Author name: oisinkelly

Donegal County Council is meeting in Lifford for its February Monthly meeting today, with three empty seats. Sinn Fein’s Padraig Mac Lochlainn, Fianna Fail’s Charlie Mc Conalogue and Independent Thomas Pringle are no longer members of the council having been elected to the Dail. In the case of the parties, they will now be considering […]

Omagh Coun cillor Seán Begley has confirmed that the Omagh Fire tragedy home is to be finally demolished. In November 2007, 39 year old Arthur McElhill, his partner Lorraine McGovern and their five children Caroline, Sean, Bellina, Clodagh and baby James died in a fire at Lammy Crescent in Omagh. It was determined that Mc

A mother and her three-year-old son have escaped injury in a shooting in Strabane. Two shots were fired at the back of a house in the Ballycolman area just after 7 o’clock yesterday evening. The 22-year-old woman and her child were in the kitchen at the time and the shots hit the door. A man,

The house where a convicted sex offender burnt his partner and five children to death is to be demolished. Arthur McElhill killed his family in a house fire in Omagh, County Tyrone in 2007, because his partner, Lorraine McGovern threatened to leave. The house will be demolished following the resolution of outstanding legal and procedural

The counting of votes has been completed, and the make up of Donegal’s representation in the Dail has been confirmed. Donal Kavanagh has a final report, beginning with the biggest news story to emerge from Donegal…….

As expected, Fianna Fail’s Charlie Mc Conalogue has been elected to the Dail, without reaching the quota. It wraps up the election in Donegal, with the county’s six TDs as follows – Donegal North East Padraig Mac Lochlainn  Sinn Fein Joe Mc Hugh                     Fine Gael Charlie Mc Conalogue    Fianna Fail Donegal South West Pearse Doherty      

Distribution of Joe Mc Hugh’s surplus Jimmy Harte                      Lab      +1088              7219 Charlie Mc Conalogue     FF     +731                   8976 Mc Conalogue deemed elected without reaching the quota

Distribution of John Ryan’s votes Jimmy Harte                      Lab      +485              6131 Charlie Mc Conalogue     FF     +734                8245 Joe Mc Hugh                      FG      +3318              12,049 Because Joe Mc Hugh’s surplus (2569) exceeds the gap between Jimmy Harte and Charlie Mc Conalogue (2114),

After John Ryan’s votes are counted in Donegal North East, there’s speculation now that Joe Mc Hugh may now have a surplus which is wider than the gap between Jimmy Harte and Charlie Mc Conalogue, forcing a distribution of that surplus, and then a 10th count

Distribution of Dessie Shiels’ votes Jimmy Harte                      Lab      +845              5646 Charlie Mc Conalogue     FF     +256                7511 Joe Mc Hugh                      FG      +584                8731 John Ryan                          FG        +105              5081 ELIMINATED Distribution of John Ryan’s 5081

Distribution of Ian Mc Garvey’s votes Jimmy Harte                      Lab      +266              4801 Charlie Mc Conalogue     FF     +191                7064 Joe Mc Hugh                      FG      +485                8147 John Ryan                          FG        +26                 4976 Dessie Shiels                      Ind       +306

Distribution of Mary Coughlan’s votes Dinny Mc Ginley     FG           +782          11,369 Brian O’Domhnaill    FF          +3110         8834 Thomas Pringle         Ind         +1036       10,175 Dinny Mc Ginley and Thomas Pringle both deemed elected.

Counting of votes cast in Donegal South West has ended, with Fine Gael Deputy Dinny Mc Ginley taking the second seat and Independent Cllr Thomas Pringle securing the third seat without reaching the quota. A strong inter FF transfer was not enough to allow Senator Brian O’Domhnaill overhaul Pringle for the last seat.

Distribution of Dara Blaney’s votes Jimmy Harte                      Lab      +216              4535 Charlie Mc Conalogue     FF     +248               7064 Ian Mc Garvey                   Ind    +244              1653     ELIMINATED Joe Mc Hugh                      FG      +138                7662 John Ryan                          FG        +66             

Outgoing Tanaiste Mary Coughlan has lost her seat in Donegal South West. She was eliminated after the fourth count, after her Fianna Fail running mate Senator Brian O’Domhnaill got more transfers from Labour Cllr Frank  Mc Brearty and Independent Stephen Mc Cahill. Fine Gael’s Dinny Mc Ginley is within 266 of the quota, but the

