Author name: oisinkelly

 A protest took place outside the Tesco store in Letterkenny on Saturday over claims from a local shopfitting company that up to 100 jobs are under threat because of the potential loss of a Tesco contract. Martin Mc Cafferty, Managing Director of Rock Shopfitting Services claims Tesco is withdrawing contracts from them on both sides of […]

Gardai have renewed appeals for information into the hit-and-run outside Bundoran last weekend. 48-tear-old Alan McSherry was killed after he was hit by a vehicle while walking home in the early hours of Sunday morning last. Inspector Dennis Joyce, who is in charge of the investigation, asked taxi-drivers along with club and hotel workers who

A provisional date and venue for a full inquest into the death of Castlederg teenager Arlene Arkinson has been confirmed. Arlene disappeared in August 1994 after a night out at a disco Bundoran. Her body has never been found. In March the family were told the inquest would go ahead in April of next year,

Donegal County Council has faired poorly in an Irish Farmers Association league table which rated local authorities on their efforts to defend and improve water quality in seafood production areas. Only three of the 18 areas tested in Donegal were Class A, 2 were class A Seasonal, 13 were class B while one area fell

 The Government has confirmed funding for three new mainstream classrooms at Scoil Naomh Fiachra in Illistrin. Efforts to secure more space at the school has been ongoing for a number of years. Welcoming the announcement Deputy Joe McHugh said: “Government funding has been secured this week for f three new classrooms at Scoil Naomh Fiachra

Seamus Heaney, acclaimed by many as the best Irish poet since Yeats, has died aged 74. Heaney was born near Toomebridge, but as a child moved to Bellaghy in Co Derry. He was a teacher and then had a distinguished career in poetry, winning the Nobel prize for literature in 1995. Heaney had been awarded

The Ulster Farmers Union has written to all of Northern Ireland’s Policing and Community Safety Partnerships saying that more could be done to tackle rural crime. The past two weeks have seen reports of livestock and farm machinery stolen in Derry and Tyrone, and on this side of the border, the ICSA has been expresing

Donegal North East TD Joe McHugh is backing the West Ulster Rail Initiative which was launched in Letterkenny last night, and says rail should be made an issue in next year’s European Elections. The initiative is bringing together campaigners from Donegal, Derry, Monaghan, Tyrone, Cavan and Fermanagh to come together to promote railway development on

 Significant funding has been granted which will allow for the development of a new playground and outdoor exercise area for older people in the Glenfin area. DLDC has awarded 80 thousand euro towards the total cost of the project which will be 110 thousand euro. The balance has already been raised locally. Welcoming the news

As Letterkenny Institute of Technology prepares for the new academic year, its President Paul Hannigan says the numbers attending the Killybegs campus are growing. In June, the LYIT board recommended the transfer of the the School of Tourism from Killybegs to Letterkenny, citing unsustainable costs. The proposal was contained in the institute’s three year financial

Sinn Feins Finance spokesperson has said that emigration is masking the unemployment situation here. Figures released by The Central Statistics Office show that 89 thousand people emigrated – in the year to the end of April. While unemployment fell with 23,000 people coming off the live register. The Government has welcomed the figures, claiming that it proves

A new breast cancer research collaboration has been launched by the Irish Cancer Society – the first of it’s kind in the world. The project will see experts from around Ireland join forces to improve treatment options and outcomes for patients – by sharing resources, patient samples and technical expertise. The collaboration will run for

The CAO has published the second round of offers for college courses this morning, with over three thousand applicants are getting new offers. At Letterkenny Institute of Technology, the biggest drop for a Level 8 Honours Degree course is in Destination Tourism with Marketting in Killybegs, which has seen the required points fall from 295

An Bord Pleanala has overturned permission for a caravan park in Clonmany. The Council had granted permsission to Paul Kerr for the development works in Tullagh, Rockstown but that was appealed by a John and Rita Friel. The plans were for the development of 67 caravan pitches, a single storey service building, pedestrian route to

The Minister for Health has confirmed that Emergency Medical Helicopter Service is to be extended to the North West Region The decision for EAS service to cover the North West region is in view of the recent difficulties at Letterkenny General Hospital arising out of the flooding. The service, for the past year, has been

A man has been airlifted by the Sligo based rescue 118 chopper to Letterkenny General Hospital. The man  fell from a cliff at Cruit Island near Kincasslagh. The Gweedore coast guard was also involved in this operation, one of several the 118 helicopter was involved in on what was one of its busiest days.  

