Author name: oisinkelly

Motorists are being advised to exercise extreme caution on the roads this morning after overnight snow and dipping temperatures left a number of routes in a dangerous state. A number of minor accidents and vehicles becoming stuck have been reported. Emergency services are currently attending a collision on the back of Errigal Road. It is

Sinn Fein’s Justice Spokesperson says the fact that Gardaí will need an extra budget in order to stay running for the rest of the year proves that Justice Minister Alan Shatter is not in control of his brief. TDs will be asked to approve an extra 50 million euro in funding, after the Department of

Sinn Fein says Donegal County Council must reinstate public access to Carrigart beach. A disputed right of way to the beach has been blocked off by a contractor developing in the area. Sinn Fein Councillor Mick Quinn and Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn have now visited the site and met with locals – they are  calling on

The High Court has granted leave for two mothers of children with Down Syndrome to challenge the law on the provision of resource teaching hours to children with the disability. One of the women is a Donegal campaigner for the rights of Down’s Syndrome children. Down Syndrome is not currently recognised as a disability by

Donegal County Council has been announced as top Local Authority in this years All Island Pride of Place Competition. The prizegiving for the all island competition, which honours the community and voluntary sector, took place in Derry’s Venue at the weekend. As well as Donegal winning the local authority award, a number local projects won

People in the Braehead Road in Derry are being urged not to approach any suspicious objects after a search today. Police say they received a report that something may have been left in the area, but nothing has been found in searches of the area. They say if someone does come across an object, they

A West Donegal community activist, is claiming he has huge support in the run up to next years local elections. Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig, who will run as an independent activist next year, opened his constituency office in Dungloe on Saturday. Up to 200 people turned out for the opening. And Micheál Cholm Mac

A Donegal County Cllr has raised concerns about policing along the border after there was a spate of break ins over the weekend. There were a number of incidents reported in and around Manorcunningham and Newtowncunningham. A number of vehicles and sheds were broken into along a stretch of road at Ballybegley. A handbag was

A 15-year-old has been shot in both legs by masked men in Coleraine. The three men entered a house at Glebe Avenue at about 5am this morning and shot him. One of the men was also carrying a baseball bat. The teenage victim has been taken to hospital. Police have appealed for anyone with information

Senator Jimmy Harte remains in a stable but serious condition in Dublin this morning after a fall at the weekend. Although there is said to be a slight improvement in his condition today. The Labour politician was found unconscious at Newmarket Square in Dublin with life-threatening head injuries in the early hours of Friday morning.

The Football Association of Ireland has paid tribute to the late Conor Boyle, the young Rosses teenager who tragically died in England two months ago. The18 year old Donegal man passed away in September, two weeks after a road traffic accident in England. Conor was a keen sportsman and played soccer and gaelic football. On

A 38 year old man is being treated in hospital following an attack in the Glenvale Park area of Derry in the early hours of this morning. The man sustained facial injuries which are not believed to be life threatening Two men, aged, 40 and 42 have been arrested in connection with the attack, which

There’s been widespread condemnation after a police patrol was targetted in a pipe bomb attack in Strabane. A major security alert began in the Ballycolman estate at 8.30 last night following reports that a device had been thrown at police earlier that evening. It emerged a member of the public lifted the device and placed

A convicted rapist who went missing while out of jail on licence has been jailed for six months at Belfast Crown Court for leaving the juridstiction without informing the police. 29-year-old Joseph McCabe went missing from a hostel in the North on April 2nd, and two days later, telephoned the hostel manager to say he

Donegal Senator Jimmy Harte is said to be critically ill at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin this evening. The 55 year-old was found collapsed in the South Inner City area of Dublin in the early hours of Saturday morning. He had earlier attended the Ireland v Latvia soccer international at the Aviva on Lansdowne Road. Senator Harte

It has been confirmed that two Donegal landlords have been convicted and levied with €10,000 in fines and costs for not registering with the Private Residential Tenancies Board. The PRTB has confirmed that further cases will be brought before the courts throughout 2013 and 2014 for failing to register tenancies. In the first case proceedings

Buncrana Town Council is to ask if there is a health risk associated with the water meters being installed aross the country on behalf of Irish Water. Cllr Ciaran Mc Laughlin raised the issue, saying he understands that the meters constantly emit electromagnetic radiation, and with one being installed at every home, he wants the

Former Taniaste, Mary Coughlan has not ruled out a return to politics. Ms Coughlan has remained out of the limelight since she lost her seat in the General Election in February 2011. At that time she was the biggest name to lose her seat in the General Election. But speaking publicly for the first time

Dozens of women attended a meeting in Letterkenny today which was aimed at encouraging more women to get involved in politics. Currently in the county all the elected Deputies and Senators are male, while there are only two female representatives on Donegal County Council. The event was hosted by current and former female politicians such

Pupils have had their first assembly in the state of the art Colaiste Ailigh in Letterkenny today. As well as classrooms, the new school will include a library, outdoor teaching areas, a fitness centre, GAA and soccer pitches, basketball and tennis courts and a gymnasium that can also be used for school events. Students walked

