Author name: oisinkelly

211 unfinished housing developments have been completed as part of a drive on addressing the country’s 2,000 ghost estates. In a further 523 housing estates, plans are in place and in many cases work has been started. The Housing Minister has published a report on progress being made in tackling the problem. 19 unfinshed estates […]

The body that represents members of the Defense Forces says it’s wrong to claim that all members of the army in counties like Donegal get a border allowance. The claim was made by Fianna Fail TD Sean Fleming, who is highlighting the amount of money paid in allowances across the public sector. However, PDFORRA spokesperson

Foyle MLA Pat Ramsey has been appointed to the Executive Committee of the new North/South Inter-Parliamentary Association. The body, which is intended to facilitate discussion and debate on matters of mutual serious interest between the Assembly and the Oireachtas, was formally announced by Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett and Assembly Speaker Willie Hay last evening. The

Deputy Joe Higgins says he will pay back money he claimed for travel during the anti-household charge campaign, if independent legal advice says he wasn’t entitled to it. The Socialist Party TD has criticised a statement from the Oireachtas Service last night, which claimed their legal advice showed deputies can only claim for travel in

A 22-year-old mother and her 24-year-old partner, have appeared at Derry Magistrates Court jointly charged with cruelty against her baby daughter. The pair are charged with causing cruelty to the one-year-old baby in August 2010. The couple, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the baby, are also charged with perverting

The family of Maureen McGinley in Strabane have welcomed a commitment from the Health Minister to seek answers about what happened her body after her death in 2007. The McGinley family have been searching for answers after severe post mortem injuries  were found on their mothers body. Maureen McGinley’s body sustained 34 fractues after her

An Bord Pleanala has given Buncrana Town Council the go ahead to proceed with works at the Aghilly Road. Part of the land will have to be secured through a Compulsory Purchase Order. Buncrana Town Councillor Ciaran McLaughlin says no elected representative or public official likes having to use a CPO, but sadly in this

The Independent Broadcasters of Ireland says RTE has an unfair funding advantage. The IBI says the 200 million euro generated by the licence fee goes exclusively to RTE – even though commercial radio also provides public service broadcasting content. The organisation – which represents 34 independent stations around the country, including Highland Radio – says

Ulster Bank says it expects its services will be back to normal the week after next. The crisis, caused by a computer fault, began a fortnight ago, affecting tens of thousands of accounts. Central Bank officials are to face tough questions from politicians on the matter, when the Finance Oireachtas Committee meets this afternoon. They’ll

Sinn Fein says the Troika has told them that the government has scope to increase income tax on high earners rather than cutting social welfare in the budget. A delegation from Sinn Fein met representatives from the EU, the IMF and the European Central Bank in Dublin this morning. The party says the troika has

A phone company representative has told the trial of a man accused of killing Michaela McAreavey that a call was made around the time of her death. The Mauritius Telecom worker was the final defence witness to testify in the trial of 42-year-old Sandip Moneea, and his 32-year-old co-accused Avinash Treebhoowoon. Both of them deny

The Taoiseach has promised to raise the issue of garda resources in Donegal with the Justice MInister, but told the Dail he believes the new rostering system has increased the level of contact between gardai and rural communities. During Leaders’ Questions this morning, Sinn Fein Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn raised the issue of a Donegal

Ulster Bank says it expects its services will resume as normal by July 16th. The bank’s 150 thousand customers have been severely disrupted over the past two weeks by a major technical problem at the bank. In a statement issued this morning, Ulster Bank says it’s made significant progress during the past few days in

Representatives for Donegal Island Fishermen have said they are encouraged by the response to their Island Survival Plan presentation to an Oireachtas Committee. Restrictions on Salmon fishing and the ban on fishing within forty miles of the coast have seen many fishermen in Donegal losing their livelihoods and, it’s claimed, has led to mass emigration.

A con-man with a company called Pear-shaped Resources is behind bars for the first time since he deprived victims of €177,000. Thomas Elvin was before Carrick-on-Shannon Circuit Court for sentence following a conviction last December by a jury in Donegal of operating as an illegal investor between 2003 and 2005 and depriving seven people of

Donegal County Council is looking at the possibility of providing leisure amenities on some of the county’s beaches. It is after Councillor Mick Quinn called on the council to provide Volleyball and Football facilities on Donegal’s blue flag beaches. A report on those proposals is now being prepared. Councillor Quinn has welcomed the commitment –

A man has been convicted of murdering his former lover at a launderette in Portstewart last year. 51 year old Marion Millican, a Coleraine born mother of four, was shot dead at her workplace on 11 March 2011. 49 year old Fred McClenaghan, from Broad Street in Magherafelt, had claimed that he accidentally shot her

An elderly woman living in Strabane was left “cowering in fear in her bed” as youths destroyed a wall and security gate outside her home. Sinn Fein’s Michaela Boyle says the woman, who lives alone, has been left traumatised after the “ordeal” over the weekend. The West Tyrone MLA says the onus is on the

A number of cars had their wing mirrors smashed and panels damaged in a spate of vandalism in Letterkenny in the early hours of this morning. The attacks happened in the Ashbrook and Long Lane areas at around 5am. A back window of a house was also smashed in the same area. Local Town Cllr

A senior Orange Order official has told the Seanad that protestants in the Republic of Ireland are very concerned about the future of protestant schools, particularly in the border counties. Senior Orange Officials from Donegal were in the public gallery today for the first address to the Oireachtas by the Orange Order. IN the first

Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn is asking questions about the resources available to Gardai in Donegal. The Donegal North East TD is responding to recent reports that a burglary victim in Manorcunningham had to drive a local garda to her home because he didn’t have a vehicle available to him. Deputy Mac Lochlainn is seeking a

There’s been a paint bomb attack on the headquarters of the Apprentice Boys of Derry. Police are appealing for witnesses following an incident of criminal damage in the Magazine Street area of the city last night. They say shortly after 9pm, it was reported that three paint bombs had been thrown at the Memorial Hall.

