Author name: oisinkelly

Two investigations have been launched into the death of a young boy in a lift shaft in Galway yesterday. 3-year-old Solomon Soremekun was with his mother and two siblings at the Hynes Building on St. Augustine Street when he became separated from them and entered the lift shaft. Ambulance crews and the fire service attended […]

Donegal County Council has been saved after Independent Cllr John Campbell dramatically backed a revised council Budget for 2014. Just after 8.30pm on Monday, new budget proposals from Fine Gael members, Labour and Independents including John Campbell was put to the floor. The vote was tied 14 – 14, as Fianna Fail Cllr Rena Donaghey

There is suspected outbreak of the Winter Vomiting Bug at the Department of Psychiatry at Letterkenny General. As a result, and following consultation with the HSE’s Department of Public Health and Infection Control personnel, the Department of Psychiatry will remain closed to routine admissions and visitors until further notice. The follow public information has been

Fianna Fail have this afternoon confirmed that they will not be supporting Donegal County Council budget proposals. Cllrs are meeting for the fourth day to try and adopt budget proposals for the year ahead. If the budget is not adopted by midnight, then the County Council will collapse for the first time in its 118

In an effort to ease overcrowding at Letterkenny General, patients from the south of the county are being diverted to Sligo General Hospital while GPs have been asked ‘treat people in the community.’ This morning, the hospital had 27 people over its bed complement, many of them on trolleys, and some on chairs. The Management’s

The Canadian Astronaut who Tweeted about Ireland from space and has now become a Tourism Ambassador for the Country has been visiting Donegal today. Commander Chris Hadfield has been taking part in a tour of Inishowen and earlier met with students at the Gaeilscoil in Buncrana. His visit is part of a promotional drive by

The Manager of Letterkenny General Hospital has denied that there is an effort being made to remove the Catholic Chapel from the hospital. A major petition was launched at the weekend seeking to retain the chapel, amid suggestions that the facility which has been closed since last year’s flood would not be replaced. The Letterkenny

Donegal Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill has lost his High Court challenge against an investigation by the Standards in Public Office Commission into alleged duplication of expenses claims. The case relates to an investigation concerning travel and subsistence claims made by Mr Ó Domhnaill between 2006 and 2007, when he was a member of Donegal County

Fianna Fail has claimed that a member of its party was sent an intimidating email from a fellow Councillor at the weekend. It’s claimed that Independent Councillor Frank McBrearty sent the email to Fianna Fail’s  Councillor David Alcorn at 446am on Sunday morning. It is not the first time tempers have flared between the Independent

Gardai in Ballyshannon are investigating following a major theft at the weekend. A five-figure sum of cash was stolen in break in at the home of a business family in the Assaroe View area of the town. Nobody was in the house at the time when thieves struck on Saturday evening. Gardai are seeking information

Donegal County Council’s budget meeting has reconvened at County House with a huge media presence in the building. It’s the fourth day of the meeting which remains deadlocked, with Fine Gael, Labour and some Independents supporting the budget, while Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein and Independent Cllr John Campbell oppose it. Earlier this morning, Independent Councillor

The INMO is seeking a meeting with management at Letterkenny General Hospital to discuss the number of patients on trollies and in temporary locations at the hospital. This mornng, the hospital is 27 people over its bed complement, many of them on trollies, and some on chairs. INMO Spokesperson Maura Hickey says this is a

The North’s Environment Minister has called a special meeting of the Road Safety Council at Stormont. The road safety forum, which includes government agencies, the PSNI and other emergency services will meet in Parliament Buildings tomorrow. Minister Durkan said he decided to convene the special meeting of the Road Safety Forum after five deaths in

Fianna Fail in Donegal have issued a statement calling on the government parties and other independents on Donegal County Council to back their attempts to secure more money for the county and secure answers to important questions about the future of water provision. Fianna Fail say so far, they’ve not received sufficient answers to change

