Author name: oisinkelly

Health care staff in Donegal are worried about the implications of the increasing number of children who have not had their vaccines on time. At present 16% of children are not receiving their 13 month vaccines and 50% are delaying their vaccines by up to 6 months. Most children are getting their first vaccines on

A protest is being held in Lifford today outside a meeting of Donegal County Council. Donegal Action Against Austerity campaigners says they are taking the action due to the inaction of Donegal County Councillors. The campaigners says that Donegal County Councillors, and particularly those in government parties, are not being vocal enough in opposing cuts,

Two men were arrested by Police in Derry at weekend investigating reports of an attempted hijacking in the Carnhill area of the City on Saturday morning. Police also recovered a small crossbow following a search of a house in the area. The Two were later released from custody. An 18 year was released pending further

Donegal North East Deputy Joe Mc Hugh says he’ll be pressing the government to make it easier for small companies to secure government and public service contracts. Deputy Mc Hugh yesterday met with the East Inishowen Business Association, and said the issue of procurement was high on the agenda, as was the need for cross

Applications are being invited for Donegal County Council’s Scholorships to attend Irish Colleges this summer. 30 places will be available for students between the ages of 10 and 18 years of age living within County Donegal. The scheme, which is worth upto 25 thousand euro, is run in association with the Irish Summer Colleges. The

Ryan Dolan will represent Ireland at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. His song ‘Only Love Survives’ came first in the Eurosong competition on the Late Late Show last night. The 27-year-old Strabane man will now travel to Sweden and compete in the first Eurovision semi-final on May 14th – ahead of the final on Saturday,

A spokesperson for the Can’t Pay Won’t Pay in Donegal says their campaign is far from over, despite an announcement this week that the property tax will be deducted from peoples salary, pension or social welfare payments. And Chairman of the Revenue Commissioners Josephine Feehily said earlier this week an 8 per cent interest rate

A man who was involved in a high speed car chase through the streets of Derry before fleeing over the border admitted that it was ‘very bad driving’ when interviewed. Martin Stokes (20) of 35, Glendale Road in Derry admitted a series of driving offences that occurred on October 4 last. The court heard that

North West MEP Marian Harkin is calling on the government to guarantee 100% funding for any septic tank improvements that are orderd under the new inspection regime. The EPA confirmed this week that 1000 tanks would be inspected every year, 80 of them in Donegal. However, a non-registration campaign means less than 3/4 of the tanks

The government is to pay employers to take people off the dole. Under a new action plan for jobs, the State will pay one euro of every four euro it costs an employer to take a long term unemployed person off the live register. The measure is one of 333 actions to be implemented by

Plans by Illies Golden Gloves Boxing Club in Buncrana to build new facilities have hit a hurdle after a decision to grant permission for the development was appealed to An Bord Pleanala. The club hoped to demolition its current clubhouse on the site of the Old Illies school and erect a new single story building

The 24th Colmcille Winter School gets under way at the Colmcille Herritage Centre in Gartan tonight, with this years theme the survival of the euro. The school will also discuss the potential for the UK to withdraw from the EU, and what affect that would have on the Irish economy. The school will be opened

Dissident republicans have accused the PSNI of ‘double standards and sectarian policing’ after what they claim was a ‘peaceful and dignified’ white line protest was attacked by police officers. The 32 County Sovereignty Movement said that a protest organised outside a Derry school because PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggot was speaking there was attacked by

A Donegal County Councillor says  the Council needs to review it’s housing policy. Councillor Marie Therese Gallagher says that certain sections of society cannot get on the social housing list in Donegal. To get the social housing list for example, a single person must prove that they do not have suitable, alternative accommodation. Cllr Gallagher

A report into an industrial relations dispute at the North West Regional College in Derry highlights allegations of “a culture of fear” among staff. The report has called for widespread changes to rebuild trust between staff and management. The North West Regional College employs 852 staff at its campuses in Derry, Limavady and Strabane. The

The Taoiseach says plans by the revenue commissioners to take the property tax from people’s bank accounts, salaries or welfare would only be a last resort. Revenue Commissioner Josephine Feehily’s confirmed to an Oireachtas Committee the range of powers that can be used to ensure compliance with the tax. Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty is Sinn

Donegal County Cllrs have agreed to send the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, County Manager and a member of the opposition to New York for St Patrick’s Day this year. Councillors voted unanimously (apart from Sinn Fein Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher and Independent Cllr John Campbell) that the trip should go ahead at the expense of the

   The new Property Tax will be deducted from salaries, bank accounts or social welfare payments if people don’t pay. The Revenue Commissioners is warning it has a range of legal powers to gather the charge – in the event of non compliance. A public information campaign on the levy will begin in March –

After another delayed day at Donegal County Council, in the end, it was great to finally see Councillors agree on something. Just after 730pm last night, Councillors voted unanimously (apart from Sinn Fein Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher and Independent Cllr John Campbell) that the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, an opposition Councillor from Fianna Fail and the

The home of an elderly couple in the centre of Derry has been damaged in an arson attack. Police are appealing for information following the attack at Bishops Street last night. They say at around 9pm, a petrol bomb was thrown which struck a property and set guttering on fire. Fire crews attended the scene

The Environment Minister is being accused of jeopardising future investment in Letterkenny and the surrounding areas. Donegal North East Deputy Charlie McConalogue says Phil Hogan’s decision to abandon the National Spatial Strategy will have serious consequences. Deputy McConalogue says while Phil Hogan is promising new structures, the fact is  the spatial strategy is being shelved with no

An inquest jury on a man who drowned in Glencolmcille today(Wed) urged a new law be introduced requiring divers to be professionally medically examined instead of conducting medical self-assessments. The jury recommended that independent medical examinations by professionals be introduced by diving clubs. They were returning a verdict at an inquest in Sligo on 41-year-old

Donegal County Council has confirmed that the sale of a house in the Parkhill area of Ballyshannon was not completed before it was subsequently destroyed in a suspected arson attack. The Parkhill property, which was due to be purchased for social housing purposes to house a family of travelers in the town, has been the

Police in Derry are appealing for information following an assault and car hijacking in the Waterside area on Saturday last, 17th February. At around 8 o’clock last Saturday morning, a 47 year old woman parked her car in the Fountain Hill area of Derry. As she got out, a man approached her and threatened her

Donegal County Cllr Brendan Byrne has confirmed that he will not being going forward with defamation proceedings against Cllr Terence Slowey. Cllr Byrne said that documents that were sent to Cllr Slowey and the County Manager Seamus Neely, claiming to be from former County Manger, Michael McLoones solicitor were actually sent in error. And the

More than one in three children live in poverty in Strabane and Derry. The figures revealed in the UK wide Campaign to End Child Poverty, Child Poverty Map were released by children’s charity Barnardo’s. According to the official UK government definition child poverty means a family of two adults and two children with an income

Today’s reconvened meeting of Donegal County Council finally got underway shortly after 12  noon today, after members spent the morning in private session to discuss a matter related to the minutes of a meeting last year. However, a short time later, the meeting adjourned for lunch. A large contingent of local and national media had