Author name: oisinkelly

Lawyers for a Donegal business man sentenced to over six years in jail in a Czech court say he will appeal. William Harkin, known as Billy, was tried in absentia for taking out a series of loans that he said were for investment in  Moravan Aviation company, which he bought in 2007. According to the […]

Counting of votes to elect the ninth President of Ireland got underway at 9am but a result may not be known until tomorrow. The ballot boxes were opened  in count centres representing all 43 constituencies. Results of the two referendums won’t be known until tomorrow. The Donegal South West count is taking place at the

Convicted child killer Robert Black has been found guilty of murdering Jennifer Cardy in Ballinderry, County Antrim, 30 years ago. The nine-year-old was abducted from the roadside near her home on 12 August 1981. It emerged during the trial that the 64-year-old was a predatory paedophile with a history of abusing young girls. Black has

The latest stages of the Dungloe and Glenties Sewerage Schemes have been passed with work on the projects expected to now start next year. The government has given Donegal County Council the ok to put the project out to tender. The schemes will provide new wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations and sewers in Dungloe and

The latest independently compiled listenership figures show that Highland Radio remains the most listened to local radio station in the country. Of those that listen to any radio station during the week in this franchise area, 65% choose Highland Radio with the station enjoying a market share of almost 63%. At the weekend, Highland Radio’s

Voting is underway in the Presidential election and the referendums on Oireachtas inquiries and judicial pay. Polling stations – which opened around the country at 7 o’clock this morning – will remain open until 10 o’clock tonight. A by-election is also taking place in the Dublin West constituency. Voting in Donegal is said to be

A number of people, who have been rescued by the Donegal Mountain Rescue Team, have lent their support to calls for the council to financially support the organisation. Early this month the DMRT made an appeal to the public for assistance and this week a delegation was in the County House in Lifford calling on

Garda numbers in Donegal have fallen by sixteen in the year up to the  end  of August. Currently the county has 457 garda officers. A large number of senior garda are expected to retire before February to avoid more sanctions on their pensions. And none of these officers will be replaced due to a moratorium

Work is under away today on road and pavements at Lurgybrack. Traffic controlling measured are place with work expected to take six weeks. Local Cllr Dessie Larkin says that some parts of the road and footpath were falling apart. And he said these works today are much needed:

European MEPs in Strasbourg have today agreed to freeze their expenses for next year. At the moment MEPs are entitled to a monthly allowance of 4-thousand-200-euro for their office and other working expenses. They’re also entitled to travel expenses provided they send in receipts. And on top of that MEPs also get a daily allowance

The Taoiseach has welcomed a deal hammered out in Brussels overnight, which – its hoped – will calm the eurozone debt crisis. After a marathon session of talks, eurozone leaders agreed to boost the bailout fund to around a trillion euro, as well as a 106-billion euro fund to re-capitalise banks. Banks have also agreed

It’s emerged that thousands of construction workers may miss out on European money for re-training because of mistakes by the previous Government. The Education and Skills Minister Ruairi Quinn says he’s concerned that millions of euro will have to be returned to Europe unspent. In June of last year the Fianna Fáil/Green Government applied for

Polling stations have now opened around the country as voters prepare to cast their ballots in the Presidential election. We’ll know who the ninth President of Ireland is by tomorrow, or Saturday at the latest. Voters are also being asked to decide whether to implement  two constitutional referendums. Polling stations will remain open until 10

A Romanian teenager with an address in Letterkenny has admitted stealing eight bottles of aftershave from a department store in Derry. 19-year-old Robert Christian Bicler of Station House, Pearse Road in Letterkenny, appeared at  Derry Magistrates Court today. He also admitted possession of a tin-foil lined bag which he used to conceal the bottles. The

Dr James McDaid was elected the new Chairman of the Donegal Hospice last night. The former Government Minister was one of the five founding members of the Hospice in 1988. This is the first time that he has been elected chair. Concerns have been raised about the future of Donegal Hospice in past, but Dr

Tough new drink driving laws will come into force from tomorrow – ahead of the bank holiday weekend, with gardai in Donegal promising a large presence on the roads. The drink drive limit is being cut from 80 to 50 milligrammes – and 20 milligrammes for learner and professional drivers. There’ll also be a graduated

A Donegal Councillor and hotellier says a new report on tourism on the western seaboard will be of no use unless it is backed up with resources for promotion. The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation has published  its “New Direction for Tourism in the West” report, which says demand for tourism in western counties has dropped