Representatives from Irish Water are to appear before the Oireachtas Environment Committee this Tuesday to answer questions about their spending on consultants Last week, it emerged that the body spent over 50 million euro on consultants in its first year. The body has defended its spending, saying it can save the state over 2 billion

Detectives in Derry are appealing for information following an armed robbery in the Park Avenue area last evening. At approximately 8.40pm, two men, one armed with a wheel brace, entered a newsagents and demanded money. They made off with a sum of cash in the direction of Upper Nassau Street. No-one was injured in the

  Donegal’s Mayor says he hopes the authority will survive beyond tomorrow’s last chance budget meeting, which could see the council dissolved if it fails to adopt a budget.   The council has already met over three days and nights, and adjourned 21 times, but remains deadlocked. Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein and Independent Cllr John

Sinn Fein Cllr Ciaran mc laughlin has described the €50 million spent on consultants by irish water as a national scandal. “This waste of public money is a national scandal and cannot be justified”. Despite spending €100 million so far to set up irish water, this monster quango is already out of control. Water services

There’s fears other key Government documents may be missing after the Department of Finance admitted it cannot locate two letters relating to the banking crisis. The revelation was made to Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty on foot of a Freedom of Information request. The Department of Finance says two out of eight key documents concerning the

The Health and Safety Authority has launched an investigation into the death of a young man in an accident at a Killybegs fish factory yesterday. 21-year-old Kara McCole, who worked at Sean Wards Fish Exports, tragically died after he became trapped in machinery. Kara normally worked in company’s factory in Miltown, but was working in Killybegs

Donegal students collected seven awards at the 50th BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition. !,165 students from 32 counties covering 550 projects from 210 schools nationwide competed for the coveted title ‘Winner of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2014’. The winner was Paul Clarke, a fifth year student at St Paul’s College in

A 21-year-old man has died in an accident at a fish factory in Killybegs. The incident happened at around 330pm this afternoon. Gardai are currently at the scene.

A Local Independent Election Candidate has accused Fianna Fail of electioneering as the party continues to block the Councils budget. Fianna Fail members rejected the Councils budget proposals in the early hours of Tuesday morning over fears surrounding the Irish Water takeover. The Party Whip of the party, Ciaran Brogan has said that the people

Police used CS spray during the arrest of a 14-year-old boy at a school in Derry. An independent investigation has been launched into the incident at Oakgrove Integrated College on Tuesday afternoon. The teenager was released on bail pending further inquiries, a PSNI spokesman said. The spray is generally used by officers to control aggressors

A Donegal North East Deputy has said that the Garda Representative Association have confirmed what everyone knew, that there is a lack of Garda resources in Donegal. The GRA has said police officers in Donegal are “operating on fumes” due to a lack of staff and resources. But the Justice Minister, Alan Shatter has said

Environment Minister Phil Hogan says it was necessary for Irish Water to spend large sums on money on consultants. It emerged yesterday that of the company’s 100 million euro start up costs – over half was paid on various consultancies. Minister Hogan says its not possible to establish a company correctly without spending money and

Failte Ireland says the Wild Atlantic Way is one of its top priorities for 2014. The agency will spend 8 million this year on marketing the route – which stretches from Donegal to West Cork. Failte Ireland says 98 percent of those providing accommodation for tourists expect 2014 to be a positive one, maintaining the

North West MEP Marian Harkin says there’s a growing disenchantment among citizens of the EU, and that’s a cause for concern. Ms Harkin says previously, the EU was regarded as having answers to economic problems, now, a growing number of people are seeing the union as part of the problem. In Ireland, support for the

An East Derry MLA says the ability of Derry and Antrim to benefit from the success of initiatives such as the Wild Atlantic Way is being compromised by the continued presence of an army firing range at Magilligan. John Dallat says the council in Limavady have received funding to promote Magilligan as a tourist region,

BreastCheck, the National Breast Screening Programme, has extended the length of time its mobile unit is staying in Letterkenny, and is urging women aged between 50 and 64 who live in the town and surrounding areas to get themselves checked if they haven’t already done so. Spokesperson Aoife O’Sullivan says anyone who missed their BreastCheck

