Author name: oisinkelly

Donegal South West Deputy Thomas Pringle says it’s vital that the campaign against the new Property Tax intensifies before legislation is passed transferring responsibility of the tax to the Revenue Commissioners. Deputy Pringle says it will be more difficult to resist the charge once Revenue are in charge, particularly for the PAYE sector. Around 500 […]

Three men in their 40s are due to appear in court in Derry later charged with terror offences. It follows the discovery of a home-made rocket in a car stopped in the city on Thursday night. The men are charged with possession of explosives, conspiracy to murder and having articles for use in terrorism. A

Detectives investigating dissident republican activity in Derry have charged three men with the possession of explosives, conspiring to murder and possession of terrorist equipment. It follows the recovery of an armour piercing rocket in a car stopped by police in the Creggan area on Thursday evening. The men, who are in their 40s, are due

A Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay rally in Letterkenny this afternoon has been told by a former Assetco worker that she and others may have no choice but to emigrate as a result of Wednesday’s budget. The call centre, which was located at Lisfannon in Buncrana closed without warning last month after Assetco’s parent company lost

A 22-year-old traveller who assaulted his girlfriend in a seaside resort was described by a judge as an “extremely violent” man. The Court was told  that Jason McDonagh attacked his girlfriend in his caravan in Bundoran. His girlfriend 21-year-old Angela Ward,was forced to flee through a broken window. The judge said at Ballyshannon District Court

A Ryanair passenger who became involved in a row with another passenger in a flight was given a suspended three-months jail sentence yesterday following his arrest in Letterkenny. Guitar teacher Gareth Forsyth who is unemployed admitted insulting behaviour and threatening a breach of the peace on a flight from Bristol to Dublin. The 32-year-old appeared

The Donegal All County League Final Relegation Play-Off between Dungloe and Gweedore, due to take place tomorrow has been postponed due to a bereavement.

In the wake of the Government saying the Budget will not be reversed, a Donegal woman, who has a child with special needs, has called on one of the County’s Government Deputies to come and spend a day in her shoes. Brid, who is from Letterkenny, says that the cut to respite care will have

Seven businesses have shown an interest in locating at a new business park in Strabane. The first phase of the new Invest NI business Park at the Melmount Road will open in the new year. Work at the 40 acre site has been now ongoing for the past number of years. And West Tyrone MLA

The Tanaiste is defending the budget – insisting it stands and will not be unravelled. 3.5 billion euro in tax hikes and spending cuts were announced on Wednesday – in the sixth austerity budget in four years. Eamon Gilmore says in an ideal situation, no cuts would’ve been made – but he says the decisions

Letterkenny has failed in its bid to be named Ireland’s first ‘Tourism Town’. The town was one of ten named at the Tidy Towns Awards earlier this year. This afternoon, Bord Failte confirmed the title has gone to Portmagee in County Kerry. The Tourism Towns Award was designed by Fáilte Ireland to promote those Irish

The public is being encouraged to report any suspicious activity they may notice around financial institutions, particularly in the run up to Christmas, to notify gardai. Inspector David Murphy is leading the investigation into yesterday’s armed robbery of a post office in Burt. Two armed and masked men escaped across the border with a sum

Donegal County Council is still waiting for a meeting with Taoiseach Enda Kenny to discuss the A5 improvement and the link from the new A5 to Letterkenny via Strabane and Lifford. Irish Government commitments to provide significant funding for the A5 are on hold, while the planned upgrading of the Lifford to Letterkenny link remains

A bomb has been found in a car stopped by police in Derry overnight. The car was stopped in Westway in the Creggan area – four men, all aged in their 40s, were arrested. Some residents were forced to leave their homes while the Army dealt with the bomb, which was described as a viable

The Carers Association says its members are determined to fight the cut to their Respite Care Grant. The grant was reduced by almost 20 per cent – to 1-thousand-375-euro – as part of Budget 2013. Around 100 carers will protest outside the Dáil at noon on Friday, to put pressure on the government to reverse

Sinn Fein are to host a series of public meetings across Donegal to mobilise opposition to Budget 2013. A meeting will be held at 8 o clock tonight in Gallaghers Hotel, Letterkenny there is a meeting in  Dungloe tomorrow night, Donegal Town on Sunday and  Ballybofey on Monday. A further meeting will be held in

