Author name: oisinkelly

The solicitor for 20 year old Tyrone girl, Michaella McCollum, accused of trying to smuggle 1.7 million euro worth of cocaine – is expected to discuss her case with police in Peru later today. Belfast based, human rights lawyer, Peter Madden will travel to a police holding centre where the county Tyrone woman and co-accused […]

The West / North West Hospital Group has set up a steering group to oversee the restoration of services at Letterkenny General Hospital. The commitment was given by CEO Bill Maher at a weekend meeting with Cllr Ciaran Brogan, a member of the HSE West Regional Forum. Cllr Brogan says there are many challenges facing

A Strabane Ulster Unionist councillor has criticised the allocation of places on the Statutory Transition Committee for the North West Amalgamation. The 16 seat committee will see representatives from both Strabane and Derry come together into a new so-called super council. It will have 9 Sinn Fein, four SDLP and three DUP members. There will

Heritage week begins in Donegal today with over 100 events due to take place throughout the county. Many of the events will be free to the public and will be held throughout the week until Sunday the 25th August. Heritage officer from Donegal County Coucil, Joseph Gallagher, spoke earlier about what people can expect…

Fleadh Cheoil 2013 is advising the public of event information to assist with arrangements in attending Fleadh Cheoil over the weekend. Drivers are asked to exercise caution in city centre areas and be aware of the extended event zones at Victoria Market and Ebrington. Drivers are reminded to avoid parking anywhere where they may be

The new Finn Valley Leisure Centre opens its doors tomorrow, marking the end of a campaign for a swimming pool in the Twin Towns which has gone on for decades. Local councillor Patrick Mc Gowan is one of the directors of the centre, and has been closely involved in the campaign to have it built

The HSE has confirmed that a temporary Emergency Department will open on a phased basis at Letterkenny General Hospital starting tomorrow (Saturday). The Emergency Department at the hospital has been out of commision    following serious flooding three weeks ago. The temporary facility has been made possible by bringing mobile diagnostic equipment and temporary buildings onto

The Donegal based Uncle of Shane Geoghegan has said the family have drawn some consolation from the conviction of John Dundon. On Tuesday Dundon was convicted for the murder of the 28-year-old Garryowen rugby player. The 31 year old of Hyde Road, Limerick, has been jailed for life for ordering the killing that led to

A Donegal Senator has claimed that government inaction could lead to 60 million euro of much needed funding for rural Ireland being returned to Europe. Brian Ó Domhnaill  has reiterated his call on Minister Phil Hogan to ensure there is a 100% drawdown of funding under the LEADER programme. He says the minister’s ‘ham-fisted’ approach

Donegal-based Spanish students have for the first time since the  Omagh bomb crossed the border into Northern Ireland. The restrictions were imposed after Spanish and Donegal children and their teachers were caught up in the Real IRA bombing which killed 29 people 15 years ago. 12 year-old Student Fernando Blasco Baselga and group leader Rocio

Donegal Independent TD Thomas Pringle has described the actions of Irish telecommunications companies pressuring people to move to paperless billing as ‘unnecessary and unacceptable behaviour. Deputy Pringle says that while paperless billing is environmentally friendly and should be adopted where possible, it doesn’t suit everyone. He points out that with less than half of all

The SDLP says new allegations about the aftermath and investigation of the Omagh bomb serve to strengthen the need for a realistic and practical inquiry. Yesterday was the 15 anniversary of the Omagh bomb – twenty-nine people died and over 200 people were injured when a car bomb planted by the Real IRA exploded. It

The family of Michaela McCollum – the Tyrone being held in Peru on suspicion of drug-trafficking – will arrive in Lima today. The 20-year-old from Co Tyrone and her co-accused Melissa Reid from Scotland were arrested last week after authorities allegedly found 1-point-7 million euro worth of cocaine in their luggage. Also arriving in Peru

A barrister has claimed he was stopped by police and held for a period on his way to court to represent a dissident republican in what a District Judge described as a matter of ‘concern.’ Mr. Plunkett Nugent was on his way to Derry Magistrate’s Court this morning when he said he was stopped on

Students across Northern Ireland have been picking up their A-Level results today, with many now sure of the college offers they had hoped for. Others who didn’t get the results and offers they wanted, and now find themselves at a crossroads. Peter Mc Evoy is an advisor with the Northern Ireland Careers Service, which has

A Buncrana Councillor is asking why it took a team of army explosives experts six hours to get to the town yesterday. The specialist team travelled by helicopter to Inishowen after a suspected pipe bomb was found on a wall outside Tullyarvan Mill in Buncrana. The device was reported at 10.30 yesterday morning, but wasn’t

The Chair of Donegal County Council’s Housing Committee says the council should be given scope by the government to acquire houses and address the large waiting list for housing in the county. Cllr Dessie Larkin was speaking after Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan announced a supplementary allocation for the council of just over 354,000 euro which

Donegal Deputy Joe Mc Hugh is meeting with the head of HSE West today to get an update of the restoration of services at Letterkenny General Hospital. Work is continuing with decontamination and sterilisation of equipment, re-stocking of critical supplies and re-establishment of diagnostic radiological capability at the facility which was devasted by floods earlier

Missing woman Siobhan Mc Nulty has been located safe and well in Dublin. The 44 year old was reported missing yestersday having last been seen in the Knocknamona area of Letterkenny on Monday last.

