Author name: oisinkelly

Derry City Council has agreed a rates increase of 2.58%. The rate was struck last evening following what a council spokesperson described as intense negotiations between officers and elected members. Derry City Council says it is facing unforeseen financial costs and economic difficulties while trying to meet growing expectations following the success of 2013. Policy […]

A Strabane SDLP Cllr has denied suggestions that there is a split within the party in the town. Cllr Patsy Kelly supported a rates increase in the councils district rate for the coming year of 2.5%, which is an increase in the domestic rates bill of £18 in the coming year. However his fellow party

Donegal and the Northwest escaped the worst of the severe weather conditions last night as parts of the country were battered by storms. The ESB says customers hit by yesterday’s storm should make preparations for being without power for a number of days. 190,000 homes and businesses are without supply this morning and crews are

More than 2,000 ESB engineers are working to restore power to 190,000 homes and businesses who are without power around the country. The crews are being assisted by staff  from Northern Ireland Electricity. However ESB is warning it will be late into this evening before supply is restored to most areas and a large number

UCD looks set to become the World leader in the study of rogue waves. Freak waves or rogue waves kill close on 50 people around the World every year and sink as many ships. Last year a rogue wave measuring 23 metres was recorded off the coast of County Donegal. Frederic Dias of UCD, who

Gardaí investigating the murder of Andrew Allen in Buncrana two years have today arrested a man in Donegal. Andrew was shot dead on the 9th of February 2012 at Links View Park, Buncrana. A man in his 40s was arrested in Donegal this morning in connection with the investigation and is currently detained under Section

There are calls for an investigation after it emerged on Highland Radio that a PSNI Landover  crossed the border into Lifford this morning . A witness told the station that the vehicle crossed the bridge into Lifford and drove around the roundabout before returning across the bridge into Strabane. Councillor Frank Mc Brearty has described it

It has been claimed that some facilities at the Aura Leisure Centre in Letterkenny discriminate against those with a disability. The local council this week heard calls for a hand rail, at head height, to be installed in the centre’s pool following complaints from a Letterkenny disability group. It is understood that a rail was

A Donegal Deputy says recent high profile controversies have had a serious effect on the morale of frontline Gardai and has called on the public to support them. Padraig MacLochlainn, Sinn Fein’s Justice Spokesperson, says the penalty points scandal and claims of bugging at GSOC are not the fault of ordinary gardai who seem to

Driving conditions in many parts of the Northwest are described as treacherous after overnight falls of snow and freezing conditions. A number of minor collision have been reported as ice and snow affected many areas. Conditions will not improve much as Wednesday progresses with more wintry showers set to hit the Northwest. Met Eireann has

A Castlefin Councillor says the community has been shocked to learn of the major seizure of cannabis in the area. €400,000 worth of cannabis was last night seized as part of an intelligence led operation involving the Garda National Drug Unit, Customs Revenue Enforcement Officers, and the Divisional Drug Unit Donegal. A man in his

Strabane District Council has agreed to increase its district rate for the coming year by 2.5%. This means that local ratepayers will see an average increase in their domestic rates bill of £18 in the coming financial year. It’s the second year in a row there has been a rates increase in the town, last

Young farmers may be forced off the land because the government isn’t doing enough to support them. That’s according to Donegal North East Deputy Charlie Mc Conalogue, who questioned the Agriculture Minister on CAP reform in the Dail last evening. Under the provisions of the package, there are supports for young farmers under the age

A Letterkenny Town and County Councillor has expressed regret at a recommendation from the County Manager that the Council not buy the former Rockhil Barracks in Letterkenny. The Department of Defence has offered Rockhill and Liffird barracks to Donegal County Council for a total of 1.2 million Euro over six years. However the Council will

Representatives from the Garda Ombudsman Commission will appear before an Oireachtas Committee today to discuss allegations of bugging at the GSOC headquarters in Dublin. In an RTE interview last night, Commissioner Kieran Fitzgerald said a security breach could not be definitely ruled out – but the Justice Minister Alan Shatter has said there is no

