Author name: oisinkelly

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

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

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,

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

Its emerged that safety equipment was stolen from the Fire Service as crews battled wildfires in the west of the county on Sunday. Safety lights, which had been put in place by the Dungloe Fire Brigade were taken – gardai have been informed. Acting Chief Fire Officer Joe McTaggart has also confirmed that 57 wildfires

The Can’t Pay Won’t Pay group says the Council would be better served pursuing developers for the millions of euro in outstanding development charges rather than the public who haven’t paid the household charge. The group was responding to calls from the Council’s Finance Director for people you have yet to pay the Household Charge

The Crolly area fire burned across the hill at Bunawack above the townland of Meenaweal and across the hill towards Loughanure before it was brought under control. Fire crews from Dungloe and Gweedore together with many locals battled to bring it under control. Gardai were also on the scene and -roads in the immediate area

A Ballybofey shop has sold the winning ticket of the €5 million lotto jackpot. As of yet the idenity of the new millionaire is unknown. The winning ticket was a €4 ticket using the winner’s own numbers and the ticket was done on Saturday last. The win is the shop’s first jackpot win. Owner of

The Norths Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill has met farmers in the Sperrin mountains following concerns over the aid package for those affected by recent snowfall. She said she wanted to reassure them that they will be included in the hardship payments. Yesterday West Tyrone MLA Joe Byrne said more clarity was needed, particularly on the

March saw another fall in the amount of people signing on in County Donegal. 20,864 people signed on in the county last month which represents a month on month drop and a decrease on the same period last year. But the figures again point to emigration, particularly those under25, as a significant cause of the

Donegal County Council has issued a further appeal over gorse fires this, as fire services continue to tackle blazes in the west of the county this evening. The Council has appealed to land owners and members of the public to exercise caution and to take all necessary measures to prevent gorse, heather, forestry and similar

Derry Magistrates Court has today heard how a woman fraudulently claimed over £15,000 in benefits while employed by two government departments 53 year-old Kathleen Murray is formerly of Virginia Court in the city but now lives in Donegal. She admitted claiming housing benefits and jobseekers allowance between October 2005 and October 2010. At the time,

Former Derry footballer Anthony Tohill is said to be comfortable as he recovers from injuries sustained in an accident at his home. It’s believed the 41-year-old was working with a chainsaw in his garden when the incident happened earlier this week. He was rushed to hospital for treatment, but has since returned home. There were

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the north has indicated that farmers fromm Tyrone and Derry will be included in the compensation package for those who suffered losses in the recent old snap, however, there’s been no official statement from Minister Michelle O’Neill. West Tyrone MLA Joe Byrne says more clarity is needed,

A man in his 30s will appear before Derry Magistrates Court later today charged with Possessing an Offensive Weapon in a Public Place and two counts of Common Assault. The charges relate to an incident in the city centre on April 3rd. Police in Derry arrested a man who was allegedly seen wielding a knife

A Donegal County Council spokesperson has said that people will invevitabily have to pay the Household Charge and should do so now to avoid further penalties and charges. The Council revealed yesterday that over 61% of people liable for the charge in Donegal have now paid – but those opposed to the charge reject those

Two Donegal men are undertaking a unique challenge on Saturday to raise much needed funds for the RNLI. Niall Clancy is going to run from Bundoran to Arranmore Island ( including a spell on the ferry on a treadmill) while James McIntyre is going to run, cycle and Kayak a different route between Bundoran and

Figures from the newly launched Child Care Law Reporting project show that Letterkenny District Court was one of the busiest in the country when it comes to child care applications granted. The latest figures, which relate to 2011, show that over 200 care orders were granted to the HSE, Donegal District Court awarded 24. The

Fianna Fail has described as a ‘disgrace’ figures which show there are still nearly 1,000 farmers in Donegal  who have yet to receive their Disadvantaged Areas Scheme payment. The party obtained figures which show that 8,483 Donegal farmers applied under DAS. 7,500 of these have received payments, while 983 farmers have still not received the

The North’s Environment Minister has given the green light to a £4.5million plan to regenerate Omagh town centre regeneration project OASIS, Omagh Accessible Shared Inclusive Space, is intended to open up a part of Omagh that was previously segregated and inaccessible. Last October, Omagh District Council submitted planning application for the project, and today, Environment

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,