Author name: oisinkelly

A Chinese man jailed yesterday didn’t even know which part of the world he was in when growing nearly €1 million of cannabis in Donegal. Judge John O’Hagan was told of human trafficking by internatonal gangsters driving around in Mercedes while slaves growing cannabis for them lived in squalor, He was dealing at Donegal Circuit […]

Around 50 members of the IFA in Donegal held a protest outside Deputy Joe Mc Hugh’s office in Letterkenny today, saying the government is threatening what is one of the fewe viable industries in the country. Former Donegal IFA Chairman William Monagle said the budget cuts imposed on farming, particularly in relation to the Suckler

The funeral mass of 15 year old Shannon Gallagher has been told that suicide is never a solution.   This is the full text of Fr John Joe Duffy’s homily at the Funeral Mass this morning –   As we gather this morning to celebrate this funeral Mass for Shannon, we are reminded of the

A motorist has been acquitted of dangerous driving causing the death of another driver. A jury of 11 at Donegal Circuit Court took two hours and 45 minutes to unanimously acquit 48-year-old father of three Paul Murrin of dangerous driving causing the death of Daithi White on the N15 near Ballintra on January 24 last

The ban on visiting at Letterkenny General Hospital due to an outbreak of Winter Vomiting Bug has been extended. The HSE says that due to the presence of the Winter Vomiting Bug, no visitors will be allowed to visit the hospital at this time to help curtail the spread of infection. There will be allowances

The Finance Minister says homeowners who dodged the 100-euro household charge will have to pay it – when the property tax is introduced next year. Michael Noonan says the Revenue Commissioners will have new powers to take the property tax, and any unpaid household charge from wages, social welfare payments and farm grants. Fianna Fáil

A Donegal County Council delegation is today meeting with senior National Roads Authority figures in Dublin to discuss funding for the county’s roads network. In 2012, an initial 21 and a half million euro was allocated to local and regional road improvements in Donegal by the National Roads Authority. The bulk of the money went

A Strabane businessman has said that the town centre is facing wipe-out if there is no drastic action to reduce rates bills. A number of businesses in the town centre have already closed over the last number of years, and excessive rates are being blamed. Declan Hughes, who runs Gormley’s shoe shop in the town

A Donegal South-West Deputy has said that we are effectively now living in a dictatorship as the Government refuses to hold any kind of debate on the property tax. New legislation to give effect to the property tax being introduced next year will be voted on in the Dail today. The government has been accused

The Mayor of Donegal is calling for a national campaign to tackle the issue of suicide. It follows the death of 15 year old Shannon Gallagher in Castlefin on Wednesday night- just weeks after her 13 year old sister Erin took her own life. Meanwhile the HSE has set up a helpline for parents in

Work has begun which is hoped will finally resolve the water problems affecting the water supply in the Lifford and St Johnston areas. Funding has been available to repair a trunk line for almost 18 months but work only began this week. The delay has left hundreds of homes with a poor water supply and

The body of a woman has been found near Ards Friary. In a statement tonight, Donegal Mountain Rescue Team have confirmed they were called at 6.25pm to search for a missing 54 year old woman. The cliff and shore search included a dog search unit attached to DMRT, along with the Rescue 118 Helicopter, 2

The HSE has established a helpline for parents who have concerns in relation to their children. It follows the tragic unexpected death of  15 year-old Shannon Gallagher. The HSE says it is liaising with the family in relation to this incident and all supports are being made available to provide assistance at this very difficult

Donegal County Council is proposing an increase in rent for its tenants which will equate to over 100 euro per house per year. It is just one of the measures proposed in the Draft Budget for 2013 which will be decided on by County Councillors when they meet next week. The council currently maintains just

Donegal TDs Joe McHugh and Dinny McGinley have voted in favour of cuts to the respite care grant Respite Care Grant TDs Charlie McConalogue, Pearse Doherty and Thomas Pringle all voted against the cuts. Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn had no vote recorded as he was  blocked from entering the Dail chamber to vote on that aspect

The latest batch of statistics from last years census show Donegal people are more likely to drive to work compared to the rest of the country but spend less time doing so. A total of 36,250 persons, representing 77.1 per cent of commuters in County Donegal, either drove to work or were a passenger in

Donegal TD Padraig MacLochlainn has been blocked from entering the Dail chamber to vote on Budget 2013. Despite having voted on previous aspects of the Budget, Deputy MacLochlainn says he was physically prevented from entering the Dail to vote on the full bill. He claims he was blocked by the Captain of the Guard on