Distribution of Mc Brearty and Mc Cahill’s votes Mary Coughlan            FF      +396         5259     ELIMINATED Dinny Mc Ginley     FG           +1300     10,587 Brian O’Domhnaill    FF          +488         5724 Thomas Pringle         Ind         +1775     9139 Mary Coughlan eliminated – her 5655 votes now being distributed

Distribution of Padraig Mac Lochlainn’s surplus Dara Blaney                        Ind     +10               1327     ELIMINATED Jimmy Harte                      Lab      +18              4319 Charlie Mc Conalogue     FF     +214               6816 Ian Mc Garvey                   Ind    +10               1409 Joe Mc Hugh                      FG      +11                7524 John Ryan                          FG       

Distribution of Betty Holmes’ votes Dara Blaney                        Ind     +68               1317 Jimmy Harte                      Lab      +139             4301 Padraig Mac Lochlainn   SF     +235              9585   ELECTED Charlie Mc Conalogue     FF     +134               6795 Ian Mc Garvey                   Ind    +103               1399 Joe Mc Hugh                      FG  

Distribution of John Duffy and Ann Sweeney’s votes Mary Coughlan            FF      +87         5259 Frank Mc Brearty   Lab          +121       3003  ELIMINATED Stephen Mc Cahill  Ind            +104      2141  ELIMINATED Dinny Mc Ginley     FG              +159       9287 Brian O’Domhnaill    FF          +89         5236 Thomas Pringle         Ind         +333     7364

Mary Coughlan            FF      +216         5172 John Duffy               Green      +141         668 Frank Mc Brearty   Lab          +673       2882 Stephen Mc Cahill  Ind            +206      2037 Dinny Mc Ginley     FG              +539       9128 Brian O’Domhnaill    FF          +358         5147 Thomas Pringle         Ind         +1186       7031 Ann Sweeney             Ind             +127           383

Dara Blaney                        Ind     +21               1249 Jimmy Harte                      Lab      +72             4162 Betty Holmes                     Ind     +47                1197 Padraig Mac Lochlainn   SF     +72                 9350 Charlie Mc Conalogue     FF     +48                 6661 Ian Mc Garvey                   Ind    +9                    1296 Joe Mc Hugh                     

Total Valid Poll – 37,918 Quota 9,480 Dara Blaney                        Ind     1228 Jimmy Harte                      Lab      4090 Betty Holmes                     Ind     1150 Padraig Mac Lochlainn   SF    9278 Charlie Mc Conalogue     FF     6613 Ian Mc Garvey                   Ind   1287 Joe Mc

Total Valid Poll     43,263 Quota                         10,816 Mary Coughlan    FF      4,956 Pearse Doherty   SF       14,262    ELECTED John Duffy    Green          527 Frank Mc Brearty   Lab    2209 Stephen Mc Cahill  Ind     1831 Dinny Mc Ginley     FG       8589 Brian O’Domhnaill    FF     4789 Thomas Pringle    Ind         5845 Ann Sweeney     Ind             255 Pearse Doherty’s surplus of 3,446 votes is now being

First count details to follow

In Donegal South West, Independent Cllr Thomas Pringle’s Director of Elections is predicting that Tanaiste Mary Coughlan’s seat is gone, and the last seat is a battle between FF Senator Brian O’Domhnaill and Cllr Pringle for the last seat. It’s widely though in the count centre in Donegal Town that Pringle is in the driver’s

Padraig Mac Lochlainn SF 9337 25% Joe Mc Hugh FG 7221 19.13% Charlie Mc Conalogue FF 6567 17.4% John Ryan FG 4578 12.13% Jimmy Harte Lab 4083 10.8% Dessie Shiels Ind 1870 4.96% Ian Mc Garvey Ind 1332 3.5% Dara Blaney Ind 1210 5% Betty Holmes Ind 1133 3% Ryan Stewart Ind 207 1% Humphrey

Final Tally Pearse Doherty SF            14,249             33% Dinny Mc Ginley     FG      8484             19.69% Thomas Pringle    Ind       5804             13.47% Mary Coughlan FF           5009            11.63% Brian O’Domhnaill FF     

10.21 In Donegal North East – 23 boxes open in the Inishowen area. Padraig MacLoughlain, Charlie MacConolougue and John Ryan polling well – Betty Holmes the best of the independents 10:25 SW – 47 boxes open from Killybegs to Bundoran – Thomas Pringle over 4,000 – Pearse Doherty 3,100, Mary Couglan just 3,000 10:50 Crowd

