Author name: oisinkelly

Strabane District Council has confirmed it is to consider banning the public and Press from committee meetings. The move would not affect access to full monthly council meetings. The move is being looked at as part of a wider review of council business, and was discussed at a recent private meeting by senior council staff […]

The opening concert for Derry’s year as UK City of Culture has been held. Sons and Daughters was a celebration of stars of stage and screen with links to the city, who have gone on to achieve international acclaim. It was the first concert to be hosted at The Venue, which has been purpose-built for

A 20 year old man is due to appear in Letterkenny District Court tomorrow, charged in connection with a burglary at the home of a pensioner in Kilmacrennan in the early hours of Friday morning. Matthew Lafferty, with an address at Ballyheerin, Kilmacrennan, appeared at a special sitting of Sligo District Court yesterday evening. He

Three juveniles have been arrested after they attempted to steal a quantity of copper wire from an Eircom yard in Bridgend early this morning. A Garda Patrol car was rammed as the three tried to make their getaway, and two members of the Gardai have been treated for minor injuries. Two of the young men

Five Garda Stations  are due to close in Donegal at the end of the month. These are part of 95 station closures across the country at that time. A further five stations will be closed in the following weeks. The stations affected include Malin, Brockagh, Glencolmcille, Annagry and Churchill. It’s been argued that the move

A Strabane Superintendent has appealed for those responsible for two security alerts in the town in the past week to stop. On Monday evening the town was brought a standstill after a hoax bomb alert resulted in the closure of Bradley Way and Lifford Bridge for several hours. And yesterday morning a small bomb was

A Foyle MP has said that he does not believe there is a growing divide in the North between Nationalists and Unionists. In the past 6 weeks Northern Ireland has been gaining media attention around the world because of ongoing Loyalist protests over the Union fly being taken down from Belfast City Hall. It was

A support group which has been launched in Gortahork for the victims of clerical sex abuse says it will offer legal advice as well as other support. Embrace was launched in Gortahork on Thursday night by two survivors of abuse and former garda detective Martin Ridge, author of the book ‘Breaking the Silence’. A huge

A suspicious package sent to a police inspector in Strabane was a small bomb, the PSNI has confirmed. It was found in a package addressed to Chief Inspector Andy Lemon. The device was discovered by postal workers at the town’s sorting office shortly before 9 o clock this morning. Army bomb disposal officers were called

Gardai investigating Co. Donegal burglaries today arrested two teenagers from Northern Ireland. The 19-year-olds, one male, one female, appeared later before Ballyshannon District Court accused of offences in Ballyshannon in December and in January two weeks ago. Garda Liam Feeney told the court that Lee Williams and Kerry Doherty were arrested at 1.10 a.m. near

The Pope has appointed Monsignor Eamon Martin Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh. It means Monsignor Martin will assist Cardinal Sean Brady until he decides to step down from office, and will then succeed him as a matter of right. In a statement this morning, Mgr Martin said he appreciates the great trust that the pope has

Parachute Regiment Flags which had been erected in the Fountain area of Derry have been removed. Calls were made last night to remove the Parachute Regiment flags which had been erected ahead of the anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Thirteen people died when British paratroopers shot civil rights marchers in Derry in 1972. Events are due to be

The Fianna Fail leader is being asked to take disciplinary action against a County Councillor over what a traveller representative group has described as racist comments. Donegal County Councillor Sean McEniff, while insisting he is not racist or a bigot, said travellers should be isolated from the settled community and housed together. The Donegal Travellers

As expected, the Pope has appointed Monsignor Eamon Martin as assistant and successor to the Primate of All-Ireland. The Diocesan Administrator of the Diocese of Derry is to take on the role of Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh. It means Monsignor Martin will assist Cardinal Sean Brady until he decides to step down from office, which

A man has been arrested following a a burglary at the home of a 69-year-old woman in Kilmacrennan in the early hours of this morning. Gardaí say he forced his way into her bedroom and demanded cash before fleeing empty-handed. The woman, who was alone in the house, was not injured in the incident. A

The administrator of the Diocese of Derry is to be appointed Co-Adjuter Archbishop of Armagh, and will replace Cardinal Sean Brady when he retires in two years time. Mgr. Eamon Martin’s appointment will be confirmed at a press conference in Armagh this morning. He’s been in charge of the Derry Diocese since Bishop Seamus Hegarty stepped aside due to

PSNI in Strabane are currently attending security alert at the postal office. It is understood a  suspicious package has been discovered. As a result Castle Street, Castle Place, Market Street, Railway Street, Lower Main Street and John Wesley Street in the town have been closed.      

