Author name: oisinkelly

With fuel hitting €1.80 a litre, motor tax increases on the way and a hike in VRT likely –  the government is lost for viable solutions to the economic crisis. That is according to anti- VRT campaigner Ryan Stewart who says rural Ireland will be crippled by these new measures. He says those who live […]

Donegal farming is in the worst crisis in a generation and unless the weather picks up in the coming weeks, then many farmers could go to the wall. A former Donegal IFA chief says in his 30 years of farming he has never seen anything like it. Newtowncunnigham farmer, Keith Rouslton says the first cut

A Donegal TD says public representatives from all parties need to unite to defend rural Ireland. Deputy Padraig MacLochlain was speaking after it was confirmed this week that the services of a Community Welfare Officer where being withdrawn from St Johnston, Fahan, Culdaff and Bree. He believes this coupled with post office and Garda station closures and

The Donegal County Board has threatened legal action again any companies reproducing replica shirts and flags. In a statement the board says that some clothing companies are producing replica Donegal GAA jerseys, T shirts, poloshirts, flags, etc,using the Donegal GAA Crest / Logo. They point out that the Donegal GAA Crest is patented and Donegal

Emergency services have attended the scene of a two car crash in Annagry this afternoon. The crash happened on the Ranafast road at around 3pm. Gardai and two ambulances responded to the incident. It is understood three people have been injured and at least one has been taken to hospital. None of the injuries are

Community welfare Services are to be withdrawn in a further three more areas of  Donegal from next week. On Wednesday the services of a community welfare officer were withdrawn from St Johnston and now services are being withdrawn in three areas of Inishowen. The services from Fahan, Culdaff and Bree will cease from Monday 27th

The Irish Coast Guard has refused to be drawn on whether or not it is in favour of retaining a full service at Malin Head Coast Guard Station. A independent report presented to government last month recommends that the number of rescue centres is reduced from three to two and that Malin Head Coast Guard

Accounts filed by singer Daniel O’Donnell’s main company show a 2 million euro increase in profits from 2009 to 2011. However, the 50 year old says it’s not about the money, he just loves to sing. Returns recently filed by DOD Promotions Ltd, for the three years to last December show accumulated profits increased by

A Road Safety Campaign to combat speeding on Irish Row in Raphoe will be stepped up tomorrow when residents from Castle Grove distribute leaflets around the area highlighting their concerns. The initiative began in March at a meeting coordinated by the Respond Housing Association. Since then, Donegal County Council, the Donegal Road Safety Working Group

A 29-year-old Derryman has been charged with possession of explosives. Joseph Hugh Allen from Broadway in Creggan was charged with possession a pipe bomb and other items on a date unknown between the first and 14th of September last year. His arrest was related to fingerprints found on items found during searches after attacks last

Three Jordanian paralympian squad members accused of sexual assault in Northern Ireland have pulled out of the Paralympic Games. The Jordanian team has been training in Co. Antrim, in advance of next week’s competition. The three were detained on Monday and appeared in court in Coleraine yesterday. According to the Associated Press, the Jordanian Paralympic

As concern grows about the number of small and medium sized businesses being given loans, Donegal Senator Jimmy Harte has asked the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan to allow firms go to the Credit Review Office before approaching the banks for finance. He says when businesses refused loans go to the CRO, up to 50

The upward trend in petrol prices is set to continue, with a litre of unleaded now costing well over 1.70 euro a litre in many Donegal filling stations. Speculation is rising that the price will hit, and possibly exceed, 1 euro 80 cent in a matter of weeks. David Horgan is the Managing Director of

Two new classes for children with special needs have been sanctioned for County Donegal from September. The classes will be located at Dromore National School, Killygordon and the Vocational School, Killybegs. Dromore National School will facilitate pupils of primary school age while Killybegs will facilitate the post primary stage. Minister Dinny McGinley has welcomed the

The former Ulster Bank building in Derry’s Waterloo Place is be given a facelift and internal renovation. According to the Derry News today, the 1.8 million pound package will be unveiled by Minister Nelson Mc Causland during a visit to the site later this morning. It’s expected almost 477,000 pounds will come from the Department

