Author name: oisinkelly

Sinn Féin are introducing a Bill proposing a cap on the interest rates charged by licensed money lenders. Currently there’s no cap in operation and some lenders are charging up to 210 percent APR on loans. The Bill is set to be debated in the Dáil next week during Private Members time, with a vote […]

The Regional Manager of the HSE says the subsidised bus service which brings people to hospitals in Dublin for out patient appointments is being withdrew because not enough people use it. According the the HSE there is only an average of five people a day using the service. John Hayes says the bus service had

The Post Office in St Johnston has been robbed this morning a year to the day since the premises was last targeted by in a robbery. The incident happened just before 11 o clock when masked men with baseballs bats entered the premises and demanded money. A number of cars were rammed as robbers made

The National Parks and Wildlife Service has launched an investigation into who ploughed a protected beach in South Donegal. An area more than 250 metres long by 50 metres wide was tilled on Murvagh beach near Donegal town. A wildlife ranger yesterday consulted local landowners in a bid to trace the offender, who can be

A 19-year-old man has drowned in a reservoir in Creggan in Derry. The emergency services were called to the scene early this morning, and police divers recovered the body at about 6.30am The police are not treating the death as suspicious.

The jury in the trial of two men accused of murdering Michaela McAreavey in Mauritius last year is expected to retire today. Closing arguments were heard in the case on Monday – and the judge took two days to consider the evidence before the court. He is due to deliver his address to the jurors

The Irish Farmers Association says the the Algae Bloom  currently effecting the coast is having a huge effect on shellfish, oyster and fish farmers in Donegal. Also know as the red tide, the bloom is naturally occurring and is toxic to bottom-dwelling marine species, certain species of fish and shelfish. Earlier this week large numbers

The skipper of a boat whch got into difficulty a mile off Arranmore Island yesterday has said that it is vital that Malin Head Coastguard station remains open. The crew onboard the ‘Flying Heart’ diving vessel got into difficulty yesterday morning  – they recieved assistance from the Arranmore Lifeboat within 30 minutes and were then

Letterkenny Town Council has agreed to spend some money on improvements to Lower Main Street, High Road and Port Road. The council has already secured money to complete improvements on Upper Main Street, and this will be used for the other adjoining streets, backed with money from the Smart Travel Initiative announced last week. Cllr

A decision’s likely today on whether Mick Wallace will face a motion of censure in the Dáil. The Committee on Members’ Interests reported yesterday it’s unable to establish jurisdiction to inquire into the Wexford TD’s admission of tax cheating. It was also revealed he only responded to two of seven questions put to him. Party

Two people have been seriously injured in a road traffic collision over night. The crash happened in the Drumkeen area at around midnight. As a result, the Letterkenny to Ballybofey road has been closed with traffic being diverted via Raphoe. The road is expected to remain closed for a number of hours.

It’s emerged today that from the end of this month, the HSE is withdrawing the subsidised bus service which brings people to hospitals in Dublin for out patient appointments. We understand the service provider has been told the contract is not being renewed at the end of this month, and patients are being informed that

Home Care provider Bluebird Care have today announced 75 new jobs for Co. Donegal. It comes on the back of their appointment last week as an approved provider for enhanced homecare packages 2012 (services for older persons) in Donegal. Bluebird Care are now advertising positions for care workers, live-in care workers and registered nurses –

The latest statistics from the CSO show 2,212 babies were born in Donegal last year, the majority of them to married mothers between the ages of 30 and 34. There were 508 babies born in Donegal in the fourth quarter of 2011, 6 more than during the same period in 2010. 280 of the babies

The impact of the economic downturn has resulted in a significant increase in both the number and range of services that Family Resource Centres are delivering in communities. That’s according to the 2011 annual report on the work of FRCs, which was launched today by Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald. There are 106 Family Resource Centres

