Author name: oisinkelly

Sinn Féin has moved a  Private Members motion in the Dail seeking the abolition of the Universal Social Charge. Moving the motion, Donegal South West Deputy Pearse Doherty, the party’s Finance Spokesperson said  the charge is little more than a tax on the working poor, and should be abolished. The government has promised a review,

Donegal may be forced to export its waste with the county’s last remaining landfill site expected to close next year. There are just 30,000 tonnes of capacity left at the site in Ballintra, with no alternative plan currently in place to deal with the county’s waste. At one stage Donegal had four landfill sites at

Political parties in the North are being urged to state their policy on the proposed Radiotherapy Unit at Altnagelvin before the public goes to the polls in May’s Assembly Elections. The call has been made by Co-operating for Cancer Care North West. Earlier this month the North’s Health Minister shelved plans indefinitely for the cross

Donegal anglers will renew their ongoing protest at the contentious Gweebarra River when the new salmon and sea trout season gets underway on Friday. A number of fishermen, who claim they have been fishing the river for generations, will do so again to highlight the dispute over the rights to fish in the area. The

A Coroner today told the inquest in to the death of a mother and daughter that it reflected the worst trauma he had ever come across. Martina McLernon and her teenage daughter Louise were killed instantly when a car being driven by Sean Goldrick hit a drain and flipped across a road in Gaoth Dobhair,

Driving instructors are raising concerns that the new minimum number of lessons required by learner drivers is too low. From next week – the Road Safety Authority’s Essential Driver Training scheme will come into effect. It imposes a mandatory minimum of 12 hours of lessons before you sit your driving test. However, motoring schools says

Brigadier General Gerry Hegarty is in Donegal today visiting the country’s most northerly Irish Reserve Defence Force base – in Carndonagh. The R. D. F’s  main function is to serve as back up to the defence forces and would have been called in to action during the recent cold spell The Brigadier is visited Carndonagh

Dissident republican grouping Óglaigh na hÉireann have claimed responsibility for an attempted  bomb attack in Derry. 110lb of home-made explosives were planted in a beer keg and left in a car opposite Bishop Street Courthouse in Derry on Sunday evening. Óglaigh na hÉireann have told journalist Brian Rowan that the attack was an attempt to

The Department of the Transport is in touch with the EU Commission about the immediate future of the Donegal to Dublin air service, after it emerged there will be a delay in the introduction of a new Public Service Obligation. Management at Donegal Airport are due to meet with Department of Transport officials on Monday

The Happy Matchmaker dating agency has been acquitted of introducing a woman client to men she said groped, assaulted and battered her. Annmarie McBrearty, 35, of Oldtown, Letterkenny, told Donegal District Court how she was introduced to four men without finding romance. Judge Kevin Kilrane dismissed Ms McBrearty’s claim for €6,348.99 for negligence, breach of

Figures released from Donegal County Council show that of the total amount of commercial rates due to the council last year, almost a third went unpaid. Just over 16 million euro was collected by the council in 2010, however arrears carried forward to this year total close on 9 million euro. The figures show that

A Letterkenny student had her drink spiked with Ketamine at the weekend, according to a report in today’s Donegal People’s Press. The 20 year says she was told by an Emergency Department doctor that based on the description of her symptoms, her drink had almost certainly been spiked  with the drug, which is used as

Donegal Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn says his is standing by his claims that a company working on Census 2011 has links to interrogators working at Abu Ghraib. After a Europe-wide tender process – the CSO hired CACI-UK to work on specialised parts of the census. According to Deputy MacLouchlainn, in 2004 three employees of CACI-International –

Junior Gaeltacht Minister Dinny Mc Ginley says he’ll be seeking clarification from the Department of the Environment about the immediate future of the Donegal to Dublin air service after it emerged there will be a delay in the introduc tion of a new Public Service Obligation/ The current PSO expires on July 31st, but according

A campaign has been launched by the Eye Department at Letterkenny General Hospital to raise money for a specialist machine whic h can take photographs of the inside of the eye, and help diagnose cataracts, macular degeneration and other conditions. Under the banner SOS – Save or Sight, the department is seeking to buy the

Police say the device planted near the courthouse on Bishop Street in Derry, was a substantial and viable bomb. Dozens of elderly residents were moved from a nearby sheltered housing development during the alert, which began at quarter to seven last night. A number of controlled explosions were carried out on the device. Traffic and

The CEO of Letterkenny Chamber says the government must act to broaden the discretionary revenue raising streams open to local councils. Toni Forrester was speaking after members of Letterkenny Chamber attended a briefing with County Manager Seamus Neely and Town Clerk Paddy Doherty, with a focus on council budgets. Toni Forrester says it was a

The mayor has written to every Donegal County Councillor advising them of what behavior will or will not be acceptable in to the future. Mayor Cora Harvey took the action after recent meetings were dogged by controversy due to rows amongst members. Greg Hughes reports………..