A man has been arrested following a a burglary at the home of a 69-year-old woman  in Kilmacrennan in the early hours of this morning. A man broke into the woman’s home at around 3.45. Gardaí say he forced his way into her bedroom and demanded cash before fleeing empty-handed. The woman, who was alone

Met Eireann says we can expect some snow in the Northwest over today and tomorrow – particularly on higher ground. Large amounts snow are expected to fall in England, Wales and the eastern part of Ulster with Donegal expected to escape the worse of it. Forecaster Gerry Murphy has more:

The people of Drumfries have been praised for their efforts in securing €385 thousand euro in  funding for the building of a Community and Heritage centre in the area. Inishowen Development Partnership has approved the funding under the Basic Services for the Economy and Rural Population measure of the Rural Development Programme With a total

The Donegal Travellers Project has said it is deeply shocked, saddened and outraged by the comments made by Donegal Councillor Sean Mc Eniff. The Fianna Fáil representative is opposed to the purchase of a house, by Donegal County Council, for social housing in Ballyshannon at a cost of 230-thousand euro for a traveller family. While

The organisation representing sheep and cattle farmers here says the burger controversy raises questions about the use of imported ingredients in Irish products. Silvercrest, one of the Irish factories at the centre of the burger controversy has suspended production at it’s plant today after tests were carried out there. Of the seven samples of raw

Girls Aloud star Nadine Coyle and Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody will help kick off celebrations for Derry’s year as City of Culture this weekend. They will join Neil Hannon, Phil Coulter, The Undertones, Dana, and Amanda Burton for the opening concert in Derry on Sunday. The Sons and Daughters gig aims to showcase a

A phone registered to a builder accused of involvement in the Omagh bomb can be traced to within 5km of the town an hour before the explosion, the High Court has heard. The claim was made at the civil retrial of two men being sued over the bombing. Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly are defending

The Dail has been told that Justice Minister Alan Shatter has given two fingers to Donegal for two days in a row. The issue of robberies at the homes of elderly people in Donegal has been the subject of a topical issues debate in the Dail this evening. Deputies Thomas Pringle, Pearse Doherty and Padraig

A Donegal Co. Councillor says he thinks travellers should live in isolation. Fianna Fáil Cllr Sean McEniff is opposed to the purchase of a house, by Donegal County Council, for social housing in Ballyshannon at a cost of 230-thousand euro. According to the Councillor, the local authority plans to house 13 members of a traveller

A senior garda in Donegal has confirmed there have been some arrests in relation to a number of aggravated burglaries in Donegal over the past fortnight. However, while he confirmed some of those arrests took place within the past 48 hours, Superintendent Vincent O’Brien declined to give any more information, saying only that charges may

North West MEP Pat the Cope Gallagher says he believes the Taoiseach has been given indications that a deal on the Anglo Promisorry Noter and other banking debt may be on the cards. Speaking after the Taoiseach’s visit to the Eurpean Parliament marking the start of the Irish presidency of the EU, Mr Gallagher said

The death has taken place at his home of Mick Kennedy, Tullycleave, Ardara. His remains are reposing at his home. Removal from there on Saturday afternoon at 12.30pm to the Church of the Holy Family, Ardara for 1 o’clock Requiem Mass. Burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. Family flowers only, donations in lieu to the

A Donegal Deputy has accused the Minister for Justice of refusing to acknowledge the serious burglary problem in Donegal. Speaking on Highland Radio , Alan Shatter said that Donegal was not a special case, despite a number of burglaries on older peoples homes in the past fortnight. Fianna Fail TD Charlie McConalogue said that during

