Author name: oisinkelly

Almost 300 new jobs are to be created in Derry. Waterford-based firm Rigney Dolphin, which provides customer service centres for other companies, is to establish a new base near Altnagelvin Hospital. The company has received £1.2m from Invest NI, and is expected to generate over £4m annually over the next three years. Derrys Deputy Mayor, […]

Three men from the North arrested after gardaí received a tip-off that dissident republicans were about to carry out a “tiger kidnapping” in Co Donegal earlier this year were jailed for membership of the IRA at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin today. 46-year-old Gerard McGarrigle of Mount Carmel Heights, Strabane, 58-year-old Desmond Donnelly of,

Northern Irelands Finance Minister Sammy Wilson has confirmed that money will be available for the proposed Radiotherapy Unit at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry. Delivering his draft budget to MLAs at Stormont today Mr Wilson said even in the most difficult financial situation, health service funding will be ring-fenced. Recently there were growing concerns that the

It is expected that Donegal County Council will announce a major overhaul of what roads in the county are to be treated during the expected cold snap. Sources suggest the local authority will only salt about 370km per night, this compares to 1200 km when salt stocks are full. It is understood the National Roads

A Fianna Fail County Councillor has called on responsibility for maintaining Donegal’s salt stocks to be returned to the council with NRA’s response to the recent cold snap being described as abysmal. Forecaster predict another cold spell in the coming days, however the Council has admitted that salt stocks are low, despite appeals to the

It is being claimed that EU recognition of an emerging fishery could prove to be good news for Donegal. In Brussels overnight EU fisheries ministers hammerred out a difficult compromise deal over the allocation of quotas for 2011. In the whole, the industry was facing a 22% reduction in quota however there will now be 

The trial continues today at Donegal Circuit Court of a 25-year-old man accused of unlawful sex with a girl when she was 13 years of age. The offence is alleged to have happened at a South Donegal beach on a date in October, 2003. The man has pleaded not guilty. The girl is now aged

Patrick McGinley has been selected as the new President of the Letterkenny Chamber replacing out going president Paul Byrne. It follows the Chamber’s AGM last night  at which a new Chamber Council was also elected. Patrick McGinley said his new role will be challenging, predicting the intense negative effect of the economic downturn will continue

A Derry couple have won £24,000 in damages and costs after a European Court ruled that UK law breached their right to marry and enjoy religious freedom. Judges at Strasbourg’s Court of Human Rights said they had “grave concerns” about the UK law designed to stop sham marriages. Nigerian national Osita Chris Iwu and his

The Inishowen Tourism Society will be awarded the retention of their manager and 4 and a half full time posts. Welcoming the news Senator Cecilla Keaveney said the job potential of the tourism sector will be supported by this announcement. Senator Keaveney says she believes there is now scope for Inishowen tourism to fulfill it’s

There has been a warm welcome to the news that Irish television stations including RTE Digital are finally being made accessible to audiences in Northern Ireland. The Irish television stations RTE and TG4 will be available on Freeview. It is part of a deal which is also expected to include greater access of BBC services

Donegal County Councils salt levels are currently low, but they say they are trying to manage as best they can. The gritter lorries will be out on the Countys roads tonight and over the next number of days as another cold snap is set to hit the NorthWest again. Senior Engineer with Donegal County Council,

Sinn Fein has condemned the Labour Party’s warning that a  funding commitment from the Republic for the upgrading of the A5 to dual-carriageway status may have to be reviewed. Labour TD Joe Costello said the party, if it is in power after the next general election, will have to look at all major infrastructure projects,

The trial has opened today at Donegal Circuit Court of a 25-year-old man accused of unlawful sex with a girl when she was 13 years of age. The offence is alleged to have happened in south Donegal on a date in October, 2003. The man has pleaded not guilty. The girl is now aged 20.

