Author name: oisinkelly

The counting of votes cast in the Seanad election is due to resume at around 10 O’clock, with the remaining 9 seats on the Agricultural panel to be filled. Labour’s James Heffernan took the first seat on the Agricultural panel, with Fine Gael’s Paddy Burke elected after midnight last night. Of the remaining candidates, outgoing […]

Councillor Terence Slowey says he has no intention of resigning his council seat despite calls from Sinn Fein for him to do so. A recent report in to the Councillor’s double expenses claim by the Standards in Public Office commission found he had breached guidelines and acted recklessly. When the issue came up for discussion

Emergency services have recovered the body of a Donegal fisherman who went overboard in Castletownbere in West Cork last night. The 43 year old man from Killybegs  had been returning to his fishing trawler from shore when the accident happened. It is understood the vessel with several crew had pulled in to the harbour to

The Mayor of Buncrana says he’ll be contacting gardai after a group of over 100 youths took part in a beach party on the Shorefront on Good Friday. It’s understood the youths had arrived on buses from Northern Ireland, with several complaints about their behaviour, and the condition in which the Shorefront was left. Gardai

The Mayor of Buncrana says he’ll be contacting gardai after a group of over 100 youths took part in a beach party on the Shorefront on Good Friday. It’s understood the youths had arrived on buses from Northern Ireland, with several complaints about their behaviour, and the condition in which the Shorefront was left. Gardai

The Spokesperson for the Derry Diocese and Administrator of St Eugene’s Cathedral Fr Michael Canny has said he would be prepared to meet face to face with those people who made threats against police in Derry yesterday. At an Easter Commemoration in the City Cemetery, the masked member of the organisation read a statement threatening

Sinn Fein’s whip on Donegal County Council has called on FG Cllr Terence Slowey to resign.  Cllr Mick Quinn made the call, saying while everyone on council holds Cllr Slowey in high regard, his double expenses claim has brought the council into disrepute at a time when politics is at a very low ebb. In

A major garda investigation is underway in Bundoran after an armed robbery in a fast food premises last night. Gardai say staff members were tied up and locked in a room at the KFC premises in the town shortly before it was due to close. A substantial sum of money was taken by the thieves,

The political future of Fine Gael Councillor Terence Slowey may become clearer today when Donegal County Council considers a report into his double expenses claim in October 2008. A recent report by the Standards in Public Office commission found he had breached guidelines and acted recklessly. During the same weekend in October 2008, Cllr Slowey

Counting in the Seanad elections gets underway today. 60 seats are up for grabs in the upper house, and they’re broken down into 3 groups. 11 are nominated by the Taoiseach, 43 are elected by a number of panels that represent vocational interests, and 6 are elected by graduates of NUI and Trinity College Dublin

Derry Priest Fr Michael Canney is offering to meet with dissident republicans after yesterday’s Real IRA Derry statement, in which the dissident group threatened to kill more PSNI officers in the North. They also declared the Queen’s first visit to Ireland as an “insult” and claimed she was guilty of war crimes. Foyle MP Mark

A masked member of the Real IRA has warned that the Queen is wanted for ‘war crimes’ in Ireland and when she visits later this year they ‘will do our best to ensure she gets that message.’ The warning was delivered during an Easter commemoration march in Derry when a masked and uniformed colour party

Commemorations have been held across the island to mark the 95th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. In Donegal, the main county commemeration this afternoon was at Drumboe. It was addressed by Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn, who said the period between now and the 100th anniversary in five years time should be marked with a

Finn Harps have sacked manager James Gallagher this morning. A statement from the club issued at 10am said that Gallagher and his assistant Anthony Gorman have parted company “with immediate effect.” The chairman and the board of directors thanked both men for their efforts and commitment to the club. See Highland Sport for more.

A 9-year-old boy has been injured after a glass jar packed with nails struck him on the leg in Derry. It is understood the device, which police say contained no explosives, was thrown into the Fountain area of the city from the Bishop Street interface on Friday evening . Residents reported hearing a loud bang,

A 16-year-old boy has been stabbed in Derry. The teenager received four stab wounds to his upper body and was taken to hospital for treatment. His injuries are not life threatening. Police said they believe the boy was injured in a fight in the Creggan Heights area with another youth just after 0130 GMT on

A young woman has been rescued after getting into difficulty while swimming in Co Donegal on Thursday The alarm was raised by a member of the public at around 4pm after they spotted the swimmer in the sea at Bundoran. She was being helped by another person and was eventually brought ashore by the RNLI

Donegal Sheep farmers are being urged to keep a look out for suspicious activity on their lands after reports of sheep and lambs being stolen. In excess of one thousand euro worth of animals have been taken from a farm in Inishowen with the IFA’s Donegal Chairman P.J McMonagle warning further thefts are likely. He

The Government has promised to review the commercial vehicle tax rules following public outcry over their strict enforcement. In a crack down on the legislation, many people who have the vehicle registered as commercial are being stopped by gardai inquiring if they are using it for private purposes. The issue was raised in Dail last

A Buncrana man who had threatened to go on hunger strike outside Letterkenny General Hospital has deferred the action after being contacted by the HSE and promised urgent attention. Martin Gill from Parkmore claims that he has been seriously ill for three years, but cannot get a diagnosis. He says numerous referral letters have been

Two men in their 20s have been arrested in connection with an arson attack in Derry in the early hours of this morning Two cars were set on fire in the car park of the Clipper Quay complex just before 2 o’clock, with the fire service saying young children were amongst those who had to

