Author name: oisinkelly

A County Councillor has called on those responsible for graffiti in the Twin Towns, which some have described as racist, to stop. Spray paint has been used to daub messages such as ‘Polish out’ and Foreigners out’ in a number of areas across Ballybofey and Stranorlar. Local Councillor Patrick McGowen says the graffiti does not […]

A Letterkenny Councillor believes that the way to cut down on illegal signage in the town is to make it more affordable for business to erect legal ones. Councillor Dessie Larkin is set to raise the issue at tonight’s monthly meeting of Letterkenny Town Council. Recent changes to legislation has made it much more affordable

The North West Alcohol Forum has called on pubs and clubs in the county to cease the practice of selling alcohol at cut down prices. Last week two clubs in Letterkenny engaged in an apparent price war with alcohol being sold for under a euro. The NWAF’ Eamon O’Kane says he understands the pressures on

Police have confirmed that a 13-year-old boy has been stabbed by another pupil at St Columb’s College in Derry. The PSNI received a report  shortly before six on Friday but the incident happened earlier in the day. The boy injured in the stabbing was attacked by a 12-year-old boy. He was treated in hospital for

Ex-Tanaiste and former Donegal Deputy Mary Coughlan asked planning authorities about the progress of building projects submitted by major party donors According to the Irish Independent this is the first time details of such inquiries by a senior political figure have emerged. It comes following a probe of hundreds of planning files and records of

A variety of events will take please in Donegal this week to mark World Mental Health Week which runs from 10th – 16th October The theme for the week is ‘Building Resilience Together’ which aims to give people the ability to bounce back from difficulties and have the strength to change and adapt to new

Gardai are investigating the discovery of a man’s body in a lake in Fanad. The alarm was raised when a car was spotted at Killy Lake close to Fanad United’s football pitch yesterday. A search as launched and a man’s body was found a short time later in the lake. The body was removed from

A Polish man in his late forties has died after falling into the sea in Bundoran on Saturday evening. It happened at around 5.30 pm when the man,  who was fishing off rocks at Bundoran, was swept into the water. He was taken from the water by the RNLI and transferred to Sligo General Hospital

Two masked men, one armed with a gun, hijacked a taxi in Strabane last night. The incident, in Fountain Terrace, took place at 8 o clock. Police said the men forced the driver from the vehicle, a blue Renault Traffic, before they drove it away. It was later found burned out at Innisfree Gardens. The

The Chairperson of the Joint Policing Committee in Letterkenny says it would be very short sighted to start cutting garda numbers and closing garda stations at a time when assaults and burglaries are on the rise. Figures presented to the committee this week show crimes on the increase, while detection rates for burglaries have fallen

A 36-year-old man has appeared in court in Roscommon facing 91 charges relating to social welfare fraud. Martin McDonagh of 4 Railway Court, Newtownbutler in Co Fermanagh appeared before Harristown District Court on Friday morning. The Irish Examiner reports that the offences – which amounted to tens of thousands of euro – were committed in

All six fishermen who were on board a fishing vessel which went down off Malin Head this morning have been airlifted to safety, and are safely on shore. The men were on board the Downings based crab boat “Amy Jane”, which began taking on water just before 10 o’clock this morning. On the Shaun Doherty

There were 21,608 people on the Live Register in Donegal at the end of September, 6.4% down on the August figure, but up 1.3% on the same period last year. There were 6,321 people signing on in Letterkenny at the end of last month, down 5% on the August figure, but still 5.7% up on

All six fishermen who were on board a fishing vessel which went down off Malin Head this morning having been airlifted to safety, and are being brought to shore on the Sligo based Coastguard Helicopter. The men were winched on board within the past 20 minutes, and are all safe and well. The Lough Swilly

The emergency services are involved in a major incident in the waters off Donegal. A fishing vessel began taking on water, and has now sunk 15 miles north of Malin Head. All six crew members are in a liferaft. They are wearing survival gear and emergency beacons have been activated. The Lough Swilly  and Portrush

The Chairman of the Joint Policing Committee in Letterkenny says an in depth analysis has begun into local crime figures so that the committee and the community can formulate an informed response. Cllr Dessie Larkin was speaking after the committee was presented with figures this week showing that in the Letterkenny district, there’s been an

