Author name: oisinkelly

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

Police in Derry are urging people to be vigilant after reports of a suspicious object being left in the Glen Estate last night. In a statement, they say a number of searches have been carried out, but to date nothing suspicious has been found. However they say investigations are continuing, and police would advise the

A missing German woman has been rescued from Slieve Leaguen after she became lost last night. The woman’s partner alerted Rescue Services shortly before 9 o’clock when she did not return to Bunglass car park. Donegal and Sligo Mountain Rescue Teams and Killybegs Coastguard began a search, and the Coastguard unit found her, wet and

Duck hunting season starts today, with hunters and fishermen being urged to remember the ongouing search for missing man David Colhoun if they are fishing or shooting on the banks of the Foyle or Mourne. Chairman of the Searching for the Missing Group Tosh Lavery says it’s very possible that the body of the 22

It’s been confirmed that Donegal’s islanders will vote in the presidential election on Monday October 24th, three days before the rest of the country votes on the following Thursday. A total of 761 islanders are on the register, 524 on Arranmore, 136 on Tory, 67 on Inishboffin, 25 on Gola and nine on Inishfree.

A Sinn Fein deputation has met with Chief Superintendent Terry Mc Ginn this afternoon, with Donegal North East Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn saying it now seems that garda station closures in the county are inevitable. In the Dail earlier this week, Justice Minister Alan Shatter told Deputy Mac Lochlainn that no decisions were made, and

There’s been a 39 per cent drop in the number of planning applications given the green light in the past year. New CSO figures show that permission was granted for a total of just 3-thousand-310 units between April and June – down from 5-thousand-378 in the same quarter in 2010. In Donegal, the drop is

A former Head of the North-Western Health board has defended himself over claims that he recieved hundreds of thousands of euro in consultancy fees since his retirement. Letterkenny man, Pat Harvey set up a consultancy firm after his retirment from the Health Board in 2005. Documents obtained by The Irish Examiner show that Mr Harvey

A Presbyterian Minister in Derry has said the media in the Republic should stop concentrating on Martin McGuinnesses past, and instead should recognise the way he has changed for the better. At a rally in Derry last night Martin McGuinness said his “heart goes out” to the relatives of British soldiers and RUC officers who

The Transport Minister is being urged to step in to save the Foyle Ferry linking Greencastle and Magilligan, which is due to stop operating on Sunday evening next. Donegal North East TD Charlie Mc Conalogue says he believes that the cost to the State of providing a subvention for the ferry could well be less

The PSNI says the disappearance of Lifford man David Colhoun is still very much a live investigation after searches in the Foyle yesterday failed to find any trace of the missing 22 year old. Meanwhile, it’s emerged the Searching for the Missing group will return to Donegal on the weekend after next for further searches.

A former of Head of the North-Western Health board who was a given a huge pay-off in 2005, has also received hundreds of thousands of euro in consultancy fees ever since. Documents obtained by The Irish Examiner show that Letterkenny man, Pat Harvey has received over 1 million euro in severance fees, non-tendered projects and

A prominent Presbyterian Clergyman in Derry is to throw his support behind Martin Mc Guinness in the presidential race. Confirmation from the Mc Guinness camp that First Derry Presbyterian Church Minister Reverend David Latimer will be among the attendees at a rally in Derry this evening follows an outcry after graffiti appearing to threaten Reverend

Three men have appeared in Court in Derry today charged in connection with an incident on the Buncrana Road, Derry on Monday. 54-year-old Eugene McLoone of Abercorn Road, Derry, 47-year-old Daniel Martin Doyle, of Quarry Street in Derry and 49-year-old Eamon Cassidy of Glenfada Park in Derry all appeared on charges of posessing explosives with

More than 1,100 members of staff in the HSE West area which includes Donegal call in sick every day. The total represents 5% of the 22,000 staff who work from here to Limerick. And it costs the HSE €5M a month – the figures were released at the HSE West monthly forum. The HSE is

Hundreds of people are expected in Derry tonight as Martin McGuinness leaves the city to embark on his bid for the Irish Presidency. He will leave his childhood home on Elmwood Street, and head on towards Free Derry Corner were he will speak at a rally. A number of significant political, sporting and cultural figures

Ireland could see its tourist industry double within the next decade following an initiative endorsed by the European Parliament this week. MEPs voted in favour of a report that aims to promote Europe as the world’s number one tourist destination. The report recommends EU subsidies for declining areas, a European tourism card and a European

The financial situation in Europe should become more stable in the future because of new rules endorsed by the European Parliament this week. MEP’s in Strasbourg voted in favour of a new set of rules that will govern how Eurozone states manage their economies in the years ahead. The ‘economic governance six pack deal’ provides

There are calls for restrictions on the sale of homes in rural areas of the county to be amended or lifted. Some areas are governed by a Section 47 –  it was introduced to protect residents from inflated house prices by effectively barring the sale of the property to someone outside the area. However it

Sinn Fein in Donegal are seeking a meeting with Chief Superintendent Terri Mc Ginn, after Justice Minister Alan Shatter told the Dail last evening that he cannot give any guarantees that rural garda stations in Donegal will not close. Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn told the Dail there are fears for over 20 garda stations in

The fire service has tackled a blaze at the Burnside Apartments off Lower Main Street in Letterkenny. A woman was in a ground floor apartment which appears to have been badly damaged, but escaped unhurt. Part of Lower Main Street was sealed off for a time as fire service personnel tackled the blaze. The area

Donegal North East TD Padraig Mac Lochlainn has clashed with Justice Minister Alan Shatter in the Dail over the possible closure of rural Garda stations. Deputy Mac Lochlainn and Kerry TD Jackie Healy Rae called on Minister Shatter not to close rural garda stations, a call which MInster Shatter described as “politically naive”. Minister Shatter

An extra €120,000 has been allocated to Donegal County Enterprise Board. The additional money is intended to help start up and expanding businesses. Junior Minister Dinny Mc Ginley says it should contribute towards the creation of 25 additional jobs within the County.

Donegal Senator Brian O’Domhnaill is accusing Fine Gael and Labour of stifling debate on the proposed Septic Tank  charges. Senator O’Domhnaill says this is an issue which could cost some families thousands of euro, but the government parties are not facilitating a proper debate. Senator O’Domhnaill says there will be a debate when the legislation