Author name: oisinkelly

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

A Donegal South West TD has called for a NO vote in the referendum to give the Oireachtas powers to conduct inquiries. Deputy Thomas Pringle and other members of the Technical Group of Independent TDs and Senators say the wording of the constitutional amendment could end up giving politicans too much power, and they want

Donegal North East Deputy Joe Mc Hugh has told the Dail that people in mortgage difficulties want to be responsible. Over the weekend, Deputy Mc Hugh appealed on Highland Radio News for people to send him their experiences and ideas to solve the problem. He told the Dail this afternoon that people in Donegal North

Donegal County Council is to start cutting the water supply to non-domestic customers who refuse to pay their bills. The council says the customers who will be targeted are those who have failed to either pay what is owed or make contact about payment options. The disconnections will commence throughout the County in the coming

The tax payer looks set to foot a legal bill estimated in the hundreds of thousands for the failed appeal by government against Pearse Doherty successfully forcing the Donegal by-election. Yesterday the Government withdrew its appeal  in the Supreme Court which was hearing a motion from Deputy Doherty to have the case dismissed. The last

A leading Donegal road safety campaigner has hit out at the sentence handed down to a driver convicted of the death of a Fanad woman and her unborn child. 29-year-old Publican, Kevin McArdle, from Carrickmacross was given a four-prison sentence with the final year suspended after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of

A Derry GP has won his appeal against being found to have carried out a sexually motivated examination on a female patient. Earlier this year, a General Medical Council panel imposed a nine-month suspension on Dr Lee Casey over alleged improper conduct six years ago. However, its determination was completely quashed by a judge at

Colaiste Ailigh’s new school building in Letterkenny should be finished and opened within two years, Donegal VEC has been told. Cllr Dessie Larkin, a member of the committee, says during a discussion this week on the provision of temporary prefabs on the school’s existing premises on High Road in the town, CEO Mary Ann Kane

Donegal Mountain Rescue is appealing for Vehicle Storage Facilities over the winter period. In a statement posted on it’s Facebook page last night, the team said for the past two winters, their four vehicles were parked outside, and came under enormous mechanical pressure because of the amount of work they had to do. This winter,

It’s been announced that a Ministerial meeting of the British-Irish Council will take place in Gweedore next month. The meeting, which will consider minority languages and their place in the community, has been organised to tie in with an international language conference which is also taking place in West Donegal. Junior Gaeltacht Minister Dinny McGinley

The Peace Bridge in Derry has been named as one of the winners in the Construction Employers Federation awards. Ilex and Graham Construction were confirmed as recipients of the Achieving Excellence Partnering Award. The Peace Bridge was one of 12 projects to be shortlisted in the category. ILEX spokesperson Brenda Fraser says the public response

The latest statistics from Google show that traffic to Highland Radio’s website continues to increase. Last month alone the website had 250,000 unique visitors accounting for 1 million page views. In the first 9 months of this year our listeners around the world clocked up 2.4 million unique visits accounting for 8 million page views.

Gardaí are understood to be investigating after a tyre on Dana’s presidential campaign car blew out on a motorway, amid claims it may have been slashed. The Independent candidate was asleep in the back of the car, which was being driven by her husband, when the incident happened near the toll-bridge on the M4 last

Donegal’s Sinn Fein TDs have said that the Minister for Justice must consult with local communities over Garda station closures. Deputies Pearse Doherty and Padraig McLaughlin have written to Alan Shatter demanding that he doesn’t sign off on the closure of any station. They have said before he does, he must consult with Joint Policing

Local traders in Letterkenny are exploring the idea of developing a themed quarter in the Lower Main Street area. Traders have been in touch with the business Chamber and are proposing a unique space in the area for shops, bars and restaurants. The promoters are modelling their idea on similar type quarters like the Titantic

It is understood that the creditors meeting for community development agency MFG was yesterday told that the company has liabilities in excess of one million euro. The company closed suddenly last month with the loss of 130 jobs in the Gaeltacht. MFG was responsible for administration of funding and community supports for numerous projects across

A seminar is being held this weekend recognising the importance of Donegal’s historic graveyards in a heritage, cultural and religious context. The free seminar is hosted by Donegal County Council and takes place in Maghery this Saturday. There will be a number of speakers on the day giving information on the relevant legislation, maintenance, and

A BBC programme has aired claims that the PSNI missed clues in the hunt for the murderers of IRA informer Denis Donaldson, shot dead in Co Donegal five years ago. The former paramilitary and senior Sinn Fein officer was found dead in his remote home at Cloghercor, near Doochary in Co Donegal, on April 4,

The campaign to have special status given to the newly formed Strabane Academy will step up a gear next week, when the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Education Committee visits the school on October 26th The academy was formed when Strabane High School and Strabane Grammar joined together, the first time a Grammar and non-grammar school have

A Donegal North East Election candidate says his inclusion on a list of people who have failed to disclose election expenses and donations was due to a miscommunication which has now been cleared up. Ryan Stewart, who contested the election as an independent, was named thios evening by the Standards in Public Office Commission as

Detectives in Derry investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Caolan Page in the city at the weekend are studying the results of a post mortem examination which was completed earlier today. Police are also continuing to examine CCTV footage and interviewing a number of potential witnesses about what happened in the area of Magazine

Derry has become the first city in Ireland and the UK to be fully upgraded with fibre broadband technology. In a statement today, BT confirmed it has completed the rollout of the project, announced as part of its sponsorship of Derry’s year as UK City of Culture in 2013. Almost 40,000 homes and businesses will

A Donegal man raped his ex-partner in front of their infant child the Central Criminal Court has heard. During that attack the man tried to rape the woman seven times before succeeding. He will be sentenced next month by Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan. The 25-year-old pleaded guilty to rape of the woman at his home