A Buncrana man is threatening to go on hunder strike outside Letterkenny General Hospital today, claiming that he has been seriously ill for three years, but cannot get a diagnosis. Martin Gill from Parkmore has told the Derry Journal that this is the “last throw of the dice”, claiming he’s being passed around the medical

A group representing those who have lost loved ones in road traffic collisions is welcoming a new piece of legislation – which was passed in the Dáil last night. The Road Traffic Bill, which will come into force in two weeks time, makes it compulsory for Gardaí to breathalyse drivers involved in any road collision

The issue of the Greencastle Breakwater is being put back on the agenda of Donegal County Council with calls for renewed pressured to applied to Government to complete the project. Millions of euro has been invested in the Greencastle breakwater however work ground to a halt when funding dried-up. The concern is that in it’s

A number of homes have been evacuated in the Carnhill area of Derry as a result of a bomb alert. Army technical experts weere sent to the scene after reports were received of a suspicious object. Motorists have been advised to avoid the Collon Lane and Carnhill areas.

Detectives investigating the murder of PSNI officer Ronan Kerr in Omagh on April 2nd have searched a house in County Monaghan. A number of items were seized and have been taken away for forensic examination. No arrests were made.

A post mortem examination is taking place of the Donegal woman who drowned off the Queensland coast on Monday. 23 year old Science Graduate Elaine Morrow was from Ballintra. She’d been in Australia for almost a year when she drowned, during a three-day introductory diving course. It’s thought it will take up to a fortnight

Fine Gael has confirmed that the party’s Disciplinary Committeeis considering whether or not Donegal Councillor Terence Slowey should be reprimanded for his double expenses claim. During the same weekend in October 2008, Cllr Terence attended a local authority conference in Cork and a cross border conference in Kerry. However, he submitted two seperate travel expenses

Road safety campaigners are are again warning that the new Road Traffic Bill – due to be discussed by the Dáil again today – could mean drivers involved in fatal collisions could escape being breathalysed. Up to now, Gardai could only test a driver for alcohol at the scene of a crash if they believed

Authorities in Australia have confirmed the identity of the Donegal woman who drowned off the Queensland coast on Monday. 23 year old Science Graduate Elaine Morrow was from Ballintra. She’d been in Australia for almost a year when she drowned, during a three-day introductory diving course. Ms Morrow was scuba-diving with a group at Langford

The campaign group Donegal Action for Cancer Care is urging women aged between 50 and 64  to ensure they are on the Breast Check register if they haven’t yet been called for a mammogram. DACC say this can be checked online at www.breastcheck.ie, or by calling Freephone 1800 45 45 55.

A 23-year-old Donegal woman has died in a diving tragedy off the coast of North Australia. The woman was scuba diving with a group at Langford Island in Queensland yesterday afternoon when she failed to resurface. The 23-year-old woman, who was scuba-diving with a group at Langford Island at the Whitsundays in Queensland yesterday at

An Irish woman has died in a diving incident in Australia. The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that it is providing consular assistance to the young woman’s family. Her name has not been released but it’s understood she is from Donegal. She died after getting into difficulty in a diving incident in Queensland.

Police in Strabane are appearing for information about the whereabouts of a Strabane woman in her thirties who has been missing since Sunday. 33 year old Claire Roulston from the St Johns Place area was last seen at her home around 7pm on Sunday evening 17 April. She is described as 5’6″ tall, slight build,

Garda sergeants and inspectors say the €3 million severance payment made to former AIB Managing Director Colm Doherty could have been used to provide much needed equipment and resources for gardai. Donegal Crime Prevention Officer Paul Wallace told the conference the money could have been used  in this county during the big freeze. The AGSI

A Donegal Councillor says reports that a deal has been done to take Rockhill House into council ownership are premature. Earlier today, the Rockhill House Heritage Association issued a statement saying that agreement had been reached, and calling for close coopertion between the council and the association. However, Cllr Dessie Larkin says while discussions on

The non-attendence of a police officer at an assault case in Derry Magistrates Court yesterday has angered a district judge. As the Chief Constable of the PSNI Matt Baggot announced his new commitments to the public, District Judge Barney Mc Elholm warned he will be seeking disciplinary actions against a police officer if notes and

Donegal councillor Terence Slowey is facing a crunch meeting with Fine Gael’s disciplinary committee today. It arises from a Standards in Public Office Commission hearing into a double claim for expenses. Cllr Slowey claimed travel expenses for attending two separate conferences on the same weekend in October 2008. The commission, which published details of its

We understand an agreement has been reached to transfer ownership of Rockhill House outside Letterkenny to Donegal County Council. The Defence Forces withdrew from the building just over two years ago, and since then, serious concern has been raised about its state of repair. In a statement this morning, the Rockhill House Heritage Association welcomes

Several units of the fire service are tackling what has been described as a “serious” gorse fire in a built up area at Knockastoller in Bunbeg. Two residential property has been damaged. Fire crews from Gweedore, Dungloe and Glenties are understood to be at the scene. Meanwhile, a second gorse fire is burning out of

The Donegal Mountain Rescue Team responded to four call-outs at the weekend, including a nine hour operation yesterday to rescue a climber who was  stuck on Muckish. The team says yersterday’s rescue of the climber from a small ledge on the north side of Muckish yesterday was the longest and most difficult D.M.R.T. technical rescue