A Donegal North-East Deputy is claiming that rather than consulting with local politicians and communities about Garda Station closures, the Justice Minister is preparing his excuses for going ahead. Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn is dismissing Alan Shatter’s claim that it may well be the case that best policing can be provided by closing some Garda

A Donegal County Councillor is calling on the Government to stop cuts to disability services and benefits. Cllr Patrick McGowan says the last two budgets have seen disability benefits cut by €16, while people attending training centres are now being charged for transport by the Rural Transport Initiative, when it was previously  provided free by

The government says there are no plans to cut NoW DOC services in Donegal. The Dail was told last evening that there are real concerns in the county that thecould be completely cut after midnight, and that the four NoW DOC centres covering the county could be reduced to one centre based in Letterkenny. That

The Justice Minister says it may well be the case that best policing can be provided by closing some Garda stations, or cutting their opening hours. Alan Shatter’s waiting on proposals from the Garda Commissioner on how to make savings – and it’s expected to see dozens of rural stations hit. The Minister’s told the

An attempt by two brothers to have one sit the driving theory test in place of the other has resulted in them both being jailed at Derry Crown Court. 24-year-old Terence Stokes, from Glenvale Gardens in Derry was jailed for nine months while his  28-year-old brother, Michael Stokes, from Chapel Road, received a six-month sentence.

A number of major tourism events are due to take place in Donegal next year as part of the “Donegal Gathering”. The initiative is the brainchild of Donegal’s Mayor Cllr Noel Mc Bride, who wants to see a number of events geared towards promote the County and encouraging members of the Donegal diaspora the return.

A Donegal councillor says while there was some serious flooding in the county last night, the situation could have been much worse were it not for council staff and local communities. Cllr Frank Mc Brearty says there were serious flooding problems in the Stranorlar Electoral Area, particularly in Ballindrait and Lifford, with a number of

Gardai have confirmed that the body found in Greencastle yesterday morning is that of 37 year old Gregory Burns from Eglinton in County Derry. Mr Burns, known locally as Bolt, was reported missing a week ago, having last been seen in the Carnmoney Road area on Tuesday last. His family had been increasingly concerned about

The Donegal Mountain Rescue Team is appealing to Donegal County Council to provide some funding for next year. Donegal Mountain Rescue, is a completely voluntary organisation. Last year, over 320 people, many of them visitors, were helped or rescued by the team, which is completely self financing. Training, climbing gear, transport and fuel costs are

The Mayor of Letterkenny is urging local nightclub owners to put an end to cheap drinks promotions in the town. A number of nightclubs in the town have recently been selling drinks for under a euro during the week recently. Last Wednesday night, the HSE says 26 young people presented themselves to Letterkenny General Hospital

A number of houses in Donegal had to be evacuated last night as a result of flooding, with evacuations in Lifford, Ballindrait and Falcarragh. With one exception, there are no major problems reported on Donegal’s roads this morning after the rain  caused the Lifford Road to be closed at Manor Roundabout for a time because

Gardai and Donegal County Council are warning of serious flooding tonight, particularly on the outskirts of Letterkenny. The Lifford Road is closed at Manor Roundabout, with traffic being diverted towards Newtowncunningham. There is also serious flooding on the dual carriageway at the Dry Arch, and also on the Derry Road close to Manorcunningham.

A 29-year-old Derryman today walked free from the Crown Court after he was found not guilty by direction of the court. Kevin Patrick McGill of 75, Rossdale in Derry had faced two charges one of indecent assault on a female child and one of rape on the same child on dates unknown between January 1

There are more calls on the  HSE to clarify its plans for the future of the NoWDOC service in Donegal, and clearly state whether or not the service is to be cut. Concerns were raised on Friday that the NoWDOC service could be cut completely after midnight, and concerns were also raised that the four

The Mayor of Donegal will lead a delegation from the county on a trip to Boston next month that will cost the council up to €10,000. Mayor Noel McBride, County Manager Seamus Neely, County Enterprise Board Chairperson Dessie Larkin and the Councils Director of Community, Culture and Planning, Michael Heany are due to attend event

Gardai have confirmed a body has been found washed up at Greencastle. The body was found on the shore just after 9 o’clock this morning. Arrangements are being made for a post mortem examination, but gardai are not treating the man’s death as suspicious. Gardai say the man has not been formally identified, but they