Donegal County Council is to look into how it can support two divers who are currently undergoing specialist training which will allow them dive to depths of up to 100 metres. At present, divers are limited to 45 metres, but when fully qualified, Gus O’Driscoll and Eoin Fogarty will be able to go more than

Two jobs saved in Letterkenny following successful tender of the AVIVA insurance market in Donegal. Face2Face Insurance Solutions, led by Letterkenny woman Sharon Roarty is the new tied agency for AVIVA in Donegal – it open its doors for business earlier this week. Following the re-structuring of AVIVA Insurance Ireland earlier this year, 10 jobs

Discussions in the Dail and elsewhere today have been dominated by Budget 2013, with opposition parties criticising the harsh measures in it, and the government countering that they had no choice. Donal Kavanagh has this special report…………

As a cross border investigation continues into an armed robbery at Speenogue Post Office in Burt this morning, Gardai have confirmed this evening that a car used in the robbery was found earlier today. The  Skoda taxi had earlier been hijacked in Derry. It was found intact in the Burnfoot area at 1.10pm this afternoon,

A cross border investigation has been launched following an armed robbery of a post office in Burt. At around11.30am this morning two armed and masked men entered the post office in Speenogue, threatened staff and demanding money. At least one of the men was carrying a suspected hand gun. They escaped in the Bridgend direction

North West Regional College in Derry says a College Improvement Plan has been drawn up to address what it terms critical issues on the functions and operation of the College. The plan is being welcomed by Foyle MLA Pat Ramsey, who is calling for what he termed a robust employee relations strategy to be included

Donegal Deupty Thomas Pringle today attacked the government on its decision to remove the PRSI exemption threshold describing it as a “grossly unfair targeting of low income earners”. He says low earners are left again to bear the brunt of cuts and have the Fine Gael Labour coalition to thank. Deputy Pringle spoke earlier during

The Justice Minister is defending his decision to close five Garda stations in Donegal and another 95 stations around the country. Malin, Annagry, Glencolumcille, Brockagh and Churchill have been announced as the Garda stations closing in Donegal. Minister Alan Shatter says 98 per cent of the 100 stations that are closing are part time –

A teenager thumped a man so hard outside a disco that six stitches were inserted above his victim’s eye. 18-year-old Barry McGroary, who admitted a litany of crime, was told that if he gets into any more trouble before next July he will be sent to jail for a long time. He was banned from

A 20-year-old man has pleaded guilty to raping and assaulting a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Derry. The rape took place in the grounds of Foyle and Derry College’s in July 2011. Adam Titheridge, from Sittingbourne in Kent, changed his plea yesterday, he will be sentenced on 18 January following pre-sentence and victim impact reports. On the

Workers at The Ostan Na Rosann Hotel Dungloe says a promise that they would be paid wages which they say are owed to them, has not been fulfilled. It was confirmed this week that the hotel is to close for the winter season due to what management describe as ‘the current climate’ Management maintain that

It is reported that the Donegal County Board could face a €60,000 bill after being ordered by the GAA’s management committee to offer a refund of a €5 levy imposed on tickets for this year’s All-Ireland football final. Croke Park took issue with the levy which increased the stand ticket price to €85. The Irish

Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty has slammed the government budget claiming Fine Gael and Labour are in many cases implementing Fianna Fail policy. Sinn Fein’s Finance spokesperson added that the current government is completely out of touch with the people it serves:

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has been presenting Budget 2013 to the Dail. It contained tax raising measures amounting to one and a quarter billion euro and cuts in spending amounting to 2.2 billion. Central to budget was the much flagged property tax. It will kick in next summer and will be charged at 0.18 percent

Below are the key measures introduced in Budget 2013 as outlined in the Daíl. 3:47: That concludes  Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin’s speech 3:46  RESPITE CARE GRANT To be cut by 325 euro to 1,375 a year. BACK TO EDUCATION ALLOWANCE – The 300 euro cost to education allowance to be abolished. STUDENT GRANTS –

There were protests in Derry and Coleraine last night as unionists and loyalists voiced concern at the decision to remove the Union Flag from City Hall in Belfast. Up to 80 pople blocked the main Derry to Dungiven Road for around 20 minutes, while in Coleraine, there were protests outside the local council offices. Both

A school bus carrying 60 pupils has left the road near Moneymore in County Derry. There have been no reports of any injuries following the incident at Knockadoo Road and police are asking parents not to go to the scene as the road remains treacherous due to icy conditions.

