Author name: oisinkelly

North West MEP Pat The Cope Gallagher has today welcomed the news that five beds will be re-opened in Dungloe Community Hospital in the coming weeks. Mr Gallagher stated he is confident that by mid July, 30 beds will be up and running. The North West MEP along with cllrs Mary Therese Gallagher and David

Appeals by two republicans found liable for the Omagh bomb atrocity will be heard in November, it has emerged. Senior judges have set aside one week for the challenges by Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly. Earlier this year the pair were held responsible for the Real IRA massacre following a civil retrial at the High

Not enough is being done to assist people living in council houses in Donegal to purchase the properties out right. That is according to Councillor Ciaran Brogan who wants the local authority to review its housing loan policy to make it easier for people to buy their own homes. The council currently has a considerably

It is hoped that Donegal County Council will get a significant portion of the government’s new 50 million euro fund to repair road surfaces. The money has been announced for repairs and restoration of 600km of regional and local roads. The funding will be awarded based on the length of road in each county with

One of the highlight events of Derry’s UK City of Culture celebrations is currently taking place with “The Return of Colmcille”. The large-scale outdoor event has been scripted by Frank Cottrell Boyce, the author of the Olympic opening ceremony. Last night, a curragh which left Iona last month arrived in Derry, starting the two day

Water restrictions in the Stranorlar Electoral Area will be eased tonight (Friday) with only areas supplied from the Tievebrack Reservoir – above Castlefin/Castlederg Road affected. Supply will be switched off during the off peak period 10.00pm to 7.00am. Water supply in other areas will continue to operate as normal. The council says these restrictions are

A fire crew from Dungloe together with locals have brought a gorse fire under control in the Ranafast area this afternoon. The fire burned to within yards of several houses in the Carraig a’Choill area of Ranafast. Local people assisted the fire crew bringing the blaze under control. The current dry spell has left vegetation

Paddy Crerand is being honoured at a civic reception in the County House Lifford today. The honour is in recognition of his sporting achievements over the years with teams like Celtic and Manchester United, as well as his long career in radio and television broadcasting. Pat Crerand mother was Sarah ‘Tim’ Boyle from Gweedore where

Facebook has agreed to work directly with Irish schools to tackle cyber-bullying. The agreement was brokered at a meeting between the social network and the Department of Education yesterday after a recent meeting due to be attended by a school principals’ body was cancelled. Facebook has been under growing pressure after a number of incidents

The Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat was called to help two young swimmers believed to be in trouble at Main Beach, Bundoran last evening. The alarm was raised by one of the lifeboat crew who happened to be at the beach and called the Coast Guard at Malin Head who immediately tasked the lifeboat. Six minutes later

There was a mixed response from Donegal County Councillors to calls for the local authority to back the retention of Letterkenny Institute of Technology’s Tourism  Campus in Killybegs. The issue has been raised by Councillor John Campbell who says the retention of the campus is crucial to the town – its future is in the

Emergency services have attended the scene of a three car road traffic collision close to Laghey. Two people have been taken to hospital  – their injuries are described by gardai as not serious. The road was closed for a time but has now re-opened.

Those whose water supply is not up to an acceptable standard should be exempt from paying water charges. That’s the view of councillor Mick Quinn who has said it’s unfair to expect the likes of restaurants that can’t serve tap water to pay high water charges. He’d like the same exemptions to apply to residential

West Tyrone MP Pat Doherty has visited Donegal Republican, John Downey in Belmarsh Prison. Following the visit Sinn Féin MP Pat Doherty said: “I visited John Downey in Belmarsh this morning and assured him of Sinn Féin’s solidarity and support. I also met with John’s solicitor Gareth Pierce and am meeting with the Irish Embassy

The Head of the IFA in Donegal has hit out at the Education Minister after he said plans to include farm or business assets in the means-test for third level grants are “still on the table”. This despite the new Junior Agriculture Minister Tom Hayes claiming the proposals had been “dropped”. But Minister Quinn has

Donegal County Council has referred cases to its legal advisors with a view to taking action against those who have not paid the NPPR charge. The charge is now €200, but late penalty fees of €20 per month will be incurred for each month that the charge is not paid. Those who have not paid

Donegal Councillor Jack Murray is welcoming new pedestrian crossings in Muff, but says signs are  needed to warn motorists that they are there. Two drop-kerbed crossings with coloured tar on the road have been laid in the village, but Cllr Murray says more work is needed to improve pedestrian safety…………….

People in receipt of rent supplements in Donegal will see their payments fall from next Monday. Last night, Minister Joan Burton announced that those living in urban areas will see their payments increase to 75 euro to match a continuing trend of rising rent. However, the payment will, however, fall for those living outside of

Sinn Fein Cllr Ruiari McHugh has been appointed as the new chair of Strabane District Council. Fellow Sinn Fein Cllr Michelle McMackin was appointed vice-chair. It is likely this year will be the last sitting of Strabane District Council, with Strabane due to merge with Derry City Council next year. Cllr McHugh said it’s a

Siptu members and shop stewards in the HSE in Donegal are being briefed today on the new Haddington Road agreement ahead of a ballot on the deal done between Siptu and the government. Siptu’s Health Division Officer Paul Bell is in Donegal for a series of meetings today, to broef membersd and answer any concerns

The fire service in County Tyrone has put out a large gorse fire between Omagh and Pomeroy. At the height of the blaze last night, six appliances and more than 50 firefighters tackled the fire which raged on five miles of gorse, scrub and forest near the Keerin and Dunnamore Roads. Firefighters concentrated their efforts

