Author name: oisinkelly

Donegal South West Deputy Thomas Pringle has delivered one of three opposition responses to the Taoiseach’s Address to the Nation. Last night in his address, the Taoiseach Enda Kenny spoke of a fragile economy that remains in crisis. Three so-called ‘mini addresses’ have  been made by representatives from Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein and the Dail’s […]

Age Action says its very concerned by the Government’s decision to reduce the fuel season by six weeks. Chief Executive Eamon Timmins says it’s “extremely worrying” for the poorest of old people. He says the cold can kill – and it’s a year round problem:

The agriculture sector has not been left untouched by part one of the budget. The REPS 3 scheme has been cut by ten per cent whilst payments under the disadvantaged area scheme are being reduced by 15 per cent. Chairman of the Irish Farmers Association John Bryan says even though the agriculture sector is performing

The Health Minister says it’s going to be an “extremely challenging year” in the sector. James Reilly has been outlining cuts of more than 540 million to the Health budget for 2012. He admits it’s not possible to protect all services and some community nursing units will shut. However there is some good news –

It has been anounced this afternoon that two garda stations in Donegal are to close next year. The stations are located in Culdaff and Dunkineely. 12 stations had been flagged as being underthreat of closure according to local newspaper reports. It is not clear if today’s announcement means that the remaining ten will stay open

The Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin has been outlining the governments spending plans in part one of Budget 2012. 1.4 billion euro worth of savings have been announced with the biggest cuts in the areas of Health, Social Welfare and Education. In Social Welfare, there will be no overall change to headline Social Welfare

The Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin has been outlining the government’s spending plans in part one of Budget 2012. 1.45 billion euro worth of savings have been announced with the biggest cuts in the areas of Health, Social Welfare and Education. CHILD BENEFIT Phase out entitlements to higher rates for third and subsequent child

The SDLP is expressing concern at the potential closure of local police stations. A plan to close 40% of police stations across the North was presented to the policing board last week. The 34 stations slated for closure include Castlederg, Fintona and Dromore in Tyrone and Dungiven, Garvagh and Eglinton in County Derry. The proposed

The Donegal winner of the 2.6million euro Saturday Lotto Jackpot was 77 year Grandmother Kathleen Mc Laughlin of Redcastle. She bought the winning €4 quickpick ticket at Farren’s newsagents in Moville. The wining numbers were 2 – 4 – 8 – 16 – 19 and 20.

Drivers are being warned to expect wintry conditions on the roads this morning. Snow and slush are causing problems in parts Donegal, with particularly difficulties in Meenaroy and the Barnesmore Gap, where lorries have become stuck. Traffic is getting through, but gardai are urging motorists to take extreme care, and only travel if absolutely necessary.

Met Eireann is warning of further wintry in Donegal over the coming days with a risk of accumulations even on lower ground. Already by Sunday evening there was patches of snow settling on the county’s higher roads not least through Barnesmore Gap. While there is no suggestion that we will see levels of snow equal

Deputy Padraig MacLouchlainn says the people of Inishowen yesterday sent a clear message to Government that no further cuts will be accepted. Hundreds turned out at the Market Square in Buncrana on Saturday for Sinn Fein’s ‘anti-austerity’ protest. Donegal has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the country with fears that any further

A Derry busman has lobbied the Vice-President of the EU Commission’s Transport Commissioner over what he describes as the monopolisation of local school transport contracts by Donegal firms. Willaim Leonard says he has been forced him to sell vehicles and let drivers go as he claims up to 90 per cent of  private hire Home

There was a Donegal winner of the 2.6million euro Saturday Lotto Jackpot. The winning ticket was sold at Farren’s newsagents in Moville. The wining numbers were 2 – 4 – 8 – 16 – 19 and 20. The lucky winner’s numbers came up after they purchased a €4 ‘Quick Pick’. Dennis Foyne runs Farren’s Newsagents

Creditors yesterday appointed David Carson of Deloitte as liquidator of furniture store chain Flanagans of Buncrana Ltd. The company is being wound up with debts of €8.4 million. The company has stores in Donegal, Dublin, Kildare, Sligo and Wicklow. Flanagan’s  ceased trading two weeks ago with the loss of 40 jobs. David Carson said he

A series of events take place in Donegal this weekend  to mark the deaths of over 250 sailors who were drowned when the HMS Saldanha sank off the coast of Lough Swilly almost 200 years ago today. Today (Saturday) there is a gathering at The Abbey Graveyard, Rathmullen where the Captain of the fateful ship,

The  Under 21 Final due to be played in Mc Cool Park today has cancelled due to a tragedy in Kilcar. Kilcar were due to take on Naomh Conaill. The game will be refixed at a later date.

