Author name: oisinkelly

A Letterkenny Councillor has hit out at what he says is a plan to privatise the Local Community Development Programme. Cllr Gerry Mc Monagle says Minister Phil Hogan plans to put the programme out to tender for next year. Up until now, it’s been delivered on a not for profit basis by local development companies. […]

Gardai in Buncrana are investigating after a number of cars were broken into in the town in the early hours of yesterdays morning. Four cars were broken into in the Summerhill area sometime between midnight and 5am. Wallets, handbags, purses, mobile phones and a small amount of money were stolen from the vehicles. Garda forensics

Work has started on a 20,000 sq ft extension at Letterkenny’s CoLab Building which hopes to create dozens of new start-up jobs. Preparatory works have got underway at the new building which will house scores of new small businesses and the Northwest Regional Science Park. The extension will double the size of the CoLab which

A committee has been formed to lead the bid to save Lettermacaward Post Office, with its first meeting set for tomorrow night. It follows a packed public meeting in the local hall last night, at which outgoing postmaster Brian Cannon urged all present to stand together and fight for their community. An Post has set

Three men arrested in relation to dissident republican activity in Derry have been unconditionally released. The men, aged 44, 55 and 61, were arrested in the city yesterday morning, with a house in the Creggan area of Derry was searched as part of the investigation. The men were freed last night.  

A Donegal County Cllr has called on those responsible for illegal dumping on the Killea Road to stop immediately. Old mattresses, furniture, broken tvs and electrical equipment and used Christmas decorations were dumped along the road at the weekend. The litter warden from Donegal County Council has been notified, and they are to clean up

Detectives from Serious Crime Branch investigating dissident republican terrorist activity have arrested two men in Derry. The men, aged 55 and 61, have been taken to Antrim police station for questioning. A house in the Creggan area is being searched.  

Police in Limavady are appealing for information after a man exposed himself to a seven-year-old girl in the town yesterday morning. The incident occurred at Anderson Park at around 10.45am. The man, who was wearing a navy tracksuit and riding a bicycle did not approach the girl or speak to her. He then left in

People in Donegal had the lowest disposable income in the country in 2011, continuing a trend that’s been evident for over 10 years. According to the CSO, disposable income per person in Donegal in 2011 was 15,897 euro, compared to a national average of just over 19,000 euro. The Border, Midland and Western region average

People in Lettermacaward and surrounding areas are being urged to attend a public meeting tonight in the local hall aimed at saving the local post office. It follows a question mark raised over whether a replacement will be found for the existing postmaster who retires over the summer. Local councillor David Alcornm says this will

Singer-songwriter Paul Simon will unveil a specially commissioned tapestry dedicated to the late Seamus Heaney at Dublin Airport today. The American singer was a fan and friend of the poet and is a patron of the piece of art commissioned by Amnesty International. The Tapestry will hang from the ceiling of the Departures floor of

The vice-chairperson of Strabane District Council and her brother have been accused of assaulting a local SDLP constituency representative. Sinn Fein Cllr Michelle McMackin of O’Nolan Park, Strabane and Malachy Finbar McCrossan of Glennfinn Park, Strabane have been charged with assaulting Daniel McCrossan on July 6 last year. They are also accused of disorderly behaviour

Gardai have said that they are pleased that there were no collisions or injuries over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend in Donegal. 326 people breath-tested at mandatory checkpoints in Donegal over the weekend all passed the tests. However four other motorists were separately caught drinking and driving by other Gardaí on patrol in the county.

There’s been an outbreak of the Winter Vomiting Bug at Letterkenny General Hospital. In a statement this afternoon, management at the hospital have confirmed that visiting has been suspended at the Short Stay ward due to suspected gastrointestinal cases on the ward. If relatives are concerned about patients on this ward, a nominated person from

A young man is being treated at Letterkenny General Hospital after he was airlifted from Mount Errigal last night. Two men were out walking on the mountain when one of the men got into difficulty at the top of the summit shortly after 7 o’clock. Members of the Donegal Mountain Rescue team and the Rescue

There’s been another car fire in Derry, this time in Knockalla Park. Police are appealing for information about a fire that destroyed a blue Peugot car in the early hours of this morning. At around 2.25am, fire crews were called to tackle the fire, which is believed to have been started maliciously. A motive has

  A Donegal TD is calling on the National Transport Authority to brief local politicians about what is being done to replace Lough Swilly bus routes after the company ceased trading at the end of last week. Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn says despite numerous calls and e-mails and attempts to raise this in the Dail

The funeral of East Derry MLA David McClarty takes place today. Mr Mc Clarty, who was 63 and from Coleraine died on Friday after suffering from cancer for some time. His funeral service will be held at Killowen, followed by burial in Portstewart. The Independent Unionist MLA left the Ulster Unionist Party in 2011 after

A Donegal councillor who has not attended HSE Regional Forum meetings for over a year and a half says he has saved the tax payer around €7,000. Cllr Frank Mc Brearty says he was going to Galway to ask questions that can best be answered over the phone and via e-mail by people in Donegal.

