Author name: oisinkelly

A Donegal based businessman behind an investment scheme, in which dozens of people on both sides of the border fear they have lost millions of pounds, has been jailed for 18 months at the High Court in Belfast. An order was issued for the immediate arrest of Francois de Dietrich, who has vanished. He was […]

An inquest into the murder of Republican double agent Denis Donaldson was further adjourned in Letterkenny  beyond an anticipated hearing date. Coroner Denis McCauley had expected to fix a date for a full hearing but he said he was still unable to reach a decision on what kind of inquest to hold because of the

An inquest has heard how an elderly woman died after her head became trapped in a cot side in her hospital bed. Sile Coyle, 85, of Ardsmore, Gortahork, died on her first night at Falcarragh Community Nursing Unit in August 2008. Mrs Coyle, who family said was in good health, had gone into the hospital

Fianna Fail is to hold its Donegal North East Selection Convention on Sunday night in Letterkenny. Meanwhile, at an unofficial selection convention 300 Inishowen delegates unanimously selected Cllr Charlie Mc Conalogue as a candidate for the peninsula, after Sen Cecilia Keavney let it be known she did not want her name to go forward at

A meeting is underway between management at Gallagher’s Bakery in Ardara and representatives of Uduras Na Gaeltachta to discuss yesterday’s announcement of at least 124 job losses. With the parent company apparently intent on moving its frozen section to Dublin, focus is now on protecting up to 40 jobs in the Gallagher’s Fresh section of

The Principle of St Eunan’s College in Letterkenny says three student alleged to have been involved in a fight which left one hospitalised, are not welcome back. The three students were suspended following the incident in a car park of the town’s main street on Monday lunchtime – one student was taken to hospital with

A review into the performance of the Western Health Trust has found that thousands of X rays went missing in Altnagelvin Hospital Derry last year. As a result, thousands of patients have been recalled. A number of departments at the hospital are affected including those who deal with chest complaints. The SDLP’s Pol Callaghan is

A Strabane man has said his two young sons could have been killed when they found a pipe bomb in his car on Monday morning. Details have only now emerged of the incident, which happened at Springhill Park. A neighbour removed the device. The man says he is not involved in crime or anti-social behaviour,

The Donegal based founder of the road safety organisation PARC says she is angry at the latest delay in the introduction of mandatory breath testing of drivers involved in fatal and serious injury collisions. Legislation recently went through the Dail and Seanad which was aimed at introducing the measure by the end of this month.

Figures released which show children in Donegal have to wait up to four years for an orthodontist at Letterkenny General Hospital have been described as scandalous. The issue was raised via a Parliamentary Question tabled by Deputy Pearse Doherty to the Minister for Health. He was told that public patients in Letterkenny Hospital who need

The owners of Gallagher’s Bakery in Ardara are being urged to reverse a decision to close some of its operations which will lead to loss of at least of 124 jobs. A further 40 jobs are dependent on the company completing the sale of its Gallagher’s Fresh division. Údarás na Gaeltachta approved a funding package

124 jobs are to be lost at Gallagher’s Bakery in Ardara. Employees were told of the news during a meeting with management this afternoon. Parent company Aryzta (formally I.A.W.S ) said deteriorating market conditions in Ireland and the UK meant the Cuisine de France bakery in Ardara is being phased out The company says it

Concern is growing for the future of Gallagher’s Bakery  in Ardara following confirmation that staff have been called to a meeting at 3 o’clock this afternoon. 190 people are employed at the plant. It’s understood there’s been a review of operations at the Ardara plant by parent company I.A.W.S., which also owns the Cuisine de

A man has died in Sligo General Hospital this morning from injuries sustained in a traffic collision in Donegal on Monday morning. The crash, involving two cars, happened at about 10.00 a.m. on the N15 at Ballybugan, Ballintra. The 38 year old man from Ballysodare in County Sligo was driving a van in the direction

Elderly residents in the Fintown area were forced to travel extra distances to collect their pensions last week after the sudden closure of the local post office. People went into the village to collect their allowance on Friday, only to be told they would have to go to Glenties, Dungloe or Brockagh instead. The Department