There was a unique cultural link up between Derry and Kerry following a visit to the city by the 32 Rose of Tralee contestants. The North’s Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, says the people of Derry are indebted to the organisers of the festival for bringing the roses to the UK City of Culture. The

Gardai are urging caution on the roads around Letterkenny after an oil spill last night. Several minor collisions have been reported overnight and this morning from the Mountain Top to the Port Road via Business Park Road. Donegal County Council is dealing with the spillage, but gardai are urging continued care.

Gardai investigating the alleged cyberbullying of Erin Gallagher and Ciara Pugsley are reportedly close to indentifying the computers used. Ask FM, which has been associated with the teens’ tragic deaths, says its released the IP addresses linked to the bullying messages. 13 year old Erin from Ballybofey, and 15 year old Ciara from Leitrim took

A new survey has underlined once again the drop off in the construction industry in County Donegal. The GeoDirectory has recorded 31% decrease in new buildings in Donegal in first half of 2013. 224 new residential and commercial buildings were recorded in Donegal for the first six months of 2013, according to new figures released

Letterkenny Youth Information Centre will provide a phone helpline for those receiving Leaving Cert results today and tomorrow. Staff at the Port Road based centre will also be available for young people and parents to bring along any queries that may arise following students receiving their results. Youth Information Coordinator, Gareth Gibson is also keen

It’s been confirmed that work is to begin on a £70,000 safety scheme on the B48 Lisnarragh Road, Plumbridge. The scheme will see a particularly bendy section of the Lisnarragh Road at Devine’s Memorials realigned allowing road traffic users a clear line of sight. The North’s Roads Minister Danny Kennedy has announced the scheme would

Army bomb disposal experts have declared a suspected pipe bomb in Buncrana a false alarm. They were called to the scene at Tullyarvan Mill in the Town after the discovery of a suspicious object on Wednesday morning. The scene was sealed off with some people told to remain inside the Mill  for their own safety

The Department of Social Protection says it’s office in Letterkenny is processing over 50,000 additional claims for payment under the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, with half of those claims already processed, including all claims received in June. The dedicated section on Olover Plunkett Road is processing claims which were received on 19July

The new Finn Vally Leisure Centre in Stranorlar will open to the public this weekend. The long awaited opening of the swimming pool and gym facilities will finally open after decades of campaigning locally for the facility. The new leisure centre has created 15 new jobs. Finn Valley Athletics Club also already employs 15 staff.

The family of the Irish woman being held on drugs charges in Peru says they are is confident she will be fully exonherated. The family of Michaella McCollum Connolly from Dungannon have issued a statement saying they are making arrangements to travel to Peru to visit her. She and her Scottish friend Melissa Reid stand

Over 55,000 Leaving Certificate students are receiving their exam results today, just over 2,000 of them in Donegal. 1,959 students sat the Leaving Certificate exam in June, another 133 sat the Leaving Cert Applied. The number of candidates sitting the tests this year fell to its lowest level since 2007 – but the uptake for

Fianna Fáil says the government needs to do more to make college more affordable. The calls comes after a survey by the Irish League of Credit Unions revealed it can cost up to 950 euro per month to send a student to college. Eight out of ten parents save for an average of eight years

There is anger in Castlederg after a Wreath laid at the Cenotaph for murdered Michael Darcy has been taken from the site. The wreath, to honour one of the founding members of the Castlederg Young Loyalists’ Old Boys Flute Band, was taken sometime between Sunday and Monday. Mr Darcy was shot by the IRA in

Lough Derg will have a new prior from the start of September. In his 2013 clerical changes for the Diocese of Clogher, Bishop Liam McDaid has named outgoing prior Monsignor Richard Mohan as Parish Priest of Clones in County Monaghan. The new Prior of Lough Derg and Parish Priest of Pettigo will be Fr Owen

A new survey has found that Donegal was the top location for Irish people who enjoyed a so called Staycation during the summer heatwave. According to figures from ebookers.ie, the county enjoyed an 800% increase in bookings. Other areas that benefited include Bray (400%), Adare (400%), Kildare (400%), Killarney (273%), Limerick (242%), County Cork (224%)

Parents are contributing an average of 400 euro a month per child for third level education. That’s according to a survey by the Irish League of Credit Unions which also shows that 80 per cent of parents have to lend financial support to struggling students. 71 per cent of parents now say their family budget

 The Archbishop of Lima has visited Michaella McCollum Connolly in jail in Peru. The Tyrone native and her Scottish friend Melissa Reid were arrested at Lima airport last week – and accused of carrying 11 kilos of cocaine between them. Archbishop Sean Walsh told the Irish Independent, he believed Michaella and Melissa were set up.

A Derry businessman who was the victim of a paramilitary-style shooting in his Waterloo Street shop has been charged with possessing CS gas canisters. Raymond Coyle was shot by dissident republicans for selling so-called legal highs in his shop in February 2010, and was threatened last year with execution. 55 year old Mr Coyle from

The Director-General of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann says there is a very unique spirit in Derry this week following the opening of the 2013 Fleadh Cheoil yesterday. Thuosands thronged Guildhall Square for the opening performed by President Michael D. Higgins and Deputy First Minister Martin Mc Guinness. Labhras O’Murchu says scarcely has the opening of the

The Coast Guard says there is little doubt that the quick actions of a member of the public saved the lives of two men who fell from a boat in Greencastle last evening. The Greencastle Coast Guard boat and shoreline team and Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 118 were tasked to the two men in the

The CEO of the Killybegs Fishermens Organisation has said another fleet decommissioning scheme may have to be introduced next year. Sean O’Donaghue was speaking after the European Commission announced deductions from the 2013 fishing quotas for a number of species, including a 10% reduction  in Ireland’s haddock quota, to offset overfishing last year. Sean O’Donaghue