  An estimated  €400,000 worth of cannabis has been seized in Castlefin. The drugs were seized as part of an intelligence led operation involving the Garda National Drug Unit, Customs Revenue Enforcement Officers, and the Divisional Drug Unit  Donegal. The seizure was made shortly after 8pm on Tuesday evening. One male in his early 30’s has been

The Taoiseach says there’s no evidence of any bugging at the Garda Ombudsman’s office in Dublin. Enda Kenny has told the Dáil that the Justice Minister’s briefed the Cabinet on his meeting with the G-S-O-C yesterday evening. He says no particular incident led to the Garda Ombudsman Commission looking for bugging devices, but that it

Update 6.45 – A lorry has become stuck at Mc Grory’s Brae on the Donegal Town side of Ballybofey, and the road is impassable at present. Traffic is asked to avoid the area. ——————————— Donegal County Council is urging all motorists to take extra care on the roads as showers of sleet, snow, rain and

The problem of homelessness in Donegal was highlighted during a meeting of Letterkenny Town Council this week. The council’s monthly meeting was briefly interrupted by a man who said he was homeless and unable to get accommodation. The man, who is in his 40s, entered the chamber of Letterkenny Town Council during this weeks meeting

A new video from Letterkenny man John D Ruddy, which explains World War 1 in just 6 minutes has gone viral. The video has only been online a few days and has already amassed almost 80,000 views from across the globe. John is best known for his involvement in many theatre productions, his most notable

The family of a Letterkenny soldier who was shot dead in Lebanon has called on the Justice Minister to meet with them. In 1981 Private Hugh Doherty was shot in the back when manning an observation post overlooking Palestinian controlled territory while serving with the United Nations. His colleague, Private Kevin Joyce from the Aran

A man arrested after a disturbance outside a meeting of Bundoran town councillors on Monday has appeared in court on a public order offence. Thomas McNulty, who is husband of one of the councillors, Florence Doherty, has been charged with insulting behaviour. Garda Helen Munnelly told Dungloe District Court that 55-year-old McNulty, from Main Street,

Gardai have said they now know who murdered Derry man Andrew Allen and they are building a case against those involved. Mr Allen was shot dead in February 2012 at a house near Buncrana in County Donegal. Andrew was originally from the Waterside area of Derry, and had reportedly been driven out of the city

Concern has been expressed that if the authorities do not act to remove a small number of families accused of anti-social behaviour in the Glencar Park/ Meadowbank areas of Letterkenny, then the wider community may take matters into their own hands. There have been a number of house break-ins and a serious assault in the

A Councillor has questioned why a casino continues to operate in Letterkenny despite not having planning permission to do so. Majestic Casino Limited was granted permission to operate a bingo hall on the Ramelton Road in Letterkenny by the council but has since been operating as a casino. A change of use application is now

A man is to appear in court on Tuesday after a disruption outside a committee meeting of Bundoran town council on Monday afternoon. He is charged with breach of the peace following angry exchanges between councillors and subsequently between councillors and protesting members of the public. At one stage there was a texted claim that one councillor

An orange weather alert is in place this morning warning of snow and ice in Donegal. Up to 6 centimetres of snow is expected to fall above 500 feet and ice may affect many roads this morning. A yellow wind warning is in place for the Atlantic coast, with gusts of up to 100 kilometres

A European Parliament hearing into the Donegal ‘Lost at Sea’ case has called on the Irish government to find a solution for the Byrne family who were excluded from the controversial scheme. In 2010, an Ombudsman’s report found the Byrne family had not received fair treatment under the scheme and it was recommended they should

A preliminary agreement has been reached on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, which provides for a number of supports for the fishing sector. The European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of Ministers have approved the terms, but it must now be agreeed between the EU and the member states. Among the provisions

The Justice Minister will brief the Cabinet this morning over claims the office of the Garda Ombudsman was bugged. GSOC confirmed last night that an investigation was carried out last year that uncovered three technical and electrical ‘anomalies’. But they said that no databases were breached and no evidence of Garda misconduct was found –

SIPTU says they would welcome new intervention to resolve their pension dispute which is threatening disruption at Dublin Cork and Shannon airports. Counting of votes is getting underway after members at Aer Lingus were ballotted on whether to take industrial action. SIPTU members at Dublin and Cork airports have approved the idea, and a result

