Author name: oisinkelly

Police in the North are investigating whether eight sudden deaths  are linked to drugs. Seven of the fatalities happened in the greater Belfast area, while one occurred in the northwest. Tjhose who died were aged in their 20s and 30s. Police are warning  people to be particularly careful if they are offered green-coloured tablets with […]

A man facing a series of charges including the shooting dead of a police officer in 1993 appeared at Derry Magistrate’s Court charged with breaching his bail by residing at a different address. Christopher O’Kane (39) of Kular Court in the city was arrested after police officers called to an address to speak with him

A Donegal County Cllr has said that an explanation is needed on why funding has been pulled for the Riverine Project along the Donegal/Tyrone border. The cross border initiative was aimed at regenerating the Strabane/Lifford border riverside area. Among the proposals were a network of cycle paths and a pedestrian bridge linking Strabane and Lifford.

‘Jail the bankers’ protests have taken place in Dublin, Galway and Donegal Town. Organisers say that the Anglo Tapes – released this week – were the final straw and are calling for the government to do more to tackle the bankers. Gerry Bray was one of those that took part in the protest in Donegal

Funding for the Riverine project along the Tyrone/Donegal border has been pulled. The cross border initiative was aimed at regenerating the Strabane/Lifford border riverside area. Among the proposals were a network of cycle paths, a pedestrian bridge linking Strabane and Lifford, and a green are along with public art and interactive play areas. But the

The Can’t Pay Won’t Pay campaign group has said that it recognises that the boycott of the Property Tax has failed to attract sufficient numbers to remain viable, but their campaign will continue until the Property Tax is abolished. Spokesperson Francis Mc Cafferty says they believe that a strong boycott of the Property Tax could

A committee has been formed in the Finn Valley to support St Joseph’s Hospital and lobby for the hiring of more staff. The cross party meeting was attended by over 150 people, with representatives there from similar committees in Dungloe and Carndonagh. Cllr Patrick Mc Gowan was one of the organisers of the meeting. He

Hundreds of people are expected to climb Donegal’s highest peak on Sunday when mountaineer Jason Black leads a climb to the summit of Mount Errigal. Speaking at a civic reception in his honour last night, Mr Black said on the day he left Donegal to climb Mount Everest, he climbed Errigal with the Donegal flag

Independent Cllr Pascal Blake has been unanimously elected as Mayor of Letterkenny, possibly the last person to hold that position. His Deputy Mayor is Cllr Tom Crossan. Outgoing Mayor Cllr Dessie Larkin showed members a letter signed by 47 people in the 1840s calling for the establishment of a Town Council in Letterkenny, and a

There’s been widespread condemnation of a PSNI decision to put a number of Historical Enquires Team investigations on hold, so that the HET can carry out an investigation into the actions of British soldiers who caused the deaths and injuries on Bloody Sunday. The Bloody Sunday Trust says when Chief Constable Matt Baggot announced that

  The Transport Minister says the new Road Traffic Bill will help Ireland become the safest country in Europe for road users. The new legislation will see tougher penalty points for speeding, using a phone and not wearing a seat-belt – and Gardaí will be able to conduct new roadside drug tests. A new novice

A Sinn Fein Deputy has raised the continued imprisonment of Donegal Republican John Downey in Belmarsh Prison, with the Tánaiste. 61-year-old, John Downey, from Ards was arrested in May charged with murdering four soldiers in the 1982 Hyde Park IRA bomb blast. He was arrested despite receiving assurances from the Northern Ireland Office that he

Three members of Donegal Action Against Austerity have filed a formal criminal complaint with Gardai – over the behaviour of Anglo Irish Bank officials. The anti-austerity campaigners attended Buncrana Garda Station yesterday. They are hoping that other people around the country make similar complaints at their local Garda stations. One of the people who filed the