Arranmore Lifeboat has been involved in an operation this morning after a boat got into difficulty a mile south of the island. The diving support vessel lost power and as a result steering before making the distress call. Arranmore lifeboat arrived at the scene, efforts are ongoing to restore power to the stranded boat –

A Derry trainee pilot stranded in Florida when his course was halted unexpectedly has said the last few weeks have been the worst of his life. 18 year-old Connor Deeney from Claudy and two trainee pilots from Donegal are among a group who were left stranded because of a dispute between The Florida Institute of

Two brothers from Lifford have been jailed for attacks on fisheries officers along the Donegal-Tyrone border. 30 year-old Joseph Colhoun, from Beechwood Grove, was jailed for a year – his brother Mark, 27 and from the same address, was sentenced to seven months. Both had previous convictions for fisheries-related matters. John McCartney of the Lough’s

A public inquiry in Northern Ireland into the A5 upgrade has found in favour of the scheme going ahead. The proposed scheme to upgrade the A5 to dual carriageway runs for 85km between Newbuildings outside Derry and Aughnacloy in County Tyrone. The public inquiry attracted more than 2,000 objections, and its results will be released

The Government has said that no predefined decision has been made in relation to the future of Malin Head Coastguard, and a decision will not be made until October. A report published last week by Fisher Consultants on the marine emergency response regimes proposed that Malin be closed. Under the proposals presented to government, Dublin

A judge has ordered Ulster Bank to bear its own costs in a repossession case because of the crisis at the financial institution. The bank was seeking the repossession of a family home in Co Donegal at yesterday’s sitting of Letterkenny Circuit Court. According the the Irish Indpendent, a barrister representing the bank asked Judge

Buncrana Town Council has been told that the fluoridation of water presents a very real risk to health, and could be part of the reason why incidents of cancer are higher in the republic than they are in the North. County Down based campaigner Walter Graham addressed members last evening, telling them that there is

A case in which a con-man was to have been sentenced yesterday was put back for a further nine days at Letterkenny Circuit Court. Judge John O’Hagan said he had run out of time to deal with Thomas Elvin, awaiting sentence for depriving victims of €177,000. 51-year-old Elvin, was convicted in December and was remanded

A Derry man charged with murder has had his bail revoked over allegations he damaged an electronic tag. Thomas Stokes, of The Old Fort, Strathfoyle, is charged with criminal damage of the tag on July 9. The 22-year-old is currently on High Court bail accused of the murder of John Mongan in Belfast on February

Restrictions at two Donegal beaches have been lifted from this afternoon. Donegal County Council says that both Rossnowlagh and Murvagh beaches are open to bathers once again after the Local Authority was forced to close the beaches when a large amount of dead fish and marine life was washed up on the shores. The red

A leading Irish-American businessman has received an honorary degree from the University of Ulster this morning at the Millennium Forum in Derry for his services to peace and reconciliation. Bill Flynn, the former chairman of Mutual of America, was previously awarded a CBE in recognition for his work in the Northern Ireland peace process. Mr

The Tip O’Neill Donegal Diaspora Award has been formally launched today, commemorating the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, whose maternal roots are in Buncrana. The award and related events are being coordinated by Buncrana Town and Donegal County Councils to honour Mr O’Neill’s achievements in American political life and his contribution to

One take away premises in Letterkenny was served with a closure order by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland last month. The order, under the FSAI act was imposed on the Spicy Food Food Guru at 59 Port Road on June 14th, and lifted six days later on June 20th when the terms of the

Highland Radio News has learned that the Donegal company which closed yesterday with the loss of 26 jobs has received 360 thousand euro in state funding over the course of the last 11 months. Eist agus cuidiú in Gweedore, which began operations 11 months ago, has announced that all of it workers are to be

County Council has restricted swimming at two Donegal beaches in response to the Algae Bloom which is currently located of the Donegal coast. Also know as the red tide, the bloom is naturally occurring and is toxic to bottom-dwelling marine species, certain species of fish and shelfish. Currently as large numbers of dead marine life

