Author name: oisinkelly

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.

Donegal County Council says it hasn’t got the money to provide public toilets in Rathmullan. This depsite the town having 65,000 visitors last year, second only to Rossnowlagh. Local Councillor Ian McGarvey has called for public toilets and changing rooms to be provided and to include access for people with a disability. He has welcomed

A defence solicitor has said that the Public Prosecution Service was in danger of being seen to be ‘politically motivated’ in their decision to prosecute three men in connection with a dissident republican parade in Derry last year. The comments by Mr. Ciaran Shields came during the case against Gary Donnelly (42) from Iniscarn Road,

29 jobs have been lost today with the news that two businesses owned by the Lafferty Family in Creeslough are to be wound up by order of the High Court. Today, Justice Peter Kelly appointed an interim liquidator. The family’s Vivo shop and filling station has been allowed to continue trading until the case is

Colaiste Ailigh in Letterkenny has ranked second in the Ulster counties in The Sunday Times Parent Power 2013 guide to the top 400 Irish secondary schools in the republic. The school finished 43rd in the country overall. The survey ranked all 723 secondary schools in the republic on progression to universities in Ireland, Northern Ireland

Conor and Ella were the most popular baby names in Donegal last year replacing Ryan and Sarah The CSO has released the top five boys and girls names for 2012. Nationally, the top five boys names last year were Jack, James, Daniel, Sean and Conor; whilst the girls were Emily, Sophie, Emma, Grace and Lily.

Hundreds are expected to attend a public meeting tonight to get an update on the campaign to save services at Carndonagh Community Hospital and to discuss the future direction of the campaign. There have been further closures of beds at the facility which is being attributed to unfavourable HIQA reports on staffing levels. Former GP

An investigation has been launched after a senior Donegal County Council official was targeted in a fake racist e-mail campaign. Highland Radio news received the email just after midnight last night which falsely claimed to come from the well-known council official. It’s understood that hundreds of media outlets locally and nationally recieved the email which, while

The right of a man charged in connection with the finding of mortars in Derry in March to a fair trial could be ‘subverted’ by police attempts to get him to turn supergrass a court has heard. A defence barrister was speaking at a hearing involving 37 year old Gary McDaid of 121, Glenowen Park

Gardaí are hoping a 24-hour intensive crackdown on speed this weekend will save lives on the roads. Last year, six people died over the June Bank Holiday weekend. In July gardaí instituted Operation Slowdown and noticed a 50 percent reduction in speeding. The slowdown got underway this morning at 7am, and continues until 7am tomorrow

Derry’s Guildhall has reopened after a major refurbishment which has taken over two years. Tonight the Mayor’s Ball will be the first event to take place in the newly refurbished building – Mayor Kevin Campbell says it’s a significant restoration which will completes an important link from the City Walls to Ebrington…

The high-profile Irish republican Marian Price, has been released from custody after more than two years. The convicted IRA bomber had been in custody since May 2011, when the former Northern Ireland Secretary, Owen Paterson, revoked her licence. She was moved from Hydebank Prison to a hospital on medical advice last June. She is now

Apple’s co-founder believes criticism of the tech firm’s tax arrangements is justified. It’s after the company’s CEO blamed world tax laws for a political backlash on low rates. Speaking at a business conference in Derry, Steve Wozniak said people are not taxed on profit, they are taxed on income, and corporations should be taxed the

Donegal County Council is to get an extra 8 members under proposals published this evening by the Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee. The extra number reflects the increase in the county’s population to just over 161,000, and also the fact that the councils in Ballyshannon, Buncrana, Bundoran and Letterkenny are to be abolished. There had

DOUBLE killer John Gallagher (47) threatened his brother by making the shape of a gun with his hand and pulling the trigger, Strabane Magistrates Court has heard. For the third week running Gallagher appeared in court charged with making threats to kill and harrassment. The charges arise out of a incident between him and his

487 cruise ship passengers stranded in Killybegs are to be flown to Portsmouth tomorrow. MV Voyager docked in Killybegs on Tuesday for the second stop on a nine day ‘Celtic Treasures’ cruise, but was unable to leave when problems developed with two onboard generators on Tuesday. The problem remains unresolved, and the ship’s owners ‘Voyages

The Council has released details of the roads it intends to close to facilitate the 2013 Donegal International Rally. The closure cover  Friday, Saturday and Sunday – the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of June. The council says that persons wishing to object to the closure should submit objections in writing to the Roads & Transportation

Gardai are investigating the vandalism of three mature trees in the Glencar park area which will now have to be replaced. A Highland Radio listener says she witnessed a group of youths stripping the bark from the 12 year-old trees which the Town Gardener says cannot be saved. Councillor Tom Crossan says it was an