Author name: oisinkelly

Gardai have made two major seizures of fireworks in the Moville area. On Thursday, as part of a planned search, gardai seized are large quantity of fireworks from a house in Moville. On Friday a car was stopped in the area and 700 bangers and 500 fireworks were found in the vehicle. A man was […]

Presidential candidate Martin McGuinness was verbally abused as he campaigned at Letterkenny’s St Eunan’s cathedral yesterday. Mr McGuinness was verbally set upon by a Ballybofey man who had been canvassing for Dana outside the Cathedral. Deputy Padraig McLaughlin, who was canvassing along with Martin McGuinness yesterday, said it was an unfortunate incident:

Gardai continue to search for a man who escaped after a high speed car chase in Letterkenny at the weekend. Gardai began a pursuit of a vehicle yesterday afternoon after it was noticed speeding in the Glenswilly direction. The man abandoned the car in the Breenagh area and fled on foot through fields.

A prominent anti-drugs campaigner in Donegal has again hit out at the government for failing to tackle the issue of drug driving. PJ Blake was speaking after the EU Night without Accident initiative was rolled out at two Letterkenny clubs on Saturday night. It involved designated drivers being given wristbands to receive free soft drinks

The New York State American Irish Legislators Society has been visiting Donegal as part of a one week Irish trip. County Mayor Noel Mc Bride met with the group in Letterkenny today, saying it was a very good exchange. The society was founded in 1973 and raises money for educational and cultural Irish programs. Cllr

The Inishowen based founder of the road safety organisation PARC says she believes Transport Minister Leo Varadker is determined to address loopholes in current law under which people are avoiding penalty points. Susan Grey says the minister has also pledged to ensure that definitive legislation is in place under which all injuried drivers at crash

The 19 year old Donegal man found unconscious in Derry City Centre in the early hours of yesterday has died. The man, named locally as Caolan Page from Upper Kildrum, Carrigans was found  in Magazine Street. It’s understood he had been drinking in a local bar before he was found, with speculation that he may

A young Donegal man remains  in a critical condition after an incident Derry on Saturday night. Police have told Highland Radio News that they are investigating the discovery of an unconscious man in the Magazine Street area, and will make no further comment. Police are still trying to determine how the man suffered his injuries.

The government has been called on to re-instate funding previously announced for an Autism Spectrum Disorder Unit for the Finn Valley college. 150,000 euro was approved for the unit in 2008, however it was not drawn down and as a result the funding was pulled. Raising the issue, Senator Brian O’Domhnail says the Unit is

Young people heading out to party tonight are being encouraged to appoint a designated driver to take them home. It’s part of “EU Night Without Accident”, a scheme run by young people aimed at promoting responsible driving. Letterkenny is one of seven areas where the scheme is being rolled out tonight, with volunteers in place

Following an earlier TV appearance, Dana released the following statement: A most despicable and malicious campaign of hatred is currently being directed at myself and my family. I brought this into the public domain for the following reason; last week I was falsely accused of being a part of a deceptive cover-up regarding my Irish/

Dana’s has confirmed, what she calls, malicious and vile allegations made against a member of her family were of “a sexual nature” – but she says she’s to stay in the Presidential race. The Presidential hopeful says she has no doubt an attempt was made to destroy her character and try and force her out

A man from Newtowncunningham in County Donegal has appeared at Derry Magistrate’s Court charged with driving with excess alcohol and stealing a quantity of scrap metal in the early hours of this morning (Friday) Michael Houston (33) of 1, Glacken Flats, Newtowncunningham admitted both charges. The court was told that police received a call at

The manager of Letterkenny General Hospital has said that the announcement by Deputy Joe McHugh that a new rapid Access Prostate Cancer Clinic will open at Letterkenny General in three weeks, was a little early. Sean Murphy says that while he expects the unit to open on November the 4th, negotiations to provide the service

The operator of one of Donegal’s privately run speed camera vans says that negative reports of their actions are putting their well being in Danger. It follows a report in the Inishowen Independent under headline ‘Speed Cameras target Nowdoc’ The reports states that a Nowdoc member was caught speeding by a camera van while responding

