Author name: oisinkelly

Sinn Fein are calling on the Strabane SDLP to clarify how they are helping people claiming incapacity benefits. In November 2011 local SDLP constituency representative Daniel McCrossan claimed that their office had been inundated with enquiries relating to welfare assessment questionnaires. He claimed that in the first two weeks of November 2011 the office had […]

Fianna Fáil Leader, Micheál Martin TD, has expressed his sympathy on the death of former Senator Bernard McGlinchey. “It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Bernard McGlinchey. Bernard’s record in public life was a remarkable one. Bernard served in Seanad Éireann for over 20 years and in that time had

A petrol station attendant today told Donegal Circuit Court of his fear when he was held up at gunpoint. A Taurus hand-pistol, later discovered to be fake but which was described in court by a judge who saw it as very realistic, was held to Lee Jordan’s back and head by a gunman intent on

A private contractor which assesses incapacity benefit applications on behalf of the British government is coming under fire in Strabane after it emerged that more than half of the local applications which have been turned down are allowed on appeal. Sinn Fein MLA  Michaela Boyle says it’s clear that ATOS is not working for the

Gardai are seeking a gang which vandalised one of the north-west’s most recognisable landmarks, St Anne’s Church in Ballyshannon. Co.Donegal. The 172-year-old Church of Ireland building is sited at the town’s highest point and visible to visitors approaching on any road. Spotlights which illuminate the church at night were smashed, and panes of glass in

A 20-year-old Derry man who admitted burgling two churches has been remanded in custody. Bernard Cooke, of Cornshell Fields, is charged with burglary with intent to steal at St Mary’s Church in Ardmore. He had previously admitted the burglary of St Patrick’s Church in Pennyburn with intent to steal. Cooke also admitted the burglaries of

Donegal North East Deputy Charlie McConalogue has called on Fine Gael and Labour to rethink its changes to the Farm Assist payment. Donegal has the second highest number of farmers dependent on Farm Assist, with 1,554 farmers liable for the payment. Low-income farmers depend on the payment to keep their farms in business. The changes

Tributes have been paid to Fianna Fail politician and business man Bernard McGlinchey, who died last evening at the age of 80. He spent decades as a member of Donegal County Council and Letterkenny Town Council, as well as 20 years in the Seanad, between 1961 and 1981. In 1989, he persuaded Dr James Mc

A married couple from the Twin Towns has collected a cheque for €5,146,800 from National Lottery headquarters in Dublin. The winning numbers from last Saturday night’s draw were contained on a €4 ticket bought at Moore’s Costcutters store in Ballybofey. The couple wants to remain anonymous, but it has been confirmed they do live locally.

One of the most famous houses in County Donegal is up for sale. The childhood home of singer Daniel O’Donnell in Kincaslagh is on the market for 400,000 euro. The house used to draw thousands of people for tea parties hosted by Daniel. Estate Agent, Gavin Boyle, says more people seemed interested in the property

Donegal’s Acting Chief Fire Officer has appealed to the public to notify gardai if they have any information about the illegal setting of gorse fires. Joe McTaggart suspects that not all of the recent wildfires, which have occurred across the county during the recent dry spell, have been acts of God. Mr McTaggart says that

Advance passenger information software developed in Letterkenny is to be used in Jamaican aiports. The Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency in Jamaica, is using SITA software as part of a security and tourism initiative to improve passenger movement at the airports in Kingston and Montego Bay. There are now 15 countries using the software. Vincent

The HSE is advising families considering visiting Wales and the North East of England to ensure that all family members have been immunised with the MMR vaccine to protect them against Measles. This is of particular importance to families in Donegal –  in February , health care staff in Donegal expressed concern about the increasing

Buncrana Town Council is calling on County Manager Seamus Neeley to close the halting site at Lisfannon as quickly as possible. The facility has been there for some years, and was originally established by former manager Michael Mc Loone under special powers given to managers at the time to address a pressing need for traveller

A Donegal priest says a nationwide policy of children making their First Communion or Confirmation in school uniforms should be considered. Its after the Government confirmed that grants for religious ceremonies are to be discontinued – more then 12,500 families availed of the grant last year A recent survey by EBS showed that parents expect

The inquest into the death of Savita Halappanavar is expected to hear more medical evidence today. The 31 year old died from septicaemia last October following a miscarriage at Galway University Hospital. Many of the key witnesses have already testified, such as Savita’s husband Praveen Halappanavar and her consultant obstetrician Dr Katherine Astbury. Apparent systems

The Government has announced its cutting the exceptional needs payments for religious ceremonies. More then 3.4 million euro was paid in communion and confirmation grants in 2011 to over 14,000 families. The payout was slashed last year with 12,500 families receiving 1.5 million euro – and now this year it will be axed altogether. The

Donegal Creameries PLC has released its preliminary financial results for last year with the Board viewing the company’s performance in 2012 as satisfactory. This is the first full reporting year following the strategic disposal of its liquid milk and agri-stores business to Connacht Gold. The company says it delivered a year of consolidation around a

A Donegal Anti-VRT campaigner says customs officials continue to target people in the county despite an Ombudsman’s ruling which would seem to prohibit them from doing so. Ombudsman Josephine Feehily ruled that Customs’officers must follow their own guidelines before seizing vehicles, and prohibiting them from random challenges such as checkpoints, for the purposes of enforcing

