Author name: oisinkelly

Gardai have arrested a man in Letterkenny this morning on suspicion of criminal damage. The local man in his late 20’s was arrested shortly after 6.30am following a tip off from a member of the public. It is understood the man was found in possession of a number of items including glue. Over the last […]

Seventy years have passed since the Ballymanus mine disaster which killed 19 people. A special mass will be held in the Ballymanus Community Centre tonight at 7 o’clock to mark the anniversary. 19 lives were lost in the incident which occurred in west Donegal on 10th of May 1943. A mine washed ashore at Ballymanus

The body of a woman has been recovered from a river outside Castlederg. The alarm was raised after the woman was seen entering the Derg River close to Castlederg. Fire and Rescue teams along with Foyle Search and Rescue and the PSNI helicopter were quickly on the scene. The woman was later recovered in the

Today is the final day of the INMO’s Annual Delegate Conference in Letterkenny, with Health Minister Dr James Reilly due to address the conference today. He’s likely to get a lukewarm reception at best, with concerns of the effects of cuts on patient safety high on the organisation’s agenda. The INMO’s North West INdustrial Relations

A North West MEP says a Junior Minister should be given specific responsibilities for supporting emigrants. Marian Harkin, who this week launched a National Youth Council report on emigration says emigrants must be supported before they leave, and encouraged to return to Ireland when circumstances improve and there is a need for their skills and

The first female President of the Massachusetts Senate, Senator Therese Murray will travel to County Donegal today. Ms.Murray was elected Senator of the Plymouth and Barnstable District in 1992 and has been a driving force behind children’s issues and health care reform. Donegal County Council will host a ceremonial event to welcome the Massachusetts Senate

An investigation is underway following the discovery of a number of dead birds in the Mullaghduff and Dunfanaghy areas. 33 swans were found dead in the New Lake, Dunfanaghy at the weekend while National Parks and Wildlife Rangers recovered a dead swan from a lake in mullaghduff this (Thursday) evening. An investigation into the deaths

A Donegal man has gone on trial accused of sexually abusing his foster mother’s nephew for eight years. The 63-year-old accused has pleaded not  guilty at the Central Criminal Court to 35 charges of indecent assault of the boy on dates between 1966 and 1974. The complainant was aged between seven and eighteen years old

Delegates at the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation conference in Letterkenny have this afternoon voted unanimously in favour of an emergency motion on Croke Park II. The motion mandates the organisation to continue to explore alternatives to the Croke Park proposals. Delegates, speaking on the motion, outlined their difficulties in paying their bills from mortgages,

The Chairman of the Donegal Joint Policing Committee has paid tribute to Superintendent Vincent O’Brien who is to retire from the gardai after 32 years of service. He confirmed last week, to a meeting of the committee, that he is to step down in June. Superintendent O’Brien, who is a Sligo native, has spent most

There has been a broad welcome to the news that a new £15 million whiskey distillery in Derry has been granted planning permission. Niche Drinks, the company behind the city’s St Brendan’s cream liqueur operation, is to build a custom-built factory complex in the city. The move is however dependent on the company’s current site

RELAY FOR LIFE DONEGAL 2013 is taking place on May 25th/ 26th and a fun song and video has been put together to mark the event. Videos were submitted from groups and schools across the county with many others contributing too (including a few familiar voices from Highland Radio!). The video was shot during able

Fianna Fail Senator Brian O’Domhnaill is calling on government deputies to support a bill he is introducing to decriminalise local fishermen who commit minor breaches of the rules. Senator O’Domhnaill is to hold meetings in Dunkineely, Dore and Downings over the weekend to consult with local fishermen before he moves the bill, which will be

Nurses and midwives are expected to pass an emergency motion for industrial action today, which will include the withdrawal of labour. The issue is top of the agenda on the second day of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation annual conference. The INMO motion is part of a public sector-wide campaign against a government threat

The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee says they want to know how Revenue will deal with those who can’t pay the property tax. John McGuinness and his colleagues are due to meet with the head of the Revenue Commissioners today. It’s expected the new local property tax will be among the topics up for

There are fears that the Letterkenny Institute of Technology School of Tourism may be moved from Killybegs. Deputy Thomas Pringle told the Dail this evening that a review of costs could signal the end of the delivery of Tourism courses in Killybegs, and that would have a serious impact on other courses and programmes there,

  Yesterday local Cllr Marie Terese Gallagher said she had received numerous calls from staff and patients’ families over rumours up to 7 beds were to close – today the HSE confirms it will be ten. In a statement to Highland Radio News the HSE says that in the last 4-6 weeks, the unit has

A team of specialists from the European Employment Services Cross Border Partnership will be in Derry and Letterkenny this Friday to help jobseekers and employers in the border areas. The ‘Bus along the Border’ campaign promises to provide practical advice and answer queries regarding employment, recruitment and social welfare support on either side of the