One of Donegal’s leading foresters has again called on the government to stop the sale of lands outside Ballybofey by Coillte. The state owned forestry company says this is a special case, a claim rejected by John Jackson, who says that Coillte has sold over 11,636 acres of State Forest land for development over the

Police in Foyle says they are investigating all crime and disorder linked to the flag protests and have arrested 3 people and reported 7 to the PPS to date. In a statement, the police say they understand the frustration of the community at the ongoing protests and that they are doing their utmost to police

The results of tests carried out on new samples taken from one of the plants involved in the horse meat controversy are expected to be known later today. The tests, taken by the Department of Agriculture on Tuesday at SilverCrest, will show if the burgers made at the plants still contain horse meat. It comes

The Finance Minister says people who invest in their homes by adding extensions may have to pay extra property tax. The new tax which comes into effect later this year will be self-assessed, but based on the value of the property. Responding to questions in the Dáil, the Finance Minister said if an owner increases

MEPs in Strasbourg have been reacting to the Taoiseach’s address to the European Parliament today. Mr Kenny’s address marked Ireland’s presidency of the EU that will last for the next 6 months. During his speech Mr Kenny stressed the need for the EU to live up to commitments made at last June’s EU Summit when

Figures published this afternoon show that as of the start of this week, 68% of eligible households in Donegal still haven’t registered for septic tank charge. Nationlly, the figure is almost 40%. Figures from the Department of the Environment show 300,000 homes have been registered across the country. In Donegal, the figure is just over

The Justice Minister has said that Donegal is not a special case, despite a number of burglaries on older peoples homes here in the past fortnight. Last night a man in his 60’s was targetted at Linsfort while a woman in her 80’s, living in Muff, was robbed a short time later. A 78-year-old woman

The Court of Appeal in Belfast has ordered that Brian Shivers face a retrial for the murders of two British soldiers at Massereene barracks in March 2009. The same court ruled yesterday that the convictions against the Co Derry man for murders of sappers Mark Quinsey, and Patrick Azimkar were unsafe. After the Public Prosecution

Harvey’s Point Hotel on Lough Eske has been named ‘No.1 Hotel in Ireland’ by the Tripadvisor website. The hotel is ranked 11th in Europe, and is the only Irish hotel in Europe’s Top 25. The Tripadvisor website website today published its 2013 ‘Travellers Choice’ awards, based on ratings from members. Harvey’s Point received a total

It has emerged that the victims of two aggravated burglaries in Inishowen last evening were earlier visited by callers looking to sell household items. A man in his 60’s was targeted at Linsfort while a woman in her 80’s, living in Muff, was robbed a short time later. Both cases involved five men – it’s

The Spunout organisation says Ireland needs to step up it’s response to bullying behaviour in schools and online. Spunout out points out that despite a number of tragedies in Donegal and Leitrim last year, Ireland has yet to issue formal guidelines to school management on how to deal with cases of cyberbullying. The group points

Gardai are investigating two more aggravated burglaries on the homes of elderly people in Donegal. They happened yesterday evening, and involved five men – it’s understood Gardai are investigating the possibility that the incidents are linked. In the first robbery – a gang forced their way into the home of a man in his 60’s

A senior Government Minister has admitted there may be a short term impact on Irish exports following the discovery of traces of horsemeat in burgers on sale in supermarkets here. However, the Environment Minister Phil Hogan says the discovery proves that the system of checks in the Irish food industry is working well. Horse DNA

Gardaí in Inishowen are investigating two separate aggravated burglaries which occurred yesterday. In the first incident which occurred at 7.30pm  five males called to the home of a man in his 60’s at Linsfort, Buncrana. The men forced their way into the house and demanded cash, during the course of this burglary the man was

Bord Bia says it’s confident the beef industry can withstand the current challenge its facing – after horsemeat was found in burgers sold in Irish supermarkets. The Food Safety Authority detected the horse DNA during a survey of beef products sold by retailers, including Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Dunnes and Iceland. The issue has raised serious