Author name: oisinkelly

A new opinion poll for the European elections has found Sinn Fein’s Matt Carthy leading the way in the Midlands Northwest constituency. 500 voters were polled in each of the the constituency on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week. In the Midlands North-West, the poll shows that Fianna Fáil could lose out to two independents.

The High Court has ordered the arrest of local election candidate Patricia McCafferty over her failure to remove allegedly defamatory posts about Bundoran Town Council on YouTube. Mr Justice Paul Gilligan ordered that Ms McCafferty be arrested and brought before the High Court for alleged contempt in the face of orders directing her to remove

The Donegal man who died in a farming accident yesterday has been named as Cecil Killpatrick. He died when he was trampled by a cow close to his home at Carrckbrack, Convoy. The incident happened early yesterday (Friday) morning. An investigation has been launched by the Health and Safety Authority in to the incident.

The Department of the Enviroment has allocated 106 thousand euro of funding for public enhancement projects in Co. Donegal. The money, which is the second highest allocation in the country, will be spent in six location improving access and safety to public areas for local communities and visitors. The work includes car park improvements at

The Mayor of Donegal has blasted the government for what he says his the latest attack on the elderly. Pensioners will feel particularly hard done-by as thousands of them who have medical cards face paying higher Universial Social Charge. The hike from 4 per cent to 7 will reportedly affect up to 360,000 people. Mayor

A Donegal priest has welcomed moves by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn to review government policy on small schools. Father John Joe Duffy has been campaigning on behalf of small schools – including those from Protestant faiths – as the Government threatened to close some of them. But the Minister for Education moved to calm fears

A young boy has been the subject of a suspicious approach in Raphoe. Last Thursday, a man in a black car pulled up along side the 10 year-old boy gestering for him to get into the passenger seat of the car. It’s thought a similar approach took place later in Convoy. The matter has been

The Chairperson of the Letterkenny Joint Policing Committee is calling for the establishment of a new body to oversee policing in the town and its environs. This week saw the final meeting of the outgoing committee, which is being abolished along with the town council from the end of the month. Cllr Dessie Larkin says

With one week to go to the local and European elections, young people are being urged to use their vote. On Friday next, May 23rd, the people of Donegal will cast their votes in both elections. Some candidates have stated that while canvassing, many people are are saying they do not intend to use their

Gardai last night appealed for information in their search for eight boat-engines stolen from anglers in the one night. Thieves struck at Lough Eske outside Donegal town and cut through chains to steal the engines worth a total of more than €16,000. Although there were guests at two nearby hotels on the lake, the thieves

  Three men from Derry caught with a mortar in the city in 2012 have each been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment at Belfast Crown Court.Police stopped a car at Westway in the Creggan area on the evening of 6 December. During a search of the vehicle, officers found a holdall containing a home-made Explosively

A case against a Derry man charged with wounding with intent to commit grievous bodily harm was adjourned today at Derry Crown Court to allow preparation of a medical report. 59 year old Kieran McLaughlin of Elaghmore Park in Derry is charged with wounding a man with intent, possessing a Stanley knife and making threats

An election opinion poll published in this week’s Tirconaill Tribune for the Letterkenny/Milford Electoral Area shows non-party candidates are set to win almost 43% of the first preference vote. The poll among 500 people in the area shows party profiles since the last local elections in 2009. Fianna Fail is on 23%: down by 17.7%:

Donegal South West Deputy Pearse Doherty has named Garda Keith Harrison as the latest whistleblower, during a Dáil debate on the Guerin Report. He told the Dail that Garda Harrison was victimised after arresting a colleague who had been drink-driving. He claimed he was office bound for a period of two years, while the officer

A Buncrana Councillor has claimed that once again, Donegal has been excluded from tourism literature produced by Tourism Ireland. Councilor Mary Kelly made the claim over a leaflet produced promoting County Carlow, which shows routes to or from every area of the republic with the exception of Donegal. Northern Ireland is also excluded. Councillor Kelly says

Letterkenny Town Council is to examine how best it can proceed with the Joe Bonner Road which will link the Port Road and the Neil T. Blaney Road. The road is half built, and because there is less than 100 metres left to go, the council has discretion to proceed. The issue was raised by

Donegal County Council is to consider banning animal acts in circuses. The issue was raised this week at the final meeting of Letterkenny Town Council’s Municipal Committee by community representative Kathleen Murray. She says the recent Duffys Circus in Letterkenny included performances by a group of sea lions which attracted some public protest. Petitions to

Residents of a Lifford housing estate, which has been plagued by overflowing sewerage, are to hold a public meeting tomorrow evening. A stream of foul smelling sewage water has streamed down Hazelwood Drive onto the main Lifford to Letterkenny Road for six and a half years now. Donegal County Council have told residents in the

11 Irish fishermen, the bulk of them based in Donegal and members of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation, have won a second case against an EU commission decision not to grant them extra tonnage on the basis of money they spent on safety measures in 2001. KFO Chief Executive Sean O’Donaghue says the work was done

Donegal County Council is being asked to review its eligibility criteria for Housing Adaptation Grants. The issue was raised in the Letterkenny Town Council chamber by Cllr Gerry Mc Monagle, who said officials in Lifford apply a list of illnesses, and if an applicant does not have one of those conditions, their application is rejected.

