Author name: oisinkelly

Sinn Fein is hosting a public meeting on the future of the Irish language in Gweedore tonight as part of a public consultation on the drafting of an alternative Gaeltacht Bill. Senator Trevor O’Clochartaigh has spent the past two days in the county talking to groups and organisations, and tonight’s meeting in An Crannog will […]

SIPTU says a Labour Court ruling on Home Helps’ contracts of employment effectively puts them on a par with other HSE employees, and curtails the threatened outsourcing of the service. The union is hosting two meetings for Home Helps in Donegal on Tuesday next to brief them on the ruling and outline what it means

A Donegal County Councillor has claimed the local authority is on the verge of collapse. It follows media reports of an alledged incident between two councillors during a recent workshop meeting. It is understood the incident has been brought to the attention of the County Manager and the Mayor who have been asked to fully

A West Tyrome MLA has raised concerns about the lack of development at the new Strabane Business Park. The Invest NI business Park, which is on a 40 acre site at the Melmount Road, opened in the New Year. In March Invest NI’s Chief Executive Alastair Hamilton said a number of businesses had expressed an

The Venue – Derry’s temporary City of Culture concert hall at Ebrington Square – is to be dismantled in the New Year. The move, announced by the Department of Social Development, follows a lack of private sector interest in its retention. Earlier this month, DSD minister Nelson McCausland revealed it takes around £6,000 per month

Protesters will call on Fine Gael Deputy Joe McHugh to resign from the party this afternoon. A rally, organised by Donegal Action Against Austerity, the Donegal Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes and Donegal People Before Profit, will be held outside the Donegal North East Deputies constituency office this lunchtime. During the rally anti-austerity protesters

Motorists are advised to take extreme care on the roads across the northwest this morning following heavy rain and flooding overnight. Met Eireann has a National Weather Warning in place – further heavy showers are expected throughout the day but will ease off this evening. It comes as Gardaí launch National Slowdown Day in an

Double killer John Gallagher has been sent to prison after being convicted of harassing his sister.   Gallagher faced a single charge of conducting a course of harassment against his sister, Helena Miller, on dates between December 31 2012 and March 26 this year. The charge related to an incident out Strabane’s Supervalu store on

A West Tyrone MLA has said that he fears that the A5 project has been put on the long finger. It was announced this week that the money allocated for the A5 road between Derry and Aughnacloy has been reallocated to fund a new Childrens Hospital for N Ireland in Belfast. Money has also been

Contract documents for the Dungloe and Glenties sewage schemes are expected to be signed in the next fortnight. Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher says she’s been told today that documents for these schemes have been finalised between the Council and contractor Coffey Water, and a date will now be chosen on which to sign the contract

A Derry man told police that he was in breach of his bail because he had been abducted by masked men and held for three days and questioned about interfering with children. 37-year-old Barry Crossan of 4, Hawthorn Way in Derry had been released on High Court bail after being charged with burgling a chemist

Inishowen Councillor Jack Murray has welcomed the successful passing of his emergency motion which aims to resolve the ongoing odour problems in Pairc an Grianan, Burnfoot. Locals say the odour arising from the council’s treatment works in Burnfoot has become a constant annoyance. Many families have reported that their children have become sick as a

An Bord Pleanala has granted permission for the extension of the Corkermore Wind Farm. The permission allows for the contraction of 4 extra turbines on the site in the south of the county and upholds an early Donegal County Council decision. The site of the windfarm is in the south of the county 9 kilometres

The Government’s Tellus Border Project has announced results of its comprehensive geological survey of the Border area which found gold in Donegal. Gold was found in Glencolumbkille, several areas of the Inishowen peninsula and in Termon. Minister For Natural Resources Mr Fergus O’Dowd says the gold map will add to economic investments already being made

It’s being claimed that a number of key roads projects in Donegal may be stalled following the ending of a funding scheme. The EU Co-financed scheme has been used to support several road improvement projects in Donegal, but Fianna Fail say an examination of the recent Budget small print shows that the scheme is being

364 local authority houses in Donegal are in Mortgage arrears. Those figures were contained in a Department of Environment response to a Parliamentary Question from the Labour TD Kevin Humphries. They show a third of the 20,000 mortgage holders on the housing loan books of local authorities nationwide are in arrears The figures are based

A newspaper article written last March about patients on the Good and New Ambulance bringing cancer patients from Donegal to Galway has gone viral online, picking up over 20,000 hits since last week and sparking a new wave of interest. Eamon Mc Devitt of Good and New in Letterkenny says they have no idea what

Representatives of 28 walled towns from all over Europe are in Derry for the next four days to take part in a symposium on the economic and cultural value of heritage. The European Walled Towns Association was last in Derry in August 1993, when its visit was used  to accelerate the reopening of the walks

The European Parliament has approved draft rules to help fishermen to comply with new Common Fisheries Policy requirements. They approved a six point five billion euro aid package that will help fishermen to comply with the discard ban. The funding can go towards buying more selective fishing gear and to improve safety and working conditions,

The Department of Social Protection has confirmed that it is sending letters to jobseekers with offers of work in Canada. However, they say the letters are “for information” only, and that there is no obligation on recipients to apply for the vacancy. Hundreds of letters offering work in Canada have been sent – with others

Work has begun to clear and prepare the former Army base at Lisanelly in Omagh, into a shared education campus. Phase one will see the construction of a new school for Arvalee Special School and a resource centre. Six schools, catering for 3,700 pupils will eventually be built and based on the site. West Tyrone

