Author name: oisinkelly

No clear explanation has yet been found for a blast heard in the Waterside area of Derry yesterday, despite extensive searches by police. The loud bang was reported across the city and as far away as City of Derry Airport, but it was loudest in the Waterside – where it shook buildings and windows. Theories […]

One person who is welcoming yesterdays budget is the Chairperson of the Board of Management at Buncrana Leisure Centre. As a result of yesterdays amended budget, Buncrana Leisure Centre will now receive 20 thousand euro that was to be cut from its funding. If that funding had of been cut the leisure centre was faced

The Competition Authority has okayed the acquisition of Donegal Creameries’ milk and retail stores by Connacht Gold. In a statement the authority said it had taken account of the views of customers of both entities as well as the views of the Irish Farmers Association about the competitive impact of the acquisition on farmers in

Donegal County Council passed its budget for 2012 last evening after two full days of negotiations. In the end Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, Labour and three Independents backed the budget while Sinn Fein and Councillor John Campbell opposed it. The extensive negotiations meant a number of amendments to the draft budget – these include 400

Senator Jimmy Harte has accused Donegal South-West Deputy, Pearse Doherty of blatant hypocrisy. He claims Deputy Doherty is scaremongering local communities about the situation with rural schools. Speaking to Highland Radio News yesterday, Deputy Pearse Doherty called on his fellow Donegal TD’s to support a Sinn Féin motion on Thursday which calls on the government

Dozens of residents were evacuated from their homes last night as police investigated the cause of an explosion in the Waterside area of Derry. Scores of people contacted police to report the blast which was heard over a wide area on both sides of the River Foyle at around 5 o clock yesterday evening. Police

A number of people have been charged following a melee in Gweedore when four gardai were surrounded by more than 100 clubbers outside a chip shop. Nine men were accused at Dungloe District Court yesterday of 22 offences which included public disorder, obstructing gardai and assault on three of them. Two of the men, a

A Strabane Councillor says a realistic government strategy is needed to tackle child poverty and reduce deprivation among children in the town and its environs. Figures published this week by the End Child Poverty show the Strabane council area has one of the highest poverty rates in the North, at 31%, with only Derry and

A County Donegal man has set a new lamb shearing world record. Ivan Scott from Kilmacrennan shore 744 lambs in eight hours in New Zealand on Monday, beating the previous world record by just two sheep. Brought up on a farm Ivan had a little sheep shearing experience, but that all changed when he travelled

There’s been a breakthrough at Donegal Council’s Budget Meeting, with a majority of members set to adopt a revised budget. Losing a million pounds for local roads was a bridge too far for Fianna Fail, and they were unwilling to allowe the budget go through as long as that was the case. In the end,

Police in Derry say they are continuing to investigate reports of a loud explosion in the Waterside area just before 5pm this evening. Police are asking members of the public in the Waterside area to be extremely vigilant. Should they discover any suspicious objects they are asked not to touch them but to contact Police

Bereaved families in Donegal who want to have their loved ones cremated may soon have the option of going to Omagh. Preliminary planning documents have been submitted for a crematorium at Greenhill Cemetery, with the facility to be run by the private sector with the cooperation of Omagh District Council. If approved, work on the

The 46 year old man arrested earlier today on suspicion of arson at Sean Dolans GAA club in Derry on the  has been released on bail pending further enquiries. The clubhouse in Derry’s Creggan estate was set on fire on 28 December 2011. At the time of the blaze, police said it had been started

A 55-year-old man has been sent for trial accused of defrauding the Department of Social Protection of €3,700. John Harley, of Gortnabrade, Carrigart appeared at Dungloe District Court today on 19 counts accusing him of defrauding the Department at the Public Service Centre in Gweedore Rd, Dungloe between August 27, 2009, and March 8th last

A 46-year-old man has been arrested after a Derry GAA club was extensively damaged in an arson attack. Sean Dolan’s club in Derry’s Creggan estate was set on fire on 28 December 2011. At the time of the blaze, police said it had been started accidentally, but security footage was released showing people starting the

