Author name: oisinkelly

The Ulster Unionist Party’s West Tyrone MLA Ross Hussey has slammed the Irish Taoiseach for his failure to meet with representatives of the Derg Valley Victims Voice. The group believes victims of the Troubles in Castlederg and district have been neglected by the peace process. The Taoiseach has been forwarded a portfolio detailing attacks on […]

The Donegal Branch of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation says it will be stepping up the campaign for increased staffing at Letterkenny General and other hospitals. Local representitive Edel Peoples is at the INMO conference in Kilkenny, where a national campaign has been launched to improve staff to patient ratios, with nurses quoting research

A Fine Gael MEP candidate has said independent radio should receive a portion of the licence fee. Simon Harris says RTE is not the only broadcasting outlet that provides a public service and that Independent radio plays a vital role in the area. Over 2.5 million Irish people listen to local, independent radio stations everyday.

The Carndonagh Community Hospital Liaison Group has welcomed the publication of the latest HIQA assessment of the hospital which reports significant improvement. The inspection in Janurary focused on nine outcomes and encompasses a review of the hospital’s compliance programme since July 2013. It found improvements in the delivery of safe and quality care, and while

A consultation process is being launched for towns to be designated Gaeltacht Service Towns. The towns will be situated in, or adjacent to, Gaeltacht language planning areas and have a minimum population of 1,000. Junior Minister Dinny McGinley says his department is seeking recommendations for towns to be designated. Selected areas will have a period

Social Protection Minister Joan Burton has asked that Donegal County Council withdraw a motion calling on officials not to cooperate with the Gateway scheme, but the councillor who moved the motion says he will not do so. The motion was passed unanimously when it was moved earlier this year, and the council has advised the

Donegal Local Development Company has expressed grave concern at the possible impact of government plans to change how local development funding is managed and distributed. DLDC says the changes proposed by Government under the Alignment process are likely to put DLDC’s work under the control of a Donegal County Council-led committee, or to private contractors

City of Derry Airport could be facing strike action next month after two unions at the airport decided to ballot members on industrial action. This afternoon, representatives of both NIPSA and Unite attended a joint meeting of members which unanimously backed a call for a ballot. The unions say the action will oppose recently announced

President Michael D Higgins leaves today for his second official visit to the United States. The trip includes official engagements in Chicago, where he will meet the Mayor; and state governor of Illinois. Mr Higgins, who’s accompanied by his wife Sabina, will also meet members of the Irish community. President Higgins has a message for

An investigation is underway after a 69 year old man was killed in a road collision in Donegal. He was driving a motorcycle which was in collision with a truck at Loughmor, Barnsmore Gap, on the Donegal town to Ballybofey Road at ten to twelve. The motorcyclist was a marshal for the Cycle Against Suicide,

Two bars were broken into in Buncrana overnight. The two pubs on Main Street, Huttons Bar and O’Dohertys Bar were broken into in the early hours of this morning. The intruders got into Huttons Bar through the sky light. Dozens of bottles of spirits were stolen from both bars, its understood no cash was stolen.

Donegal County Cllrs were paid over €1.8 million between 2012 and 2013. On average each Cllr was paid €32,000 in 2012, and €29,000 in 2013. Donegals highest paid politician between 2012 and 2013 was former Mayor Cllr Frank McBrearty, who earned just over €92,000 in two years. In 2012 Cllr Frank McBrearty earned €47,030, while in

British detectives have arrived in Portugal overnight – to prepare for a new phase in the investigation into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance. Earlier this week, they were given permission to dig at sites close to where she vanished in a holiday resort in the Algarve in 2007. Sky’s Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt is in Faro.

A new Minister for Justice will be named this morning after the shock resignation of Alan Shatter yesterday. The Taoiseach will announce the appointment in the Dáil at a quarter to eleven. A number of current Ministers are favourites for the position. With both coalition parties keen not to spark now a wide reshuffle of

A legal challenge by retired RUC officers against a report citing police failures over the ‘Good Neighbours’ bombing in Derry has been dismissed. In July of last year, the Police Ombudsman found that officers failed in their duty in relation to an IRA 1988 booby-trap bomb which killed Eugene Dalton, Sheila Lewis and Gerard Curran

Alan shatter has resigned as Justice Minister. The announcement was made in the Dail this evening. The resignation follows the Government’s receipt of a report by Seán Guerin that was critical of the Department of Justice’s response to the allegations made by Garda Maurice McCabe. It also comes only a day after the Data Protection

The road between Donegal Town and Ballybofey has reopened following an earlier fatal crash at Barnesmore Gap. The crash, thought to involve a lorry and a motorcycle happened at McGrory’s Brae. The motorcyclist, a man in his 60s, has died. Garda investigations are continuing, and a forensic examination of the road has now been concluded with the

