel today in the wake of flash floods which struck yesterday after a massive rain downpour. Some residents in two housing estates in the town had to evacuate their homes as the flood waters rose. Roads in the area also became impassable. The waters have now abated. Katherine told the Shaun

Northern Ireland’s chief prosecutor has said letters sent to so-called ‘On the Runs’ saying they were not wanted by police are “virtually worthless”.Director of Public Prosecutions Barra McGrory QC told a parliamentary inquiry the letters were “not an impediment to prosecution” if new evidence emerges. Noel Doran from the Irish News joins Shaun to discus

Too often men and women delay in getting to hospital, they don’t want to cause a fuss or they waste vital time calling family or friends first which can prove fatal. Shaun is joined by Graham who suffered a heart attack while on holiday in Donegal, he was lucky that the people around him reacted

The British Open Golf Championship is to return to Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951, with Royal Portrush expected to host the tournament as early as 2019. The Royal and Ancient had said last month that it remained “some distance” from being able to stage the Open in the North. However, the R&A

There’s been another blow to farmers with confirmation that payments under the long awaited GLAS scheme won’t start until 2016. Donegal Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill says the scheme is a highly important one, as it is the replacement for REPS, and the delay in paying it will hit farmers badly at a time when they are most in need.

The First Meeting of the Shadow Derry City and Strabane District Council will take place in Derry’s Guildhall this evening, with the council set to approve its standing orders and elect a Chairperson and Deputy Chair to oversee the transition. The forty councillors elected to serve on the new Derry City and Strabane District Council

Donegal South West Deputy Thomas Pringle is urging Inland Fisheries Ireland to take a step back following a heated altercation between IFI officials and local anglers at the Gweebarra River. He says this incident is reflective of the bad feeling over a number of years between the Donegal Game Angling Federation and the IFI regarding

A young Donegal man is battling for his life after he was involved in a serious accident while on holidays in Spain. 19-year-old Oisin Merritt, a talented young footballer who plays with Finn Harps Reserves, is from Stranorlar. 19-year-old Oisin Merrit was holidaying with a group of his friends in Santa Ponsa, Mallorca when the

Over 1.3 million euro was paid to the Revenue Commissioners in tax and penalties by 11 individuals and businesses in Donegal between January and March of this year. The figure is included in the latest Tax Defaulters List, which has just been published. The highest Donegal payment in the first quarter was made by Ferry’s

Written by Paul Laverty (Looking for Eric, The Wind That Shakes the Barley), and starring Barry Ward, Simone Kirby, Jim Norton, Brían F O’Byrne and Andrew Scott, Jimmy’s Hall is “freely inspired” by the real-life story of Irish communist Jimmy Gralton (Ward). In 1921 Jimmy Gralton’s sin was to build a dance hall on a

  The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. The beloved characters from the original X-Men film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from the past, X-Men: First Class, in order to change a major historical event and fight

A man with 90 child images on his computer today failed in his bid to keep his identity secret. Judge Paul Kelly ruled 44-year-old Neil McBride could be named when he admitted having 43 child pornography images on his Dell lap-top computer. He also admitted having a further 51 images of children under 17 years

“Maleficent” explores the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the classic “Sleeping Beauty” and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king’s newborn

In a near future, a hive-like alien race called Mimics have hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, shredding great cities to rubble and leaving millions of human casualties in their wake. No army in the world can match the speed, brutality or seeming prescience of the weaponized Mimic fighters or their telepathic commanders. But

After a disastrous blind date, single parents Lauren (Barrymore) and Jim (Sandler) agree on only one thing: they never want to see each other again. But when they each sign up separately for a fabulous family vacation with their kids, they are all stuck sharing a suite at a luxurious African safari resort for a

Grace Of Monaco focused on the personal story of former Hollywood star Grace Kelly during a dispute between Monaco’s Prince Rainier III, and France’s Charles De Gaulle over tax laws in the early 1960s. Nicole Kidman stars as Grace Kelly with Tim Roth as Prince Rainier III. The film is directed by Olivier Dahan (LA

  This is a shocking demonstration of just how distracting a text message can be. Hong Kong cinema goers were shown an advertisement with someone driving through a forest. However, midway through, they were sent a text message – and when they checked their handset, the on screen car careered of the road and crashed,

The Government’s announced a full ‘Commission of Investigation’ into mother and baby homes. It will have full statutory powers to seek documents and compel witnesses. The wide ranging inquiry will examine all aspects of the running of the homes and won’t just be confined to the revelations concerning the former Bon Secour’s home in Tuam.

At 12.35 on 16th June 1942 an RAF Lockheed Hudson light bomber, with a crew of three international volunteers from Atlantic Ferry Command and one additional (Irish?) mystery-man, made a classic, successful, emergency landing (“Forced landing- No Petrol” as the Royal Canadian Air Force, Radio Operator’s Log book shows) on Killyhoey beach, having been one

A Donegal County Cllr has said that he’s concerned by reports that management at Glenveagh National Park are preparing to privatise the park shuttle bus service. The bus service between the Visitor Centre and the Castle is currently operated by the park using seasonal workers. Cllr Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig says there is now

In 2013 there were 16 deaths in the agricultural industry 4 of which were children and 5 were people aged over 65. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) are now going to increase the number of unannounced inspections on farms due to the increase in farm related accidents. One of the biggest risk factors is

Investors will be keeping a close eye on Bank of Ireland shares today after a US billionaire announced he was selling his stake. Ross’s shares make up 5.54 per cent of the bank’s shares. He bought into the bank in 2011, he is set to almost triple the value of his original 290 million euro

Five PSNI officers have been disciplined following a Police Ombudsman investigation which found that police failed to properly investigate a fire at the Sean Dolan’s GAA clubhouse in Derry in December 2011. The fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday, December 2011, and caused extensive damage to the building. At the time the

Police are appealing for information after a report of shots fired in the Dove Gardens area of Creggan last night. Shortly before midnight, it was reported that two masked were in the area. It is believed that four shots were fired. No one is believed to have been injured during the incident and enquiries are

A weather warning is in place this morning for much of the country. Thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected which could lead to spot flooding in some areas. The status orange alert will remain in place for Munster, Leinster, Connacht and Donegal until this evening. There were a number of heavy showers in the Letterkenny

The number of vacant commercial premises in Donegal is still above the national average according to first quarter figures published by GeoDirectory. With a vacancy rate of 13%, that’s an increase of .6% over the same period last year, showing vacancy continues to be a significant issue in the county. With a vacancy rate of

The Pat Finucane Centre in Derry is seeking an early meeting with the new Chief Constable after it came to light that the PSNI is rejecting the central findings of the Police Ombudsman into the 1988 Good Samaritan Bombing case in Derry. Last year, the Ombudsman upheld the Dalton family’s complaints that the RUC failed

Met Eireann has issued an orange weather alert, with a thunderstorm warning in place for the entire country. The activity is expected this evening and overnight, with parts of Donegal already seeing some very heavy rain today, sometimes accompanied by thunder and lightning. Some intense thundery downpours are likely at times, with flash flooding also

Seth MacFarlane directs, produces, co-writes and plays the role of the cowardly sheep farmer Albert in A Million Ways to Die in the West. After Albert backs out of a gunfight, his fickle girlfriend leaves him for another man. When a mysterious and beautiful woman rides into town, she helps him find his courage and