Author name: oisinkelly

The death toll from the devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan is steadily climbing. Between 200 and 300 bodies have been found along the country’s northeastern coast. Up to 2,000 residents close to a nuclear power plant in the same region have been ordered to evacuate – after cooling systems failed – […]

Donegal Road Safety Group PARC has welcomed news that motorists will be fined up to €1,000 if they are caught driving a car with blacked-out windows and engines that exceed the allowed noise limits. As part of a new crackdown, Gardai are carrying out roadside tests on customised cars to see if tinted windows and

Gweedore based packaging company Euroflex says winning the Manufacturing category in the National Business Awards will generate more orders. Euroflex concentrates on specialist packaging for fresh meats and shellfish, mainly for export. Managing Director Derek Richardson says 32 people are employed at present, with the possibility of up to ten more jobs being created this

Donegal Mayor Cora Harvey says plans for a new initiative to promote Donegal as a St. Patrick’s Day destination will be unveiled soon. Councillor Harvey wants the council to work with the tourism industry to encourage people to come home for St Patrick’s day with the future aim of establishing middle march as a new

A project to explore what the City Walls mean to peole in Derry has been awarded almost £450,000 in Lottery Funding. ‘DiverseCity’ will be a three year programme to uncover the “shared heritage” of the walls through a series of community-based consultations, seminars, conferences and workshops, coordinated by the Holywell Trust. The Heritage Lottery Fund

Royal Mail officials have launched an investigation in Derry after a postal worker suffered burns and lost clumps of his hair in what is believed to have been a practical joke gone wrong. Details of the incident, which happened on Wednesday afternoon, have only come to light today. The postal worker discovered the hair loss

A Derry man who was described in court as a potential witness in a murder trial and who left the city after his home was attacked by vigilante group Republican Action Against Drugs has been released on bail. Aaron Thornton, of Dove Gardens, Derry faces a total of twelve charges relating to offences between August

US civil rights veteran the Rev. Jess Jackson will present the inaugural Henry Cunningham Human Rights Award at a ceremony in Derry’s Guildhall on March 20. The award was set up to commemorate Henry Cunningham and was open to schools in the Inishowen area and the successful school will receive 500 euro. Henry Cunningham was

Inceasing employment, reducing emigration and supporting businesses are the key priorities for Junior Minister with responsibility for the Gaeltacht, Deputy Dinny McGinley. First elected to the Dail in 1982, Deputy McGinley was confirmed yeaterday as Junior Minister at the Department of Arts, heritage and Gaeltacht. He says that a lot of work needs to be

Donegal South West Deputy Pearse Doherty has described the reduction in Ministers pay, announced by the Government today, as a token gesture. The coalition Government announced it had reduced the Taoiseach’s pay by 6.6% from 214,000 euro to 200,000, while Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore will earn 184,405 euro. Ministers’ pay is down to 169,000 euro and

Donegal South West Deputy Dinny Mc Ginley has been formally named a Junior Minister today with specific responsibility for the Gaeltacht.. Earlier the Arts, heritage and Gaeltacht Minister Jimmy Deenihan let slip that Deputy Mc Ginley would be appointed to his department. Minister Deenihan – who’s not a fluent Irish speaker, said that Deputy McGinley

Buncrana Town Council is to hold a special meeting on Tuesday week next to elect a new mayor. Former Mayor Padraig Mac Lochlainn had to resign from the council following his election to the Dail, and his deputy, Independent Cllr Michael Grant will act as mayor until the special meeting on March 22nd. Cllr Grant

Donegal South West Deputy Dinny Mc Ginley is playing down speculation that he will be named a Junior Minister today, but it seems an appointment is in the offing after Arts, heritage and Gaeltacht Minister Jimmy Deenihan let slip that Deputy Mc Ginley will be appointed to his department. Minister Deenihan – who’s not a

Atlantic Homecare in Letterkenny  is to close with the loss of 18 jobs. Following a staff meeting, the company issued a statement to Highland Radio News saying that the outlet has not been viable for some time, and sales projections are not adequate to make the Letterkenny store sustainable. With that in mind, the statement

The ‘Carers Count’ Campaign will be officially launched in Donegal this moring. The last Census in 2006 estimated the numbers of Family Carers in Donegal at 5,698 but he Carers Association believes this figure underestimates the current numbers. With this in mind, the Carers Count Campaign sees next months Census as a unique opportunity to

Letterkenny Town Council says it’s time that government departments begin paying commercial rates. At present, facilities such as the Social Welfare Offices on Oliver Plunkett Road are exempt from rates, but the council is to write to the new Environment Minister Phil Hogan to seek a change. The council will also circulate the motion to

The government has been told that it must fulfil its commitment to return Cancer services to Sligo General Hospital. Sinn Fein Deputy Pearse Doherty has already made the call and has now been joined by Independent Deputy Thomas Pringle in applying pressure on the issue. Cancer services at Sligo General Hospital, which serves a large

The States standards watchdog is to investigate a Donegal County Councillor who claimed expenses for attending two different local government conferences which took place on the same weekend. A hearing into the conduct of Councillor Terence Slowey, who is the Fine Gael whip on the Council, has been set for later this month, the Standards

People in Letterkenny are annoyed by the increase in the number of street collectors around the town, according to a local  town councillor. Cllr Victor Fisher says he has no problem with collections where all ther money is going to charity, but in many instances, a large amount of the money is going to the

With nominations to contest the Seanad elections closing on Friday, there will be at least one Donegal candidate in the race. Letterkenny based Cllr. Jimmy Harte, who missed out on a Dail seat in  Donegal North East has been nominated as the sole Labour candidate on the Industrial and Commercial Panel.

The Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny will be elected Taoiseach today – as the 31st Dail meets for the first time since the general election. Labour and Fine Gael will form a government this afternoon when Mr Kenny will name his new cabinet lineup. Three new TDs from Donegal will take their seats today –

A Donegal company owner has recieved a suspended prison sentence and ordered to do community services for a number of tax offences. Mary McKinney, a haulage contractor from Cockhill Road, Buncrana was found guilty of 15 charges. The details of that case was included in the latest list of tax defaulters which has been pulished

A defence solicitor has said progress is being made in a row between the Northern Regional Fisheries Board and 34 men and a woman over fishing rights on the Gweebarra River. The legal proceedings stem from a campaign for a group of Gweebarra Anglers to be recognised as a club with traditional angling rights such

Letterkenny Town Council has been told the Aura Leisure Complex is not reaching its full potential in terms of night time events. Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh raised the issue, comparing the faclity to INEC in Killarney and the Royal Theatre Complex in Castlebar. He said the Mayo venue, which is a similar size, continues to host

Household store Carpetright has announced it’s to close seven of its twenty five stores – putting 19 jobs at risk. However, the British company says it cannot specify which branches are set to close until it completes a period of consultation with staff. The company has a premises at Rossview Business Park in Letterkenny –

Police have confirmed that a couple shot dead at their County Armagh home had just returned from a weekend break in Letterkenny. Police believe husband and wife, 56 year-old  Hugh McGeough,  and Jacqueline McGeough, 44, were murdered at their Legahory Court home, Craigavon, at about 11pm on Monday. Police say the couple’s stay in Letterkenny

MEP for the North-West Jim Higgins will tonight question the The European Monetary Affairs commissioner on the EU-IMF Irish bailout. Yesterday Oli Rehn urged other Eurozone nations to grant Ireland – and Greece – easier terms in an interview for German television. And last Thursday the IMF annouced that they’ll reduce the interest rate on

Instructions are still awaited from the Director of Public Prosecutions on a man accused of assaulting failed general election Fianna Fail candidate Senator Brian O Domhnaill. Dungloe District Court today adjourned until April 12th a charge against Jim Sharkey of assaulting Senator O Domhnaill and causing him harm at Meenacuing, Gweedore, last August 22nd. Sharkey,

Vigilantes are being blamed for an overnight shooting in Muff. A man and two children, aged nine and 11, escaped injury last night when shots were fired through the window of their home at about 9pm in the Wheatfield estate in the town. No-one was injured. A burnt out motorbike has been found by gardai

A 35-year-old arrested on Monday in relation to the attempted murder of PSNI officers in Derry has been released from custody unconditionally. Gunmen targeted police in the Glen Road area of the city on Wednesday night. Officers came under fire as they examined a car which had been abandoned. The attack was claimed by the

The government has told local authorities in Donegal to begin the categorisation of so called ghost estates in the county. The Department of the Environment is making 5 million euro available to councils across the country to deal with unfinished estates. The request for detailed reports was received by county and town councils yesterday, and

A burnt out motorbike has been found by gardai investigating the firing of a shot at a house in Muff last night. At around 9 o’clock, a motorcycle entered the Wheatfield Estate, and a pillion passenger fired a shot through the window of the house. A man and his two children were in the house.

The price of petrol has reached a record high, with the cost of a litre of petrol surpassing the 1 euro 50 cent mark at many of the country’s petrol stations. That compares to this time last year when the cost of a litre of unleaded petrol was 1 euro 27 cent. It’s now costing

A woman who was unable to have children after a hospital failed to diagnose and treat a molar pregnancy in time has been awarded £160,000 compensation. Joanne Connolly was awarded damages in a High Court settlement following her medical negligence claim against the Western Health and Social Care Trust. 35 year-old Mrs Connolly, from Strabane,

Letterkenny Town Councillors are calling for more people to be admitted to election counts. A debate last night heard that several people were denied entry to the Aura Leisure Centre because they did not have the correct passes. The list of people denied entry included, at various points, a candidate, a candidate’s parents and the

Shots have been fired at a house in Muff. Gardai have sealed off the property at Wheatfield, and are at the scene this morning. At least one bullet struck the front window of the house just after 9 o’clock last night. A man and three children were inside the house, but were uninjured. No arrests

Detectives in Strand Road are appealing for information following a shooting incident at a house in the Muldonagh Road area during the early hours of Monday morning, 7 March. Shortly after 5:40am two shots were fired at the property. One at the front door and another at the front living room window. A male was

Hundreds attended a weekend function to mark Bran Friel being named Donegal Person of the Year. The legendary playwright, who was named Donegal Person of the Year 2010 at a ceremony in The Burlinton Hotel in Dublin at the weekend outlined to the estimated 650 guests that a flush of pride that lasted for three

Donegal motorists are being hit hard at the pumps. It’s after the price of petrol has risen above one euro fifty per litre at many petrol stations around the country. Prices are as high at one euro forty nine cent in parts of Donegal according to website pumps.ie The price hikes come as the price

A controversial windfarm application near Glenties has been withdrawn. In July of last year, Straboy Wind Energy Ltd lodged a planning application with Donegal County Council seeking clearance to erect 38 wind turbines at Derkbeg Hill outside Glenties. An order seeking further information was issued by the council in September, and the application remained listed

The Mayor of Donegal says that conducting meetings is becoming more and more difficult because of interruptions, particularly by Cllr Frank Mc Brearty. In a lengthy interview on today’s Shaun Doherty, Cllr Cora Harvey said that if a majority of councillors ask her to step down, she will do so, but as of now, most