Northwest MEP Marian Harkin has strongly condemned the European Movement for its recent report on the attendance and question records of Irish MEPs in the European Parliament. The European Movement reported that Irish MEPs attended the Parliament on average less last year than they did in 2011. It also reported that the MEPs asked less

Donegal County Council last year recorded its first reduction in income for almost a decade. An increase in payroll and the writing off of over 6 million euro in business rates are some of key factors for the loss of income. The was also a reduction in income from water charges, which has been blamed

A Strabane SDLP Cllr has said that the decentralisation of 40 jobs to Strabane is nothing more than a “token gesture”. It was announced yesterday that 40 civil service jobs would be relocated to Strabane within the next 18 months. Strabane Cllr Patsy Kelly says while he welcomes the 40 jobs, he feels it is

The Stormont executive is being urged to redistribute money earmarked for the stalled A5 on other roads projects. The call comes as Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy prepares to put spending proposals to his ministerial colleagues. The A5 has been delayed by a successful court action, but this year was due to have received £120m

The INMO wants an independent expert to chair the review and then establish a guide for best practice and standards in the area. Over 350 nurses and midwives are attending the three-day conference which begins today in Letterkenny, County Donegal. General Secretary Liam Doran says Ireland urgently needs to lay down minimum standards for best

Fianna Fáil is calling for the establishment of a dedicated unit within the Department of Agriculture to co-ordinate the response to the fodder crisis. Donegal Deputy Charlie Mc Conalogue was one of the members who moved the motion last night, arguing that the government’s response was not fast enough, and more has been done by

A registered sex offender, who had been living in Donegal, has handed himself into the police. 29 year-old Joseph McCabe was reported missing from an address in Belfast last month and had broken rules attached to his release from prison. He had been staying in Burtonport and more latterly at an address in Dungloe. The

The Xtra-vision store in Letterkenny is to remain open. It  was confirmed on Tuesday that 20 Xtra-vision stores are to close on the island of Ireland – nine in the Republic and 11 in Northern Ireland. Up to 54 jobs are to be lost in the Republic of Ireland. Those affected will be given the

The North’s Agriculture and Rural Development has announced a “DARD Direct” Office for Strabane. DARD Minister Michelle O’Neill says she has asked officials to consider the options for locating an office in Strabane within the next 18 months to two years. Minister O’Neill says the Strabane office will be a significant one, housing approximately 40

Donegal County Council is this afternoon honouring the Lord Provost of Glasgow. Cllr. Sadie Docherty, whose family roots are in West Donegal,  is being honoured with a Civic Reception at County House in Lifford this afternoon. She is only the fourth woman to hold the position of Lord Provost of Glasgow since the year 1450.

CSO figures published today show that when it comes to cars being licensed for the first time, nearly twice as many imported second hand cars as new cars were registered in Donegal last month. The figures are broadly in line with last year, with 302 imported second hand cars licensed in April, compared to 171

It’s feared that up to seven respite beds may be under threat at Dungloe District Hospital. Local Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher says she’s received numerous calls from staff and patients’ families, and she’s made contact today with senior HSE management in a bid to get clarification of the situation. Cllr Gallagher says two years ago

Today is the deadline for receipt of Property Tax returns by post. Householders who have not already sent their completed applications – have three more weeks to register online. People who do not file by May 28th – will have the Revenue Commissioners estimate deducted from their salary, bank account or social welfare payments. Cant

Letterkenny is gearing up to host the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) 94th Annual Delegate Conference tomorrow. The three day event – which centres on the theme of ‘Protecting the Frontline,’ referring to both the protection of standards and the protection of those who provide care – will see the Minister for Health, James

The man killed in a crash between a car and a bus in the Barnesmore Gap has been named locally as Maximo Domens. Mr Domens, who is in his late 50s, was the driver of a car which was in collision with a bus carrying around 20 people at 8.30 on Tuesday morning. 5 people who

The final notes sounded today on the 12th City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival, bringing to a close what has been described as  the biggest and best musical extravaganza to date. Over 35,000 music lovers took to the streets in pursuit of the perfect medley of music on the Guinness Jazz Trail, which

New research commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency shows that the air in Letterkenny is not meeting minimum legal limits. The EPA’s interim results, obtained by the Irish Independent, show  that the poor air quality in the town is putting thousands of people at risk of respiratory disease. People with respiratory conditions like asthma can be badly affected by

A 20 year old man has been arrested in the Derry area in connection with a petrol bombing incident in the Ben Varden Avenue area on the evening of Friday evening which left a 45 year old man seriously injured. Two males aged 24 & 25, and a female aged 44 have previously been arrested. All four remain

Tenants must be protected if the home they’re renting is repossessed. That’s the message from Sinn Féin who claim that the new Land and Conveyancing Bill will lead to a significant number of repossessions of buy-to-let properties, putting renters in danger of homelessness. During the boom, banks issued over 150,000 buy-to-let mortgages – today more