The VEC has put in place its critical incident team folowing the tragic death of a 4th year student at the Finn Valley College. Shannon Gallagher was the sister of Erin Gallagher who died in tragic circumstances in October. The head of the Donegal VEC Sean Purcell said it is an extremely difficult time for

Strabane remains one of the most deprived areas in the North according to the latest release of statistics from last year’s census figures. Figures published this week show that the Strabane District Council area had the second highest unemployment rate in Northern Ireland in March last year. According to the census figures a total of

It’s claimed the ‘clamour’ surrounding the investigation into the killing of solicitor Pat Finucane is not going to go away. A review yesterday found British Government employees facilitated the killing by loyalists in 1989. The Taoiseach says there should be a public inquiry into the case, but British Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday rejected a call for

Residents in the Carrick area of Gweedore are said to be increasingly concerned about the particularly high Iron, Manganese and Aluminium levels found in the water. Funding is being sought to replace water pipes from Derrybeg to Glassagh in Gaoth Dobhair which is hoped will resolve the problems. This current system was installed in 1954

The Mayor of Letterkenny has called for the provision of roadside drinking water fountains at strategic locations around the town to reflect the large number of people walking and jogging in the area. Cllr Dessie Larkin also said he attended last week’s Tourist Town awards in Dublin which saw Letterkenny beaten to the top spot

Letterkenny solicitor Dessie Shiels will have to pay Donegal County Council’s legal bill for his unsuccessful case against the local authority. The High Court action against Donegal County Council was over the co-option of Michael McBride to replace Senator Jimmy Harte. It was dismissed in November. Dessie Sheils brought forward the challenge on the basis that Jimmy

Letterkenny solicitor Dessie Shiels will have to pay Donegal County Council’s legal bill for his unsuccessful case against the local authority. The High Court action against Donegal County Council was over the co-option of Michael McBride to replace Senator Jimmy Harte. It was dismissed in November. Dessie Sheils brought forward the challenge on the basis

A British Navy serviceman has been sentenced to eight years in prison for trying to pass nuclear submarine secrets to Russian spies. 30-year-old Edward Devenney, who is from Strabane, contacted the Russian Embassy offering information and later met two men he thought were spies in London. Solicitor Richard Cannon read a statement on Edward Devenney’s

A motorist has today pleaded not guilty at Donegal Circuit Court to dangerous driving causing death on the main road at a turning leading to Murvagh Golf Club near Donegal town. Paul Murrin, 48,denied before a jury that he caused the death of Daithi White by dangerous driving at Ballybulgen, Ballintra, on January 24 last

A Sligo senator says the proposed removal of animal blood testing services from Sligo will cost jobs and create delays for farmers across the North West. Senator Marc Mac Sharry has called on the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney to immediately reconsider plans to transfer the services from Sligo to Cork. Senator Mac Sharry says

The Dáil’s was  suspended for 45 minutes ealier today, because a DonegalTD refused to leave after being suspended. Pádraig Mac Lochlainn had tried to raise remarks by the Taoiseach to Gerry Adams yesterday, during leader’s questions. Enda Kenny had suggested that the Sinn Féin leader might tell the truth about the tragedy, and the remorse

Former Garda Superintendent Kevin Lennon has said there are very fundamental and serious issues involving still serving gardai which have never been investigated. In a statement issued through his solicitors to the Donegal Democrat last night, Mr Lennon, said these issues should be properly and fully investigated in the public interest. Mr Lennon was speaking

A Sinn Fein motion of no confidence in the government will conclude tonight. The debate was opened last night by Donegal South West Deputy Pearse Doherty, who said having promised an alternative, Fine Gael and Labour behaved just like Fianna Fail as soon as they go into office.

Police in Derry are investigating two attempted car hijkackings in the Waterside last night. Around a hundred loyalists had gathered to protest at last week’s decision to restrict the flying of the Union flag at Belfast City Hall. In Limavady, Sinn Fein members had to be given a police escort out of the local council

Letterkenny Town Council has been told that two years after commitments were made, upgrades have not yet been implemented at Letterkenny Post Office. Cllr Ciaran Brogan said that an An Post deputation ruled out a second post office in the town, but more staff and counter space were promised in the existing post office to

Visiting restrictions at Letterkenny General Hospital have been extended to all parts of the hospital after the spread of symptoms of vomiting and diarrheoa across a number of wards. Yesterday, the hospital imposed restrictions at Surgical 1 and Medical 3, but visiting is now restricted on all wards with the exception of parents and fathers

Letterkenny based training company, the Swilly Group has announced the creation of ten new jobs as part of an expansion. A recruitment drive has begun with a view towards starting in early 2013, following the securing of a number of new contracts. The company says it is looking for highly qualified tutors in the areas

You’ll now get penalty points for driving while texting… It’s one of the new measures contained in the new Road Traffic Bill that’s been signed off by the Cabinet. The Bill will see an increase in the number of penalty points you’ll get for speeding, not wearing a seat belt and using your mobile phones.

