Author name: oisinkelly

Retailers Against Smuggling is warning that smaller Irish ports like Killybegs are being used increasingly by smugglers. This week a consignment of black cigarettes were seized in Killybegs on a ship which arrived from St Petersburg. A Russian man was question in connection with the seizure of 6,200 cigarettes with a retail value of approximately […]

A public consultation on plans to ban windturbines from within ten times their tip height to residential property is open. The Draft Variation to the County Donegal Development Plan would also designate 6 Sub- Basin Management areas ‘Not Favoured’ for wind energy development. Other considerations are to protect Fresh Water Pearl Mussels and limit the

A local election candidate says voters living in apartments are not getting the chance to engage with candidates and is calling for an innovative solution to the problem. Christy Galligan says he had difficulty canvassing people living in a number of apartment complexes around Letterkenny because of a lack of access. He is calling on

An EU study on internet use by children has found that over a quarter of European children aged 9 to 16 have been bullied, and 14% of them have been bullied online. The “Net Children Go Mobile” report, which has just been published, follows two years of research in Ireland, the UK, Denmark, Italy and

There are now 20 candidates who have declared an interest in running in the local elections in the Letterkenny/Milford areas. The formal confirmation of candidates is four weeks before the polling date of Friday, May 23rd. The son of Cllr. Victor Fisher, David Fisher, has thrown his hat in the ring to contest the Letterkenny/Milford

One of two men ordered to pay more than £1.5m in damages to the families of those killed in the Omagh bombing is being questioned by police about the Real IRA attack in August 1998. Seamus Daly was arrested in Newry on Monday. Seamus Daly was one of five men named in a BBC Panorama

A number motorists and business owners in Strabane have expressed concerns after there was severe traffic disruption in the town yesterday due to roadworks. The entire “out of town” lane along Bridge Street has been closed to undertake public realm scheme works. There is a one way system in place, and there were huge tailbacks

A controlled explosion has been carried out during a security alert in Strabane. Army bomb experts were called to the scene in the Ballycolman area area of the town, following reports of a suspicious object in the early hours of this morning. A number of elderly residents and young families in the area had to

A Donegal councillor is calling for an imaginative response to the problem of rent arrears. In response to a question, Cllr Gary Doherty has been told that 1,571 council tenants, 33% of the total, are in arrears of 100 euro or more. The council says the vast majority of them are in payment plans to

Donegal County Council candidate is calling for more speed limit signage on the busy Letterkenny-Ramelton road. Siobhan McLaughin has particular concern over the windy, densely populated 3.5 km. stretch between the town and the Woodlands National School. Ms LcLaughlin says there is not sufficient signage warning drivers which is of great concern to local residents

Donegal’s Seamus Coleman will be amongst guests to attend a state banquet in Windsor Castle this evening as part of President Michael D. Higgins’ historic state visit to the UK. The Everton player is thought to be on the guest list for the banquet which will be attended by 160 people. He will be in

Officers from Revenue’s Customs Service seized 6,200 cigarettes following a search on a boat in Killybegs. The cigarettes have an estimated retail value of €2,860 and a potential loss to the Exchequer of over €2,600. The cigarettes were discovered concealed in a ventilation compartment on the outer deckhouse on the boat when officers conducted a

The Minister for Health has sanctioned the appointment of a specialist nurse for children with diabetes in Letterkenny General Hospital. The news was confirmed today by Dr James Reilly in a meeting with The Donegal Diabetes Parents Support Group. The group had handed over a petition to the minister signed by almost 20 thousand Donegal

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has formally welcomed the President to the UK – for his 4 day State visit. Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina were greeted by the British monarch and her husband Prince Philip in Windsor. The President’s other engagements today will include an address at the Houses of Parliament in Westminister. From

Gardai in Sligo are appealing for witnesses to an assault in the town in the early hours of this morning that has left a man with serious injuries to his face. At around half past three Gardai were called to a house in Avondale where they found a man in his twenties seriously injured. He

Donegal Deputy Charlie Mc Conalogue has accused the Government of sleep-walking through the ongoing jobs crisis in Donegal and the North West. He says the latest Live Register figures show how the North West in general and Donegal in particular are lagging far behind the rest of the country when it comes to tackling the jobs

  A judge has said the delay in the trial of a man accused of causing the death by eight people by dangerous driving in Inishowen ‘beggared belief’. 24 year-old Shaun Kelly from Hill Road, Ballymaggan, Buncrana appeared  in court today after the case was adjourned last week. This was to allow the Director of Public

Independent Councillor Padraig Doherty has confirmed he is rejoining Fine Gael. The Glenties Electoral Area representative was previously a member of the party, and was elected to the council in 1999. However, he was not nominated by the party to run in the 2009 local election, and chose to contest it as an independent. Now,

There are calls for young Donegal farmers to be encouraged into the industry in light of recent CSO figures which show the number of farmers over 65 in the county is growing. The figures show that 28% of working farmers in Donegal are aged 65 and older. Midlands Northwest European Election candidate Rónán Mullen says

Detectives investigating the Omagh bombing have arrested a man. The blast – on August 15th 1998 – killed 29 people – including a woman pregnant with twins. The man was detained in the Newry area yesterday. He’s being questioned at the serious crime suite in Antrim.  