A 29-year-old man has been charged at Carrickmacross District Court with dangerous driving and driving with excess alcohol. The charges relate to a collision involving three cars outside Carrickmacross on 27 December in which three people, including a pregnant woman, died. 39 year old teacher Róisín Connolly, nee Langan, was on her way back to

Two people have been arrested in Derry in connection with the Real IRA  killing of Kieran Doherty who was shot dead by the dissident group last February. A 42-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman are believed to have been taken to Antrim custody suite after they were arrested this morning (Tuesday) following a number of

A 21-year-old man has appeared at Derry Magistrates court charged with a total of 20 offences including handling a stolen guitar that once belonged to murder victim Jim Gilchrist. Joseph Patrick McMullan, of no fixed abode, is accused of handling a stolen van, the stolen guitar as well as a series of road traffic offences

The future of the Mary from Dungloe festival has been thrown in to doubt once again after its co-ordinator and organising committee resigned blaming a lack of support in the local community. With no committee in place, there are growing fears that last years festival, the 43 consecutive time it has been held, will be

It’s emerged that new births at Letterkenny General Hospital are not being registered because information is not being sent from the Maternity Ward to the Registrar’s Office. The issue came to light when the father of a woman who had a baby earlier this month contacted the Shaun Doherty Show to say that she needed

A number of major school developements are to go ahead in Donegal. An extension and refurbishment has been approved for Deele College in Raphoe, allowing it increase its enrolement to 550 students. Approval has also been given for an extension at Holy Family National School in Ballyshannon to go to tender, while a new 24

Stranorlar Councillor Martin Harley says he believes the Twin Towns by-pass will be delayed for at least another ten years. Cllr Harley says the fact that a substantial sum of money has been set aside by the NRA for improvements and safety works on the N15 between Barnesmore Gap and Lifford this year, suggesting the

Police in Derry have recovered more than £20,000 worth of musical equipment that had been stolen in Co Donegal. Among the items recovered was a guitar that had belonged to the late Jim Gilchrist, who was murdered in Derry in September 2005. The sequence of events began in the early hours of yesterday, when police

Newtoncunningham based Health Campaigner Betty Holmes is to go forward as an Independent General Election Candidate in Donegal North East. Ms Holmes  is currently Chairperson of Donegal Action for Cancer Care, but says she is contesting the election as an individual candidate and will not be using the DACC name or purporting to represent the

Details have emerged today of the NRA’s road allocations for Donegal this year, with just under €19.5 million set aside for projects in the county. Donegal North-East Deputy Niall Blaney had claimed earlier today that the Letterkenny relief road would recieve over a million euro for the completion of design work. But two of his

Frank McBrearty has refuted claims that the Labour Party wants to push him to one side and run Cllr Thomas Pringle on their ticket in Donegal South-West. Last week Cllr Pringle claimed he had been approached by the Labour Party and asked to run as their candidate in the general election. The Killybegs based councillor

All-Ireland winning skipper Anthony Molloy has been injured in a road accident today in which another man is battling for his life. Three people were rushed to hospital following the head-on collision on the N15 between Ballintra and Laghey, near Donegal town, at 10 o’clock this morning. 48-year-old Anthony Molloy,  captain when Donegal won it’s

Fianna Fail Senator Cecillia Keaveney has confirmed that she will not be attending a selection convention on Thursday night, which was to chose Fianna Fails Inishowens General Election candidate in Donegal North East. A meeting of the party in Inishowen last night heard that three people, Cllr Rena Donaghey, Senator Cecilia Keavney and Cllr Charlie

The annual report of Udaras na Gaeltachta says a total of 535 new full-time jobs were approved last year, 194 of them in Donegal. However. when job losses are taken into account, there’s been a net decrease of 398 jobs, with Donegal beraring the brunt of the job losses. Udaras na Gaeltachta’s annual report for