Letterkenny Youth Information Centre is continuing a series of student grants information seminars for parents and prospective thirs level students, with an event in Donegal Town tonight and Milford tomorrow. Next week will see events in Carndonagh and Falcarragh, and a daily service including evening clinics is available at the Youth Information Centre on Letterkenny’s

A Derry man who had been in custody charged in connection with rioting in the city last August has been released on bail on condition he does not go within 500 metres of any parades and stay out of the Bogside and Brandywell. 26-year-old Simon Whiteman of 12, Barr’s Lane had been charged with a

The second home tax has raised nearly 2 million euro more this year than in 2011. Saturday marked this year’s deadline for payment of the 200 euro non-principal private residence charge, and almost 50 million euro had been paid by then nationally. Since the NPPR charge was introduced in 2009, Donegal has seen the fourth

The Cant Pay Wont Pay campaign has called on Donegal householders to ignore letters from the authorities urging them to pay the Household Tax. The campaign group are advising householders that the letters are not a bill or an invoice and that they can be safely ignored. Recently Environment Minister Phil Hogan said that if

It’s emerged that details of the new North South political forum will be confirmed in two days time. Donegal North East Deputy Joe McHugh has been part of the working group in the republic which has been engaged in the establishment of the new forum. Deputy Mc Hugh, Chair of the Joint Committee on the

It’s been confirmed that Donegal Local Development Company will be given control of all Gaeltacht leader programmes previously run in the county by MFG. Discussions between DLDC and the Department of the Environment are at an advanced stage, with a formal announcement of the takeover expected within the next week. Senator Brian O’Domhnaill, who also

More than €100,000 of cars were stolen from Colm Dillon Car Sales in Manorcunningham in the early hours of this morning. Three cars were stolen in the robbery. It follows a number of robberies in the Newtowncunningham and Manorcunningham areas in the past number of weeks. A blind, elderly man living alone in the area

The chairman of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive has resigned. It comes ahead of a report into multi-million pound repair contracts. In an email to 3-thousand staff, Brian Rowntree wrote of “personal stress” and “a challenging relationship” with the North’s Department of Social Development.

The father of one of the two men accused of murdering Michaela McAreavey has said he loves his son and “has to get him out of this situation”. 32 year old Avinash Treebhoowoon and 42 year old Sandip Moneea deny the killing. Sooriedeo Treebhoowoon told the court in Mauritius that when he visited his son

A journalist who interviewed double killer John Gallagher says he believes Gallagher sincerely regrets the killing of his former girlfriend Anne Gillespie and her mother Annie in the grounds of Sligo General Hospital in 1981. He was found guilty but insane at the time. John Mooney conducted the lengthy interview on Saturday, the day after

Gardai have confirmed that a file will shortly be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to the alleged sale of Department of Social Protection information to private investigators working on behalf of insurance companies. In a statement, the garda press office says that on the 22nd of February, a civil servant was

The removal will take place this evening of journalist Eugene Moloney, who died after being assaulted in Dublin City Centre. The 55 year old was attacked on Camden Street as he made his way home after a night out in the early hours of Sunday, June 24th. 21 year old Gary Burch of Kennington Close,

The organisers of the Donegal Relay for Life event held in May say they hope to develop a Daffodil Centre at Letterkenny General Hospital by the autumn. The Irish Cancer Society is in advanced discussions with hospital management, and hopes to confirm details of the support centre at the hospital within a matter of weeks.

As was expected, the controversial decision by Letterkenny Town Council to award planning permission to Tesco for petrol pumps has been referred to An Bord Pleanala. Planning permission was granted to Tesco for a filling station and second exit out of Letterkenny Shopping Centre this despite claims it contravenes the County Retail Plan. Before An

Three cars with an estimated value of up 100 thousand euro have been stolen from a car showroom in Manorcunningham. The vehicles were taken from Colm Dillon Car Sales in the early hours of this morning The cars were stolen from the companies courtyard area. Gardai are liaising with the PSNI in case the vehicles

A 40 year old woman has died following a house fire in Falcarragh last night. It’s understood the woman lived alone in the house. The alarm was raised at about 9.30pm last night after a blaze broke out at a house at Dunmore Lane, Falcarragh. Emergency services arrived at the scene and found the body

There is uproar in Manorcunningham this afternoon after it emerged that a blind, elderly man living alone in the area was targeted by robbers over night. While details are sketchy, the man was physically un-harmed but is said to have been distressed by the ordeal. A chip shop in the same area was also robbed

The boy who had been missing for over an hour in Derry has been found safe and well. The alarm was raised when the  10 year old boy got lost at the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Homecoming event being held at Queen’s Quay. The search was called off when the boy was found

Double killer John Gallagher is a free man today having yesterday been released from the Central Mental Hospital. The Mental Health Review Board granted a conditional discharge to the Lifford man more than six weeks after he handed himself in. John Gallagher was found guilty but insane of the 1988 fatal shooting of his former

Ulster bank is refusing to be drawn on whether its boss Jim Brown will forgo his bonus in light of the massive computer meltdown at the bank. The Payment problems have now entered their 12th day, and have so far affected up to 150-thousand people here. Stephen Hester, the head of RBS, Ulster Bank’s parent