Voter turnout is said to be, so far, higher compared to the last General Election in 2007 – with 30 per cent of the electorate having already cast their vote by 3 o’clock this afternoon. Voting is continuing in the General Election around the country, with polling stations set to remain open until 10pm. At

The budget airline Flybe is to introduce a new service at City of Derry Airport. The Flybe website is now offering flights from City of Derry Airport to Manchester beginning on 19 May 2011. Meanwhile, earlier this week Ryanair launched a new weekly service to Tenerife from City of Derry Airport. The airport manager, Damien

The Court of Criminal Appeal in Dublin has quashed the appeal of Mary Kelly, who was convicted in 2004 of criminal damage to a US military aircraft at Shannon airport. However, tresspassing charges have been reserved against Ms Kelly, who previously lived in Burtonport .

The average age of new mothers in Donegal is rising, according to new figures from the CSO today. The 2008 Vital Statistics published today shows that for the first time, the number of births to women in their early thirties exceeded those to women in their early twenties. Meanwhile, 2008 saw twice as many births

There is renewed hope that the afterschools service at Gweedore road in Dungloe can be saved. The service has been operational for five years, under the auspices of the Dungloe based Rosses Community Development. The CDP has told the unit’s two staff, and the families that use the service, that they no longer have the

Donegal County Council says the formula being used to appoint a new co-ordinator for the Donegal Youth Council is a new and innovative way to ensure that the service is provided in the most effective way possible. The service is effectively being put out to tender, with the county council inviting proposals from “suitably qualified

Two jobs will be lost and up to twenty families affected by the closure of the afterschools service at Gweedore road in Dungloe today. The service has been operational for five years, and was providing afterschool care to pupils from the Dungloe school area and other parts of the Rosses. The service was run by

The Court of Criminal Appeal in Dublin will rule today on the October 2004 conviction of Mary Kelly. Ms Kelly, who had previopusly been based in Burtonport had been convicted of criminal damage to a US military aircraft at Shannon airport on 29 January 2003. Her Appeal was heard on 29th July 2008, and no

Voting is underway in the General Election. Polling stations opened at 7 o’clock this morning, and will remain open until 10 o’clock tonight. Votes will be counted tomorrow. There are 58,501 people on the electoral register in Donegal North East, and 64,030 in Donegal South West. 1,121 people were added to the register in Donegal

The IMPACT Trade Union has accused the of cheating workers in Donegal out of pay. The union says the HSE has reneged on an agreement reached at the Labour Relations Commission last September that staff who had their hours cut until the end of the year would have those hours reinstated from the beginning of

Fine Gael Leader Enda Kenny says he believes the party can take two seats in Donegal North East. Mr Kenny was speaking in Burt during a brief tour of Donegal. Addressing party workers on the final day of the campaign, he urged them to work tirelessly in a bid to return two Fine Gael TD’s

Labour’s Jimmy Harte has been accused of dodging the issue by refusing to comment on concerns that Labour policy on cancer services will see those services cut at Letterkenny General. Independent candidate Betty Holmes says a promise from Labour Sligo / North Leitrim candidate Susan O’Keefe that Sligo General Hospital would be made a centre

Police in the North have issued a renewed appeal for information about the murder of a man in Derry last year. Today is the first anniversary of 31-year-old Kieran Doherty – who was found dead on the Braehead Road. He had been shot in an attack which has been claimed by the Real IRA. The

Fianna Fail Michael Martin has defended his decision not to visit Donegal during the election campaign  stating he simply didn’t have time. Donegal’s constituencies are two of just a handful that the new Fianna Fail leader did not canvas. He said it was agreed that, given her senior status in the party, Tanaiste Mary Coughlan

The row over whether or not Letterkenny General Hospital will be downgraded intensified last night. General Election candidate for Sligo / North Leitrim Susan O’Keefe promised that Sligo General Hospital would be made a centre of excellence if she was elected, some fear at the cost of Letterkenny General. While Fianna Fail’s Mary Hanafin suggested

The Environmental Protection Agency says 70% of Ireland’s watercourses are in good condition but major investment will be required over coming years if Ireland is to meet EU water quality and anti-pollution targets. The Agency today publishes the most comprehensive review undertaken to date of the condition of Ireland’s rivers, lakes, groundwater and estuaries. Today’s

A 46-year-old man has appeared at Derry Magistrate’s Court charged with murdering Paddy Harkin and the attempted murder of Letterkenny man Paul Mythen on February 20. Paul Greatbanks of Bayview Terrace in Derry spoke only to acknowledge his name during the brief hearing. A police officer said she believed she could connect Greatbanks to the