Author name: oisinkelly

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and a number of other cabinet members will attend the plenary meeting of the North South Ministerial Council in Armagh this morning. Among the items on the agenda will be funding for the A5 upgrade, after the Irish government confirmed last week it would no longer be meeting its funding commitments within […]

A 52-year-old Derry man has been told to expect a ‘significant custodial sentnece’ after he admitted 18 sex offences against four girls aged between 14 and 16. Martin Edward Coyle of 55, Bridge Street appeared at Derry Crown Court yesterday on 5 charges of indecent assault, 4 counts of gross indecency, 2 charges of unlawful

Police are investigating an assault during crowd trouble at a GAA match in County Tyrone on Sunday in which a man had part of his ear bitten off. The trouble happened during the Tyrone county football league final between Carrickmore and Dromore at  Dunmoyle. A mass brawl broke out on the field in the closing

Donegal South-West Deputy, Pearse Doherty has described the Governments announcement today as a nail through the heart of the County’s economy. Deputy Doherty said he was disappointed at Minister Brendan Howlin’s decision to abandon plans to move hundreds of jobs to Donegal Town and Gweedore. And he played down suggestions that today’s announcement came as

The Special Criminal Court has today ruled that statements made by a man admitting his part in the murder of a man in Co Donegal more than three years ago can be admitted in evidence. 36-year-old Martin Kelly from Barracks Street in Strabane had challenged three statements made by him to gardaí in which he

The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland says 30-thousand jobs have been lost in the industry over the last 4 or 5 years – with the loss of a further 5-thousand expected next year. It comes after a recent report found that over 70 Donegal pubs have closed since 2005. The VFI, which has 29 member premises

The Government’s axing another 23-thousand-500 public sector jobs. It’ll bring the total cut from the peak in 2008 to 37-thouasnd-500. A Public Service Reform Programme announced this afternoon also sees 48 quangos abolished or merged and 40 decentralisation projects cancelled, including a proposal to bring over 230 decentralised jobs to Donegal Town. Taoiseach Enda Kenny

North West MEP Pat the Cope Gallagher says the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy must take into account new figures which show the state of the Irish fisheries sector. He says in 2009, the total value of landings into Irish fishing ports declined by 14 million Euro, after in 2009, which is alarming, particularly

Ireland into border villages in the county. Former councillor Francis Conaghan who now works as Good Relations Officer with the council is coordinating the Border Villages Social Integration Project, which is seeking to promote unity. Mr Conaghan says large house building projects during the boom times led to fears among the indigeneous populations in border

The situation which lead to a threat by the ESB to cut power to a sewerage system serving College Park,  Gaelscoil Adhamhnain, and and at least one playschool has been raised in the Seanad. Power was due to be cut on the 21st of this month, but the ESB has now said it will defer

The Principal of PCC Falcarragh has moved to reassure students, parents and staff that there is no new issue surrounding asbestos at the school, and no danger to public health. Patrick McVicar has released a statement in response to reports that emergency funding had been granted to allow for the removal of asbestos from the

Detectives in Derry are renewing an appeal for information following reports of a serious sexual assault in the city earlier this month. Shortly before 1am on Tuesday the 1st of November, it was reported that a teenage girl was sexually assaulted by an unknown male in the area of Edenmore Street and Northland Road. The

A Donegal man who raped his ex-partner in front of their infant child has been sentenced to six years in prison. During the attack the man tried to rape the woman seven times before succeeding. The 25-year-old pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to rape of the woman at his home on February 26,

Fianna Fail Senator Brian O’Domhnaill has said that the Governments proposed septic tank bill will ‘crucify’ the people of rural Ireland. Speaking during a Seanad debate on the Septic Tanks charges bill today he said he believes the Government should follow the model that is being implemented in the North, were the Government give one

Tesco Ireland has again been refused planning permission for a major development in Ballybofey. Donegal County Council had originally granted planning permission for the outlet earlier this year but the matter was appealed to An Bord Pleanala. The development, which was to be located on the Donegal Town side of Ballybofey was to be in

A man is recovering in hospital after he was shot by a gunman who escaped on a motorcycle in Derry. The attack happened at Ballyarnett village shortly after 630pm yesterday evening. The man was shot once in both legs. He was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. Foyle MLA

The Foyle constituency in Derry ranks at number four in a league table of UK constituencies worst affected  by unemployment, according to new research. The House of Commons study looked at all 650 parliamentary constituencies and ranked them. The report from the House of Commons Library examined the number claiming benefits as a proportion of

Letterkenny Town councillors are to undertake training to help people with mental health issues. At Monday nights Town Council monthly meeting, Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh asked was there any training council members could participate in. He said that Councillors were sometimes approached by people from the area or suffering from stress. Director of Nursing with the

The Northern Assembly has again heard calls for legislation to be introduced immediately to remove the unwarranted practice of roaming charges in border areas. This issue was been raised by Foyle SDLP member Pat Ramsey who said people are facing huge mobile phone bills because they are unintentionally roaming. Speaking during an Assembly debate on

Letterkenny Town Council is to see if funding can be found in next year’s budget to allow work to introduce traffic calming measures at Kirkstown Road. Councillors agreed on Monday night that white lining and slow signs were needed for the busy road. The road is used by a lot of drivers and pedestrians alike.

