Author name: oisinkelly

Gardai are investigating a burglary at the home of two elderly sisters in Raphoe during which one was knocked to the ground and hospitalised. At around 5 o’clock yesterday (Monday) evening 3 males called to the home of the sisters at Freddyglass who are aged in their 80’s and 90’s. They entered the premises knocking […]

A 22 year old Dublin man is to be sentenced later today for killing Donegal journalist Eugene Moloney with a single blow to the neck. Gary Burch of Kennington Close, Templeogue pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of the 55 year old on Camden Street on June 24th last year. CCTV footage from Camden Street shows

Donegal Youth Councillors will meet with new Donegal County Council Mayor Ian McGarvey today in the County House in Lifford. The Youth Council will be seeking Mayor McGarvey’s support for a number of initiatives they are working on in 2013, including a youth mental health roadshow later this year, where they plan to run events

HSE management have said they are no plans to close St Josephs Hospital in Stranorlar. A recently formed steering committee met with HSE management yesterday. The group was formed after a public meeting last week to support St Joseph’s Hospital and lobby for the hiring of more staff. Donegal South West Deputy, Pearse Doherty chaired

A martial arts expert who told the police he “had the urge to hurt people” has been remanded in custody at Derry Magistrates’ Court. Shane O’Kane, 39, from Bleach Green, Dungiven, County Derry, was arrested when he armed himself with two samurai swords and a knife. The court was told that police received a call

The Junior Minister Lucinda Creighton says a change to the abortion laws clarifying the term limit for a termination in suicide cases is a necessary minimum. She’s told the Dáil that she wants to continue working in Government to fix the economy but she must consult her conscience when it comes to a vote on

An Northwest MEP is calling for a complete EU ban on roaming charges-despite new lower charges introduced from today. Holidaymaker’s will be able to avail of reduced charges for mobile use across the EU. It will be 36 percent cheaper, costing you 45 cents per megabyte to download data or browse the internet while using

The number of people presenting themselves as homeless in Derry City stands at 2,200 – the highest rate in 20 years. In total, there are 3,311 people on the waiting list for Social Housing in the City. Sinn Féin Housing spokesperson Councillor Tony Hassan has said the current figures are concerning and show an upward

Letterkenny business man and Everest conqueror Jason Black has fulfilled his commitment to take his summit flag back to where his epic journey began on the top of Mount Errigal. On Sunday afternoon Jason Black was accompanied by over 500 people, including Highland Radio owner Gerry Rabbitt (pictured) as he hiked to the top of

Those who did not pay the Household Charge now owe revenue 200 euro. Donegal County Council has today pointed out that responsibility for collecting the charge no longer lies with the local authority, Now, any arrears of Household Charge will become a Local Property Tax, the collection of which is the responsibility of the Revenue

It’s D-Day for Leaving Cert students who want to change their mind about their CAO forms. By a quarter past five this (Tuesday) evening applications- will close for anyone trying to choose a different range of third level courses. Up to 30 per cent of pupils are reported to use the opportunity. And, Joanne Holland,

The fall in Donegal house prices has slowed some what with a new survey  finding that house prices in the second quater of 2013 were 10% lower than a year previously. That compares to a fall of 13% seen in the year to mid-2012. The average house price in the county is now €125,000, 54%

The President of the High Court has ruled that a Donegal shooting range does not have planning permission. According to the Herald, permission for a range, used by a target shooting club near Lifford had been validly refused by Donegal County Council in 2011, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns found. The action arose after Donall McGroary,

Hundreds of people have taken part in a prayer vigil in Letterkenny this (Saturday) afternoon in response to the proposed Abortion Bill. The Catholic Bishop of Raphoe Dr. Philip Boyce lead the pro-life vigil in St. Eunan’s Cathedral ahead of a procession through the town to a pro-life rally in the Bernard McGlinchey Town Park.

The death has taken place in Donegal of one of the county’s oldest citizens. Mary McGee from Galdonagh in Manorcunningham has passed away in her 106th year at Hillcrest Nursing Home. Removal and funeral arrangements will be confirmed later.

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