More streets in Derry’s city centre are set to be closed to traffic during Augusts All-Ireland Fleadh. Derry City Council announced last week that the Shipquay Street area would be closed to traffic during the event, which runs from the 11th to the 18th August. Now it’s understood that there are also plans in place

Strabane District Council are to spray-paint dog dirt bright pink in a bid to get people to clean up after their pet. It is also hoped the initiative will encourage residents to report offending dog owners. While the scheme has been trialled in England and Scotland, it has never been rolled out in Northern Ireland

A Bundoran Town Cllr wants anyone with influence to lobby members of the US congress to ensure the Immigration Bill in America passes. The legislation is expected to pass through the US Senate in the coming days and then it will go before the House of representatives. The Immigration Bill could regularise the position of

Donegal County Council still do not know how they will accommodate Cllrs with the increase in numbers next year. Donegal is to get an extra eight county councillors under proposals from the Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee. The changes would bring the number of members sitting on the council to 37. There are currently 29

The Government will vote on a motion opposing the cuts being made people with special needs. The private members bill is being led by Donegal Northeast Deputy, Charlie McConologue. Yesterday he Education Minister announced an increase in 500 resource teachers for pupils with special educational needs – in an apparent reversal of previous cuts. But

Police in Strabane are warning car owners in the town to be vigilant follwing a recent spate of break-ins in the town. The PSNI are asking all motorists to ensure that their vehicles are locked at night. A number of cars were broken into over the weekend in the Ballycolman Road area. The incidents occurred

The secretary of the Carndonagh Community Hospital Liaison Group says a national campaign is needed to highlight the plight of the community hospital sector in light of recent HIQA reports. Joe Hegarty says while private nursing homes have the flesibility to respond by recruiting staff or making radical changes, that’s not possible in the community

Donegal County Council and the Gardai have said there will be no repeat of what happened on Rossnowlagh Beach earlier this month. A fortnight ago thousands of people and hundreds of cars packed on to Rossnowlagh and with the incoming tide approaching, cars tried to leave at the same time leading to traffic chaos. Donegal

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has told the Dáil that a Derry/Donegal cross-border greenway cycle project would bring thousands of visitors to the northwest every week. He was responding to Donegal Deputy Joe McHugh who said there was a great appetite in the Northwest for a rail trail route similar to The Western Greenway between Westport and

The Oireachtas Education Committee has criticised schools for failing to reduce the cost of putting children through school. It’s published a new report calling on schools across the country to introduce generic uniforms, ban workbooks and start book rental schemes. The Committee says patron bodies are suffering a ‘vacuum of leadership’ – and calls on

A group calling itself ‘People against Drugs’ has issued a number of threats in the New Buildings area to people they have described as drug dealers. The UUP received a letter addressed to its Derry office, and contained in the letter is a threat to a number of unnamed individuals. The UUP have condemned the

There was cross party acknowledgement yesterday that Cllr Frank McBreartys year as Mayor was a success. Members of all parties, including Fianna Fail members, congratulated the Labour Cllr on his term as Mayor. Cllr McBrearty thanked all Cllrs for their support during the year. And speaking to Highland Radio News he said he will never

Randox Laboratories have announced a multi-million euro deal to supply laboratory equipment to the Saudi Arabian government. The company, whose headquarters is in County Antrim, employs 42 people at its facility, with that figure expected to grow by 200% within the next two years. Randox has had a presence at Meenmore in Dungloe since 2008,

The Education Minister’s received Cabinet approval for extra resources to reverse planned cuts to special needs education from September. A massive rise in applications for resource teaching services had meant students were facing a cut in teaching hours. But Ruairi Quinn’s been given permission to allocate an extra 500 teaching posts in September – on

The Education Minister’s received Cabinet approval for extra resources to reverse planned cuts to special needs education from September. A massive rise in applications for resource teaching services had meant students were facing a cut in teaching hours. But Ruairi Quinn’s been given permission to allocate an extra 500 teaching posts in September – on