The North’s Transport Minister has indicated he has found £22 million to allow work begin next year on the Derry to Coleraine railway line. Danny Kennedy will make a full statement next week, but it’s believed the allocation may involve the temporary diversion of some of the money set aside for the A5 upgrade. Work

Francois de Dietrich has been given a date in January for his appeal against an 18-month term imposed on him in Belfast for contempt of court. He will try to overturn a jail sentence by claiming an order to fully disclose all his assets was draconian. With a warrant out for his arrest, he was

Derry City Council has agreed to make a five-figure payment to a businessman over the alleged illegal dumping of waste on his land. A judge refused to order the removal of up to 3,000 tons from Bernard McFadden’s property due to the heavy costs involved, and the land is to be bought for a nominal

The partner of the grandmother of a teenage girl has gone on trial at Derry Crown Court on sex charges. The man denies six charges of indecently assaulting the girl and six charges of sexual activity with her in County Derry over three years starting in September 2007 when the girl was 13. A prosecuting

Tissue taken from a body washed up on a beach is to be analysed in an effort to unlock a 28 year mystery. It follows the opening of an inquest in Co Donegal today to discover if the body is that of Noel McGlynn of Ballaghderg, Letterkenny. 26-year-old Noel McGlynn, went missing on June 17,

The trial of a Strabane man accused of murdering 27 year old Andrew Burns at Donneyloop in 2008 is continuing this afternoon at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin. 36 year old  bus driver Martin Kelly from Barrak Street in the town is accused of being part of a joint enterprise to lure Mr Burns

As Fine Gael candidate Gay Mitchell visits Donegal today,  the Taoiseach is calling on members around the country to rally behind Gay Mitchell in the Presidential election. Enda Kenny says it’s never too late for a candidate to win an election. Of the two opinion polls published today, one puts him on 9%, the other

The HSE says upgrading Donegal’s community hospitals to comply with legal provisions on residential care will require significant capital investment. The estimated cost of upgrading the HSE’s Community Hospitals in Donegal to full compliance is in excess of €40 million, and national discussions are ongoing to consider how this issue should be addressed. The HSE

Passengers using the quay at Burtonport to travel to Arranmore Island are to be given better facilities. Minister of State Dinny McGinley has today confirmed a grant of €25,000 to assist Donegal County Council to develop a toilet block and ticket office as part of the passenger shelter there. He says the facilities will be

Gardai in Lifford are urging continued caution after a serious oil spillage from the border through the town and out the Castlefinn Road this morning caused treacherous road conditions for a time this morning. Gardai say the road has been cleared, but continued care is being advised.

The Donegal Network of People with Disabilities is calling on the Government to stop cuts to services and benefits. The Group says that 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

Frosses pensioner Patsy Brogan has pledged to appeal his conviction for keeping alcohol for sale in a shed at the back of his home near Frosses. At Donegal District Court yesterday, the 75 year old was convicted under the 1924 Intoxicating Liquor Act and fined €50 for keeping a quantity of alcohol and spirits for

The Government should change PRSI regulations to allow self-employed people to pay an extra contribution. Donegal South-West Deputy, Thomas Pringle says if self-employed people paid this extra amount, then they would then be entitled to benefits, if they ever became unemployed. Currently when self-employed people end up out of work, they have no entitlements to

An inquest opens today in Letterkenny into the death of a man whose body was washed on a beach in Dunfanaghy in 1983. The body has never been formally identified, but one theory is that it is the body of a Letterkenny man who went missing in June of that year.

A Strabane man died from a gunshot wound to his back which caused massive loss of blood, the Special Criminal Court has heard today. 27-year-old Andrew Burns was murdered in a church car-park in Donnyloop in February 2008. 36-year-old Martin Kelly, a bus-driver, also from Strabane,  is on trial for the murder of Mr Burns

The closing date for appeals regarding Special Protection Areas has been extended by a further two weeks the Government has announced. Special Protection Areas are designated for the protection of threatened birds, and limit farming and development opportunities. Junior Gaeltacht Minister Dinny McGinley said in light of a meeting was held in Gweedore over the

