Author name: oisinkelly

A Donegal North East Deputy has told the Dail that Greencastle Post Office must be saved, especially as more and more tourists descend on North Donegal. It’s understood that An Post plans to close the Greencastle facility in the coming weeks. Speaking in the Dail last evening, Deputy Joe McHugh said that the seaside resort […]

Tyrone woman Michaela McCollum and Scottish woman Melissa Reid are due to be sentenced next Tuesday for their part in attempting to smuggle cocaine out of Peru. Both women, aged 20, pleaded guilty to the drug trafficking offence last night. They were arrested at Lima airport last month with more than 11 kilos of cocaine

The Taoiseach says the Justice Minister has still not concluded whether or not there should be an inquiry into the Omagh bomb. Last week the Northern Ireland secretary refused a cross border inquiry into the atrocity. Speaking on Monday, Theresa Villiers said she didn’t think a cross border judicial inquiry would bring any new information

A Donegal Senator has welcomed the substantial decrease in crime in the Donegal Garda Division CSO figures released yesterday show that in the second quarter of 2013 crime has dropped substanially in the county. Burglaries, public order offences, assaults, cases of drink driving and damage to property and the environment were all down. But sexual

New traffic lights outside Letterkenny  Institute of Technology have finally been switched on permanently today. Motorists who may be driving along the Port Road when coming home from work this evening are being advised to drive with care.

Tremors from a serious earthquake in Pakistan have been recorded here in Ireland. Irish Seismometers in Donegal recorded the quake – one of the strongest to occur in the world this year. The earthquake measuring 7.8 magnitude struck at 12.29 today in a remote area of Western Pakistan. There are warnings that the quake’s likely

The Donegal Mountain Rescue Team are seeeking new volunteers to join their emergency response team. Donegal Mountain Rescue Team are a 24 hour a day, 365 days a year voluntary emergency response team providing emergency search and rescue response throughout the entire county. Due to the significant increase in the number of callouts experienced in

A man who pleaded guilty to breaking into three Catholic churches and into seven houses last year has been jailed for almost three years at Derry Crown Court. 21-year-old Bernard Cooke, from Lettershandoney Avenue in Derry committed the ten offences in October, November and December 2012. He was already on court bail at the time.

The campaign to retain the town council structure will step up a gear next Monday when Letterkenny Town Council meeting with Donegal’s Oireachtas members to make its case for its survival. Members have been seeking such a meeting for some time, with just nine months to go before next year’s local elections. Mayor Cllr Pascal

The RNLI is reporting a 40% rise in lifeboat launches in Donegal in June, July and August, broadly reflecting the national rise of 43%. There were 35 launches in Donegal this summer compared to 25 in 2012. Once again, the busiest lifeboat station in the county was Lough Swilly, with 16 launches in June, July

The two women arrested in Peru trying to board a flight to Spain with 11 kgs of cocaine in their luggage are expected to attend a court hearing today. Twenty-year-old Michaella McCollum from Tyrone and 19-year-old Melissa Reid from Scotland claim they were coerced into transporting the drugs by an armed gang. The prosecutor handling

Leading Derry dissident republican Gary Donnelly has had a charge of assaulting a police officer during last year’s Olympic torch visit to the city dismissed today at the local Magistrate’s Court. The incident was said to have occurred during protests by dissident republican supporters which resulted in the flame having to make a short detour

Highland Radio have officially presented their application for the local licence in North Donegal to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. Highland Radio currently boasts the biggest listenership of all of Ireland’s local radio stations. Their application has the backing of some of the biggest personalities in Donegal, with the likes of Daniel O’Donnell, Sir Gerry

Some of Donegal’s most loved sons and daughters have given their backing to Donegal Highland Radio Limited application for another 10 years of local broadcasting made today to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). Musicians Daniel O’Donnell and Moya Brennan, playwright and author Brian Friel and entrepreneur Sir Gerry Robinson are just some of the leading