Government TD’s in Donegal are coming under pressure to seek a reversal of cuts in education, particularly to schools in disadvantaged areas in Donegal. Sinn Féin TD for Donegal South West, Pearse Doherty has called on local TDs to support the Sinn Féin motion on Thursday which calls on the government to reverse cuts to

The father of a five year-old girl who suffers from a rare bone disorder has said his family may have to move to the UK again if their daughter doesn’t receive the specialist treatment she needs. Sarah Morrison was born with brittle bone disease. Her father, Phillip, says he wants his daughter to receive specialist

Children in the North experience some of the highest rates of child poverty in Britain according to a new study. 46 per cent of children West Belfast live in poverty – putting it 4th in a league table of the worst areas in Britain. Derry has also performed badly – with 36 per cent of

A second man has been arrested following an assault on a taxi driver on the outskirts of Letterkenny. Two men threatened and assaulted a taxi driver before hijacking his vehicle just around 6am on Sunday morning. A garda spokesperson said the two men were passengers in the taxi and had asked to be taken to

All Outpatient Clinics have been cancelled at Letterkenny General Hospital this morning after what’s been described as unprecedented numbers attending A&E overnight. The 20 bed overflow ward is full, with twelve patients now being accommodated in Outpatient department, while there are seven patients on trolleys in casualty. As a result, the medical clinics of Dr

Donegal County Council’s stalled budget meeting resumes today, with no signs yet of a resolution. Today is the government’s deadline for a decision, with fears that failure to agree a budget will lead to Environment Minister Phil Hogan by-passing the council, and appointing a commissioner to run the county. Before Christmas, the draft budget was

The Mayor of Letterkenny has described the latest IBAL Litter Report as both “spiteful and ludicrous”. The survey placed Letterkenny 49th in a list of 53 towns, describing it as “littered”. However, Cllr mc Monagle takes exception to the finding, saying the report gives the town a mixture of As, Bs and Cs with most

Gardai discovered a sheep skeleton and other dying animals when they visited a farm in Co Donegal. Gardaí were tipped off by animal welfare officers about possible cases of cruelty on the farm of 56-year-old Joseph McBride. Sgt Christy Galligan told Letterkenny District Court he had called to the farm at Murlog, Downings, in February

Councillor Barry O’Neill says he is taking immediate legal action action relating to the reproduction of a picture of his wife which was described as depicting her adopting a Nazi salute. In a statement to highland radio news this afternoon, councillor O’Neill says he is taking the action regarding how he and his wife have

A fugitive businessman at the centre of a suspected multi-million pound investment scam has lost an appeal against an 18-month prison sentence. Francois de Dietrich had sought to overturn the term imposed for failing to disclose his worldwide assets. The Court of Appeal dismissed his challenge. The BBC reports that the French man, who was

There are a number of possible outcomes to tomorrow’s reconvened budget meeting in Lifford. Despite the county manager indicating there is very little wiggle room in terms of how money could be redistributed, some compromise could be reached and the budget could be passed. Although tomorrow is being flagged as D day for deciding the

An Independent County Council has joined the ranks of those who believe Donegal County Councillors will not be able to agree to pass a budget for this year when they meet in Lifford tomorrow. Councillors failed to reach agreement on the budget when they met in December with Sinn Fein, Fine Fianna and a number

Letterkenny has finished a lowly 49th place out of 53 towns and cities in the 2011 Anti Litter League survey. The latest survey carried out by the Irish Business Against Litter deemed Letterkenny as ‘littered’. This is despite 70% of Irish towns and cities were found to be clean to European norms. In 2010, Letterkenny

An investigation has been launched into reports of the illicit slaughter of cattle and distribution of beef from back-street abattoirs in areas along the Border. The Department of Agriculture is working with farming organisations to investigate claims that cut-price door-to-door meat sales took place in several towns and villages in the North-east and North-west prior