A Buncrana Town Councillor has joined in the criticism of RTE’s weather forecasts and claims that negative inaccurate predictions have damaged Donegal’s tourism industry. Letterkenny’s Mayor, Dessie Larkin has hit the national headlines over his claim that RTE often get the forecasts wrong and that Donegal experiences a much better summer than was portrayed. Buncrana

Detectives in Foyle are investigating a report of a suspicious approach to a child in the Claudy area yesterday evening, the third such incident in recent weeks. Police do not believe these three incidents are linked however they are keeping an open mind. In each case, very different descriptions of the males involved were reported.

A man accused of killing journalist Eugene Moloney has been remanded for a further 4 weeks for service of the book of evidence. 21-year-old trainee mechanic Gary Burch of Kennington Close, Templeogue has been charged with manslaughter. The 55-year-old journalist received a blow to the head while walking home on Camden Street in Dublin city

There’s been a fire at Limavady Fire Station in County Derry. A fire alarm went off at the part time station on Catherine Street just before 9 o’clock this morning. The blaze had was centred on a store room and was brought under control about an hour later by fitrer fighters from Dungiven and Derry.

Gardai are preparing to begin their investigation into the cause of a fire which gutted the site of the old Swilly Hotel in Buncrana overnight. Diversions around the site have now been lifted, and the Lough Swilly Ferry is back on the water after an earlier suspension. The building had been disused for some time,

The Community Welfare Clinic in St. Johnston is to cease from today, with people being advised to use the service in Letterkenny. Stranorlar area Councillor Cora Harvey says this is another attack on rural Donegal, at a time when the services of a community welfare officer are most needed. She says a notice was posted

The total number of vacant commercial units or premises recorded in Letterkenny is signifcantly above the national average. According to figures released today by GeoDirectory, the amount of vacant commercial unts in Donegal stands 1,140 or 12% of the total stock – 1% higher than the national average. But Dara Keogh, CEO of GeoDirectory, says

Three men – believed to be associated with the Jordanian Paralympic team – are due in court in Coleraine later today. The men – aged in their twenties and thirties – were last night charged in connection with a number of alleged sex attacks in Antrim. The alleged assaults took place at Antrim Forum which

The former Lough Swilly Hotel on the Shore Front in Buncrana has been gutted in an overnight fire. The hotel, which was originally built in the 19th century, closed in the 1970s, operated for a time as a music venue, and was then taken over by Flanagans of Buncrana for use as a warehouse and

Police in Strabane are appealing for information following a serious assault that occurred during the early hours of Sunday morning, 19th August. At around 1.30am, a19 yr-old male was walking home with his girlfriend and as he crossed the bridge at Bridge Street, when he was attacked by a group of three or four unknown

Police in Derry are appealing for information following an armed robbery that occurred at a newsagents shop on Sunday night, 19th August. At around 9.30pm, two males entered a shop at Blucher Street, one was armed with a knife and the other was armed with a hammer. They threatened the shop assistant and demanded money

A Donegal County Councillor has claimed that the body responsible for the Household Charge is purposely presented the compliance rate  inaccurately. Independent John Campbell says the figures which Council officials are now using over estimate registration by as much as 20%. He believes that upwards of 59% of people in Donegal have yet to pay

Newly discovered un-published letters from the world famous writer CS Lewis have recounted his visits to Donegal and in which he describes the South of the County of having a “sinister character” The Belfast writer was referring to the scenery of the county he observed between 1944 and 1968 – he described north Donegal as

A woman who was rescued by the Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat when she became trapped on rocks while walking near Mullaghmore in Sligo has praised the emergency services in Donegal. Sarah was walking along the coastline when she realised that the tide was coming back in and the amount of seaweed along the route made it

The Registrar at Letterkenny Institute of Technology says there will be late places available on courses in all departments of the college, with the initial list published this afternoon. Billy Bennet was speaking ahead of an information day to be held at the Letterkenny and Killybegs campuses on Thursday of this week. As students assess