53 people from Donegal, including children affected by diabetes will travel from the county to Dublin today to meet with the Health Minister. Parents of children with Type 1 diabetes will present the Minister with a petition of 15,000 names demanding more diabetes nurses at Letterkenny General Hospital. It is understood the parents will be

A man in his mid 20s has been shot four times in a paramilitary-style shooting in Derry’s Bogside. He was hit in four times in both  at a house in Lisfannon Park last night shortly after 10.15pm. It is understood the man was in a front room of the property when he was targeted. He

Support for Windows XP is ending today. The final security update for the software will be released today by Microsoft. Users of XP – which was released 13 years ago – will have to upgrade to a newer operating system. Microsoft says technical assistance for the system will no longer be available – including automatic

The Fianna Fáil Finance Spokesperson says only the Irish public can decide when the Rehab crisis is over. The Group has admitted its response to recent public and political demands for transparency have been ‘inadequate’. Rehab’s directors say they did not exercise strict or appropriate oversight and has appointed an independent consultant to oversee a

Letterkenny General Hospital will have a deficit of almost 6.5 million euro at the end of this year according to the West North West Hospitals Group Service Plan, which has just been published. 2014 is set to be a busy year for the hospital, with over 20,000 inpatients and 60,000 outpatients expected to pass through

A 30-year-old man from Fahan in County Donegal has been jailed for a driving incident on Benone Beach which left a mother and her four-year-old daughter in hospital. Paul John Doherty of Ballynahone in Fahan admitted seven driving charges including two charges of dangerous driving, two of driving with excess alcohol and failing to report,

Gardai are appealing for information after a man was critically injured in a collision near Muff just before midnight on Saturday night. The incident which involved a black Honda Civic happened close to the Birdstown junction between Muff and Burnfoot. Gardai are trying to piece together the events that led to the crash and say

A weekend cancer conference in Donegal has been told that building work on the new Radiotherapy Unit at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry is set to begin next month, with the unit on track for a mid 2016 opening. The Unit’s Manager Una Cardin told the Relay for Life conference that the design teams have been

Donegal North East Deputy Joe MC Hugh says he believes progress will be made when parents of children with Type 1 Diabetes meet with Minister James Reilly tomorrow in Dublin. The meeting comes on foot of a campaign to secure the services of a specialist nurse for children with diabetes in Letterkenny General Hospital, but

President Michael D. Higgins has left Dublin to travel to the United Kingdom for his official State visit – the first ever by an Irish President. He starts his official engagements in London tomorrow morning. The government jet, carrying the President, his wife Sabina – and the Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore and his wife Carol –

A priest in Derry has said he may be forced to leave his parochial house after a spate of anti-social behaviour. Parish Priest for Creggan Rev Dermott Harkin says there has been ongoing anti-social behaviour adjacent to were he lives. Young ones have been gathering near the parochial house at night and drinking into the

A local election candidate in Letterkenny/Milford area, has once again called on fellow candidates to remove election posters erected over the weekend. Peter Cutliffe raised the issue a week ago over posters erected at Pole Star and Mountain Top Roundabouts, those posters were subsequently took down. Another poster from the same Fianna Fail candidate has

The Government is investing 1.3 million Euro into 29 festivals across the country, three of them in Donegal. 40,000 euro has been allocated to the Earagail Arts Festival and 20,000 to the Rory Gallagher Festival in Ballyshannon. A sponsorship deal has also been agreed with Sea Sessions in Bundoran. Junior Tourism Minister Michael Ring says

Derry’s new Bishop is being officially inaugurated today. Bishop Donal McKeown was previously the Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor. The Mass of Installation for Bishop McKeown is taking place at the Cathedral of St Eugene in Derry at 3 o’clock this afternoon.  

The Taoiseach has welcomed Martin McGuinness’ decision to accept an invitation to dine with Queen Elizabeth this week, at a state dinner in honour of President Michael D Higgins. President Higgins begins an historic four day visit to the UK on Tuesday. The North’s Deputy First Minister and former IRA leader Martin McGuinness snubbed a

Detectives in Derry are appealing for information following a vehicle hijacking that occurred in the early hours of Sunday 6 April in the Strand Road area.  At approximately 2.50am, police received the report that two men and a woman, all aged 19, were sitting in a parked red Volkswagen Golf when a white Seat Ibiza

Work on preventing future flooding at Letterkenny General Hospital can begin after the council approved planning permission for the construction of a culvert. The hospital was devasted by flash flodding last year which left much of the hospital services affected with repair costs in the tens of millions. The new culvert will divert any future

Derry will get a jobs boost when the Nando’s chain of restaurants opens in Derry next week creating 33 jobs. The figures were given at a licensing application at Derry Crown Court when the chain applied for a licence to sell alcohol at their premises in Derry’s Richmond Centre. The new shop is the third

Doctors from Donegal will meet this Monday to protest at what they say is the crisis taking place in general practice. The meeting with Donegals TD’s and Senators will take place in the Abbey Hotel in Donegal town on Monday evening. The meeting is the fifth in a series of meetings organised by doctors across

Northern Ireland man has been returned for trial to the circuit court on charges of having drugs for sale and supply to the value of E115,000. Paul McConville, of Cranny Terrace, Bleary, Craigavon, county Armagh is charged with two counts of possession of €115,000 worth of Methylone, in a rented house in Bunhovil, Bundoran, Co.

The council has been called on to address the problem of illegal dumping in Ardravan in Buncrana. Local Councillor Ciaran McLaughlin says bags of rubbish are being dumped at a derelict property in Milltown which he says is creating a safety hazard. The council do not own the property and it has yet to be

There has been outrage in Strabane after a 12-year-old girl fell and cut her hand on a syringe. The incident happened yesterday afternoon as the girl walked home from school, she tripped and fell on a footpath near the primary school she attends. The young girl, who cut her hand, had to then be taken

Gardai have confirmed that one person was seriously injured following a road traffic accident this morning on the Lifford – Letterkenny Road. The accident took place near Tully’s Tyres. The crash involved a van and a lorry. It is understood that the driver of the van was seriously injured and has since been taken to