Author name: oisinkelly

Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams said this afternoon it could take a year before all services are fully restored at Letterkenny General Hospital, and the HSE and the government must commit themselves to provide all that is required to allow that happen as soon as is safely possible. Mr Adams visited the hospital along with […]

The Secretary of the Donegal Down Syndrome Association had a brief meeting with Education Minister Ruari Quinn in Glenties this afternoon . Gina Grant says MInister Quinn was receptive, and has promised further discussion on their call for more supports for children starting school. Ruari Quinn is addresing the MacGill Summer School this evening on

A Donegal man accused of murdering four British soldiers in the 1982 IRA bombing in London’s Hyde Park has been granted conditional bail. 61 year-old John Downey from Creeslough was charged in Britain with detonating a bomb in Hyde Park in 1982 causing the deaths of four soldiers. Despite being told in 2007 that he

North West MEP Pat the Cope Gallagher says he’ll be investigating what options are available for securing funding from Europe to assist with the restoration of services at Letterkenny General Hospital. Mr Gallagher says Europe has no competency in health related matters, and there is no direct budget from which funds could be drawn down

A “recluse” convicted of sexually abusing a young boy in Ballyshannon in the 1960s and 70s has been jailed for two years. He was also convicted of indecently assaulting the boy’s younger brother. 63 year old Brian McMahon of Temple Street, Sligo, had pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to 35 charges of

Junior Minister Kathleen Lynch is receiving treatment in Cork University Hospital this morning after she collapsed while visiting a hospital in Donegal yesterday. The Minister was visiting Letterkenny General Hospital when she took ill. She was admitted to intensive care in yesterday and then transferred to Cork by air ambulance- for further tests and treatment.

The head of AIB says he spoke to Small Business Minister John Perry about his financial difficulties with Danske bank. Last week, the Fine Gael TD faced criticism that he abused his position, when it emerged that he made contact with David Duffy and the head of Bank of Ireland Richie Boucher over his debts

The Minister for Health has paid his second visit to Letterkenny General Hospital since Frioday’s flooding, this time to visit his Junior Minister. Kathleen Lynch was admitted to the hospital earlier today. She was visiting the hospital to inspect damage caused by last week’s flooding when she was taken ill. A spokeswoman for the Department

A “recluse” convicted of sexually abusing a young boy in Ballyshannon in the 1960s and 70s has been jailed for two years. He was also convicted of indecently assaulting the boy’s younger brother. 63 year old Brian McMahon of Temple Street, Sligo, had pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to 35 charges of

Fianna Fail leader Michael Martin says the priority for the hospital is to restore all services as quickly as possible in a way that maximises patient safety. He was speaking after a visit to the hospital this morning, during which he met senior management and medical personnel, as well as touring the areas affected by

Met Eireann has issued a flood warning for western coastal regions including all parts of Donegal for today and tomorrow. More southern parts of the West will be affected by heavy rain this afternoon, while Donegal will see heavy showers later this evening and tomorrow. An Garda Siochana has reminded motorists to drive with caution

Dungloe based MEP Pat The Cope Gallagher has today welcomed news that five beds will be re-opened in the local Community Hospital within the next week. A number of beds were closed at the hospital earlier this year as a result of HIQA standards earlier this year. A rally was held last month in support

Management at Letterkenny General Hospital have said that no jobs will be lost as a result of Fridays flooding. Services have been severely affected as a result of the flash flooding at the facility on Friday evening. As a result of some services being cut back because of the flooding, fears had been raised about

  Donegal County Councillor Ciaran Brogan has said that Letterkenny General Hospital must return to the great facility it was as soon as possible. Cllr Brogan, a member of the Regional Health Forum, has also called for the setting up of a review group into the running of Letterkenny General Hospital in the wake of

Fianna Fáil is calling on Enda Kenny to intervene in the John Perry affair. Its leader Micheal Martin wants the Taoiseach to move Deputy Perry out of his position as the junior minister for small business. Last week Mr Perry and his wife were the subject of a High Court judgement for nearly 2.5 million

A UUP MLA has said Sinn Féin’s rerouting of a controversial parade is trying to defend the indefensible. Sinn Féin has announced that it would re-route the parade it is holding in Castlederg in August. The march commemorates the death of two IRA men who died in 1973 when their own bomb exploded prematurely. After

The general manager of Letterkenny General Hospital has said that the hospital faces a huge challenge in the aftermath of Fridays flooding that has destroyed parts of the buildings. Speaking at a press conference in the Mount Errigal Hotel this afternoon Sean Murphy said it will be months before the hospital will be back to

The recipient of this year’s Tipp O’Neill Diaspora Award will be Governer Brian Schweitzer of Montana. The award is a joint initiative of Buncrana Town Council and Donegal County Council to pay tribute to one of Inishowen’s most famous descendants. The award is given to a selected person or people who are actively working on

The Western Health and Social Care Trust says it continues to provide support to Letterkenny General Hospital, and continues to accept critically ill patients from the Letterkenny catchment. In a statement this afternoon, the trust says since Friday, Altnagelvin has received in excess of 100 blue light patients, and admitted 41. We understand the bulk

It’s emerged that 200 jobs will be created during the construction of a new power plant in Derry. Evermore Renewable Energy will says it has secured more than £80m in funding for a wood-fuelled power plant to be built at Lisahally Port outside Derry. Construction work is set to start in the next two months,

Senator Jimmy Harte has assured the Management and staff of the Hospital that the required funding to bring the services back to normal is in place Senator Harte says following a meeting with Hospital manager Sean Murphy, and senior HSE officials yesterday, he was in contact with Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore and Public Expenditure Minister Brendan

Donegal County Council has given the go ahead for the provision of a new reservoir at Fintown, which will form part of the West Donegal Regional Water Scheme. The development was approved at the July meeting of the Glenties Electoral Area, with the work forming part of the wider scheme which has gone to tender.