The partner of a man killed in a crash outside Strabane, broke down yesterday as she told his inquest he had kissed her and said he loved her before leaving for the last time. Long-distance lorry driver Declan Harvey died after the driver of an articulated truck crossed into the wrong lane and crashed into

Emergency funding has been secured to remove asbestos tiles from PCC in Falcarragh. The asbestos was discovered in the Schools Gym Hall and Store. In Ireland asbestos, which is potentially deadly,  was used by the building industry until 1980, although the importation and use of asbestos wasn’t banned until1999 Following representations he made, Senator Brian

A man convicted of receiving goods stolen in Donegal and Derry has been jailed at Derry Crown Court. Jonathan Ayton, 36, with an address at Bond’s Hill in Derry admitted six charges when he appeared at the court today. The court was told that the stolen goods were taken during a series of burglaries on

The ESB has postponed a plan to cut off power to the sewage system in College Park Last week it emerged that College Park, Glenoughty, Willowbrook and The Elms, as well as Gaelscoil Adhamnáin and at least one other playschool are all connected to a water and sewage system that could have its power cut

Donegal North East Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn is defending his fact finding mission to Ethopia, saying he and four other members of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee are there at the request of aid agencies. He says the delegation is not staying in luxury hotels, and is staying in the HIlton Hotel in Addis Ababa

Two Derry footballers were in court for being involved in a pub brawl in Galway city after their team’s defeat in the recent semi-finals of the Celebrity Bainisteoir television series. Both Michael McIvor, aged 25, of 31 Letteran, Cookstown, and Kieran Donnelly, aged 28, 50a Letteran Road, Moneymore, Magherafelt, Derry, avoided convictions for public order

A Donegal father of five has had the adjournment of a home repossession case at the High Court extended from December to the New Year, after telling the judge he was worried about Christmas. The case, involving the Educational Building Society, concerned two loans taken out in June 2006 by the borrower, from Letterkenny. He

Letterkenny Town Council says it will not allow the ESB to cut off power to the water system in College Park Last week it emerged that College Park, Glenoughty, Willowbrook and The Elms, as well as Gaelscoil Adhamnáin and at least one other playschool are all connected to a water and sewage system that could

The Donegal Mental Health Service is encouraging people to avail of facilities that are available in the County. In a presentation to Letterkenny Town Council last night, the service highlighted the help that is available, telling the meeting it’s estimated that one in four people in Ireland suffer from mental health issues. The Director of

Donegal County Council is meeting in special session this morning to discuss changes to planning regulations which will affect the County Development Plan. The review of the plan has been out for public consultation, with Fianna Fail members fearing that the new regulations introduced by Environment Minister Phil Hogan may impact on the validity of

The government is under fire over the appointment of large numbers of Fine Gael and Labour insiders to State boards. Since coming into office, at least 20 past or present members of either government party, or those with close links, have been given jobs. Siobhan McLaughlin, a Labour candidate in Donegal South-West in 2007, has

Donegal Sinn Fein Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn is one of a delegation on the Dail’s Foreign Affairs Committee which has travelled to Ethiopia on what is billed as a fact finding mission. It is reported that the five members of the committee will stay in the five star Hilton Hotel at the expense of the tax

A Donegal haulier says as long as the A5 remains as it is, it will be impossible to attract manufacturing investment into the county. Culdaff based George Mills, who attended an all island freight forum last week, says with motorways now available from most other Irish cities, persuading major companies to come to Donegal will

A Cycling and Walking Strategy could be in place in Buncrana by the end of February after the Inishowen Development Partnership agreed to pay the bulk of the cost involved in drawing up the document. The remainder will be paid by Buncrana Town Council, which approved the project in principle last year. The Buncrana Cycling

Tyrone GAA chiefs will launch an investigation after yesterdays county football league final was marred by violence on and off the field. A mass brawl broke out on the field in the closing minutes of the game and violence then erupted in the stands with several people involved. The match between Dromore and Carrickmore was

Almost two-thirds of Irish companies have not tendered for public contracts in the last three years, according to research by the Small Firms Association. The survey found that most companies think the emphasis on price rather than value makes it not worth their while to apply for contracts. The Small Firm’s Association wants an immediate

A Donegal Councillor is expressing concern at the wording of new legislation concerning septic tanks. Fianna Fail Cllr Paul Canning says Environment Minister Phil Hogan has inserted a clause into the Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011, which will allow him introduce more regulations in the future without having to go through the Dail. He says

President Michael D. Higgins has attended his first official engagement as Uachtaráin na hÉireann in Northern Ireland this evening. He  attending an All Ireland School Choir Competition in Derry. The event, in the Millennium Forum, involves choirs from Belfast, Navan, Dublin and Waterford. Co-operation Ireland CEO Peter Sheridan says it’s an honour that his first

More than 900 homes were blacked out when they lost their electricity in south Donegal this evening(Sunday). The ESB said it could take two to four hours to establish the cause and fix it in homes between Ballyshannon and Rossnowlagh after the blockage shortly after 4 p.m. The weather was relatively mild but a spokesman

Two enterprising schoolboy brothers Ronan, 14, and Conor Mc Garvey, 11, of Loughanure have been invited to speak at this year’s ECO-UNESCO’s National Youth ECO-Forum in Dublin this coming Thursday. The brothers set up their wooden pen making enterprise Donegal Pens just over two years ago after taking an interest in woodturning and have reported

A new Parish Council for the Glen area of Glencolmcille parish had its first meeting this week. The ection was held the same day as the Presidential and everyone on the electoral register was invited to cast their vote. The committee is in situ for a three year period and works in tandem with other

The Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil , Eamon Ó Cuív,  will be the special guest at a commemoration in memory of  Pat O’Donnell in Derrybeg, Gaoth Dobhair on Sunday. Mr O’Donnell was born in Gaoth Dobhair, and was executed in Newgate prison in London for the murder of James Carey, on 17th December, 1883, aged

A suspicious package has been discovered in Co. Derry. It was found this morning in Victoria Car Park. The area has now been cordoned off and Police are investig