It’s emerged that only two applications from Donegal have been made to the Credit Review Office since it was set up last year. The office allows individuals or businesses appeal unsuccesful loan applications. So far, it has processed over 100 cases, and overturned the banks’ decisions in 55% of them. However, when Donegal North East

A Donegal Judge has been advised how to bake cannabis cakes, and told they are similar to barm bracks, and nice with a cup of tea. A fan at the Rory Gallagher music festival in Ballyshannon admitted having slices of cannabis cake to sell at €4 each. Judge Kevin Kilrane was told Paraic Brannigan was

A large crowd is expected for an  “anti-austerity” protest taking place in Inishowen later today. Organiser, Councillor Jack Murray says a strong turn-out will send a message to the Government three Oireachtas members in Donegal Northeast that people will not accept any further cuts. The protest takes place 3pm on Saturday at the Market Square,

Artist Nell Pollen has died at age 84 in her native Wexford. Her career as a ceramicist, woodcarver and sculptor spanned four decades and took her from Ireland to Italy, Germany, Finland, and in 1981 to the United States. She will be remembered as one of several outstanding artists who worked during a remarkably creative

A post mortem examination is to be carried out on the body of a woman recovered from the water off Teelin Pier this evening. The woman was in a car which went into the water from the pier at around 2.30 this afternoon. Gardai have confirmed that the woman’s body has been brought to Letterkenny

A row is looming at a meeting in Cork next week to agree how to manage mackerel stocks in the North East Atlantic. Representitives of the  EU, Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands will meet in Clonakilty for four days in a bid to secure a sharing arrangement and joint management strategy. It’ll be the

Following reports of a number of telephone and brosdband outages in West Donegal today, Eircom is acknowleging there are around 5,000 faults on the network this evening. Eircom say as a result of the windy weather, fault levels have increased across the country, with the worst affected areas Donegal, Mayo, Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford.

A Junior Minister in Stormont says a partnership between the Northern Ireland Science Park in Belfast with ILEX and Letterkenny Institute of Technology in the North West will hopefully lead to a major development on the Fort George site in Derry. Foyle MLA Martina Anderson says the partnership is now considering the feasibility of establishing

The Association of Catholic Priests has been critical of some bishops claiming the rights of innocent priests had been eroded. The ACP said the reports on six dioceses this week from the NBSCCC showed that of the allegations against 85 priests, just eight were convicted of a criminal offence t in some other cases a

The number of people signing on in Donegal in November was virtually unchanged from the previous month. 21,129 were on the live register last month, an increase of 19 on October and 75 on November of 2010. Donegal Town saw the biggest month on month increase with an extra 89 people signing on, the biggest

Just one prosecution was taken in Donegal last year for littering. The Council employs a number of litter wardens across the county and last  year the authority issued 214 litter fines. The information was revealed to Councillor Terence Slowey who tabled a question on the matter to the Water and Environment section. He was told

The Association of Catholic Priests has been critical of some bishops claiming the rights of innocent priests had been eroded. The ACP said the reports on six dioceses this week from the NBSCCC showed that of the allegations against 85 priests, just eight were convicted of a criminal offence. The Association of Catholic Priests has

An exhibition showing the only excavated remains of a WW2 Spitfire anywhere in Ireland was launched last evening at the Workhouse Museum in Derry. The remains were taken from a bog in Inishowen in June ; this week marks the 70th anniversary of the crash. Members of the pilot’s family were in Derry for the

The HSE has reversed plans to defer expenses payments to staff until January. The executive blamed budgetary overruns for the decision to defer payments, but unions immediately wrote to the Health Minister Dr James Reilly urging him to intervene. Last night, the HSE confirmed expenses would be paid before Christmas. IMPACT’s North West spokesperson Richie

In a move to help families avoid moneylenders,  Letterkenny Credit Union is offering members the option to borrow 1,000 euro at a total cost of 1,020 euro. Director Denis O’Donnell says the board took the decision to offer the loans in the run up to Christmas so people could avoid interest rates from some moneylenders

A Lifford based GP has accussed the HSE of pursuing an agenda to close Lifford Hospital within the next six months. According to an internal HSE document which was recent;y leaked, Lifford is one of a number of community hospitals and facilities in Donegal which are currently under review, and the only one identified for

