Author name: oisinkelly

The Derry based rail campaign group ‘Into the West’ is accusing Translink of treating the people of the city with contempt by refusing to publish the outcome of a public consultation into a new railway station for the city. The consultation ended on May 23rd last year, and ‘Into the West’ believe that Translink will […]

Europe needs some fresh faces from Ireland. Taoiseach Enda Kenny earlier laughed off suggestions that he is on the way to Europe, but the message is that a lot of people who went to work there on lower levels in the 1970s are facing retirement in the coming years. The Commission is keen to have

The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee says the treatment of whistleblowers in Ireland is “disgusting”. John McGuinness was responding to the Garda Commissioner, who yesterday said he found it disgusting that allegations of corruption in the penalty points system, were brought forward by just two members of the force. Martin Callinan is considering legal

In the North the DUP-led Newtownabbey Council has cancelled a play based on the Bible, claiming it is blasphemous. It says “as guardians of all that’s right in society, we’ve got to take a stand somewhere”. The Reduced Shakespeare Company take on ‘The Bible – The Complete Word of God (Abridged)’ was to be shown

A woman has been sent for trial on charges of stealing more than £30,000 from a local church in Derry. Lyndsey Bredin (27) of 12, Primity Crescent in Derry appeared at a preliminary enquiry at Derry Magistrate’s Court today. She was charged with 19 counts of stealing the money from Culmore Parish Church on dates

Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle says County Councils which aren’t balancing their books appear to be rewarded by Government while those that do are not. The Independent TD has questioned a Government top-up of 1 million euro to Sligo County Council despite it having increasing levels of debt He says this is unfair as Donegal County

Buncrana Councillor Nicholas Crossan has called on the President not to sign the Local Government Bill into law which gives effect to the scrapping of Town Councils. The Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland has written a letter to Michael D Higgins to that effect. Its argues that the Bill should be referred to the

Gardai investigating the discovery of a cannabis factory above a Chinese restaurant in Ballybofey have charged a male in his 30s. He will appear before a sitting of Letterkenny District Court tomorrow morning. Earlier today, a District judge refused bail and remanded three Malaysian women in custody. Mei Ling Chen (55) and mother and daughter,

A new survey shows the price paid for farmland in the Northwest is on the rise. A new survey by Ganly Walters shows an increase in farm land values in the Northwest and West regions during 2013. Overall the national average price paid for agricultural land in 2013 was 10,500 euro per acre compared with

A Donegal County Cllr has claimed that he has been told that the Catholic Chapel at Letterkenny General Hospital will remain on the hospital grounds. Fears had been raised in the past few months that the facility, which had been closed since the flooding catasrophe in July, would not be replaced. Cllr Noel McBride met

Three females are due to appear before a sitting of Letterkenny District Court this morning. They are charged in connection with the seizure of cannabis plants in Ballbofey earlier this week. On Tuesday, cannabis plants with an estimated street value of €360,000 were discovered, along with other items made and adapted for the growth and

The government is being urged to resolve a legal process which has seen an 11 year delay in issuing a foreshore licence for a tourism business in Burtonport. In 2003, Donegal County Council entered into an agreement with a local family under which they would develop a marina for which it received over 400,000 euro

The North West Region Cross Border Group has launched a new website that allows users to make business or investment decisions in the area. The online project, which is being led by Donegal County Council uses statistics, remote sensing and GIS technologies to identify changes in the rates and levels of urbanisation. It also sets

Work has begun this week to return thousands of tonnes of illegally dumped waste from Fermanagh back across the border. Approximately 2,000 tonnes of waste from a site near Killadeas is being brought to a fully authorised landfill site in the Republic, the third such project in the current financial year. The North’s Environment Minister

Fears have been raised today about the future of Bunbeg post office, after An Post confirmed that it was considering its closure. The threat comes following the retirement of the local postmistress in the parish who hasnt been replaced. AIB and National Irish Bank have also been removed from the Bunbeg area over the past

The Education Minister’s paved the way for some Institutes of Technology to become Universities. Three groups have already expressed an interest in becoming Technological Universities including one that will merge DIT, IT Tallaght and Blanchardstown in Dublin. According to the Minister a fourth group, the Connacht-Ulster Alliance, which includes Letterkenny IT, has indicated that they are

The Taoiseach says he was surprised to hear that Rehab made less than 10,000 euro profit on scratch card sales of almost 4 million euro in one year. The figures were released by the Justice Minister last night as he defended his decision to end the charitable lotteries scheme. Mr. Kenny says he believes that

An online petition has been launched in an effort to secure funding for two life saving charities in Derry. Foyle Search and Rescue and the ‘Hurt’ charity made a joint application for funding to continue and improve their services but had their applications declined. HURT was founded by Derry mother Sadie O’Reilly who lost her

Gardai continue to question four people, thought to be from Asia, arrested in Ballybofey  in connection with a major drugs seizure. €360,000 worth of cannabis was found during a raid in Navenny Street in the town on Tuesday evening. A male, aged in his 30s, and three females (two in their 20s and one 60s) were

Donegal Deputy Charlie McConalogue claims the real motivation for the Government’s replacing of the Junior Cert exam is to save money. In response to the Fianna Fail Education Spokesperson in the Dail, The Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn cited cost as a major factor for abolishing independent State assessment at Junior Cert level. Deputy McConalogue

Calls have been made for local people to be employed when work on the Dungloe and Dungloe and Glenties sewerage schemes begins. Work on the long awaited projects will finally get underway next month. The work will see the provision of new wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations and sewers in Dungloe & Glenties. Local election

614 new buildings were constructed in Donegal last year, bringing the total number of buildings in the county to just over 88,000. That’s according to GeoDirectory, which has published its end of year report today. 96 buildings were under construction in the county at the end of the year. GeoDirectory Chief Executive Dara Keogh says