Donegal North East Deputy Joe Mc Hugh hass written to the manager of Letterkenny General Hospital seeking a meeting with all Oireachtas members to discuss the future of the Gynaecology Ward at the hospital. Yesterday, Manager Sean Murphy confirmed to Highland Radio News that a restructuring of Gynacology services is being considered as part of

A Councillor has described as “outrageous” the fact that a man convicted of attempted armed robbery in Donegal escaped with the Probation Act. Councillor Rena Donaghey was speaking after the man appeared in Court last week – he had been arrested following an attempted robbery of shop in Muff. Both the shop assistant and the

The Mayor of Derry has welcomed a full apology from the PSNI for raiding his home but says it was a long time coming. Five weeks ago Councillor Kevin Campbell’s home was raided by police with laptops and mobile phones taken away. The PSNI subsequently claimed that they searched his house in response to suspected

Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat was this afternoon tasked by Malin Head Coast Guard to an adult female who became trapped on rocks whilst walking near Mullaghmore in County Sligo. The holiday maker was walking along the coastline when she realised that the tide was coming back in and it was impossible to turn back. She had

The Donegal Fire service is in the running for a major national award for its response to gorse fires which ravaged large parts of Donegal in May of last year. The fire service has been shortlisted in the Outstanding Customer Service section of the Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards. The Council has been

Sinn Fein is to carry out a survey in North Donegal to determine levels of and attitudes to crime in the county. Cllr Jack Murray says there’s a lot of talk about crime in the county, and the party wants to make sure that in their regular contacts with An Garda Siochana, they have figures

The manager of Letterkenny General Hospital has confirmed that a restructuring of Gynacology services is being considered as part of a redeployment of resources to staff the new Emergency Department and medical bloc at the hospital. Seam Murphy was speaking to Greg Hughes on today’s Shaun Doherty Show…  

As students receive college offers this morning, a new Daft.ie survey shows they may find it difficult to find rental accommodation in Dublin, Cork and Galway, where rent is rising. Conversely, Letterkenny still has the lowest student rent in country. In Donegal, rents in the second quarter of 2012 were 2.5% lower than a year

50 thousand CAO candidates are facing big decisions today with the release of the first round of third level offers. The points race has had mixed results – requirements for over 5 hundred courses have gone up on last year’s figure, but they’re down for more than 4 hundred others. Over half of higher degree

A campaign against the reported plan to close the Gynaecology ward at Letterkenny General Hospital is gaining momentum, with over a thousand people liking a Facebook support page established at the weekend. Last week, speculation grew that the HSE was planning to close the Gynae ward as part of a strategy to staff the new

A Letterkenny Councillor says he’s been assured by management at Letterkenny General Hospital that a consultant haematologist will be appointed to the hospital in a matter of weeks. Cllr Tadhg Culbert and Cllr Ciaran Brogan both met with Hospital Manager Sean Murphy last week for a progress report. They also urged him to examine the

The University of Ulster says it will honour the offers made to students during their recent computer glitch, despite many not getting the required marks in their A-levels. The School of Engineering mistakenly responded to 370 applications with offers. The Dean of the Faculty Professor Richard Millar says they have a moral obligation to honour

Politicians from all parties are expressing sympathy with the family of a 13-year-old girl following a horse-riding accident in Eglinton. Hannah Jessica Wiley from Artigatvan was taking part in a showjumping event at Eglinton Equestrian Centre when the accident happened on Friday evening. The incident was referred to the Northern Ireland Health and Safety Executive,

The young girl who was killed in a horse riding accident in Derry has been named as Hannah Jessica Wiley. The 13 year-old from Artigarvan in County Tyrone was taking part in a showjumping competition at Eglington Equestrian Centre when the accident happened last (Friday) evening. The Health and Safety Executive in Northern Ireland has

A young girl, thought to be from west Tryone, has been killed in a horse riding accident in Derry. It is understood she was taking part in a showjumping competition when the accident happened last (Friday) evening. The Health and Safety Executive in Northern Ireland has begun an investigation. There are no further details available