Presidential candidate Michael D Higgins says he’s expecting to poll very well in Donegal in the upcoming election. While he is not expecting to top the poll, he does believe he will poll substantially. The Labour candidate is on his second official visit to Donegal today, he visited Letterkenny IT earlier this morning, and is

A new rapid Access Prostate Cancer Clinic will open at Letterkenny General Hospital in three weeks time. The clinic will cater for at least 150 Donegal men every year and avoid them having to travel to Galway on numerous occasions for diagnosis. The clinic would open on November 4. Betty Holmes, from Donegal Action for

The Chairman of Letterkennys Joint Policing Committee has said that two incidents here in the early hours of yesterday morning demonstrate that Letterkenny couldn’t deal with a cut in Garda numbers. 14 people were arrested following a disturbance in the Thornberry area at around 530am yesterday morning and a number of premises on Letterkennys Main

RTÉ says it has received more than 100 complaints about Wednesday’ s Prime Time debate between the presidential candidates. Many of the phone calls and e-mails alleged that Martin McGuinness was unfairly treated by presenter Miriam O Callaghan, who asked the Sinn Féin candidate a series of questions about his IRA membership and his knowledge

A centre set up to help people deal with the Omagh bomb is to close. The Omagh-based Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation will be shut in December. The closure follows difficulties in securing long-term funding and recruiting key staff. A spokesperson said the decision had been taken “with a heavy heart”, but it

A Buncrana councillor says all local authorities in the county must come together in a bid to have what he believes to be an unfair anomaly in housing rules addressed. Donegal County Council has already had discussions on the fact that some tenants cannot get a grant to furnish and equip their accommodation, with speculation

About 250 people took part in a rally in Derry yesterday evening to protest against Wednesday night’s bomb attack on the City of Culture offices. Church leaders, politicians, and representatives from the arts sector were among the crowd who gathered in the city. Meanwhile the PSNI have said they believe the Real IRA were behind

It’s emerged that Social Welfare and Revenue inspectors have carried out a series of raids in Donegal as part of a clampdown on social welfare fraud announced last week by Minister Joan Burton. In a statement issued this afternoon, the Department of Social Protection confirmed that Revenue officials and Social Welfare Inspectors from the Department’s

A number of premises on Letterkenny Main Street had their windows smashed overnight. It is understood that at least 5 premises were targeted by an individual man. The man was brought to the attention of the gardai by a passer-by, it is not confirmed if he was arrested at the scene. Local resident Mark witnessed

Gardai have arrested 13 people following a disturbance in the Thornberry area in Letterkenny. Gardai initially responded to an alleged assault at 5.30 this morning, but it is understood that matters developed. Locals reported a large number of gardai in the area at the time of the incident, some wearing riot gear. A garda spokesperson

Buncrana Town Council has been told that if a spur from Project Kelvin is extended into the town, the cost of connecting to the town’s Metropolitan Area Network could be cut by as much as 50%. The issue was raised in the chamber by Cllr Lee Tedstone, who is seeking a workshop on the issue

The explosion happened at 22:45  in Guildhall Square on Wednesday. Police received information that the bomb had been left there and they had just an hour to evacuate the area. There are no reports of any injuries. But it’s understood there was minor damage to the building. It is the second attack at the offices

Dana’s continuation in the Presidential race remains unclear this morning after a bizarre announcement by the Presidential candidate last night. Towards the end of the live TV debate she read from a prepared statement, claiming “vile and false” allegations were being made against a member of her family, and attempts were being made to implicate

Gardai have been invloved in a major operation in the Thornberry area of Letterkenny this morning. Locals reported seeing numerous gardai attend the scene, some dressed in public order gear. The operation has now concluded – Gardai have yet to confirm what the nature of this morning’s operation was but it is understood to public

The manager of a local debt solutions company has called the Keane report laughable. The report rules out blanket debt forgiveness or negative equity forgiveness – on the basis that it would be impossible to effectively target those most in need. Its main proposals are for trade-down mortgages, split mortgages and sale by agreement. And