It is reported that Buncrana Town Councillor Lee Tedstone has quit the Fine Gael party. It is understood the town’s former Mayor has already tendered his resignation to Fine Gael and will formally notify his fellow Councillor at this weeks monthly meeting of the council. Councillor Tedstone has so far declined to comment or to

The Minister for Older People says the abuse and neglect of older people uncovered in last night’s Prime Time programme is totally unacceptable, very upsetting and most disappointing. The programme has prompted many calls for urgent regulation of the home care sector and the HSE is now conducting a review into the standard of care

Letterkenny Town Council is being asked to allow a second planning application to be submitted at a site where a previous application was turned down. At present. there is a derelict house at the corner of College Farm Road and Convent Road, and a previous application to allow apartments at the site was turned down

Wreckage at a Garda station and on a Garda car has been recounted at Donegal Circuit Court when a man admitted violent disorder and criminal damage. Sgt Jim Collins recalled that Paul McBride phoned twice seeking his van keys when his brother was held at the station for drink-driving. At 4.50 a.m. on August 30,

Changes to the primary school bus transport qualifications will interfere with the education of local students, according to Donegal North-East TD Joe McHugh. He is to challenge Education Minster, Mary Coughlan, in the Dail this week to clarify the changes to the distances for qualifying primary school students for school transport. Deputy McHugh says the

Donegal Circuit Court has heard how three teenagers set fire to the furniture in a gate lodge house in Mountcharles, south Donegal causing €60,000 in damage. One of them, a girl who was 15 at the time,  and now has a nine-months-old baby girl, Donegal Circuit Court was told. The girl, who cannot be identified

Motorists get one half hour of on street free parking in Letterkenny from today, with charges then kicking in after the first 30 minutes. Last night, Letterkenny Town Council adopted its new parking by-laws, with notices to be published in the press outlining changes before the new laws can be implemented. However, because the issue

The Mayor of Letterkenny is urging people to check on elderly neighbours this week, particularly those who live alone. Speaking before adjourning the Town Council’s December meeting, Cllr Tadhg Culbert said after the recent cold snap and with another just days away, some people may be running low on food or fuel. Cllr Culbert says

A 16-year-old boy has been attacked and robbed in the street by two men, one who was armed with a plank of wood, in Derry. He and his girlfriend were walking along Chapel Road in the Waterside area around 1.30am in the early hours of Sunday morning when the men approached them. They attacked the

The West and North West will play a vital role in Ireland’s economic recovery and future job creation, according to a new report which has just been published. The study by the Western Development Commission says the renewable energy, software and communications sectors are particularly strong in the West and North West, and if expanded,

A Derry MLA is calling for the appointment of a regulator to control the price of home heating oil in Northern Ireland. Pól Callaghan, the SDLP’s consumer affairs spokesperson in the Assembly says while families elsewhere in Northern Ireland can choose gas as an option, that’s not available to households in Derry. He says a

The Board of Údarás na Gaeltachta says it’s capacity to create jobs will be greatly diminished next year as a result of budget cuts. Following a weekend meeting, the board says its budget is being cut from €15 million this year to €6 million in 2011. According to the government, a further €6.2m is to

Junior Fisheries Minister Sean Connick is in Brussels today for two days of talks on fishing quotas for 2011, with the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation saying they are concerned at the unwillingness of the new commissioner to consult with the industry. Meanwhile, weekend discussions on mackerel stocks saw the EU and Norway reach agreement on a

The search has resumed for a Letterkenny woman who’s been missing since the early hours of Friday morning. Gardai are not confirming the woman’s identity, but she has been named locally as 43 year-old single woman Una Boyle from the Ballyraine area. Searches took place around the town at the weekend, with the River Swilly

A Letterkenny councillor is urging officials to investigate how the Town Council can take steps to ensure that footpaths are cleared during cold snaps in the future. Cllr Gerry Mc Monagle says it’s clear that the severe weather over the past two weeks will be a regular feature during future winters, and now is the

The search continues today for a Letterkenny  a missing Letterkenny woman. 43-year-old Una Boyle, from the Ballyraine area of the town  has been missing since the early hours of Friday morning. Gardai have  carried out searches of areas around the town including the Port Bridge and Ballyraine. Ms Boyle is described as being 5’ 4’

