Author name: oisinkelly

A Northwest MEP is calling on Minister Phil Hogan to leave the LEADER programme alone. Jim Higgins, who will meet with Minister Hogan later today, is strongly opposed to plans to strip LEADER of its core planing and decision making functions. Mr Higgins is against the plans which would give more power to local councils […]

Letterkenny Town Council is to write to Bus Eireann seeking to have the route from Letterkenny to Dublin via Omagh made fully wheelchair accessible. Omagh District Council and other authorities along the route are also being asked to make representations. Raising the issue this week, Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh said the route is a very important

Donegal County Council is extended the scope of its water restrictions, with areas served by the Lifford reservoir having their supplies cut from 11.30pm to 6am each night until further notice. The areas affected include Rossgeir, Porthall, Letterkenny Road, Cavan Hill, Glencash, Drumleen, Creaghadoos, Gillystown and Drumearn. Restrictions remain in place in the Finn Valley,

A Donegal born solicitor has been appointed as one of three new non-executive directors to the Board of the Hospital Group for the West/North West. Sharon Moohan is currently a Solicitor to the Residential Institutions Redress Board, and previously worked in the European Commission for a year, as well as lecturing in European Law at

  The Donegal Youth Council is welcoming the Governments confirmation that a recommendation to lower the voting age from 18 to 16 will be put to referendum. The Government has confirmed that a referendum will take place before 2015. Donegal Youth Cllr, Molly McGinty said if the voting age is lowered, then more youth issues

Donegal is one of the top three counties in Ireland for tax defaulters. The county has almost double the national average of settlements with Revenue. An analysis of Revenue Data of the last five years has found that  Monaghan, Wexford and Donegal have the highest per-capita number of tax defaulters in the country Monaghan recorded

There has been 43 deaths on the A5 road since 1998. The Action for A5 group obtained the figures after making a freedom of information request to the PSNI. Since 1998, 43 people have lost their lives as a result of road traffic accidents on the A5 between Favor Royal Road in Aughnacloy and Spencer

A SF Cllr in Strabane has denied allegations that they assaulted a member of the SDLP party. On Sunday the PSNI confirmed they were investigating an incident after they received a report of an assault in the early hours of Saturday morning. The Sinn Fein Cllr, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said that

The RUC knew about an IRA bomb that killed three people in the Creggan in Derry in 1988 – but did nothing to warn people in the area. That’s the finding of a new report by the North’s police Ombudsman published this morning. However, the Ombudsman is rejecting claims the RUC failed to act in

Junior Health Minister Kathleen Lynch has accused Donegal South West Deputy Pearse Doherty of acting in a reprehensible manner by striking fear into the hearts of vulnerable people. She was speaking during a Dail debate on bed closures in Community Hospitals in Donegal. The issue was raised by Deputy Doherty, who said the the HSE

A man already serving a prison term for a series of sex offences, appeared at Dungloe District Court today on another 15 charges. The defendant sat between a male and a female prison officer as the list of new charges was put before the court by Det Gda John Gallagher. He told Judge Paul Kelly

Gardai investigating the discovery of a man’s body in Churchill on Sunday have renewed an appeal for information about his movements, but are not commenting on the cause of his death. The body of 50 year old Kieran Callaghan was found at his home at Roshine, Churchill at approximately 1.30pm. This afternoon, at a press

More water restrictions have been announced in parts of the the Stranorlar Electoral Area by Donegal County Council, with supplies being disconnected between 10pm and 7am from tonight until further notice. The areas affected are those served by the Tievebrack,  Gleneely and Ballynacor reservoirs. The council’s full statement reads –   Due to the current

A Donegal bar owner in New York, who hung an American flag outside his pub to celebrate his new U.S. citizenship, is said to be devastated after an unidentified man burnt the flag on July 4th. John Doherty who owns the the Playwright Pub on 35th Street in Manhattan says he was deeply shocked by

The Dungloe fire crew have been called to a Gorse fire at Loughanure. The fire is in bog land adjacent to the N56 Loughanure to Dungloe road. near where many locals have turf cut. The fire is said to be not threatening any dwellings but a thick plume of smoke is crossing the N56 and

A 70-year-old man charged with a series of sex offences against boys in west Donegal is still awaiting service of the book of evidence. Dungloe District Court was told today  that a short adjournment was being sought to allow continued communication between the State Solicitor and defence solicitor Cormac Hartnett. The 70-year-old is charged with

18 new Transport co-ordination units have been announced across the country this morning as part of a major overhaul of the Rural Transport Programme. It is part of a  major restructuring of the programme outlined in a new report published today ‘Strengthening Connections in Rural Ireland’ launched by the Public Transport Minister, Alan Kelly. The

An American Tourist has said she was disgusted to witness the damage done to An Grianan of Aileach in Burt at the weekend. Locals were left fuming after it emerged someone defecated in the holy well while others dislodged Historical stones from the walls. Two Derry men appeared in court this week and admitted throwing

A spokesperson for Malin Head Coastguard Station says they have recieved reports of people on jetskis and in motor boats harassing swimmers and abusing  lifeguards. Mike Mullins was speaking as he warned people of the dangers of the water as thousands flock to the coastline to enjoy the current spell of good weather. Mr Mullins

A Northwest MEP has blamed ‘a lack of garda presence’ on Donegal roads for an increase in those who have lost their lives. Six people have died on Donegal’s roads so far in 2013, that is a 50% increase over the same period last year. MEP JIm Higgins says the trend need to be reversed

Major changes to the Rural Transport Programme are expected to be announced today. The Government programme was set up to meet the transport needs of people in rural areas. It carries out around 1.3 million passenger journeys every year. Details of improvements in the provision of the system are expected to be outlined by the

Donegal Senator Jimmy Harte says he believes the new JobsPlus scheme which has just been announced can make a major difference in the county. Under the scheme companies can be paid between 7,500 and 10,000 euro over two years if they hire someone who’s been on the live register for a year or longer. Senator

An East Derry MLA is considering an approach to the Northern Ireland Electricity Regulator after it emerged that NIE will remove power lines in the County Derry village of Articlave on Thursday night. The decision was taken because a very large 11th night bonfire has been built on Housing Executive land directly underneath the lines.