Vital funding for the rebuild of the Free Derry museum has finally been secured. Organisers of the Museum of Free Derry had warned that the project could fall if the £1.2m grant from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board was not signed off. It has now been revealed that the cash was approved a fortnight ago,

A border poll campaign which has been launched in Strabane and Lifford has been branded nothing more that a “public relations exercise”. Only a narrow section of communities on either side of the border will get to have their say in the ‘United Ireland – You Decide’ poll. Residents of Strabane’s East Ward which runs

An Bord Pleanala has refused planning permission for 16 turbine windfarm near Glenveigh National Park. Donegal County Council has granted permission in January for the development of the 500 foot high turbines in the townlands of Killymansy and Drumenan, Newmills. But the appeals board said that the proposed wind-farm would “seriously injure” the visual amenities

Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty has played down the significance of the announcement by the Government that we are to exit the Bailout without a precautionary line of credit. It was announced yesterday evening that Ireland will not be asking for a second bailout. But Deputy Doherty, who is Sinn Feins Finance spokesman, says this is nothing

The finance minister says the decision not to take a second bailout means Ireland is getting its freedom back. Michael Noonan is this afternoon meeting his Eurozone counterparts to tell them Ireland won’t be asking for a financial backstop as it leaves the bailout. The minister says Ireland should make its exit now while economic

The Donegal GAA County Board has confirmed that gardai have launched a fraud investigation after almost 18,000 euro was taken in an internet scam. It’s understood that an official’s e-mail address was hacked, and an instruction was sent to a staff member to transfer 15,000 pounds sterling to a bank account in Reading in the

A Donegal Senator has hit out at the Government for failing to tackle youth unemployment in the Northwest. Currently there is 3,550 under 25 year olds on the live register in Co Donegal. On top of this, it’s also estimated that hundreds of people under 25 have left the county over the past couple of

Buncrana Town Council officials are being asked what proportion of unpaid parking tickets are being referred to the courts. This week’s meeting of the council was told that 55 cases of unlawful parking have been passed on to the council’s solicitors for prosecution between October 2nd and November 4th. When questioned by Cllr Joe Doherty,

The Mayor of Buncrana says the campaign to reinstate the Lough Swilly Ferry next year will be intensified, despite the fact that the previous operator has said he is no longer interested, and has sold the boat he used on the route. The ferry has operated each summer between Buncrana and Rathullan for a number

A new £73 million wing at Derry’s Altnagelvin Hospital will be completed in early 2017. The new wing will be constructed in parallel to the new £50m cross border Radiotherapy Unit. The new wing will incorporate six inpatient ward areas, a new main entrance to the hospital and relocation of car parking facilities. It’s understood

A Donegal County Cllr has hit out at his own local authority for exploiting the JobBridge scheme. Cllr Jack Murray also said that the JobBridge figures in Donegal County Council are higher than previously reported. Previously it was thought that Donegal County Council had taken on 67 people through the scheme, but it has been

Up to 60 jobs are going to be created with the opening of a new nightclub in Strabane. The new multi-million pound bar and nightclub venue is set to open its doors at the end of this month. Rubys Bar and Nightclub will have nine bars, a two-floor nightclub, a function area which will serve

A 21 year old man has been shot in both legs in a paramilitary style attack in Portrush. A masked gang entered a house in the Windsor Place area shortly before 11 o’clock last night and carried out the attack before escaping on foot. A 19-year-old woman and a baby boy who were also in

Letterkenny Town Council is seeking funds to complete the Joe Bonar Road linking Port Road and Neil T Blaney Road. The issue was raised by Cllr Ciaran Brogan, who said the council should go ahead and start the process. He’s also calling for progress on the road at the old Unifi site which has been

Donegal County Council is beginning legal action to secure payment of outstanding development contributions. The council  says its legal team will pursue developers and members of the public who haven’t paid. The Council has set up a dedicated unit to deal with cases where payments are still outstanding.   The full council statement reads as

Four Donegal teenagers are to honoured by Irish Water Safety after they saved their friends life earlier this year. In July 14-year-old Sarah Hill was out climbing a cliff near Creevey Pier with her four friends Patrick Cassidy, Oisin Kerr, Michael Hurst and Sean Heeney when she fell down a 14 ft drop. Her four

A second person is to be prosecuted for the manslaughter of a County Monaghan teenager who was attacked in Omagh. 19-year-old Jason McGovern was attacked twice after leaving a nightclub on 31 December and found dead hours later at a friend’s house. Six people have been charged over his death. Barry Whyte has more…………  

Letterkenny Town Council has been told that the provisions of the Local Government Bill as it pertains to rates will cost jobs in the town, and act as another nail in the coffin of the Main Street. Cllr Dessie Larkin told members that under the bill, the owners of vacant premises will be forced to

Traffic is getting back to normal in Letterkenny after a collision at the Dry Arch Roundabout last night. Three people were injured, one seriously, in the collision which involved a lorry and a car. None of the injuries are believed to be life threatening. The road was closed for a time, but  reopened to inbound

An attack on a Derry taxi driver during a fare run last week has been condemned. The incident occurred on Monday November 4 but has only come to light. The taxi driver was physically attacked when taking a fare from a casino in Bridgend, Donegal to Strabane. When the driver requested the fare, one of