A taxi driver was threatened and assaulted before his vehicle was hijacked and later found burnt out in Lifford in the early hours of yesterday morning. Two young men assaulted the taxi driver; who is in his 40s, and left him at the roadside. One man in his twenties has been arrested, but Gardai are

Donegal Senator Jimmy Harte is one of a number of Labour Oireachtas members who are meeting this week to seek changes to proposed education cutbacks. Senator Harte says the changes to pupil teacher ratios in disadvantaged area schools will create major problems in some Donegal schools, and he and a number of colleagues are coming

A Buncrana accountant is urging pensioners who have received letters about the possibility of extra tax liability not to panic, but to have their situation checked by an accountant or tax expert. Paul Mc Gonagle says an accountant will be able to tell very quickly if there are potential problems, and in most cases, he

Hundreds of people took to the streets of Donegal this afternoon for a series of protests against the provisions of Budget 2012. The demonstrations, under the banner “Enough is Enough”, took place in Castlefin, Convoy, Raphoe, Ramelton, Rossnakil, Buncrana and Letterkenny. The organisers say it’s vital that the message gets through to government that people

The transfer of 54,000 tonnes of oil from a damaged tanker in Belfast Lough has been successfully completed. The Genmar Companion had been sheltering in the Lough since a crack was found on its deck 40 miles off Tory Island just over three weeks ago as the ship was heading from Rottrerdam to New York.

** Update – Letterkenny protest time changed, now due to start at 3.45pm.   More protests are taking place around the county this afternoon against Budget 2012. The demonstrations, under the banner “Enough is Enough” will take place in Castlefin, Convoy, Raphoe, Ramelton, Rossnakil, Buncrana and Letterkenny. The organisers are hopiong fopr a large turnout,

A number of homes and businesses had to be evacuated in Dungannon last evening after a suspicious object was spotted on Mark Street. Army experts attended the scene, and determined the object was a pipe bomb. It was made safe and residents allowed return to their homes last night.

A 35-year-old Derry man with what was described as ‘an extensive record’ was jailed today for a assaulting police. Terence Edward Doherty of 29 Chamberlain Street in Derry was charged with four assaults on police, one resisting and one count of disorderly behaviour all of which occurred on Thursday last, January 5th. The court was

A major operation is underway in Belfast Lough to remove 54,000 tonnes of oil from a damaged tanker. The Genmar Companion has been sheltering since a crack was found on its deck 40 miles off Tory Island on December 16th. The operation to transfer the vacuum gas oil onto the BW Seine has been delayed

Police in Strabane have discovered a car which was stolen during a raid on a shop in Lifford on Wednesday night. The black BMW 316 car was taken when two men, one armed with a handgun, held up a shop in Porthall at around 7.15pm on Wednesday evening. The men escaped with a small amount

A drugs peddler told a court today that he would be shot if he implicated his supplier in his case. Steven Heraty, from Finner, Bundoran, was before Ballyshannon District Court when the State lodged a bid to forfeit €1,160 and €85 sterling taken from him when cocaine and ecstasy was also seized. 24-year-old Heraty who

Sinn Fein says it will not able to support the adoption of Donegal County Council’s revenue budget for 2012 unless the government commits extra cash to the county. Councillors couldn’t agree the budget in December with Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein stating that they would be unable to support it for a number of reason,

There has been an angry reaction in Donegal to the government’s recent announcement of a 40% increase in the Health Insurance Levy. Deputy Thomas Pringle says this will mean extra costs for customers with private health insurance despite the government saying that the companies should not pass it on. Deputy Pringle says the 1.9 billion

The CEO of the Irish Tourist Industry confederations says comments made by the Chairman of his organisation as it related to Donegal Tourism were ill informed but not intentional Yesterday the head of Oideas Gael in Gleann Cholm Cille hit out at John Healy questioning his logic as it relates to tourism in Donegal – 

Overcrowding at Letterkenny General Hospital has eased but remains an issue. According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, there are 5 people lying on trolleys this morning either being treated or awaiting treatment. That figures is significantly less than was recorded earlier this week. However the problem does appear to be getting worse at