The Transport and Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar says his Cabinet colleagues should not boycott New York’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. Yesterday Social Protection Minister Joan Burton said she has made it clear that she will not take part in the event in protest at the parade restrictions on gay and lesbian groups. New York’s Mayor

Met Eireann has issued further weather warnings tonight. Up to 6 centimetres of snow is expected to fall on high ground in parts of Donegal over the next 24 hours. A snow and ice warning is also in place for Connacht, Longford, Westmeath, Cavan and Monaghan Forecaster Pat Clarke says Donegal is in for a

The Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Centre is moving to Letterkenny General Hospital. Since opening in September, the Daffodil Centre has been located at Letterkenny Shopping Centre, where over 1,700 people have visited to consult with the cancer nurse and volunteers who run the facility. From tomorrow morning, the service will be available at the hospital.

The mother of a Derry man shot dead in Buncrana two years ago has made a fresh appeal for information to catch his killers. Andrew Allen was shot dead at his home near Buncrana on the 9th of February 2012. Republican Action Against Drugs said it carried out the murder. His family have denied RAAD’s

The Road Safety Authority has issued a ‘Road Safety Alert’, following a level orange weather warning forecasting very cold, wintry conditions for county Donegal. Met Eireann is forecasting falls of snow, possibly from early tonight with wintry showers of sleet and snow expected tomorrow away from coastal areas.   The warning in full –  

A public meeting has been called for Manorcunningham this Wednesday night in response to crime in the area. Over the last number of weeks a number of homes have been targeted, mostly occupied by older people who have been abused and robbed – in at least one incident a gun was used to threaten. Tony

A man who assaulted two pregnant nurses at the A&E department of Derry’s Altnagelvin Hospital has been jailed at the local Magistrate’s Court. Patrick Farren (51) of 22, Stoneburn Place in the city admitted several charges of assault and criminal damage in the hospital on January 31 this year. The court was told that police

There’s been another fall in the numbers the Live register in Donegal, with 19,722 people signing on at the end of last month, a 5.6% fall on the January 2013 figure. However, while all of the other offices recorded falls, there was a substantial increase in Killybegs. There were 960 people on the Live Register

The Chief Executive of the Donegal County Enterprise Board has called for more investment in the small business sector, saying that in Donegal, 95% of businesses empoy less than 10 people, but supporting such businesses accounts for only 1% of the Department of Enterprise’s budget. Michael Tunney was speaking at the press launch for Donegal

There will be no vote management by Fine Gael in the enlarged Midlands -North West constituency for the forthcoming European Elections. Following a selection convention in Athlone last evening, it was confirmed that Sitting North West MEP Jim Higgins will be joined on the ticket by current Ireland East MEP Mairead Mc Guinness. Speaking to

The PSNI has arrested two men as part of the investigation into an armed robbery of a business premises in Ballybofey. The two men in their 20s were arrested on Sunday evening in the Carlton Drive area of Strabane as part of what has been described as major police operation. reports: The arrests follow an

Two candidates have been selected by Fine Gael to contest the enlarged Midlands -North West constituency in the forthcoming European Elections on May 23rd. Sitting North West MEP Jim Higgins will be joined on the ticket by current Ireland East MEP Mairead Mc Guinness. Ms McGuinness was proposed by party Chairman Charlie Flanagan TD, and

A security alert in Derry yesterday afternoon has been declared a hoax. A number of homes were evacuated in Crannog Park in the Strathfoyle area of the city as army bomb disposal experts investigated a suspicious object Shortly before teatime, the area was declared safe and residents were allowed return to their homes.

Sinn Féin’s Finance Spokesperson has accused the coalition of putting banks and bondholders before the Irish people. Donegal South West Deputy Pearse Doherty was speaking this morning at the party’s Ard Fheis in Wexford. He claimed the Government’s only ambition seems to be to have unemployment at 10.5% by the end of next year. Mr

The North’s deputy first Minister’s described sectarianism as being no different to racism or homophobia. Martin McGuinness has appealed to civic society to make their voices heard now. He says no longer can voices be drowned out by rejectionists. Mr McGuinness told the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis in Wexford today that compromise, as envisaged in