Anyone with concerns about proposed large-scale wind farms is being asked to contact the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. It’s launched a public consultation on the Renewable Energy Export Policy, with people being given a month to write in with their concerns and comments. In January, the Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte signed an

A 48-year-old man has been taken to hospital after he was assaulted by two masked men last night in Strabane. Police are appealing for information, saying they received a report after 11pm that two masked men entered a house in Springhill Park with two batons. In recent week’s windows at the man’s home have been

Donegal County Council says as well as posing a danger to people and property, illegal bonfires also cost money and use up valuable resources. This week, the council is cracking down on bonfire preparation, saying it is monitoring a number of businesses and pointing out that it is an offence for householders or businesses to

Donegal Senator Brian O’Domhnaill has accused the government of ‘Tory style’ sabre rattling after the Taoiseach said he is declaring war on Social Welfare fraud. Senator O’Domhnaill says this is typical of what he calls the spin over substance approach of this Government, with plenty of talk, but no new policy initiatives and no new

A number of houses have been evacuated in Derry due to a security alert. Charlotte Street, in the Bogside area, remains closed after a suspicious object was thrown at a police vehicle last night. Barrack Street and the Lecky flyover which were earlier closed off have now reopened. There has been strong condemnation of the

The Department of Social Development in the North has allocated more than £2m to Strabane’s pedestrian bridge project. The bridge over the River Mourne will link the Head of the Town with the Ballycolman, with an expected completion date of early in 2015. The project was said to be in tatters in November 2011 after

It has been claimed that an invasion of Jellyfish has killed off thousands of farmed salmon off the Irish coasts, causing significant losses to Donegal company Marine Harvest. It is reported that the invasion caused the loss of as much as 40 per cent of the stock at Co Mayo aquaculture farm, located off Clare

A Donegal North East Deputy is allaying fears that the A5 project may be abandoned. It was announced this week that the money allocated for the A5 road between Derry and Aughnacloy has been reallocated to fund a new Children’s Hospital for Northern Ireland in Belfast. Money has also been sidelined to fund road projects

 In the US, Republican Congressman Paul Ryan is among the key figures who will meet Irish politicians today to discuss immigration reform. Earlier this year, the Senate passed an immigration reform bill which has fallen off the agenda because of the government shutdown. A delegation from the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee has been holding meetings

Around 80 civil service jobs in Derry are at risk, a local MLA has said. SDLP MLA Pat Ramsey said outsourcing the pension service posts currently based at Waterside House is among the options currently being considered by the north’s Department of Finance. Trade Union NIPSA is to hold a public meeting tomorrow (Thursday) night

A well known local musicain has put his name forward to replace Cora Harvey on Donegal County Council. 31-year-old Gary Doherty is the bass player with Donegal band Heads of State. The father-of-three is in the running at Sinn Fein’s convention which will be held on Sunday 3rd November. The Castlefin man, who has a

The mother of a former St Eunans GAA player, is warning people about the dangers of legal highs. Jimmy Guichard, suffered a heart attack and severe brain damage within hours of taking a legal high. The 20-year-old had recently moved from Letterkenny, to Gravesend, Kent, to care for his cancer-stricken father Martin. He bought the

St Peter’s High School in Derry’s Creggan is to be demolished, with a major social housing project planned for the site. Following weeks of discussion, the Diocese of Derry has confirmed that structural surveys are almost completed, and then the building can be knocked down. The pending demolition has been welcomed by Cllr Kevin Campbell,

The first sod has been turned in Buncrana on “Amazing Grace Park”, a project to transform a piece of waste ground next to the Tourist Office on Railway Road into a new public space. This park is the second step in developing an “Amazing Grace experience” that will attract visitors to the area, and comes

The Mayor of Donegal says the county council’s role in promoting social inclusion is a hugely important element of its remit, and one he wants to promote during his term. Cllr Ian Mc Garvey was speaking at the start of Social Inclusion Week, a council initiative with over 70 events from now until Friday. Cllr

The Glenties Windfarm Information Group believe they have made a compelling argument to Donegal County Council for changes to be made to the County Development Plan to impose further restrictions on where wind farms can be erected. In a some times emotional presentation to Donegal County Council this week, one woman told through tears the

The Vice Chairperson of the Donegal Joint Policing Committee has met with Chief Superintendent Terry Mc Ginn today to discuss her claim in a letter this month that high emigration levels among 18 to 30 year olds is driving down demand for drugs in Donegal. The comments were made by the Chief Superintendent in a

Donegal County Council says it is monitoring a number of bonfire sites across the county ahead of halloween night, and is warning people bonfires are illegal. 10 days ago, the council says it removed 3 tonnes of waste from a location in Donegal, and will do so again if deemed necessary. Donegal County Council says

Grenades found in a house in Derry were similar to ones used in an attack in Manchester that left two police officers dead Derry Magistrate’s Court was told today. The revelation came during a bail application by 29 year old Gary McPhillips of 34, Hawkin Street in the city who is charged with possessing weapons,

Police in Derry are investigating a reported hit and run incident on Strand Road on Tuesday morning last October 15th. Police say a woman has reported that at around 7 o’clock that morning, a black Audi A4 with a DL number plate ran the red lights on the pedestrian crossing close to the Centra forecourt,

  Sinn Fein County Councillor Cora Harvey has confirmed she will not be seeking nomination to run in next years Local Elections. The Stranoral Electoral Area representative will also step down as an elected representative on Donegal County Council in the coming weeks. The former Mayor has described it is a personal decision based on