 Donegal County Councillor Mick Quinn has described the section of the H.S.E. which processes Medical Cards as a shambles and not fit for purpose. He said In the two years since the processing of Medical Cards was transferred to Dublin, Donegal people have endured incompetence, arrogance and frustration when dealing with this Section. Councillor Quinnn

More than 15,000 people are set to converge on Derry for what the city’s Mayor says will be one of the highlights of the City of Culture year. The Walled City Tattoo begins this evening, and runs until Sunday. The event, which takes place in Ebrington Square, will feature 30 Highland and Irish dance schools,

A Strabane family are said to be at a complete loss as to understand why their car was burnt in an arson attack. The family car was destroyed in the Ballycolman Estate in the early hours of this morning. It’s understood the tyres were let down on the car before it was set alight. The

 The case of a  Donegal man who died after falling into the Liffey while attending a party on a floating bar is the subject of an “ongoing investigation which may lead to a criminal prosecution”. That is according to Inspector Martin Mooney of Pearse Street Garda Station who spoke at the opening of the inquest

Three people had a lucky escape today when their pleasure boat overturned at the mouth of the Gweebara estuary. One person was able to make it to shore and raise the alarm with the Rescue Helicopter from Sligo, Gweedore Coastguard and Arranmore lifeboat tasked to the scene. By the time they arrived on the scene,

Derry will play host to a major Jobs Fair and Advice Forum next month with companies from both Donegal and Derry seeking workers. Organisers say a wide range of vacancies will be available particularly with an emphasis on Information Technology , Media and Creative Industries in support of Digital Derry. Advice and guidance will also

The Garda Commissioner has agreed to increase the powers of the Garda Reserve to include enforcement of Public Order and Road Traffic laws, with members of the reserve currently being trained at the Garda College in Templemore. Confirmation of the change is contained in a letter to Donegal based A-Ceart founder Mary Clinton, who had

The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association says Gardaí need better resources to deal with increasing crime, particularly theft, in the counties along the Border. In the latest incident last week, 14 bullocks were stolen from a field near Dungannon, Co Tyrone They were worth over €25,600. There have also been a number of thefts

The High Court in Belfast has refused bail to a man who allegedly sexually assaulted a market trader in Derry after he rented her a room for the recent fleadh in Derry. Ahmed Bouazzi, a 28-year-old Tunisian national with an address at Woodvale Mews, Derry, faces charges of sexual assault and possession of cannabis. The

A five member hasty team were deployed to Errigal on Monday afternoon after a hiker got separated from his colleagues in dense fog. The party had ascended the trail from the car park on the Dunlewy road in good walking conditions but on reaching the first of Errigal’s twin summits heavy fog was sweeping in.

  The people of county Donegal have a chance to share their views on the future of broadcasting in Ireland over the coming weeks by participating in a public consultation organised by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). The consultation is aimed at informing the BAI’s strategy statement for the next three years. Under Section

A Killygordon resident has called on Donegal County Council to intervene and fix a sewerage problem which is spilling into her garden. Aisling says she has been sent from pillar to post by the Council as she tries to get the issue sorted. She claims the raw sewerage has been running into her back garden

A man has been taken to hospital following a two vehicle collision near Strabane. Police have been called to the Fyfin Road, Victoria Bridge, which is between Strabane and Castlederg. The road is blocked and motorists are advised to find an alternative route if possible. There are no details on his condition at this time.

The government has been officially advised to change Ireland’s election laws to allow for bigger constituencies, including an amalgamated Donegal constituency which will see the number of TDs in the county reduced by one. Following a vote in June, the Constitution Convention has now formally submitted its report, which says each constituency should be represented

A shopfitting company with bases in Muff and Derry says up to 100 jobs are under threat because of the potential loss of a Tesco contract. Martin Mc Cafferty, Managing Director of Rock Shopfitting Services claims Tesco is withdrawing contracts from them on both sides of the border in favour of a multi-national company. However,

A 36 Derry man who has been in a coma for seven years following a sectarian attack has been asked by the Social Security Agency if he is fit for work. Paul McCauley was attacked by a gang at a barbecue on the Waterside in July 2006. He suffered severe brain injuries and is now

Sinn Fein is calling on the Government to set up a school book scheme. It says a state scheme – where pupils would borrow books at the start of the year – would cost the Government an initial 45 million euro. But it’s claimed the cost would fall quite rapidly as the books continue to

The Donegal Road Safety Group PARC has welcomed written confirmation from the Garda National Traffic Bureau that forms for recording road traffic collisions will now include a field for recording Hit and Runs. The group has lead the campaign arguing that in the absence of such a field the true level of Hit and Runs

A Donegal man has failed in a High Court bid to block Donegal County Council’s plans to build a waste water treatment plant on the shores of Lough Foyle. The action was brought by local man Enda Craig of Carnagave, Moville. Mr Craig had legally challenged the development on environmental impact grounds and the adequacy

A Defence Forces spokesman has confimed that a controlled explosion has been carried out on an suspect device found outside a house in Inishowen. The controlled explosion was carried out by an army bomb disposal team who arrived at the scene in Gleneely by helicopter this afternoon. Minor damage was caused to a door of

Gardai investigating a fatal  hit and run near Bundoran believe a car found close to the scene may not have been involved in the incident. A senior officer said an inital examination of the car meant it was unlikely to have been involved – although further testing tomorrow will be carried out. It was found

An 18 yearold man and a 24 year old woman have appeared at a special sitting of Derry Magistrate’s Court charged with attempting to hijack two cars on Saturday. There was no bail application granted, and both defendants were remanded in custody for a video link hearing on 12 September. 24 year old Hannah Kerrigan