Sinn Fein have said no action will be taken against Strabane District Cllr Karina Carlin. The SDLP in Strabane yesterday called for Cllr Carlins resignation over comments she made on a social networking site. Cllr Carlin used bad language on her facebook page to describe the SDLP, while she also called a SDLP member a

A Co Donegal man who was caught with almost €20,000 of heroin has been jailed for five years. Gerard Colhoun from Munitirtinney, Raphoe was sentenced by Judge John O’Hagan at Cavan Circuit Court today. Colhoun was jailed for 5 years today for possession of heroin for sale and supply. Colhoun was suspected to be selling

The North’s Environment Minister Alex Attwood has ordered the closure of a major waste plant in Derry following an investigation into allegations of large scale criminal offences involving how waste there was handled and disposed of. Mr Atwood told Highland Radio News today that the scale of the unlawful activity was immense, and dates back

The Acting Chief Fire Officer in Donegal says the cause of yesterday’s massive fire at the Big Isle, Manorcunningham remains unknown. The blaze broke out in a shed used as a a store for recycling materials by the Ferry’s Refuse Company. The Letterkenny fire service, backed up by personnel from Stranorlar, fought the blaze, with

A major 2D seismic survey has been initiated to reveal the true oil and gas exploration potential of Ireland’s Atlantic Margin, with BGP Explorer, the ship carrying out the probe, to be based in Killybegs. Announcing the €20 million project, Junior Minister Fergus O’Dowd said this is is by far the largest regional seismic survey

It’s estimated by Donegal County Council that it would cost €7.8 million to fix the water problems between Lifford and the Twin Towns. A spokesperson for the council said that the fix would have to be delivered over two phases. The first phase of work is costed at €2.9 million and the second phase costed

The trial of Donegal man John Downey who is charged with the murder of four British solders in the 1982 Hyde Park IRA bombing will begin in London on November 18th. The 61 year-old from Cresslough was arrested at Gatwick Airport last month, and appeared for a preliminary hearing at the Old Bailey last evening.

There are 4,442 students in Donegal beginning State exams this morning, up slightly on last year. Nationally, 116-thousand students are expected to sit the exams. There are 1,995 students starting the Leaving Cert exam in Donegal today, 1,012 female and 983 male. A further 137 are sitting the Leavng Cert Applied, 55 of them female

The daughter of the late Letterkenny Town Councillor Tadhg Culbert, has been selected by Fianna Fáil to take his place on Letterkenny Town Council. Lisa Culbert, who has the unanimous backing of party members in Letterkenny, was formally nominated at a party selection convention at the Mount Errigal Hotel last night. She currently works as

SDLP Cllr Martin Reilly is the new Mayor of Derry. As expected, he was elected at last night’s AGM in the Guildhall, taking over from Cllr Kevin Campbell. Councillor Gary Middleton of the DUP has been elected as deputy mayor. The new mayor says he wants to meet with agencies and groups in the North

The President of the Donegal Hospice has said there’s no doubt that Relay for Life has impacted on the fundraising of other organisations in Donegal, including the hospice. Former TD Dr James Mc Daid was speaking after concerns were raised by a number of local charities and groups that the money raised by Relay for

A fire has broken out in a shed at the Big Isle in Manorcunningham. We understand the shed in the property of the Ferry’s Refuse Company. The fire service is at the scene, and gardai are monitoring the situation. At this point, they say the fire presents no danger, and is not affecting traffic.  

The parents of children in fifth class and below are being invited to an information meeting on the new Junior Cycle in Letterkenny tonight. The meeting, being hosted by the Department of Education and the National Parents’ Council, takes place in the Mount Errigal Hotel 7:00pm to 9:00pm tonight. Minister Ruari Quinn says the Junior

The government is being urged to clarify its intentions about the proposed sale of Coillte’s timber harvesting rights. The Impact trade union, which represents workers with the state forestry service says while certain Oireachtas members, including Donegal Senator Jimmy Harte have indicated that the plan is unlikely to go ahead, it’s now time for a

72 per-cent of Irish people believe the Garda presence on the roads has reduced since last year, according to a new survey published today. A poll of 20,000 motorists by the AA shows that many people believe there are less Gardai on the roads and a further 40 per cent don’t think road safety is

The Donegal Diaspora Conference takes place at Letterkenny Institute of Technology today and tomorrow, with the stated aim of “shining a light on the history of emigration, and on the emigrant both past and present” . The council says speakers from all over the world will share their own stories and their own research into

With just two weeks to go until the 2013 G8 Summit begins at the Lough Erne Golf Resort in Fermanagh, police in the North are warning of possible disruption in the period leading up to and during the event. In particular, the PSNI are highlighting the potential for delays in the area around Belfast International

A Derry man who appeared in court charged with assaulting two police officers and two custody officers has been remanded in custody. Lee Leonard Thompson of Claremont House, Richmond Avenue in Derry, also faced a total of 16 driving charges relating to incidents over the past three years. The 42 year-old appeared in Derry Magistrates

The former Chair of the Ulster Scots Agency has stepped aside as the Ulster Unionist Chief Whip. Lord Laird of Artigarvan and two British Labour peers deny breaking any rules after the Sunday Times implicated them in a lobbying scandal. Lord laird was also been filmed by the BBC Panorama programme and the Daily Telegraph

A 57 year old Ramelton woman who was the subject of a major search has been found and is safe. Gardai have confirmed tonight that Teresa Boyce has been located, and they and her family are relieved. They have thanked all those who helped in the search.