A Derry man who was charged with assaulting a police officer after being stopped under section 24 of the Justice and Security Act (JSA) has had his charges dismissed after a judge ruled that the officer was not acting ‘in lawful execution of his duty.’ At Derry District Court, 51 year old Anthony Lancaster of

A group of parents of children with special needs from Donegal have presented a petition to the Council today. The ‘Let Me Be Me’ Campaign are calling for the retention of St Agnes’ Specialist Pre School in Donegal Town and Ballaghderg pre-school in Letterkenny. Last week Donegal Senator Brian O’Domhnail said that he had confirmation

It’s been confirmed that a complaint has now been made to gardai after children from a Dublin school were allegedly handcuffed and beaten by fellow pupils on a school trip to the West Donegal gaeltacht last month . The children from Griffeen Valley Educate Together School in Dublin were on a five day visit to

Donegal County Council has selected Cllr Ian Mc Garvey as the new Mayor of Donegal. The 82-year-old from Ramelton, who replaces Cllr Frank McBrearty as Mayor, becomes the oldest Mayor in Ireland. Fianna Fail had put forward Cllr Sean McEniff to run against Cllr McGarvey, but Cllrs voted in favour of MrGarvey by 16 votes

Motorists are advised the main Ballybofey to Glenfin Road in Donegal has re-opened following a fatal collision in the early hours of this morning which claimed the life of one man and injured four others The dead man has been named locally as 18 year0old Shane Brolly from Greenhill, Convoy. He was a back seat

An emergency motion in support of St Joseph’s Hospital in Stranorlar is to be moved at today’s meeting of Donegal County Council. A HIQA report released last week, expressed concern about a number of issues at the hospital, including the admission and discharge of residents, the security of the building and the maintenance of the

A woman has been injured in a single vehicle crash outside Kilmacrenan earlier this morning. The incindent happened at around 8 o’clock when her car left the road between Kilmacrenan and Termon. The woman was taken to Letterkenny General Hospital where her injuries are described as non-life threatening. The road was closed for a short

An East Derry MLA says he believes a proposal to transfer 300 Driver and Vehicle Agency jobs from Coleraine to Wales will be rejected. The North’s Environment Minister Alex Atwood has announced a consultation on the proposal, with some claims that this is a delaying tactic. However, his SDLP colleague John Dallat says that’s not

The HSE has announced a major refurbishment of ther old A and E unit at Letterkenny General Hospital. 1.24 million has been approved to develop the former Emergency Department, Medical 1 and Medical 2 areas, all of which have moved to the new bloc. The refurbishment will provide an additional Out Patient Treatment Area and

A plaque is to be unveiled in commemoration of the life of Francis Makemie in Ramelton this afternoon. Francis Makemie was the founding father of American Presbyterianism, he was born in Ramelton in 1658. In 1982 a stamp was issued in Ireland in memory of the 300th anniversary of his ordination. The unveiling of the plaque today

A Donegal County Cllr, who sparked a huge controversy earlier this year over remarks he made about the travelling community, has been put forward by Fianna Fail to be the next Mayor of Donegal. Cllr Sean McEniff, who said in January that all travellers should live in isolation, has been selected to run for Mayor

Donegal North East Deputy Joe Mc Hugh has told the Dail that he believes it’s too late to talk of reforming the Seanad, and it’s time to give the people the choice of whether to scrap or maintain it. In 2002, he was elected to the Seanad, and recalled that on the first day, reform

MEP’s are welcoming the announcement by EU Employment Ministers after they brokered a deal to maintain the European Globalisation Fund. The allocation provides co-financing support for approved programmes of guidance, training, education and enterprise supports for workers who are made redundant. The deal allows the council to enter into negotiations immediately with the European Parliament

Anyone who hasn’t paid the Household charge by the end of this month will be hit with a 200 euro bill from the first of July. The charge is 145 euro before then and anyone who has yet to pay it is being reminded to do so, before the duty of collecting the fee is