Plans to highlight the links between the former US Speaker Tipp O’Neill and Inishowen have moved on with the establishment of a Commemoration Committee. The committee has now identified three projects to pursue, a Tipp O’Neill Diaspora Award, a bursary and a summer school. It’s also planned to re-point a memorial stone located in the

Police have confirmed that a bomb has exploded at the City of Culture offices in Derry. There are no reports of any injuries. Shipquay Street in the city centre remains closed (weds 11pm)  and motorists have been asked to avoid the area. In January of this year there was a small explosion which damaged a

The remains of a wooden garden shed have been dumped at a cemetery in Castlederg. It is believed a tractor and trailer with the wood were driven into the cemetery on the Drumquin Road. The items were then dumped on a plot laid out for new graves, beside a council “no dumping” sign. Councillor Derek

Donegal North East Deputy Joe Mc Hugh had told the Dail that the community focus of the Credit Union movement must be kept in mind when new legislation is being considered. Deputy Mc Hugh was speaking during a debate on a number of amendments to the provisions for Credit Unions in the new Central Bank

The Irish Seal Sanctuary has received reports of a number of suspicious deaths of seals in Donegal. Five dead seals were found near Rosbeg and one at Narin. Meanwhile there has also been three seals found dead in Waterford, plus a number of anecdotal reports of dead seals in Wexford and Clare. The ISS says

Donegal County Council is to host a series of jobs forums in the coming months, with a view to holding a county wide conference next year along the lines of the Ireland Forum which took place in Dublin last week. The initiative has been proposed by Cllr Ciaran Brogan, who says local meetings at electoral

The HSE West area is the worst when it comes to doctors failing to clean hands between patients. A new survey commissioned by the HSE show that nearly one in four doctors fails to clean their hands between patients – increasing the risk of passing on potentially life-threatening infection. Letterkenny General faired average in the

The court heard the hearse was taken from outside a funeral director’s in Derry in September 2010. Mr Ayton drove the vehicle erratically and then used it to collect both his daughter and her friend. He then drove them into Donegal, with the girls believing he had either been drinking or taking drugs, according to

A Community Alert Neighbourhood Watch meeting will take place in Downings next week in the local GAA Centre. Everyone is invited to the meeting, including other interested nearby communities and areas. The meeting will take place on Wednesday October 19th at 730pm. Sergent Christy Galligan from Carrigart Garda Station, said the neighbourhood watch scheme will

A Letterkenny Town Councillor has called for proper gritting in the area over the coming winter months. With another cold snap being forecast over the coming months, Cllr Tadgh Culbert said that the Council needed a co-ordinated plan this year. Cllr Culbert says a similar situation to last year, were elderly people couldn’t leave their

Donegal Senator Brian O’Domhnaill has called for outstanding payments due under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme to paid to farmers within the next fortnight. The government is blaming mapping under a new system of payments to farmers for the delays. There were also delays in processing the Agri-Environment Options Scheme this year. Senator O’Domnhaill says there

Children who witnessed a scalpel attack on one young pupil by another have been offered support by psychologists. A Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) is advising staff at St Columb’s College in Derry following the stabbing of a 13-year-old at the school. The boy was treated for a puncture wound to his stomach after a

Donegal Co. Council has been criticised by the Local Government Auditor regarding some aspects of its Annual Financial Statement for 2010. Concerns were raised in the report which highlighted deficiencies in the tendering process for the development of 28 turnkey houses at Meenmoree, Dungloe – a contract of just over €4.8 million. Cllr Ciaran Brogan

The construction of the Letterkenny Treatment Plant and Sludge Treatment Centre is currently on target for its intended finish date of March 2013. A new waste water treatment plant is being built in Magheranan, new storm water overflow works are being constructed in Ballyraine and new sludge treatment works are being engineered in Bunagee. Letterkenny

Lifford based Cllr Gerry Crawford says following the collapse of plans for a one way system in the town,  plans can now be drawn up for long awaited environmental improvement works. The works and the one way system had become bundled together because issues such as car parking and signage were linked in with how

Donegal County Council’s finance department is being asked to ensure that funds are set aside for island communities in the forthcoming budget. Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher, a member of the council’s Island Committee says there’s a serious lack of investment in islands at present, and very little appreciation of what island life entails. She said