The remains of the 25 year old Carndonagh man whose body was found in Scotland last week will be brought home today. Barry Doherty had been reported missing after he was last seen on Monday July 15th, and a major search followed, both on the ground and through the online social media. His body was

Trade Unions representing workers at Letterkenny General Hospital have commended staff for their tremendous response to the disastrous flooding that has closed large parts of the facility. In a joint statement, Donegal Officials from IMPACT, SIPTU and INMO say the quick thinking of staff and management following the flash flood on Friday evening certainly saved

Deputy Charlie Mc Conalogue has called for a clear commitment from the government that emergency funding will be released to reinstate all services at Letterkenny General Hospital. The Donegal North East Deputy says any delay in repairing unprecedented flooding damage and replacing essential equipment could have major implications for the hospital, and for the health

Police in Derry have confirmed they have dealt with an instance in the early hours of yesterday morning in which lifebelts were being thrown into the Foyle from the Peace Bridge. Last week, former Mayor Cllr Kevin Campbell said he was becoming very worried about the frequency of such incidents, saying lives were being put

HSE Monday Morning Update –    In its latest statement following Friday’s flooding at Letterkenny General Hospital, the  HSE  says it is expected that the extensive clean-up operation and contingency arrangements will continue for the coming weeks. A Contingency Management Team is in place and is managing the situation. Regular updates will be issued on

Two Golden Eagle chicks have fledged in Donegal in recent weeks. There were three territorial pairs in Donegal this year with a further 5 territories occupied by single birds. Golden Eagle Trust Project Officer Lorcan O’Toole is warning that the Golden Eagle population in the county remains at a vulnerable level, reflecting what he termed

It’s been confirmed that the new management structure under which Letterkenny General Hospital becomes part of the Galway Roscommon Group of Hospitals has been brought forward following Friday’s floods, and the new structure is now in place. Speaking to Highland Radio News today, hospital manager Sean Murphy described what happened on Friday afternoon last as

The Mayor of Letterkenny has described the devastation caused by Friday’s flooding at Letterkenny General Hospital as “desperate”. Cllr Pascal Blake had been abroad, and returned home yesterday morning. He says he went straight to the hospital, and was shocked at what he saw………..

The Health Minister Dr James Riley says it will be months before services at Letterkenny General Hospital will be able to return to normal. James Reilly visited the hospital today to see first hand the devastation caused by Friday’s floods. Hundreds of volunteers have been working around the clock on the clean up. In an

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said that the government is engaging with banks at a very real level, and that changes are being made to help out customers who are in arrears. He was speaking during the opening night of the MacGill Summer School in Glenties last evening. This years school is loking forward to the

Donegal have been drawn to face Mayo in the All Ireland 1/4 finals.  Jim McGuinness’s men earned their last 8 spot with a six point win over Laois in Carrick on Shannon on Saturday on a 0-14 to 0-8 scoreline. The reigning All-Ireland champions controlled the game throughout, with the exception of a brief period in

Daniel O’Donnell has confirmed that his wife Majella has been diagnosed in the early stages of Breast Cancer. Majella is undergoing treatment and the couple are hopefull of a full recovery. Daniel has thanked his fans for the good wishes but has asked them not to send mail as they don’t have the time to

Donegal South West Deputy Thomas Pringle has raised concerns regarding the claim by the government that 32 new jobs will be created in Donegal Town. It was announced this week that that an Irish Water regional office is to be located there. The Government also announced one thousand six hundred new construction jobs would be

An emergency situation was declared at Letterkenny General Hospital tonight after torrential rain on Friday evening. Parts of the hospital were flooded, and visitors are being asked to stay away from the hospital until tomorrow at least. There has been a significant amount of damage and at least four wards are out of action. Letterkenny

Highland Radio Listeners have been sending their pictures in of the impact the torrential rain had on parts of the northwest – here is just a selection of the pictures we received of the damage caused at Letterkenny General Hospital.        

A Donegal TD has said that he will be demanding answers from the HSE following news that the new Emergency Department at Letterkenny Hospital has been flooded once again. Pádraig Mac Lochlainn says the Department had been flooded prior to officially opening and he now wants to know why the lessons from that episode have not been

Parts of Donegal and Tyrone have been hit by torrential rain, thunderstorms and flash flooding in the past hour. It’s reported that up to a foot of water has fallen in Letterkenny, with a number of roads flooded in and around the town. Residents in Glencar have reported that a number of homes have been

There’s been widespread condemnation of an overnight attack on the Apprentice Boys’ Memorial Hall in Derry, the third night such an attack has taken place. Stone work and new doors fitted for the UK City of Culture celebrations were damaged by paint bombs. Foyle MP Mark Durkan is urging people to stand up and give

Members of the Statutory Transition Committee pictured attending their inaugural meeting at the Guildhall on Thursday. Also included is Derry City Council Town Clerk and Chief Executive Sharon O’Connor, and Strabane District Council Chief Executive, Daniel McSorley.     A Transition Committee has been formed ahead of the merger of Derry City and Strabane District