Author name: oisinkelly

West Tyrone MP and MLA Pat Doherty says a statement from Taoioseach Enda Kenny at a cross border conference last week should end any speculation that the planned A5 upgrade might be jeaopordised. Speaking at the Institute for British-Irish Studies annual conference at UCD, Mr Kenny reaffirmed the Irish government’s £400 million contribution towards the

The filmmaker who exposed poet Cathal O’Searcaigh for having sex with boys is making another film which threatens to lift the lid on one of Ireland’s most horrific sex scandals. Neasa Ni Chianain admits her life has been turned on its head since exposing the Donegal poet in her film ‘Fairytale of Kathmandu’. The film

Donegal’s newest County Councillor will formally take his seat today. Michael McBride from Kilmacrennan will replace Jimmy Harte on the council who had to give up his seat following his election to the Seanad. Mr McBride is a former Fianna Fail local election candidate – he believes that his supporters will stick by him despite

A man in his twenties is fighting for life in hospital this evening after an overnight crash in Co. Donegal. It happened when the car he was a passenger in, went out of control on the N14 at Drumoghill. The man was in Letterkenny General Hospital, but has since been transferred to the Beaumont Hospital

The Manager of Letterkenny General Hospital says everything that can be done locally to speed up the completion of the new Emergency Department has been done, and it’s now a matter for national discussions to resolve the issues. Work has been stalled since Mc Namaras, the main contractors, went into liquidation last year. Since then,

The government has cleared Finn Harps to draw down €125,000 in order to begin work on their proposed new stadium. The draw down was cleared by Junior Minister Michael Ring this afternoon. According to Junior MInister Dinny Mc Ginley, this  two year project will inevitably create many employment opportunities in the Finn Valley area which

A former Fianna Fail candidate will be Labour’s countyv council replacement for Senator Jimmy Harte. We understand Michael Mc Bride from Kilnacrennan, a former close ally of the Blaney organisation, was approached within the past week, and has agreed to take the position. Mr M Bride, who got over 1,400 first preferences in the last

The search will resume this morning for missing 22-year-old David Colhoun from Lifford. Mr.Colhoun escaped from PSNI custody in the early hours of Sunday morning. He was last seen in the Bridge Street area of Strabane at 420am. The search is now in it’s sixth day. The PSNI have said that the search for missing

The Director of Letterkenny Institute of Technology says it’s vital that people maintain a sense of optimism in the current economic climate. Paul Hannigan was speaking ahead of a job creation seminar in Letterkenny today, the second in a series of events promised by Mayor Cora Harvey when she took office last year. Mr Hannigan

A popular tourist hotel in Dunfanaghy has been ordered to shut its bar. The Carrig Rua Hotel was ordered to stop selling alcoholic drink at 5 o’clock last evening, with Donegal District Court told the hotel is fully booked for the coming days, as this is a Bank Holiday weekend in Northern Ireland. Donegal Circuit

A newly refurbished National School in Commeen will be officially opened this afternoon. The 1 and quarter million project went to tender in 2008. Funds were helped raised locally for ancillary facilities. As part of the development there is new classrooms, a GP’s sports hall and a suite of 35 computers. MEP Pat the Cope

The PSNI say they are escalating the search for missing Lifford man David Colhoun, with the Foyle Search and Rescue Team and Irish Search and Rescue helicopter being asked to assist. The 22 year old escaped from PSNI custody in Strabane in the early hours of Sunday morning and hasn’t been seen since. His father

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Simon Coveney says he wants to speed up the process by which aquaculture licences can be applied for in Donegal and elsewhere. Two weeks ago, Donegal North East TD Joe Mc Hugh told Highland Radio News that opportunities to create jobs in Donegal are being lost because of red tape. When

Fears are growing that the Stream call centre in Derry is to close. The call centre provides customer service and technical support for computer hardware products. Stream was once one of the largest employers in Derry, employing up 1,000 people, but the majority of staff have been paid off in the past few years. It

The father of missing 22-year-old David Colhoun has said he has given up all hope on finding his son alive. David Colhoun from Lifford escaped from PSNI custody in Strabane in the early hours of Sunday morning and hasn’t been seen since. Davids father, Joseph Colhoun, said that he didnt find out that his son

Gardai are appealing for information from the public on the wherebouts of missing 22-year-old David Colhoun from Lifford. Mr Colhoun escaped from PSNI custody in Strabane in the early hours of Sunday morning and hasn’t been seen since. Gardai confirmed that there is no evidence that the 22-year-old went into the river, but it is

A 31-year-old Derry man was given a suspended sentence and fined more than £1000 when he admitted a series of charges relating to selling counterfeit DVDs and CDs at a car boot sale. Colin Bernard Hasson of Ederowen Park in Derry faced a total of eight charges relating to the sale of the goods on

A Donegal TD has called on anyone being charged by their GP for blood test to contact the local the HSE Consumer Services Officer. Independent Deputy Thomas Pringle says he has been contacted by constituents informing him they have been charged for blood tests by their doctor. He says under the General Medical Services contract

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food says he wants to meet Aranmore Fishermen affected by the storms earlier this week. 150 thousand euro of Lobster and Crab fishing gear was destroyed in the storm, fishermen says this should be the catalyst for a return of what they see as their fishing rights. Since 2006

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the killing of Buncrana Councillor Eddie Fullerton by loyalist paramilitatries. He was shot at his home in circumstances which his family continues to claim are highly suspicious, and they are repeating their calls for a full inquiry into his death. 56 year old Eddie Fullerton was a member of