The Mayor of Donegal says the the possibility of reinstating the tradition of sending the mayor to New York and Philadelphia for Saint Patrick’s Day is a bridge that should be crossed when the council comes to it. Cllr Frank Mc Brearty attended the Golden Bridges event in Boston last month, and will return to

Sinn Fein are holding a protest in Letterkenny today at lunchtime. The demonstration will be held at 1 o clock in Market Sqaure to coincide with the todays budget announcement. Cllr Jack Murray is calling on everyone to turnout at voice their concerns against the budget. Meanwhile, the Cant Pay Wont Pay Movement will be

Donegal Councillor Ciaran Brogan says it’s vital that the council reach out to tourism businesses and service providers ahead of The Gathering next year. He says while it has traditionally been very proactive, one area in which the council may be falling down is by not interacting enough with the trade. It’s important, Cllr Brogan

A Donegal County Cllr has said that a bridge in Letterbrick in Cloghan is an accident waiting to happen. It’s being reported that three lorries were stuck on the bridge on Monday for three hours. The bridge is on a busy road, and it’s too small for large vehicles to get over. Cllr Patrick McGowan

The Mayor of Donegal is to return to Boston for a celebration of the centenary of Tipp O’Neill next Sunday. Cllr Frank Mc Brearty attended the Golden Bridges event last month, the third mayor to do so, and during a comprehensive report on the trip, he informed members about the invitation to return. After a

Residents in Donegal are the least compliant in the country when it comes to paying the household charge – with just 55% paying so far. But those in a part of South Dublin are the most compliant when it comes to paying the household charge. 85 percent of those living in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown local

Donegal County Council has been told that tomorrow’s budget is likely to be one of the most cruel in living memory. Cllr Mick Quinn made the comment as the council passed a motion calling for no further cuts to student grants. He told the council that for many, the wheel has turned back to the

Workers at The Ostan Na Rosann Hotel Dungloe says they hope wages which they say are owed to them will be paid tomorrow. It was confirmed today that the hotel is to close for the winter season due to what management describe as ‘the current climate’ Management say the hotel will re-Open in the spring

Police in Derry are appealing for information after a car was stolen from the Ivy Terrace area following a creeper burglary at the weekend. The appeal comes as the SDLP express concern at what the party says is a spate of such burglaries in recent weeks. Police in the city say that sometime between 11

A Strategy which will set out the Social, Cultural and Economic Development of County Donegal for the next two years is being launched today. The emphasis of the strategy is on harnessing the county’s resources – its people, landscape and coastal waters. Its aim is to maximise the funding that is available within the county

The Ostan Na Rosann Hotel Dungloe has confirmed it is to close for the winter season due to what management describe as ‘the current climate’ In a post on it Facebook page, management say the hotel will re-Open in the spring apologising for any problems the temporary closure will cause for customers. The news comes

A Donegal County Councillor is seeking clarity on the impact the proposed take over of our water system may have on council employees and members of the public. Councillor Paul Canning says it is unclear what the implications will be for 187 council staff when ‘Irish Water’ takes over the provision of water in the

A Zimbabwean national has been fined £1300 and disqualified for three years after he was involved in a police chase through the streets of Derry in the early hours on Saturday morning. Bikani Sikwela (29) whose address was given as Muff in County Donegal admitted a series of driving offences including dangerous driving and drink

An Garda Síochána and the PSNI have launched their cross border Winter Road Safety Campaign on the Donegal / Derry border. Drivers are being warned of an unprecedented level of co-operation on both sides of the border and that if you drink and drive you will be caught. Garda Inspector Michael Harrison and PSNI’s Steve

Another unfinished housing estate in Donegal is facing losing its water supply due to an unpaid electricity bill. Airtricity says it is forced to charge the residents of the estate as it can no longer pursue the contractor who built the estate and installed the pump. The residents say they are caught in a catch

A number of events are planned across Donegal and west Tyrone  as part of a Disability Awareness Week which runs until the 7th of December. The series of events, jointly organised between Donegal County Council and Strabane District Council are along the theme of removing barriers to create an inclusive society for all. A full

An SDLP councillor is expressing concern at what he says is a spate of creeper style burglaries in Northlands area of the city, with two in the Grangemore and Ardgrange areas at the weekend. Councillor John Boyle says it’s vital that people ensure their homes are secure at all times of the day and night.