Donegal Senator Brian O’Domhnaill says the public service recruitment embargo is hampering the ability of Udaras na Gaeltachta to promote jobs. He days there are a number of vacancies, including the Donegal basded Regional Manager and the national CEO. Senator O’Domhnaill says the Udaras board should be allowed recruit key personnel, as continuity is needed,

A conference has been told that Donegal’s Culture and Heritage is a major selling point for the county, and a resource which can be used more effectively. Representitives from the arts and culture field addressed the Donegal County Development Board conference in Ballybofey last evening, aliong with representitives from Failte Ireland, the Western Development Commission

Two men arrested in Derry on suspicion of dissident republican terrorist activity have been released without charge. The men, aged 23 and 18, were arrested on Monday and brought to the serious crimes suite at Antrim police station for questioning. They were freed last evening.

A motion urging the Education Minister to create 1,000 extra places at the University of Ulster’s Magee campus in Derry has been defeated at the Assembly. 49 MLAs voted against while 27 were in favour. The expansion of the campus has been described as a potential catalyst for citywide economic renewal. Employment Minister Stephen Farry

A Donegal Sinn Fein Councillor has hit out at RTE for what he called their apparent bias against Martin McGuinness in their coverage of the Presidential Election. Cllr Mick Quinn says that senior journalists within RTE seem to be adopting an “anybody but McGuinnes” stance. He said in the final weeks of the election campaign

A Strabane man has pleaded not guilty at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin to the murder of another man at a church car park in Co Donegal in February, 2008. The court was told that Martin Kelly was part of a joint enterprise to lure Mr Andrew Burns, who lived in Strabane, to the

The Chairperson of Buncrana Credit Union says while a small number of customers are using the recession as an excuse not to repay their loans, the vast majority are, and the credit union is healthy and functioning. A story in this morning’s Irish Times says the credit union believes a number of people are “abusing

Additional student places at Magee University is essential for the regeneration of the Northwest, according to a Foyle MLA. Currently 4000 students attend the university in Derry. 600 extra university places are to be made available in Northern Ireland this year. Siin Fein’s Raymond McCartney says he will be asking that all these places be

Donegal North-East Deputy, Joe McHugh has called for the public services to be pooled on both sides of the border where possible. Deputy McHugh, who is co-chairperson of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, will raise the issue when he addresses the Conservative Party conference in Manchester this morning. The Fine Gael TD says that at a

The Letterkenny Road outside Ramelton is blocked at Moorfield following a three car collision. The collision happened at around quarter to one this afternoon. Gardai, fire brigade and ambulances were called to the scene. We understand one person has been rushed to hospital, the extent of their injuries isn’t clear at the moment. Diversions are

The suspension of the Lough Foyle Ferry linking Greencastle and Magilligan will have a serious impasct on tourism to the region according to an East Derry MLA. John Dallat, who has family connections in Inishowen,  has been a regular user of the service since it started nine years ago. He says while the local market

The Stormont Executive’s new draft Programme for Government has been leaked, with a Derry based financial commentator describing it as a huge disappointment. Paul Gosling says having obtained a copy of the draft, there is very little in it to indicate that the North West’s needs are being prioritised. He says important issues such as

House prices in Donegal have fallen by 43% since the height of the boom, according to figures published this morning by daft.ie. The average asking price in the county between July and September was €154,000, a fall of €116,000 from the peak. Across Ulster, house prices remained largely static during the third quarter, following an

The Lough Foyle Ferry Service has been suspended, with 12 full time and 6 part time jobs lost. The final ferry from Magilligan docked in Greencastle at 7.30 last night, and a notice on the operators’ website says the directors of the company hope the suspension is a temporary one, and the service will be

A man is recovering at Altnagelvin Hospital  after a stabbing incident on Friday night at a party in Carndonagh. He was stabbed four times with a kitchen knife, sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed to Altnagelvin Hospital with a collapsed lung, and was in a critical condition for much of Saturday. However, gardai say his

A war of words has broken out between the Fine Gael and Sinn Fein’s presidential candidate Martin McGuinness. It comes after the Government’s Chief Whip Paul Keogh earlier posted a message on his twitter page – accusing Mr McGuinness of involvement in the Northern Bank raid. In 2004 – over 26 million pounds was stolen