 A local election candidate has said the introduction of water charges will be the last straw for many struggling families in County Donegal. It was confirmed yesterday that households will pay an average of 240 euro per year for their water. There will be a free allowance for all households, with an extra allowance for children, and a

Donegal County Council has secured over €1.5m for Unfinished Housing Developments. The council made 10 applications to government under the Special Resolution Fund Initiative and was awared funding for eight of the applications. The total amount of funding received was €851,101 and this will in turn leverage additional private investment of €680,288. The money will

Police in the North have arrested a man in connection with a car bombing at a police station in 1998. The 47-year-old was arrested by detectives from the PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch in the Dungannon area of Co Tyrone – over the Moira attack in which a number of people were injured. He’s been taken

The possible legalisation of cannabis is being debated by a Dail Committee today. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight is considering a petition on the issue. Committee Chairman, Deputy Padraig McLochlainn, says there’s a clear need for debate on the subject:

The case against a man accused of murdering 29 people in the 1998 Omagh bomb has been adjourned until 3 June. 43-year-old Seamus Daly, who is originally from Colloville in County Monaghan, appeared at Omagh Magistrates Court by videolink from Maghaberry Prison. A prosecutor said the investigation was at an early stage and he asked

Management in Letterkenny General Hospital are advising that there are a number of cases of diarrhoea on the Orthopaedic ward at the moment. Visitors who have symptoms should not visit the ward. Also, children should not be brought to the hospital to visit unless absolutely necessary. The HSE has issued this advice for Visitors: ·       

The owner of Bradley Transport has said he has no option but to move his business to Northern Ireland putting 30 Donegal jobs under threat. Peter Bradley says the move is saving €150,000 per year in road tax alone. 30 jobs are under-threat as it has been claimed that drivers living in Donegal are not

The Irish Independent will this week reveal that Donegal’s top earning Councillor earned 92 thousand euro over the last two years. The special investigation by the newspaper reveals that on average councillors earned 30 thousand euro last year through a salary, allowances, fees and expenses. The papers Paul Melia says Donegal’s top earning Councillor was

Irish Business Against Litter says there are concerns at what effect the abolition of town councils will have on cleanliness in Irish towns, after 80% of towns included in last year’s litter league were found to be clean to European norms. That list included, Letterkenny, which IBAL has confirmed will be included in this years’s

The ICSA in Donegal has invited candidates in the upcoming elections to a Farmers’ meeting in Friel’s Hotel, Raphoe tonight. Farmers will be allowed to question the candidates on their views on farming in Co Donegal, and try establish what efforts the individual candidates will pursue to support them if elected. William Mc Girr is

The Cabinet is meeting now to sign off on a package of measures around water charges. Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore says the charges will be “fair and reasonable” after the standing charge was dropped and extra allowances are to be given to children and those with medical needs. A final decision on the charge will be

It’s been confirmed that President Michael D Higgins will visit Buncrana in September to present the 2014 Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Award. It was confirmed last week that this year’s recipient will be Senator Therese Murray, President of the Massachusetts State Senate. Her nomination has been widely welcomed in Donegal and further afield, with Taoiseach

A new effort could be made this summer to resolve a number of issues in the north’s peace process. It’s reported today that the Irish and British governments want all sides back around the talks table to focus on areas covered by the Haass talks at the end of last year. Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore spoke

Fianna Fail in Donegal wants 10% of the local property tax paid in each housing estate to go towards essential works in the area. That is according to Stranorlar area local election candidate Claudia Kennedy. She says the money would be used to to fix poor lighting, fixing potholes and tackling anti-social behaviour……….

A Buncrana councillor is calling Transport Minister Leo Varadkar to clarify the status of Cockhill Bridge, and where the application for a replacement bridge sits in his department’s priorities. The minister recently claimed that Donegal County Council had not applied for funding for a new bridge since 2010. However, Cllr Ciaran Mc Laughlin says he’s

A woman has been arrested by police investigating a stabbing in County Derry. The 42-year-old man was attacked overnight in Strand Road, Coleraine. The incident was reported to police at about midnight last night. He sustained stab wounds to his back and was taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries, that are not believed

A child involved in a collision in County Donegal, in which a woman died, has been transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. 38-year-old Siobhan Hutcheon, from Ardmore in Muff, died in the incident that involved a car and a bus. It happened at about 330pm yesterday afternoon on the road between Letterkenny and

A woman in her 30s – from Derry – has tragically died after her car collided with a bus in Co Donegal. The accident happened at around 330pm on Sunday in Ardee, Newtowncunningham. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Her body was taken to Letterkenny General Hospital for a post-mortem examination. It’s understood

The Sinn Fein Leader is likely to be released from custody this evening and a file sent to the public Prosecution Service. Gerry Adams has been held by the PSNI at the serious crime suite in Antrim since Wednesday evening. Deputy Adams was being questioned in relation to the disappearance and death of Belfast mother