Fire crews were called out once again last night to tackle a serious gorse fire near to Glenveagh National Park. Dense smoke and the proximity of the fire to the roadside forced Gardai and fire crews to close the road on the Termon side of Glenveagh. Motorists travelling from Letterkenny to the Rosses and Gweedore

Members of the Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement will meet today to reflect on the past 15 years since the signing of the historical document. The agreement was signed by both British and Irish Governments on the 10th April 1998 and marked a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace

A Strabane District Cllr has hit out at the Alternative A5 Alliance. Speaking to Highland Radio News, the Treasurer of the Alternative A5 Alliance, Hamilton Hassard said that instead of going ahead with the A5 project, the current A5 should be upgraded. He says thousands of acres of farmland would not then have to be

There is shock in west Donegal with the news that the Gweedore community creche is to close. At least 30 children are cared for at the facility which will close in May. Parents learned of the closure of the state supported facility today. It is not yet clear the reasons behind the closure of the

Fire crew continue to battle gorse fired across County Donegal and with little rain forecast for the next few days the problem looks set to continue. The Buncrana Fire and Rescue Service posted this video on their Facebook page which goes some way to showing the job in hand and the dangers the fire crews

Details have been announced of the inaugural ‘Letterkenny Show’, which will take place over the May Bank Holiday weekend. The event is the brainchild of local man Ciaran Gallagher, who says he took his inspiration from the North West Garden Show in Castlefin and the Taste of Donegal Festival. He says the Letterkenny Show will

A verdict in the  trial of a newspaper editor over the publication of pictures of Michaela McAreavey’s body will be delivered next month. The 27-year-old County Tyrone woman was murdered at the Legends hotel, Mauritius, in January 2011. Imraan Hosany, the editor of the Mauritian Sunday Times, is charged with outrage against public and religious

Asda is recalling all corned beef from its budget range after traces of the veterinary drug bute were found in some batches. The British Food Standards Agency has confirmed that “very low levels” of the painkilling medicine have been detected in the Asda Smart Price range. The supermarket withdrew the product last month after it

  Letterkenny Town Council has published proposals to tackle a dangerous bend at Black’s Bridge in the Glencar area of Letterkenny. A safety audit was commissioned following a number of collisions in the area, with Town Engineer John Mc Carron saying that speeds in both directions were too high. The audit recommends that the nearby

A spokersperson for the A5 Alliance says he believes they are close to victory  in a case to quash the decision to upgrade the Derry to Dublin route. Earlier this week, a High Court judge in Belfast confirmed he was quashing the decision to go ahead with the dual carriageway. However, Mr Justice Stephens put

Several fire crews have this morning been fighting what’s has been described as “a massive” gorse fire in the Culacrick area of Annagry. The fire burned for several hours and threatened a number of homes for a time. 5 fire crews began to battle the  blaze 3am and brought it under control shortly after 11a,

Inland Fisheries Ireland have said there were no fish killed in the Eany River in Donegal. It was reported  that hundreds of salmon and trout had been wiped out in the incident near Frosses. But a spokesperson for Inland Fisheries Ballyshannon has told Highland Radio News that an Environmental Officer has investigated the matter, and

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has said people should not celebrate the death of Margaret Thatcher. The former prime minister died yesterday aged 87 after suffering a stroke while staying at the Ritz hotel in central London. “Street parties” were held in Derry, West Belfast and in other parts of the UK last night. In a

A man has died following a fire in a flat in Buncrana. The body of the man, believed to be in his mid to late forties was found in the Lower Main Street area this morning. It’s thought he may have died from the effects of smoke inhalation, but that won’t be confirmed until a

Gardai in Donegal are investigating a graffiti attack on the home of County Councillor Ian Mc Garvey. Windows were also broken in the attack, which happened at the house at Moorefield,  Ramelton in the early hours of this morning. Cllr Mc Garvey has lived in the house for over 50 years, and says this is

Letterkenny Town Council is seeking meetings with various bodies to discuss the levels of service available in Letterkenny, and what plans are in place to enhance them. Last night, Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh succesfully proposed that Eircom be asked back to the chamber to update members on what plans are there to improve broadband provision in

Donegal North East Deputy Charlie Mc Conalogue says the Taoiseach and Tanaiste must consult with the North’s First and Deputy First Ministers as soon as possible to ensure the A5 upgrade goes ahead. Yesterday, a High Court judge in Belfast confirmed he was quashing the decision to go ahead with the dual carriageway. However, Mr

A venture could shortly be announced in Letterkenny arising from the town’s twinning arrangment with Elizabethtown in New Jersey. Town Mayor Cllr Dessie Larkin told members last night that during his visit to the town while he was in the US for St Patrick’s Day, he met with local business and education representitives. He said

Fire crews from the west of the county had yet another busy night battling gorse fires in the Gortahork and Falcarragh areas. The Dungloe fire crew attended a gorse fire between Gweedore and Gortahork before midnight. Crews from Gweedore and Falcarragh spent several hours dealing with a fire at Derryreel outside Falcarragh. The fire burned

The North’s Regional Development Minister says he will meet with executive colleagues later this week to discuss whetjher or not to appeal a High Court order quashing the decision to go ahead with the A5 dual carraigeway project. Last month, Mr Justice Stephens indicated he was minded to grant the order sought by the Alternative