Author name: oisinkelly

Fire crews from Gweedore and Dungloe have spent the past few hours battling a gorse fire on a hill in Gweedore. The fire broke out near a quarry at the bottom of the hill of the Gweedore wind farm. The farm has eight wind turbines and also several communications masts. Fire officers are trying the […]

Donegal County Council says that over 61% of householders in Donegal have now registered properties for the Household Charge warning those that haven’t, that they face further penalties. The Household Charge is this year being replaced by the Property Tax with Revenue warning that it will use a number of measure to collect both. There

The IFA has criticised an EPA on water quality in Irish rivers, claiming it is outdated. The report suggests there’s been a drop in the number of rivers with high-quality water over the past two decades, with Donegal one of the worst performing counties. Between 2000 and 2008, 210 rivers lost their ‘high quality water’

A senior police officer in Derry says people should not have to live in fear. Chief Inspector Jon Burrows was speaking after yesterday’s security alert in the Waterside. A pipe bomb was pushed into a letterbox in Bond Street yesterday morning. It’s understood the man who lived in the house had recently moved in. He

Fianna Fail Education spokesperson Charlie Mc Conalogue has urged the Education Minister to listen to teachers and not to dismiss their concerns about the impact of cuts to frontline education services. Speaking after attending the annual conferences of the INTO, ASTI and TUI this week, the Donegal Deputy expressed concern about the increasingly fractious relationship

Donegal TV will broadcast for the first time tonight on Sky satellite channel 191 and Freesat channel 400 from 7pm In April four programmes will be broadcast each Thursday across the UK and Ireland focussing on ‘The Gathering’ – people from around the word can access the programmes via the Donegal TV website. It is

36 jobs have been lost in Strabane with the closure of Linton and Robinsons in the town. The family business had been at the heart of Strabane Town Centre at Abercorn Square and Dock Street for 59 years. Staff have been told by management that creditors have been appointed. However workers have been told they’ll receive redundancy

Fire crews from Dungloe are this (Wednesday) evening attending a gorse fire near Ranafast that has caused an oil tank to explode. The fire in an area of Ranafast called Loch na nDeoran has burned a large area of bog land and trees. Several houses are in close proximity to the fire. An oil tank

The Donegal Branch Chairperson of The Teachers’ Union of Ireland says they have been left with little option but to ballot members for industrial action up to and including strike action The move was agreed today if the Government decides to impose the Croke Park II proposals. The union’s delegate conference in Galway unanimously passed

Police have confirmed that a pipe bomb has exploded after being put in the letterbox of a house this morning in Derry. It happened at Bonds Street in the city’s Waterside. Detectives are still looking for a motive for the attack on the house occupied by a man who recently moved to the area Twenty

The Donegal Woodland Owners Association is calling for an independent review of the government’s forestry policy, particularly in respect of the sale of Coillte lands and harvesting rights. Spokesperson John Jackson says their information is that deals to sell off substantial harvesting rights could be concluded as early as this week, and if that happens,

A 31-year-old man has died after he was hit by a lorry in Derry. The incident happened on the Crescent Link near Caw roundabout in the city. The man was struck at around 2 o clock yesterday. He died in hospital in the early hours of this morning.

Farmers in the Sperrin Mountain region of Tyrone and Derry have not been included in a financial aid package from Stormont. It’s been announced today that the Department of Agriculture and Regional Development are issuing a £5m aid package for farmers who suffered animal losses during the Spring cold snap. But the aid is only

The man who died after falling into the sea near Portstewart harbour in County Derry yesterday evening was Stanley Duncan, the chief executive of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in Northern Ireland. Mr Duncan had been fishing at rocks close to Victoria Terrace shortly before 5 o’clock when the accident happened. Other fishermen helped

The Chamber of Commerce in Derry is calling for progress on the upgrading of the A6 between Derry and Belfast. Chamber’s chief executive Sinead McLaughlin said this week that positive comments from Finance Minister Sammy Wilson and Secretary of State Theresa Villiers indicating their support for the urgent upgrade of the A6 is to be

Fire crews and locals spent nearly six hours last night battling a major gorse fire in Loughanure village. The fire started on the Crolly road just on the outskirts of the village and burned across the mountain on to the Annagry road. Four fire crews from Dungloe, Gweedore and Falcarragh backed up by local people

Last month was the coldest March on record in many parts of Ireland, except in the south and south west. Met Éireann’s issued a review of the month, showing monthly mean temperatures were up to 3 degrees below average in most parts. This was reflected in Donegal, where the mean temperature for march in malin

The Campaign for a Clean Estuary in Moville is calling on Donegal County Council to answer questions about the ownership of the sea bed, after publishing documents showing that the Crown Estates own the seabed of Lough Foyle. Spokesperson Enda Craig says he’s been in touch with the Crown Estates office, which has confirmed that

There were over 20 gorse fires in Donegal over the Easter period, and nearly 30 over the course of the past fortnight according to the Donegal Fire Service. Speaking on today’s Shaun Doherty Show, Acting Chief Fire Officer Joseph Mc Taggart said the fire warning remains in place as dry weather and easterly winds continue

A garda inspector in Donegal has described the burning out of a garda’s private car in Kilmacrennan on Easter Sunday morning as an attack on rural policing in the county. Inspector Michael Harrison says the car was set alight at around quarter to six on Easter Sunday morning, and gardai are trying to determine who

A Buncrana councillor has voiced his concern over a recent spate of oil thefts in the town. Four homes were hit in the summerhill estate last Monday, while another theft took place in the same estate the previous week. One homeowner was confronted by a thief as he came into her kitchen. Cllr Ciaran McLaughlin