The Revenue Commissioners has published its latest list of tax defaulters. It details 113 settlements in the three months to the end of last September totalling 21.35 million euro. There were 7 settlements in Donegal totalling just over 800 thousand euro. The single biggest settlement in Donegal was for almost a 250 thousand euro and

The HSE has confirmed an outbreak of the Winter Vomiting Bug. Visiting restrictions were imposed on Surgical 1 and Medical 3 yesterday afternoon after a number of patients began showing symptoms of vomiting and diarrheoa. At the time, the hospital confirmed to Highland Radio News that the infection control team is meeting regularly, but a

Donegal Deputy Charlie McConalogue has said the cuts to various farming schemes announced in the Budget are further evidence of the Agriculture Minister’s disregard for smaller farmers across the North West. Deputy McConalogue said Minister Simon Coveney has targeted low and middle income farmers for the bulk of the cuts at his Department next year.

A Donegal diver has agreed with the County Council that Lough Salt should not be used for recreational diving. Donegal County Council has warned the publicity that has recently been in the media around diving for rare golf balls in the lake may attract recreational scuba divers. But local diver Gus O’Driscoll has said that

Donegal County Council says it is extremely concerned about the recent reports in the media on diving activity in the waters of Lough Salt for recreational reasons, and in particular the retrieval of artefact’s from the bottom of the lake. The council Lough Salt is one of the main sources of drinking water for Letterkenny

Letterenny Town Council has been told that many businesses in the town could benefit from online trading if there were a clear e-commerce strategy in place. Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh says the council has a level of know how in IT, and could come together with Letterkenny Chamber, LYIT and other bodies to develop and implement

Anyone taking to the roads this morning is being warned that ice and frost may still be affecting conditions. Temperatures dropped to as low as minus 3 in some areas, with ice expected to remain a factor on many routes this morning. In Donegal, drivers should take care in particular around secondary roads in Letterkenny.

Almost one quarter of the Irish population is living in a jobless household. The finding is contained in a report to be published today by the Economic and Social Research Institute. The report also found that children and people with disabilities account for more than half of those who are living in jobless households. This

The Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Letterkenny General Hospital says at present, the hospital is not declaring an outbreak of the Winter Vomiting Bug. It follows the imposition of visiting restrictions on Surgical 1 and Medical 3. Speaking to Highland Radio News, Dr Anne Flood said the infection control team is meeting regularly and

Visiting restrictions have been imposed on two wards at  Letterkenny General Hospital as a result of a suspected outbreak of the Winter Vomiting Bug. In a statement, the hospital says there’s been an increased incidence of diarrhoea or vomiting on the Surgical 1 and Medical 3 Wards. To help curtail the spread of this, the

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service are in Donegal this week as their pre-Christmas appeal for donations is launched. The service will be in Jacksons Hotel in Ballybofey from tonight until Wednesday, and in the Holyrood Hotel, Bundoran on Thursday.. Operations Manager Paddy Bowler says extra stocks are much needed at this time of year………

Three family members have died in a house fire in Co Leitrim over the weekend. The bodies of a couple 75-year-old Desmond McDonald, and 77-year-old his wife Patsy, and their daughter 34-year-old Patricia, were removed from the scene at Lisnabrack. It is understood that a taxi driver driving past the house saw the fire and

Three men have appeared in court accused of possessing a rocket in the Creggan area of Derry last week. 42-year-old Jason Lee Ceulemans, of Lecky Road, 47-year-old Neil Christopher Hegarty, of Sackville Court and 47-year-old Damien Harkin, of Westland Avenue, are jointly charged with possessing explosives with intent to endanger life and possessing a walkie

Donegal North East Deputy Joe McHugh has confirmed that he is one of a dozen Fine Gael Deputies putting pressure on the Government to reverse the cut to the respite care grant. A number of senior Government figures have insisted that none of the cuts in the budget will be reversed. But Deputy McHugh said pressure must