North West MEP Jim Higgins says he believes Ireland will endorse an EU proposal to implement a Europe wide system of road traffic laws and penalties. The proposal already has the backing of parliament and the commission, and now the Transport Committee, of which Mr Higgins is a member, has also backed it. A number

The family of a man who escaped from PSNI custody have voiced their unhappiness at the lack of help from the PSNI and Gardai in the search for the missing 22-year-old. David Colhoun escaped from PSNI custody in the early hours of Sunday morning after his arrest for minor offences. The PSNI would give no

People from Donegal are twice as likely to be hospitalised following a car crash as people from anywhere else in Ireland. The data is included in a report published by the HSE in Dublin North East, which found that the number of non-fatal injuries sustained in crashed is underestimated in official figures. Public Health Consultant

Shots have been fired at a van and a car in Dungiven. Police say the attacks happened between 9 o’clock and 11.30 last night. The van and car were both parked – tha van at Glen Park and the car on Priory Road. Possible motives are being investigated, police are appealing for information.

While Irish airspace remains open, UK airspace has closed due to the ash cloud, with flightsd from Derry affected.  Here is the most recent statement from City of Derry Airport –   The volcanic ash cloud in UK airspace has caused disruption to a number of flights operating to / from City of Derry Airport

The DUP’s Alderman Maurice Devenney has been elected the new mayor of Derry. The 52-year-old father of two received the chain of office at Derry City Council’s AGM last night. He replaces the SDLP’s Colum Eastwood who, at 27,became the youngest person to hold the position in June of last year. Sinn Fein’s Kevin Campbell

A memorial stone to Cllr Eddie Fullerton will be unveiled at the Stone Jug in Buncrana this Sunday at 3pm. The unveiling marks the 20th anniversary of his assassination at his home at Cockhill, Buncrana on 25th May 1991. Donegal North East Deputy and Buncrana native, Padraig McLaughlin, says Sundays event will be a fitting

RTE has issued an apology in the High Court to Donegal filmmaker Neasa Ni Cheanain regarding claims made about her film “Fairytale of Katmandu”. An interview with Mr Paddy Bushe brodcast on Radio Na Gaeltachta in June 2009 cast doubt on the validity of some of the interviews in the film about poet Cathal O’Searcaigh’s

A search has resumed  for a missing 22-year-old in Lifford. David Colhoun from Lifford, hasn’t been seen since the early hours of Sunday morning. Mr.Colhoun was being held in custody at Strabane PSNI station in the early hours of Sunday morning. He escaped when officers were putting him from one police car into another. He

A baby girl was born yesterday 12 hours after her mum said she was attacked by her partner. Details were revealed at Donegal District Court when Danny Harvey was accused of assaulting Melissa Mullin of Drumlonagher, Donegal town, and causing her harm. Gda Liam Feeney told the court the girl suffered slight bruising in an

ESB crews were last night working to restore electricity to thousands of homes after 25,000 people were left without power by fierce storms that lashed the country. Power lines across the country were brought down by falling trees in winds of up to 144kmh. Response crews are expected to reconnect the last affected customers this

Appeals are being made for volunteers to join a search party for a missing 22-year-old in Lifford. David Colhoun from Lifford, hasn’t been seen since the early hours of Sunday morning. Mr.Colhoun was being held in custody at Strabane PSNI station in the early hours of Sunday morning. He escaped when officers were putting him

The north’s new Health Minister has reversed a decision which saw plans for a multi million euro cancer treatment facility in Derry shelved. Just two months ago, Edwin Poots’ predecessor claimed the money wasn’t there to fund the radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin. But the DUP minister announced today that he’s releasing the millions in sterling

The high winds we’re experiencing are playing havoc with electricity supply and motorists. Fallen trees are blocking or partially blocking many roads across Donegal. The ESB says they’re working to re-connect 25 thousand customers this afternoon, with the northwest and midland regions worst affected. A spokesperson says the high winds are bringing down trees and

Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty is to table a  Dáil motion calling on the Government to apologies to the families of the Ballymanus mine disaster. 19 lives were lost in the incident which occurred in west Donegal on 10th of May 1943. A mine washed ashore at Ballymanus and a crowd of young people gathered to

Gardai are investigating an bomb attack on a house in the Muff area of North Donegal. It is understood the device was thrown in to a house at Wheattfield at around  midnight and exploded. It is thought one man was in the house, he escaped injury. It is the same house that was the victim

The North’s Health Minister is expected to announce today if he will give the go-ahead for a new radiotherapy unit to be built at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry. Edwin Poots is expected to tell the assembly his plans after consulting with patients and cancer specialists. The former health minister Michael McGimpsey had said there were

An investigation has been launched in to an armed robbery at a service station on the outskirts of Letterkenny. The incident took place at the Nynes Gala Service Station in Killylastin at around 6.30pm last evening. A man branding a concealed weapon entered store threatening staff, it is thought he escaped on foot with a

An increase in robberies, concern for property and increased drug use are the main issues concerning the people of the Finn Valley area. That is according to Independent Donegal South West Deputy Thomas pringle who was speaking after a ‘Community Consultation’ meeting held in the Finn Valley at the weekend. This is the first in

There are calls for a garda investigation to be launched to determine who is behind claims that three yachts were refused access to Greencastle Harbour in stormy conditions earlier this month. The claims suggest that yachts, from France, Sweden and Buncrana were stopped from entering Greencastle harbour on May 7th after high winds forced them

Detectives are continuing to search for those responsible for yesterday’s bomb blast in Derry. A device was left in a busy shopping area on Shipquay St at around lunchtime. Nobody was injured as police had evacuated the area. They acted after three masked men entered a business premises an hour before the explosion, and warned