Police were attacked by youths throwing stones and other missiles at a 32 County Sovereignty Movement Easter commemoration in Derry yesterday. Around 200 people attended the event in the City Cemetery. Petrol bombs were thrown at PSNI vehicles, and at a police photographer who was taking pictures from outside the walls. No injuries have been

The Education Minister has confirmed that Buncrana will not be one of the areas that will see primary school patronage change away from the Catholic Church. It follows surveys of parents in 38 areas by the Department of Education – as part of the drive to provide plurality and choice in the types of primary

The fire service spent several hours last night bringing a serious gorse fire under control outside Dungloe. Three separate fire units were in attendance to tackle the blaze. The fire took hold in the Tubberkeen area near Dungloe at around 10 o’clock last night. Scores of local people joined fire officers from Dungloe and Gweedore

A 26-year-old man has been charged after an attempted armed robbery in Letterkenny last night. The man, who is originally from county Laois, produced a knife and demanded cash at the Glencar filling station at around 10 o’clock. Gardai were allerted to the robbery in progress and arrested the man at the scene. No one

A spokesperson for woodland owners in Donegal has called for a stop to the selling of our states forests. Speaking to Highland Radio, John Jackson stated there was a unanimous agreement among woodland owners that state harvesting rights and forestry lands should not be sold off. Mr Jackson says Donegal has a huge resource which

A spokesperson for fishermen on Arranmore Island says if ways are not found to boost the sector and allow inshore fishermen back on the water, the future of offshore islands may be in jeopardy. Gerry Early was one of a number of fishermen who addressed the Oireachtas Fisheries Sub-Committee in Leinster House this week. He

It’s thought that a Spanish Freezer vessel which went adrift while trying to leave Killybegs Harbour a week ago will be towed out of the port on Monday. The “Aldan” remains tied up in Killybegs while a deep sea tug makes its way from Gijon in Northern Spain to tow her away for repairs. Locals

Donegal TV will broadcast a series of weekly programmes next month with a big emphasis on the Gathering. Every Thursday during April, Donegal TV will be shown at 7 pm on the Sky Showcase Channel (191), Freesat Channel 400 and online at www. donegaltv.ie The first installment will be aired next Thursday, April 4 and

Donegal County Council is appealing to land owners and members of the public to exercise caution during the current period of dry weather and to take all necessary measures to prevent gorse fires and similar fires. With the current period of dry weather, gorse, heather and other undergrowth is extremely dry.  Fires are likely to

It’s emerged that what could have been a major pollution incident was averted in Killybegs harbour last weekend when a stricken vessel lost power in stormy conditions. The Spanish freezer vessel, “Aldan”, with 400 tonnes of fuel on board and a crew of 18, started drifting when the main engine failed about 10 minutes after

A group of fishermen from Donegal was in Leinster House this morning to address the Oireachtas Fisheries sub-Committee. It’s engaged in a study on how to promote sustainable coastal and island communities. In his submission, Aranmore Island Fisherman Gerry Early spoke of the effect the ban on draft net fishing is having on the island,

The Northern Ireland assembly agriculture committee has held an emergency meeting to assess the damage caused to farmers hit by the severe weather. A number of areas in the North have been particularly badly affected by snow drifts. West Tyrone MLA, Joe Byrne visited a number of farmers in the Glenelly Valley area of his

The main Donegal Easter Rising commemoration will take place at Drumboe Cemetery this weekend. The main speaker will be Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams at 3pm. 2013 is the 90th anniversary of the killings in 1923 of four Irish Republicans in Drumboe Woods. There will also be commemorations in Drumoghill, Castlefin, Buncrana and Gweedore. The

The IFA has launched a campaign to encourage people to ensure they know where their dogs are at all times. It follows the publication of figures this week showing that over the past 12 months in Donegal, 76 sheep have been killed or injured by dogs in Donegal, the fifth highest incidence of such attacks in the

North West MEP Jim Higgins says arrangements must be put in place to allow for recognition of free travel passes by private bus operators. Mr Higgins says Bus Éireann has recently cut back on many of its rural services in favour of express routes, and private operators are now the only transport option for many

Another Donegal person has received a letter from the Department of Social Protection encouraging them to apply for a job abroad. Yesterday it was revealed that a 60-year-old man from the county recieved a letter from the department telling him about a bus driver job in Malta, paying 250 euro per week. Now a young Donegal teacher

Donegal South West Deputy Thomas Pringle TD has hit out at a government plan to take €150 million from the Local Government Fund to write-down debt. Calling the proposal a “complete mockery of the entire government process”, the independent deputy claimed that as the Local Property Tax comes into force, more funding raised through car

The Sinn Féin Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty is urging Social Protection Minister Joan Burton to clarify if it’s now the policy of her department to seek low paid jobs abroad for unemployed Irish people. The Donegal South West deputy raised the issue – after one of his constituents showed him a letter he received from

A Garda was asked to drive an ambulance to Letterkenny General Hospital because no paramedic was available, a county councillor has claimed today. Cllr Liam Blaney says the incident happened in the vicinity of the hospital. In a similar incident last year an ambulance was called out by a mother – but it was only

A new poll has found that the majority of people are in favour of harnessing Ireland’s wind energy potential. The MRBI poll for the Irish Wind Energy Association found 80 percent of those surveyed approve of the use of wind farms. A wind turbine collapsed during a storm in Donegal a few days ago and