In what is thought to be a first for a county council in the history of the state, the top two position in Donegal County Council are now filled by women. Today, Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher was named as Deputy Mayor of Donegal. She replaces her Sinn Fein party colleague Padraig Mac Lochlainn following his

A security alert is continuing in the Bishops Street area of Derry after a suspicious vehicle was left in a car park close to the courthouse. Residents have been evacuated from nearby sheltered housing, and a controlled explosion was carried out  last night. It had been hoped that traffic restrictions would be eased in the

Sinn Fein Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher is set to be confirmed as Deputy Mayor of Donegal today. The election of a new Deputy Mayor is on the agenda at today’s meeting following the election to Dail Eireann of previous incumbent Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn. It is open to anyone to nominate someone for the office

There has been a significant increase in the amount of motorists in Donegal who have needed their car fixed after hitting a pothole. The figures related to members of the AA which is calling on drivers to sign a petition putting pressure on local authorities to fix the roads: The survey shows that AA members

Former Tanaiste Mary Coughlan has been named among eleven former government ministers who claimed almost 51 thousand euro in tax breaks for keeping second homes in Dublin. The ministers were entitled to claim tax relief on second homes in the capital, or on hotels or rented apartments, if they didn’t have a second property The

Up to 1,000 people marched from the centre of Derry to Altnagelvin Hospital yesterday. The march was held to protest against the north’s health minister’s decision to shelve a planned radiotherapy unit at the hospital. The march followed an earlier rally in Guildhall Square by those opposed to UK government cuts.

Gardai are investigating an alleged hit and run incident in Letterkenny in the early house of this morning. The incident occured shortly after 3am in the vacinity of the hospital roundabout and involved three vehicles. A silver BMW car crashed in to another car causing injuries to its driver and passenger, it was shunted on

The North’s Social Development Minister Alex Attwood has written to the First Minister, Deputy First Minister and Finance Minister asking for a special meeting of the Executive to discuss funding for the radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin Hospital. Alex Atwood is asking if, as money has already been allocated to the unit, it is lawful for

North West MEP Marian Harkin says the European Union is splitting apart in front of our eyes, and core countries such as Germany and France will forge ahead while deficit countries like Ireland could collapse. Ms. Harkin repeated her belief that a restructuring of Irish debt will be necessary, as the current burden is unbearable.

A Donegal company has been named amongst  ten successful companies across the country that have been awarded funding under Enterprise Ireland’s new Internet and Games Competitive Start Fund. Franklyweb Ltd, Donegal, which offers a Subscription based clothing product range, will receive 50 thousand euro under the scheme. It’s aim is to stimulate the emergence of

Donegal County Council’s Public Art officer is urging people to be vigilant after a piece of public art along a motorway outside Moate was stolen. It’s believed the piece, titled Grainne Og was taken so it’s bronze and steel could be melted down and sold on. Terre Duffy of Donegal County Council says most pieces

Ireland is being included in the so-called ‘International Appalachian Trail’, an extension of the world-renowned walking route on the Canada/US border. The original trail stretches for 2,000 miles along the Appalachian Mountains from Georgia to Maine and attracts 2.5 million hikers every year. The new proposed link will see the Irish section of the international

The DUP have also shown their committment to the radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin. The DUP’s Jim Wells, who chairs the assemblys health committee, said his party would reverse the move if they took the health portfolio. And he also said the money was available and there was no case for a postponement:

The Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, has described the decision to postpone the construction of a radiotherapy unit in Derry as ‘sectarian’. He said he could “guarantee” to reverse it after the elections in May. Mr McGuinness said the delay, announced by the Health Minister in the Assembly on Thursday, was “shameful, highly political and

Funding has been approved for works at the Arragry / Rossgier water line in Lifford. 785,000 euro has been approved which will pay for pipe replacement along the line. The water line in the area as proved troublesome over the last number of years, especially during the recent cold snap when 22 bursts were reported.

A Donegal businessman and his partner who were among the bidders for the state’s second mobile phone licence have welcomed the publication of the Moriarty Tribunal report. Dunfanaghy born Michael Mc Ginley and his partner Tony Boyle, whose company Persona was among the unsuccessful bidders, say they will now seek the justice and fairplay denied

A Donegal County Councillor says proposed new by-laws in Cork, which will make it an offence to take photos of children in playgrounds, should be considered here. The draft document states no person, unless they are a member of a family, shall operate, or use a camera, camera phone, video or any other media device

There’s some bad news today for around 17,000 low paid school secretaries and non-teaching staff. The Finance Minister Michael Noonan says he will not be reversing a five percent pay cut to their wages, implemented in January. Around 500 secretaries belonging to the IMPACT trade union have already voted to take industrial action over the

Details of the proposed route of the N14/N15 Donegal link to the A5 through Northern Ireland will go on display early next month. Over a million euro has been spent to date on the plans which include proposals for the New Lifford Bridge. The stated objectives for the N14/N15 Donegal road link to the A5