The Tánaiste says no decision’s been made on setting water charges. It emerged Irish Water could be given permission to hike charges if demand and usage is lower than expected. The issue will be considered as part of a consultation being overseen by the Commission for Energy Regulation. The Commission says such a move might

A solicitor told Derry Magistrate’s Court today that neither the defence team nor the police could find any record of an attack that a man charged with being involved in the murder an RUC officer 21 years ago had admitted to. 40 year old Christopher O’Kane 10 Woodland Avenue in Derry is charged with a

It has been revealed that the City of Culture celebrations made “no significant impact” on passenger numbers. Airport director Damien Tierney told Derry City Council he expected passenger numbers for 2013 to be down on previous years. Official figures will be out in March. Airport officials gave a review of the year at a Regional

Labour Senator Jimmy Harte has been transferred to Letterkenny General Hospital, almost eight weeks after he was found unconscious in a Dublin street with life-threatening head injuries. The 55-year-old underwent emergency surgery at Beaumont Hospital just hours after attending the Republic of Ireland versus Latvia international match at the Aviva Stadium, on Friday, November 15.

Derry charity Foyle Search and Rescue has been denied funding for a counselling base. Foyle Search and Rescue had applied for funding to create a counselling facility for people found in distress around the River Foyle. The charity has expressed disappointment at failing to secure the 220,000 needed for the project. The groups Chairman Craig

Scottish authorites are being accused of not taking seriously a complaint made by a group of Donegal people allegedly offloaded by a Glasgow taxi driver for speaking Irish. Two of the four in the taxi were native Irish speakers, however when they communicated with each other in Irish they were told to either stop or

Police are investigating after there was an attempted hijacking of a bus in Derry last night. The incident happened just before 8 o clock in the Carnhill area when tow men tried to force their way on to the Translink bus. The incident comes just two months after an incident in Ballymagroarty when a device

The Department of the Environment has confirmed that Donegal councillors have just five days to agree a Budget – or be put out of work. Donegal County Council has failed to agree a Budget for 2014 after three weeks of talks – and councillors could be replaced with a government commissioner if a deal isn’t

A Glasgow private hire driver is under investigation for allegedly refusing to allow Irish visitors to speak their language in his car. The man, who has not been named, has been accused of offloading the passengers at the side of the road at 2am on a Monday morning after they objected to his demand that

A Union representing Ambulance staff says recent tragic cases in Donegal highlight the fact that there is neither adaquate staffing or vehicles to cover Donegal. The National Ambulance Service Representatice Association was responding the claims that it took 50 minutes for an Ambulance to arrive at the scene of an accident in Carndonagh which took

A 62 year old man has died following a two vehicle collision on the Melmount Road between Sion Mills and Victoria Bridge this morning. The collision involving a black coloured Suzuki Vitara jeep and a blue coloured Toyota Avensis occurred at approximately 10.50am. The deceased was a passenger in one of the vehicles. Two men,

The Impact trade union has moved to reassure staff following the failure of councillors to agree the 2014 budget. Assistant General Secretary Richy Carrothers says now is the time of for cool heads to prevail and to consider any implications. He says Impact represents hundreds of workers at Donegal County Council, and he will be

Donegal County Council is still in place this morning despite members’ failure to agree a budget by last night’s deadline. After a marathon meeting that took place over three days and three nights, with a total of 21 adjournments, a vote was finally held just after midnight last night. The budget was voted down by

Letterkenny IT President Paul Hannigan has been elected Chairperson of the national representative body for Institutes of Technology. Mr Hannigan, who has been at the helm of Letterkenny IT since 1998 says 2014 will be another year of significant challenge for Institutes of Technology Ireland. He says they are faced with a continuous increase in

Donegal County Councillors have been given until January 13th to agree a Budget – this after Councillors took part in a vote that they thought effectively dissolved the council. Despite three days and nights of deliberation, Councillors failed to reach an agreement on a Revenue budget for 2014. Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein and Independent John Campbell voted against