Letterkenny Town Councillors have clashed over a motion calling on Minister Phil Hogan to give real powers to the Municipal Districts being proposed to replace the Town Council system. Cllr Gerry Mc Monagle said such a move is necessary to ensure that Letterkenny maximises the amount of income from rates that stays in the urban

 Gardai in Milford are investigating a suspicious death following the discovery of a man’s body in Churchill on Sunday. The body of 50 year old Kieran Callaghan was found at his home at Roshin at approximately 1.30pm. Gardai are appealing for assistance in tracing Mr. Callaghan’s last movements between Thursday the 4th of July and

University of Ulster Chancellor James Nesbitt has called on the people and institutions of Derry to get behind the University’s call for Magee expansion. Addressing a graduation ceremony at the Millenium Forum in the city this afternoon, he said the University of Ulster is Derry’s university, and they are committed to its development at the

The hunger strike of Tony Rochford, who is fasting in a campaign against austerity measures, has entered its fourth week. The Donegal Action Against Austerity protest group showed their support for Tony over the weekend by undertaking a 24 hour fast. They also took to the streets of Letterkenny at the weekend to ask members

Fianna Fail are requesting a meeting with the Garda Commisioner to appear before the Oireactas Committe on Justice to address concerns over CSO crime figures published at the end of June. The figures show a decrease in most recorded crimes, but Fianna Fail are claiming this does not ring true. Along the Lifford border area

Donegal is set to bask in glorious sunshine for the next couple of days. Temperatures will peak at 25 degrees in the Northwest today, while they’ll reach as high as 28 degrees tomorrow. And the good spell will last until at least Friday. Meteorologist with Met Eireann, Evelyn Cusack, said while the weekend was slightly

An SDLP representative in Strabane has claimed he was assaulted by a Sinn Fein Cllr in the town over the weekend. The PSNI in Strabane have confirmed they are investigating the incident. The well known local SDLP representative claims they were assaulted by the local Cllr in a bar in the town. And it’s understood

Two Strabane men arrested in connection with a robbery in Lifford on Thursday have been released on bail. According to the PSNI, the pair, aged 46 and 47, were arrested in connection with a robbery at a filling station in Lifford. On Thursday a man armed with a knife entered Gallagher’s Fuel Depot in Rossgier

Police in Derry have charged two 20 year old women with aggravated vehicle taking causing damage to the vehicle. They are due to appear atDerry Magistrates court on Monday. It follows a hijacking incident in the Clooney Terrace area of Derry on Friday evening. Just after 10pm a woman who was in the driver’s seat

Two people have died following a car crash in Kilrea in County Derry. Shortly after 3.30am this morning, police received a report of a blue BMW car on fire in the Agivey Road area. Following the attendance of emergency services it was determined that the vehicle had been involved in a road traffic collision. The

An Orange Order leader’s brother has been accused of links to cultivation of €220,000 worth of illegal cannabis plants. 45 year old Ivan Mahon, a farmer, yesterday appeared at Ballyshannon District Court, accused of allowing premises to be used for cultivation of a controlled drug. The court heard that Ivan Mahon and Chinese national 70-year-old

Hundreds of teenagers from Donegal will travel to Lacken Strand in Mayo later today for a major outdoor music festival which will be free of alcohol or drugs. Up to 2,000 young people are due to attend the ‘Foróige Band on the Strand’ and organisers say the event will prove that teenagers can have a

Gardai have said they will increase patrols along the border area, after a surge of robberies in the past week. A man armed with a large knife failed in an attempted robbery on Gerard McDaids grocery shop in Newtowncunningham yesterday evening.   The incident followed three robberies in and around Lifford in the past week

A man armed with a large Knife entered a Grocer shop on main street Newtowncunningham in and around 4pm this evening. But luckily the man failed in his attempted robbery of Gerard McDaids grocers in the village. The attempted robbery is the fouth of its type in the past week.

It’s been announced this evening that the Rosses Community School is to get 8 new classrooms. Four exsisting prefabricated classrooms are to be replaced with four permanent classrooms. And in addition to this approval has been given for four permanent special education classrooms. The new accomodation will cater for an increase in enrolment, which has

The Northwest should enjoy good weather over the next week as temperatures rise to the mid twenties over the coming days. This latest good spell is due to the position of an anti-cyclone over Ireland. It’s forecast to be cloudy in Donegal tomorrow, but temperatures are set to soar in the county on Sunday, Monday

A 19-year-old youth today admitted two burglaries and the theft of a quad last December and January in Ballyshannon. One of the burglaries admitted by Lee Williams involved the theft of €12,500 goods, including another quad, at Sean Nugent’s yard at East Rock, Ballyshannon, on January 4. A 19-year-old girl companion with him, Kerry Doherty,

Two men have been arrested in Strabane in connection with an armed robbery in Lifford on Thursday evening. Between 7.30pm and 8pm a man armed with a knife entered Gallagher’s Fuel Depot in Rossgier and threatening a young male member of staff. The culprit escaped initially on foot but is thought to have later entered