The Northern Secretary says she refused a cross border judicial inquiry into the Omagh Bombing because it wouldn’t provide the families with new information. Teresa Villiers is in Dublin today to meet with the Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore at Iveagh House this afternoon. She says she looked very carefully at holding a new public inquiry into

A drunk driver who caused a head-on crash in County Monaghan – killing two of his friends and a pregnant woman originally from Fanad has been given 2 months to show why he should remain out of jail. Kevin McArdle from Longfield in Carrickmacross was 3 and a half times over the legal alcohol limit

The Pan Celtic Festival will take place in Derry for the next two years. At a thank you event for Fleadh volunteers in the city at the weekend, it was confirmed that the Pan Celtic Festival which was recently hosted in Letterkenny, will be held in Derry over the Easter period in 2014 and 2015.

A Falcarragh councillor is calling for a community response to the latest spate of aggravated burglaries in Donegal, the latest of them last Thursday night in Falcarragh. Speaking to Greg Hughes on today’s Shaun Doherty Show, Cllr Seamus O’Domahnaill said while many scrap dealerships and cash for gold shops self regulate and ensure that their

An Inishowen Councillor is hitting out at the government for scaling back on the number of Community Welfare Offices in the county after another wave of closures was confirmed. The service, which coordinates emergency and supplementary allowances for people in need, was previously administered by the HSE, but is now under the control of the

A case in which former Bundoran traffic warden Patricia McCafferty is accused of harassing her successor Eddie Duffy will be heard at Donegal District Court on October 14. When the case was called at the court this morning(Mon) Judge Kevin Kilrane, who will not be the trial judge, told Ms McCafferty it is being adjourned

A Derry councillor claims concerns over the planned gasification recycling plant in Maydown are misplaced, and people should look into the  process and what it entails. There’s been an active campaign against the proposal in Derry, with similar concerns have been raised by Donegal County Council, as the proposed development will be located across Lough

The chairman of the Labour Party in Donegal has pledged his support to the Irish National Teachers Organisation and its upcoming meeting on protecting class sizes. The INTO will meet in the Clanree in Letterkenny tomorrow evening, to address concerns over expected increases to class sizes as a result of next months budget. The meeting

Gardai have made a new appeal for information following an aggravated burglary on the home of a man in his 70s in Falcarragh. The incident occurred on Thursday night at around 11pm.  Four culprits entered a house before escaping with a quantity of cash,a single barrel shotgun and box of cartridges and a mobile phone. Gardaí are

Ireland West Airport is stepping up its promotion campaign in Donegal following confirmation of a new Birmingham service from next month. During a visit to Ireland West Airport in Knock last evening, Junior Tourism Minister Michael Ring announced that Flybe will be starting the new service from the end of next month, with the flights

The Canadian Ambassador to Ireland is in Buncrana today for the conclusion of the Tip O’Neill Weekend. Last night, the Tip O’Neill Diaspora Award was given to former Montana Governer Brian Schweitzer, and today, Ambassador Loyola Hearne will present bursaries in honour of Tip O’Neill to National Schools in the area, while Tip O’Neill’s children,

Donegal County Council has defended its use of the Solis Lough Eske Hotel outside Donegal Town for the Malin Waters conference which took place on Wednesday of this week. A number of questions were raised about the conference by a delegate in today’s Donegal News, including the suitability of the venue. However, Donegal County Council

A Derry based Church of Ireland Minister has been appointed as the country’s first ever female Bishop. Reverend Pat Storey succeeds Reverend Dr. Richard Clarke as the Bishop of Meath and Kildare. The 53 year-old is married to Rev. Earl Storey and has two children. She has served as the rector of St Augustine’s Parish

Buncrana Town Council and Donegal County Council are hosting the second annual Tipp O’Neill weekend in Buncrana over the next two days, with the Tip O Neill Donegal Diaspora Award being presented tonight to former Montana government Btrian Schweizer. Governer Schwieizer, whose grandmother left Rathmullan over a century ago, was the first governer to be

Thousands of people across the Northwest are expected to take part in the 8th annual Culture night. Over 20 events are scheduled to take place in Letterkenny, West Donegal, Derry and Strabane. In Letterkenny events will take place in the An Griann Theatre, the County Museum, the central library, the cathedral and the town park.