Donegal Pet Rescue has received reports that a kitten was thrown from a moving car near Crolly suffering serious injuries. A farmer, who was out feeding his herd of cattle in the area, heard a screech of brakes. He rushed over and saw a kitten screaming in agony. It is thought the kitten has at

26 jobs have been lost in west Donegal. Eist agus cuidiú has announced that all of it workers are to be redundant and that the company is going out of business. The company was established in August of last year as a financial services call centre which offered help to people to get out of

Pharmacists say the public need NOT be concerned about getting the flu vaccine in pharmacies after it emerged more than 12 hundred people were given the incorrect dosage. For the first time last year, pharmacists were allowed to administer the vaccine, which had previously been distributed during flu season by GPs. Making the vaccine available

A new strategic partnership has been formed between Letterkenny Institute of Technology and the ITs in Galway-Mayo and Sligo. The three colleges will begin working on joint projects in September, and will also consider how to achieve the status of a  Technological University for the Connaught Ulster region within five years. The formal signing of

It’s emerged that one of two Donegal student pilots currently in Limbo in the US paid a five figure sum in fees to the Waterford based Pilot Training College just three weeks before training was suspended because of contractual issues with its partner college in Florida. The two Donegal students are among 80 who are

Letterkenny Town Council has been told that while the policy in the town and the county is to encourage the formation of residents associations with a view towards resolving issues, the experience at The Fairways on the outskirts of Letterkenny suggests otherwise. There have been long standing problems with sewage infrastructure, with the County Council

Donegal County Council says it is monitoring the Algae Bloom which is effecting Donegal’s coast and will advice the public if and when it believes any action is necessary. Most of the west coast of the country is effected by the naturally occurring bloom but, according to the Marine Institute, the problem is worse off

Eist agus cuidiú has announced that all of it workers are to be redundant and that the company is going out of business. ‘Eist agus Cuidiú’ was established in August of last year as a financial services call centre which offered help to people to get out of financial trouble through debt management. It employed

The North’s Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Michelle O’Neill visited Arranmore Island today for talks with local fishermen. Minister O’Neill was accompanied by a number of local Sinn Fein politicians including Deputy Pearse Doherty. Fishermen on the island say they were impressed by the minister’s understanding of the issues facing island fishermen, many of which are

A cross border manhunt is underway following a post office robbery in Derry. At around half past ten this morning, two armed and masked men entered the sub post office on the Culmore Road and threatened staff, before making off towards the border in a car which had earlier been hijacked. Local councillor Angela Dobbins

The judge who ordered a €2.50 drinks price minimum in a seaside resort clubs was today told that one club breached the spirit of his ruling by not charging for mixers with shorts. Garda Supt Leo McGinn told Judge Kevin Kilrane that there was an attempt to circumvent what he believed was the “spin” of

Letterkenny is to be included in the ban on smoky coal from next year. The ban – which prevents the sale and distribution of smoky coal in certain areas – is to be extended to all of Dublin county and added to 7 towns across the country. Minister Phil Hogan says Letterkenny will be included

327 new residential and commercial buildings were recorded in Donegal for the first six months of 2012, according to new figures released today by GeoDirectory. The figures represent a year-on-year decrease of 41% compared to the same period in 2011 when 557 new buildings were added in the county. The 327 new buildings identified in

A campaign has been launched encouraging the public to report racist and sectarian incidents they may encounter. The scheme is independent and confidential and aims to support people who have witnessed or experienced a racist or sectarian incident. Dr. Karin White, Cultural Diversity Officer with Donegal County Council, says there is a problem with racism

The Can’t Pay Won’t Pay group has produced a number of reminder letters sent out to home owners in Donegal warning them to pay the household Charge despite them having already paid it. Member of the group, Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig, says this shows the lack of proper organisation by the government and Donegal