Buncrana Town Council has allocated 70 thousand euro to the Icare group. Inishowen Children’s Autism Related Education is based in Buncrana but provides services across the peninsula. It aims to improve the quality of life of individuals with autism and their families with a number of initiatives including restpite care. Chairperson Angela Tourish says the funding

The Letterkenny Joint Policing Committee has been told gardai are hoping to make arrests in relation to a number of aggravated burglaries earlier this year. The committee was told there’s been a fall in reported crime in the district from January 1st to April 30th this year. Thefts were down in the first quarter, but assaults

The Health Minister is downplaying fears for the future of maternity services in the West and North West. Questions have been raised over the future of Letterkenny General Hospital’s obstetric unit in a confidential report commissioned by the HSE. The closure of up to four obstetric units in the west and northwest is mooted in the

Donegal’s Crime Prevention Officer is asking home owners to be vigilant if buying power tools and generators from door to door sellers. The warning centres on items carry brand leading logos such as Honda which are not the genuine article. Gardai say the items are being sold by well dressed men with Midlands accents and

Irish Water says it will invest nearly 1.8 billion euro between now and 2016 in improving the water infrastructure and says it will explore all options in order to raise the cash. In Donegal, 46 million euro will be spent on waste water treatment schemes in 13 locations including Ballybofey, Raphoe, Letterkeny, Moville and Falcaragh.

Letterkenny Town Council has held its final statutory monthly meeting before it is abolished at the end of the month. Councillors must come together one more time towards the end of the month to ratify the minutes of last night’s meeting, the last in the history of the council which was founded in 1899. Cllr

The Mayor of Buncrana says the town will not enjoy the same level of investment and maintenance once the town council is abolished. After over 100 years in existence, the last monthly meeting of Buncrana Town Council was held last night. Mayor Peter McLoughlin predicts a significant drop in money spent in Buncrana when it becomes

Buncrana is to retain its 30 minutes of free parking, for the time being at least. Councillors last night opted not to consider proposed changes to by-laws governing parking in the town allowing the unofficial grace period stay in place in line with the views of local business owners. The decision on future parking in

Students from St Eunan’s College in Letterkenny have asked the Taoiseach to support their calls for investment in the facility. In 2012 planning permission for an extension to the college was overturned after being appealed to An Bord Pleanala. Funding has since been provided for pre-fabs. Nicolas Lane presented the letter to Enda Kenny today

The President of the Irish National Teachers Organisation has been meeting with Donegal local election candidates seeking support for a reversal of budget cutbacks which is threatening small schools. The INTO says that some small schools have already last a teacher with more to follow, they claim it is an untenable situation which will force

It’s emerged that up to 30 people in Limavady have lost tens of thousands of pounds in “serious and sophisticated” banking fraud in the past two months. Detectives have said a gang has used telephone and computer scams to divert money from bank accounts. In many cases, hoax callers claim they are from banks or

The Pharmacy Department at Letterkenny General Hospital has reopened today with what’s been described as one of the most up to date and modern facilities in the country. The unit was opened by Junior Health Minister Alex White, who also toured the hospital and was briefed by management on the progress being made to restore

Taoiseach Enda Kenny was in Donegal this morning for a number of engagements. He  turned the first sod of the 4.5 million euro North West Science Park at Letterkenny Institute of  Technology, before traveling to the new Colaiste Ailigh building at Carnamuggagh, which he officially opened. The North West Science Park is a cross border

Letterkenny Town Council holds its final meeting tonight with one councillor describing it as a dark day for Letterkenny. Councillor Ciaran Brogan is now proposing that the setting up of a forum in the town including community groups, Letterkenny Chamber, the Tidy Towns Committee and the Gardai. He says the forum would help address the

A month long public consultation on windfarm policy in Donegal has ended with the delivery of over 2,600 submissions to the county council by the Glenties Windfarm Information Group. The public were asked for their views on the placing turbines ten times their tip height away from homes, and also the proposed change of zoning