Author name: oisinkelly

Couple from Twin Towns area collects €5 million Lotto jackpot, but chooses to remain anonymous

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.

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Chief Fire Officer – anyone found guilty of starting wildfires will pay for the cost of fighting them

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

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SITA Letterkenny software to be implemented at Jamaican airports

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

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HSE issues measles warning to Donegal families travelling to Britain

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

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Buncrana councillors renew calls for closure of Lisfannon halting site

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

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Donegal Priest: national policy on school uniforms could ease First Communion financial pressure

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

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Inquest into the death of Savita Halappanavar continues today

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

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Donegal Creameries turnover increases – bank debt reduced

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

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Donegal VRT campaigner says customs officials are breaking their own guidlines

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

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Deputy Joe McHugh says Good Friday Agreement has done much good for the North

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

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Judgement next month in trial of paper editor who published pictures of Michaela’s body

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

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Council to proceed with safety measures at Glencar Road accident black spot

  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

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Martin McGuinness urges people not to celebrate death of Margaret Thatcher

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

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Eircom and other bodies being asked to discuss service provision with Letterkenny Town Council

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

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Update – Mc Conalogue says Kenny and Gilmore must consult with Stormont as A5 upgrade hangs in balance

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

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Larkin says Letterkenny investment may arise from Elizabethtown trip

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

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Appeal being considered after Belfast High Court judge blocks planned A5 upgrade

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

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Letterkenny councillor repeats call for urgent repairs to Ballymacool footpath

A Letterkenny Town Councillor is renewing calls for repair work to be carried out on the footpath from Ballymacool Terrace towards the Aura Leisure Centre and O’Donnell Parkas a matter of urgency. The road is under county council control, and has been substantially upgraded. However, the footpath is currently in a very poor state. Cllr

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No overcrowding problem at Letterkenny General Hospital – INMO

Figures published today by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation show that between March 11th and April 5th this year, there were no incidents of overcrowding at Letterkenny General Hospital. The new ‘Ward Watch’ programme launched today by the INMO says five hospitals, Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, Tallaght Hospital, the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick,

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European fund could provide multi million euro jobs boost for Donegal

A northwest MEP has welcomed a new multi-million Euro Youth Employment Initiative for BMW Region but is seeking more detail on how jobs will actually be created. The Youth Employment Initiative could translate to as much as €20 million for the BMW region with largest proportions of the funding being directed to areas with over

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Full inquest into the death of Savitta gets underway in Galway

A full inquest into the death of Savita Halappanavar gets underway in Galway today. The 31-year-old died four days after suffering a miscarriage in hospital and her husband claims she was repeatedly refused a termination. Praveen Halappanavar maintains her requests were refused because the foetus had a heartbeat and he says they were told ‘this

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