A young man is being treated at Letterkenny General Hospital after he was airlifted from Mount Errigal last night. Two men were out walking on the mountain when one of the men got into difficulty at the top of the summit shortly after 7 o’clock. Members of the Donegal Mountain Rescue team and the Rescue

Calls have been made on the Minister for Communication, Energy & Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte to keep the Lettermacaward Post Office open. In a letter sent to the Minister by Councillor Terence Slowey he pointed out that Doochary and Fintown Post Offices had closed in recent years. He also informed the Minister that a number

Police in Omagh have issued an appeal for information in relation to a missing teenager. 19-year-old Charles McCausland, was last seen in Dromore at approximately 6pm yesterday heading towards the Fintona direction on foot. Police have said they are concerned for his health and welfare and are trying to locate him. He is described as

A 28-year-old man arrested in Strabane by police investigating dissident republican terrorist activity has been released without charge. He was arrested on Friday and taken to the serious crime suite at Antrim police station for questioning. As part of their operation on Friday, police searched a number of houses in the Castlegrange area of the

Lawyers for the family of Sinn Féin official and republican informer Denis Donaldson have said they would take legal action to secure his journal. They warned they would act if Gardai did not hand over the diary Mr Donaldson was writing shortly before he was killed. He was shot dead at a remote cottage near

  NAMA has identified a total of 118 “potentially” suitable properties to transfer to Donegal County Council for use as social housing. However since the process began, a demand has been confirmed for 68 of the properties in Donegal but none have been handed over. Once demand for a property has been confirmed by the council,

An investigation is underway into a fatal farming accident in Co Donegal. It’s understood a man, in his seventies, was crushed by a tractor on a farm in the Moville area. Gardai say the death is not being treated as suspicious. An investigation by the Health and Safety Authority is underway.

  A United States-based entertainment law company has confirmed it is opening offices in Derry creating  75 jobs over the next five years. The firm’s founding partner Russell Smith told ‘The Lawyer’ that the New York-based firm had been in negotiations with Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI) to open a base in Derry/Londonderry, which would be

  If you’re out celebrating this Easter weekend remember to drink at your own pace. That’s the warning from Drink Aware who’re advising people the more they drink, the longer it will take for alcohol to leave their system. It takes your body roughly one hour to get rid of one standard drink. The Gardaí

After four years of planning and fundraising, Raphoe will finally open its new community playground today. The opening takes place later this afternoon. The new state-of-the-art playground is located beside the community’s local boxing club who donated the land. After the land was donated, the hard-working committee set about fundraising for all the playground equipment.

Police investigating dissident republican terrorist activity have arrested a 28-year-old man in Strabane. A number of houses in the Castlegrange area of town were searched yesterday evening. A fortnight ago there were two pipe bombs found by police in town, which were believed to have been targeting officers. It’s understood this arrest is in relation

A man in his 40’s has died following a collision in county Tyrone last night. The crash- involving a motorbike and a tractor- happened on the Belfast road at Fivemiletown just after 8 o’clock. The driver of the tractor was not injured. Police in the North are appealing for any witnesses to contact them.  

Former Anglo Irish Bank directors Willie McAteer and Pat Whelan have been convicted of providing illegal loans to the Maple ten to prop up the bank’s share price. The two former Anglo executives have been remanded on bail for a sentencing hearing on April 28th. There was no visible reaction from Pat Whelan and Willie

952 local authority homes are to be brought back into use under a new Government scheme, 56 of them in Donegal. 15 million euro will be spent renovating the vacant houses and apartments around the country, with 358,000 euro allocated to the Donegal projects. The properties will be allocated to people who are currently on

Bus Eireann has told Highland Radio that work is underway to ensure that there is no disruption to school transport when the Lough Swilly Bus Company ceases trading this weekend. Bus Eireann says 2,000 schoolchildren hold tickets issued by Bus Éireann for use on over 50 school bus routes and a number of public scheduled

More than 300 call centre jobs are to be created in Derry by an American corporation. Convergys is to set up a customer service centre in the city in collaboration with phone network EE. The Derry centre will open in spring and the new posts will be created over the next 12 months. Convergys Corporation

The Unite trade union have said there may be a possibility of Ulsterbus or Bus Eireann taking on the routes left from the Lough Swilly bus service. It was confirmed yesterday that the Lough Swilly Bus company will cease trading this weekend with the loss of 80 jobs. The owners of the company are refusing

A man accused of murdering 29 people in the Omagh bomb atrocity was sought by police for five years, Belfast High Court has heard. Seamus Daly lived “under the radar” near the Irish border before he was arrested at a retail centre car park in Newry, County Down, prosecutors said. It was confirmed charges were

With the Lough Swilly Bus Company facing closure at the weekend, the government is being urged to ensure that there is continuity of bus services in Donegal, particularly on school runs. Donegal North East TD Charlie Mc Conalogue is Fianna Fail’s Education Spokesperson, and he’s already been in contact with the Department of Education and

The National Roads Authority has confirmed that there is no money available for what have been identified as two crucial road projects in North Donegal. In response to queries from Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn, the NRA says that while plans are in place for works on the Bongee link in Letterkeny and improvements on the

It’s been confirmed this morning that Greenfield Care Home in Strabane is to remain open. The Health Minister in the North, Edwin Poots said that existing residents will be allowed to remain in the residential home for as long as they wish as their needs can continue to be met there. The closure of Greenfield

Former Anglo Irish Bank Chairman Sean FitzPatrick has walked free from court. The 65 year old has been acquitted on all charges of providing unlawful financial assistance to 16 individuals to buy shares in Anglo in July 2008. Francesca Comyn has more………