The VEC in Donegal is urging people to attend its Adult Education Fair in Letterkenny’s Mount Errigal Hotel tomorrow, particularly those who are out of work. Adult Education Officer Martin Gormley says there are now many people in Donegal who left school without formal qualifications to work, and now fuind themselves unemployed and unskilled. Martin

Donegal SW Deputy Dinny Mc Ginley has been chosen as the sole candidate for Fine Gael in the forthcoming election. Four candidate has declared for the convention yesterday. Two of them, Cllr Martin Harley and Ballyshannon Cllr John Meehan withdrew from the contest, with Deputy Mc Ginley then securing the nomination in a two way

A house in the Fairgreen Hill area of Letterkenny remains sealed off by gardai amid reports that a man sustained a serious stab wound in an overnight attack. Gardai havn’t commented on the stabbing reports, but have confirmed they are investigaing a serious assault on a man in his late 30s. The man is being

Fianna Fail in Inishowen has decided to hold a selection convention in Buncrana on Thursday night to choose a candidate for the peninsula. A meeting of the party in Inishowen last night heard that three people, Cllr Rena Donaghey, Senator Cecilia Keavney and Cllr Charlie Mc Conalogue had been nominated. Cllr Donaghey withdrew her name,

Details have emerged today of the NRA’s road allocations for Donegal this year, with just under €19.5 million set aside for projects in the county. Just over a million euro for the completion of design work on the Letterkenny Lifford Road and the link between that road and the improved A5 in Northern Ireland. Deputy

Highland Radio News has been getting the reaction locally to Brian Cowens decision in the past hour. Fianna Fail Senator and Donegal South-West General Election candidate Brian O Domnhaill, who had called for a change of leadership earlier today, welcomed Brian Cowens decision…… Meanwhile, Donegal North East Deputy Niall Blaney, says hes shocked by Brain

Brian Cowen has resigned as leader of Fianna Fail. The Offaly TD will remain on as Taoiseach until the general election on the 11th of March. Speaking at a press conference in Dublin Mr Cowen says stories about him are taking away from the work of the party… Meanwhile bookmakers have been quick to issue

Oyster fishermen took to the waters of  the Foyle today in potest at what they say are unreasonable restrictions imposed by the Loughs Agency. The two hour protest fish, which ended at 11.30 this morning, was coordionated by the Lough Foyle Oyster Sub-Committee. The committee this week offered prior notice to the agency that a

Fianna Fail TDs are expected to consult party supporters in each of their constituencies this weekend on Brian Cowen’s position as party leader. It follows the former Minister for Foreign Affairs call on the party’s TDs to reflect on their support for the Taoiseach in Tuesday’s confidence vote. Fianna Fail Senator Brian O Domnhail says

Donegal Senator Cecilia Keavney says she believes the Irish government’s commitment to funding the improvements to the A5 in Northern Ireland is now absolute. The Taoiseach and five ministers discussed the issue during today’s talks with their Northern Ireland counterparts in Co Armagh. Senator Keavney says the A5 was discussed, and her understanding is that

The Labour Party has issued a statement reiterating that Cllr. Frank McBrearty is the sole candidate for the Labour Party in the Donegal South West constituency. Frank retains the full confidence of the Party and Labour members in Donegal South West are working all-out to ensure that we can build on the progress made in

A business man who has been implicated in the media as being behind a failed investment scheme involving people in Donegal says anyone owed money will have it returned The investment scheme is understood to involve around 200 investors from Donegal with 40 people investing from Northern Ireland. Francois De Dietrich says the money has

Councillor Thomas Prinlge has said he believes it was the Labour party’s intention to run him as their General Election candidate in Donegal Southwest in place of Councillor Frank McBrearty Junior. The Councillor, who declined the offer and will run as an independent candidate, confirmed this morning that the Labour party had approached him. He

An Inquest jury has returned a verdict of accidental death in the case of a women who fell suffering fatal injuries. 33 year-old Caroline McCosker of Letterkenny fell on September 3rd of 2009 at the Pramerica on Letterkenny’s Kilmacrennan Road. The inquest heard Ms McCosker, who was organising a charity event, suffered fatal injuries when