The public is being urged to attend a Sinn Fein organised “anti-austerity” protest in Inishowen at the weekend. Councillor Jack Murray says a strong turn-out will send a message to the Government’s Oireachtas members in Donegal North East that people will not accept any further cuts. The protest takes place 3pm on Saturday at the

A Strabane bus driver has been found guilty at the Special Criminal Court of the murder of fellow Strabane man Andrew Burns He was shot dead in a church car park in Donegal almost four years ago. 36 year-old Martin Kelly from Barrack Street had pleaded not guilty but the three judges said he was

The Children’s Minister is not ruling out a full inquiry into yesterday’s report on clerical sex abuse in Raphoe. An audit into the handling of allegations in the Diocese claimed successive Bishops made significant errors of judgement. The review – by the National Board for the Safeguarding of Children in the Catholic Church – says

A Coast Guard helicopter and lifeboat last night carried pumping equipment to an Donegal fishing vessel which began taking in water. The trawler, the Paul Stephen, with four people on board, was about 18 miles south-east of Cork Harbour when the alert was raised. Weather conditions were rough, with force-eight winds and five-metre-high waves. The

A Fine Gael MEP says he wouldn’t be optimistic about the outcome of next week’s crucial EU summit, where the future of the euro will be on the line. The pressure’s on leaders ahead of the meeting in Brussels next Friday, as concerns grow about the spread of the debt crisis in the single currency.

15 new jobs have been created with the construction of a new Aldi store which opens in Letterkenny today. It is the company’s second outlet in the town. The new Letterkenny store is Aldi’s fourth to open in Co. Donegal with the first Aldi stores in Ireland having opened in November 1999.

A number of houses in Donegal were among  108 properties offered at auction in Dublin yesterday. 97 of the properties located around the country were  sold under the hammer. Modern houses in the Beechwood estate in Convoy sold for comfortably over their guides. A three-bedroom semi sold for €32,000, or €11,000 over its guide price.

A verdict of death by misadventure has been returned at the inquest of a 17 year old youth from Dublin who died after falling 40 feet from a roof at the end of a surfing trip in Bundoran. The inquest was told that Joseph Olwill, from Shanliss Way, Santry, Dublin, was locked out of his

A senior union official in the North West is urging the HSE to reverse a decision to withhold the payment of staff expenses until next month. Staff have been told that money owed to them will not be paid until January at the earliest. HSE Management blames a budget overrun, but unions say it constitutes

Donegal North East Deputy Charlie Mc Conalogue is calling for a full, independent investigation of how allegations of abuse have been handled by Church and State in each Diocese in the country. He’s also calling for an ongoing HSE probe to be expedited. Speaking after the publication of audits in Raphoe, Derry and four other

A Donegal inquest jury has called for urgent legislation to stop illicit drugs being available on the Internet. They made the call in Donegal Town at an inquest into the death of man who bought a 500 milligramme bottle of liquid morphine online. 24 year old Conor Goodway died after drinking three quarters of the

The Dail has been debating the second stage of the amended Water Services Bill to incorporate new regulations governing septic tanks. Minister Phil Hogan clashed with opposition deputies about the costs that the new regulations will impose on rural communities. Mr Hogan accused the opposition of scaremongering, a charge that Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein

A Councillor has described the council’s current engagement with Donegal’s Diaspora as Ad hoc suggesting the county is missing out on tourism and inward investment. The Government has designated 2013 as a national gathering of all the country’s Diaspora with Councillor Brendan Byrne urging the council to make sure plans are in place so Donegal

Retired Bishop of Derry, Bishop Edward Daly has this evening released a statement  following the publication of the National Board for Safeguarding Children’s Review of Child Safeguarding in the Diocese of Derry He says: I welcome today’s report.  I welcome the fact that the diocese has decided to  publish the full unedited text of the

Not every representation Councillors make on the public’s behalf  gets on the news or in the papers,  but each month many issues are raised. Here is a selection of questions asked by public representatives and the council’s response to them. Councillor Marie Therese Gallagher has been told that the shortlisting of contractors for the Dungloe

‘Towards Healing’ is a new, independent and confidential counselling and support service for survivors of abuse. Following the publication of today’s six reports, it’s extending it’s opening hours over the coming days. It’ll operate from 11am to 11pm today, tomorrow and on Friday – and until 8pm on Saturday and Sunday. Callers can use the