Author name: oisinkelly

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

There is to be a reduction in the cost of finger post signage in Letterkenny from the current €630 fee, to €50. A motion was passed by Cllr Dessie Larkin last night at Letterkenny Town Councils monthly meeting. He says he hopes the cut in the fee will see a reduction of illegal signage in

Donegal County Council has agreed a revised Winter Maintenance Programme after a series of meetings this afternoon involving roads officials and the various electoral areas. Engineers say there will be sufficient salt stocks in storage, and sand and grit will be made available to the public where needed. Stranorlar councillors agreed that each member could

Donegal County Council has rejected a proposed one way system in Lifford on the casting vote of the Mayor, with officials now drawing up revised Environmental Improvement Plans which retain the two way system. It had earlier been suggested that the issue be deferred to allow for discussions on an alternative traffic management system, after

The son of a soldier shot dead by the IRA in the 1980s has confronted presidential hopeful Martin McGuinness out canvassing in Co. Westmeath earlier today. Private Patrick Kelly and trainee Garda Gary Sheenan died in a shoot out during the kidnapping of supermarket giant Don Tidey in 1983. Today in a shopping centre in

Donegal County Council has agreed a revised Winter Maintenance Programme after a series of meetings this afternoon involving roads officials and the various electoral areas. The agreement sees a number of new roads added to the treatment programme. They include Kilmacrennan to Churchill Castlefinn to Raphoe via Beltony Ballindrait to Raphoe via Argary Maas-Portnoo-Ardara Carrickfinn

Donegal County Council has rejected a proposed one way system in Lifford on the casting vote of the Mayor, with officials now drawing up revised Environmental Improvement Plans which retain the two way system. It had earlier been suggested that the issue be deferred to allow for disussions on an alterntive traffic management system, after

Donegal County Council has deferred a vote on plan to implement a one way system in Lifford, after councillors accepted the concerns of a local newsagent who claimed the measure could put him out of business, with the loss of 11 jobs. Former Mayor Cora Harvey told the meeting that while she and her party

A Donegal TD has called on the authorities to launch a campign warning foreign nationals of the dangers of the sea. Deputy Thomas Pringle was speaking following the death of a Polish man in Bundoran at the weekend – the man was swept out to sea while fishing and drowned. He says foreign nationals seem

Donegal County Council is discussing a revised Winter Maintenance Schedule, with number of members unhappy with the suggestions, particularly those in the Glenties Electoral Area. The decision of engineers not to recommend the reclassification of the Kilraine Frosses road and the Back of Errigal Road has been criticised by members there, with Cllr Marie Therese

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