Gardaí are renewing their appeal for information about two break-ins in the early hours of Saturday morning, both of which involved Kernans owned service stations being entered and money stolen from ATM machines. Gardai are particularly trying to locate a silver car, possibly an Audi they believe was used. The incidents involved a number of

The banking crisis and the economy will top the agenda at the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly meeting in England over the next two days. In a joint statement, co-chairs – Lord Cope and Donegal North East TD Joe McHugh – said issues of justice and human rights will also be discussed at the meeting which

Voting in the presidential election takes place today on Donegal’s islands, with 761 people eligible to vote on five islands. Voters living on islands off the coast of Mayo will go to the polls tomorrow, while those living on islands off Galway will vote on Wednesday.

A search of Lough Swilly conducted by Lough Swilly RNLI Tyne and Atlantic Class lifeboats resulted in a missing kayaker being recovered having spent over 2 hours in the water.  The initial alarm was raised at 2pm on Saturday afternoon when shore marshals of a kayaking competition reported a kayaker overdue.  Malin Head Coastguard launched

Gardaí at Milford are investigating 2 separate burglaries that occurred between midnight and 1am this morning. In the first incident a number of men entered Moorefield Service Station service  in Ramelton and accessed money in an ATM on the premises. A short time later a number of men entered a Kernans Spar service station in Newtowncunningham

The HSE is being urged to make a clear statement on the future of the NOW DOC out of hours service. Oireachtas members have been told at a briefing that it is planned to centralise receptionists in Ballybofey, a proposal which is currently before the Labour Relations Commission. However, Donegal North East Deputy Padraig Mac

A conference is being told that the chance to create up to 2,000 jobs in coastal communities from Donegal to Cork is being lost. Representatives of the aquaculture industry in Donegal are in Kinsale for the annual conference of the Irish Shellfish Association, with delays in issuing new licences topping the agenda. Outgoing Chairperson Flor

The County Manager has been outling the potential of Killybegs as a service port for wind and wave energy. Seamus Neely was speaking at the Association of Irish Regions conference in the Marine Institute in Galway this week. It was told that ESB international intends to begin building the State’s first full-scale ocean energy project

A 26-year-old Derry man who subjected a woman to what a judge described as ‘a terrifying experience’ was jailed today at the local Crown Court. Jospeh Patrick McDermott of 54, Rosskeen in Derry admitted six charges including aggravated burglary and arson on July 1st last year. The court was told that a young woman was

A west Donegal man was charged with 183 counts of sexual assault on seven minors at Letterkenny District Court yesterday. The 41-year-old married man, who cannot be named, is alleged to have sexually assaulted the male and female minors, between 1984 and 2009. Some of the alleged victims, who were aged between eight years and

Concerns are being raised that the NOWDOC service in Donegal could be cut completely after midnight. It follows confirmation that NOWDOC Ltd, which was set up to provide urgent GP care to patients in the out-of-hours periods, and the HSE are ‘reviewing service provision arrangements’. There are also concerns that the four NOWDOC centres covering

Potato farmers in Donegal could be facing a total wipe-out of their crops if weather conditions do not improve in the coming weeks. Heavy rains have been flooding fields across the county and farmers are facing the worst potato harvest in decades. The majority of farmers have only 10% of the crop harvested so far

A man has appeared in court in Derry charged in connection with what was described as a ‘paramilitary attack’ in the city last year. 24 year old Lee Wilson, with an address at Pickford Close in Rugby,  England was brought back to the North by PSNI officers to face  a charge of attempted murder. Wilson

Gardai in Buncrana are to be questioned about what a local councillor says is a worrying rise in burglaries and robberies in the area. Cllr Ciaran Mc Laughlin says in the past week alone, there have been a number of incidents at Heather Park, Connyberry and The Woods, as well as an attempted robbery in

Martin McGuinness says he knew there would be attempts to undermine his campaign for the presidency. But he says many people in the North were surprised by the backlash. The presidential hopeful also says his wife would have no problem moving out of Derry’s Bogside if he wins the race for the Áras. Bernie McGuinness

The family of Dennis Donaldson is taking legal action against the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman. In a statement this evening, their solicitors Madden and Finucane say in April, they raised grave questions about the role PSNI  Special Branch members in the circumstances leading to Denis Donaldson’s murder, and this week’s BBC’s Spotlight programme have confirmed