  Gardai have seized a large quantity of cannabis plants and made four arrests as part of an ongoing investigation targeting cannabis cultivation in Co. Donegal. Cannabis plants with an estimated street value of €360,000 (pending analysis) were discovered, along with other items made and adapted for the growth and cultivation of cannabis, during a search

Gardai say they’re reviewing a decision to strike out a drink-driving case after a checkpoint was held to be unlawful. A Donegal driver who admitted drinking nine pints of beer the night before getting behind the wheel walked free from Letterkenny District Court yesterday. His solicitor successfully argued that the document authorising the checkpoint listed

A Strabane councillor says if there is evidence that people from Strabane are behind a spate of crime in Castlefinn and Lifford, then the gardai should be approached. Commenting on a number of recent break-ins in the Castlefinn area, local Sinn Fein Cllr Gary Doherty contrasted the large police presence in Strabane with what he

A man accused of murder has appeared in court in Derry to face further charges. Kieran Edward Joseph McLaughlin, of Ederowen Park in Derry is charged with the murder of Barry McCrory on October 10, last year. Today. he was back in court on seperate charges, as Ciara Ni Bhroin now reports. Earlier today, 58-year-old

The State is to pay 50 per cent of the costs incurred by the late Marie Fleming arising from her failed Supreme Court challenge to the law on assisted suicide. The seven judges who heard the case were informed that the parties were in agreement on the issue. The Court also affirmed an order that

  The Irish Road Haulage Association is warning that Donegal businesses may be forced to move their operations to Northern Ireland because of the difference in taxation in both jurisdictions. The cost of Road Tax for an articulated lorry is almost 10 times higher in the Republic than the North and from April the 1st hauliers

The N56 Cloghbolie to Boyoughter Road Scheme will be officially opened this afternoon, bringing to a conclusion what’s been described as a very important road safety project between Glenties and Dungloe. The NRA says this is a first step, and as funds become available, it wants to do more on that route. The 3.3 kilometre

The future of the Foyle Ferry is to be raised at a future meeting of the North South Ministerial Council. East Derry John Dallat MLA says he’s received assurances from Deputy First Minister Martin Mc Guinness and Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy that the service linking Magilligan and Greencastle will be on the agenda. He

Údarás na Gaeltachta’s End of Year Statement shows that the body created 64 jobs last year in Donegal. According to the reports, a total of 220 new jobs were created in the Donegal Gaeltacht in 2013 however job losses are taken into account, there was a net gain of 64 new jobs, an increase of

All members of Donegal County Council are being asked to sign a Charter of Conduct after there were further disputes and rowdy exchanges during the 2014 Budget process. A letter has been circulated by Councillor Marie Therese Gallagher, who hopes that if a charter were established, it would allow the Council business be conducted in

Emergency Services have attended the scene of a road traffic collision on the Letterkenny road outside of Lifford. Three cars were involved in the smash close to the Murlog junction just before 4pm on Monday Gardai, Ambulance and the Fire Service were tasked to the scene. There are no reports of any serious injuries. Traffic

Renowned Irish Times journalist Mr John Waters has been in Donegal to visit the site of the proposed Waste Water Treatment Plant and its associated discharge pipe in the town land of Carnagarve. The proposed development is would be located midway between Moville and Greencastle. Mr Waters was provided with details of the sewage plant

The signing of contracts between the HSE and Boyle Construction, Trentagh, Letterkenny for the construction of a new Primary Care Centre in Ballyshannnon took place today. The €7.9 million development, on the site of the former St. Catherine’s Convent, Townparks promises to deliver a modern centre for primary care services in the South Donegal area.

Fáilte Ireland says the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’ initiative has the potential to attract significant numbers of additional visitors into Donegal during 2014, building in the increase recorded in 2013. The tourism body’s CEO Sean Quinn says Donegal saw significant growth in visitor numbers last year, much of which can be attributed to the work of

It has been confirmed that the PEACE programme for the Border Counties and Northern Ireland will have a total budget of EUR 200 million for 2014. The purpose of the Programme is to reinforce progress towards a peaceful and stable society in the Border Region and Northern Ireland and to promote reconciliation by assisting projects

The crew of Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat were tasked on Sunday afternoon for their first callout of 2014. An 18 foot pleasure craft with two persons on board which suffered engine failure off Mullaghmore Head in County Sligo. The alarm was raised with Malin Head Coast Guard shortly before 4pm on Sunday afternoon by mobile phone and

Searches are set to continue along the River Foyle in Derry today for a 19-year-old man from the City missing since Friday. Andrew Quigley from Fergleen Park was last seen in the Galliagh area at around 2am on Saturday morning. The 19-year-olds mobile phone and other items belonging to him were found on the Foyle

Fine Gael selected candidates at the weekend to contest two of Donegals electoral areas in the local elections. The party held selection conventions in Letterkenny and Glenties yesterday afternoon. In the Letterkenny/Milford electoral area sitting Cllr Noel McBride was joined by Letterkenny Town Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh and first time candidate Grace Boyle from Churchill on

The Justice Minister says the high number of violent deaths so far this year is “very disturbing”. Eight people have been killed in violent circumstances since the New Year and Alan Shatter says he has full confidence in the ability of  gardaí to investigate them. The latest victim, 42-year-old Michael Devoy of Balbutcher Drive in

The Transport Minister has urged SIPTU, Aer Lingus and the country’s airports to reach a quick deal over a pensions dispute. SIPTU is balloting members over whether to pursue industrial action over a deficit in the pension scheme shared by Aer Lingus and the three major airports. The Minister says any disruption to air travel