A young Donegal man, who was involved in car crash in London a fortnight ago, has passed away. Conor Boyle from Loughanure had been in a coma after his car left the road and collided with a parked lorry before hitting a tree on September 8th. The 18-year-old from Loughanure was the third eldest of

Sinn Féin Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty TD has said that yesterdays figures from the CSO saying that Ireland is out of recession changes nothing for people. Statistics released from the CSO yesterday reveal a slight growth in the economy in the second quarter of the year – at 0.4 per cent. The government welcomed yesterdays

Letterkenny General Hospital has responded to the latest HIQA’s inspection reports which raise serious concerns about hygiene standards at the hospital. A prearranged visit was held at Letterkenny general in June. Poor hand hygiene was found, which in some cases presented a serious risk to patient health. The hospital says it is committed to addressing any problems.

Champagne flowed at National Lottery offices today as a Co. Donegal syndicate collected Ireland’s latest multi million Euro Lotto prize. The happy group, who wish to remain anonymous, hit the jackpot on Saturday night and together will share over €2.9 million. “We can’t believe our luck,” said one of the syndicate members. “We must’ve checked

HIQA’s published more inspection reports which raise serious concerns about hygiene standards at a number of hospitals. The latest unannounced visits were made to Kerry General, St. James’ in Dublin, the Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin and St. Colmcille’s in Loughlinstown. A prearranged visit was also held at Letterkenny general. Inspectors said the extent

 In odds that defy belief, a newly married couple have been re-united with a wedding ring they lost on Narin Beach three months ago thanks to a metal detecting local. The couple, who got married last year, lost a ring while visiting the beach in June and had presumed it lost. But in a bizarre

A Donegal County Cllr has called for waiting lists to be urgently reduced at Letterkenny General Hospital. Just two weeks before major flooding at the hospital this year, figures released showed that there were 4,000 people waiting for over 1 year for treatment at Letterkenny General. Cllr Ciaran Brogan, who is a member of the

The families of some Omagh bomb victims say they have been left with no other option but to take their case through the courts. A number of victims family members met with the Northern Ireland Secretary of State yesterday. Last week Theresa Villiers ruled out a cross-border inquiry into the 1998 attack, and she reiterated

Strabane’s dog warden has issued an appeal for information following the death of a pair of three-week-old pups. An angler discovered the cross terriers in a box on a river bank in Sion Mills, however one of them had already passed away from severe malnutrition. The second was turned over to the local kennels but

A member of Donegal Action Against Austerity has defended an anti-austerity protest in Dublin yesterday. Hundreds of people protested outside the Dail against Government cuts yesterday. 3 people were arrested for public-order offences, while the protests caused severe disruption to traffic in the capital – with O’Connell Street and O’Connell Bridge both blocked to traffic

The Irish Cancer Society has received well in excess of €300,000 in donations following Friday night’s appearance on The Late Late Show by Majella O’Donnell. Viewers saw Mrs O’Donnell – businesswoman and wife of the singer Daniel – have her hair shaved off to raise funds to combat cancer. Mrs O’Donnell was diagnosed with cancer

A public meeting will be held in the Clanree Hotel in Letterkenny this coming Monday to address the expected increase of class sizes in the upcoming budget. The patron bodies and leadership groups involved in Irish primary education have come together to form the National Alliance for Primary Education which will host the meeting. The

The Mayor of Letterkenny is calling for more Gardai to patrol the streets in the town after a number of houses were broken into this week. Two unoccupied houses in the Wolfe Tone Place and Glencar areas were broken into  and ransacked earlier this week. Mayor Pascal Blake says these incidents are paticularly concerning as

Derry City footballer Rory Patterson has been charged with assault. It’s understood the charge relates to an incident in Derry last December. The case came before Derry Magistrates Court yesterday where it was adjourned until later this month. 29-year-old, Rory Patterson, whose address was given in Court as Oakfield Mews in Derry, is charged with