Donegal North East Deputy, Niall Blaney, Letterkenny Hospital officials and Tanaiste Mary Coughlan met this week to discuss the loss of rheumatology services in Donegal. According to Deputy Blaney, Health Minister Mary Harney agreed to consider putting  in place an outreach service for communties in Donegal. He said it would be situated in Manorhamilton. But

A Donegal woman revealed how she warned her elderly father to be careful just minutes before a 50ft fir tree came crashing down on him. 74-year-old Paddy Havlin was watching his son-in-law and grandson cut trees at his home in Co Donegal on the evening of September 3rd last. Paddy Havlin’s son-in-law Eamon McLaughlin was

The Government’s Supreme Court appeal against the High Court finding of its “inordinate delay” in moving the writ for the Donegal South West byelection will not be heard until the new year. Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty, who succeeded in his High Court challenge to the byelection delay and subsequently won the byelection, has brought

A number of students protesting against increases to university fees have forced their way into the Guildhall in Derry. According to the city’s mayor, the peaceful protest was only disrupted by “a very tiny minority within the crowd who were intent on causing trouble and did cause some damage”. Colum Eastwood also said Northern Bank

Donegal County Council says all priority roads in the county are open and clear, but continued caution is advised on back roads and untreated footpaths, where packed ice is being covered by a layer of water from melting snow, and that’s causing very slippery conditions. Meanwhile, as forecasters say there’s more cold weather to come,

Donegal Councillor Dessie Larkin is refusing to comment on speculation that he may contest the next general election as an independent. Cllr Larkin is not among the four Fianna Fail nominees who will go forward to convention in Donegal North East early in the new year, and that has fuelled local talk of a possible

Anti-VRT campaigner Ryan Stewart has annouced his intention to stand as an Independent General Election candidate in Donegal North-East. Mr Stewart has led a high-profile campaign  against the motor tax and his facebook page has currently over 12,000 supporters. The quota needed to get into the Dail in the 2007 General Election was 9,637. Mr

Letterkenny General Hospitals unfinished multi-million euro A&E and Medical Unit could be open as planned early next year. Donegal North-East Deputy Niall Blaney says the 22 million euro extension could be complete by April. Work on the new three-storey unit has been stalled since last month when the High Court appointed a receiver to McNamara

Letterkenny General Hospitals €3.5 million deficit will be wiped out and they will be able to start from a clean slate in 2011, according to Donegal North-East Deputy, Niall Blaney. A meeting was held on Wednesday night between Health Minister Mary Harney, Deputy Blaney and Letterkenny General manager Sean Murphy to discuss the hospitals future.

A Donegal Councillor has predicted that next week’s Council of Fisheries Ministers meeting in Europe will see a repeat of the annual spectacle of the Irish Minister and fisheries organisations coming back from Brussels and claiming they have secured concessions and averted threatened cuts. However, Cllr Thomas Pringle says the reality is that quotas will

The HSE is investigating an incident where two children were found looking for food in a bin in Kilkenny city centre. The five year olds were spotted by a local social worker who contacted the HSE directly. The President of the local St Vincent dePaul says she’s been left ‘wordless’ by the revelation. Meanwhile, the

North-West MEP Marian Harkin has slammed the Irish government’s decision to cut state supports for Carers in the 2011 Budget. She says that this move will prove a step backwards from ensuring future prosperity. The Independent MEP said the reduction in the national Carers Allowance and cuts to Carers’ tax breaks might save money in

Donegal County Council says it’s vital that people keep an eye on water supplies in the coming days, and report any leaks or problems immediately. As the thaw sets in, the risk of frozen pipes bursting rises sharply, and Acting Director of Services Joe Peoples says further disruption to supplies is possible, but the council

The are fears for the future of the new A5 dual carriageway linking Derry and Aughnacloy after Labour’s Transport Spokesman said it would not be a priority for the next government. Contracts have been signed, and preliminary work is already underway. However, while the budget this week reaffirmed funding for the cross border project, Labour’s