Author name: oisinkelly

A tourism initiative will be launched in Ballyshannon this weekend by the Minister Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Pat Carey. The intitative is aimed at developing rural tourism in Donegal and the North West. Visitor facilities across the region will be improved, including Benbulben, Glencar waterfall and Sliabh League. Manager of Failte Ireland North West, […]

A man in his thirties, was brought to Letterkenny General Hospital last night following a stabbing incident in Annagry. The victim was working in a Chinese takeaway in the centre of the village when a man entered the kitchen and stabbed him in the arm and upper body at around quarter to twelve last night.

Sinn Fein by-election candidate Pearse Doherty-who says he does not concentrate too much on opinion polls. A RED C survey for ‘Paddy Power’ released yesterday showed Senator Doherty would have twice the first preferences of his nearest rival. He said he is aware of the result but says he believes telephone polls are very unreliable.

The operation to clear 33 dead pilot whales from the beach on Rutland Island has been completed. The whales were taken from the island by ferry this morning, and have now been brought to a facility in County Cavan for incineration. A week ago, the council planned to bury the whales on the island, but

Nearly three quarters of second level school leavers in Donegal went on to third level education this year. The figures published today show that 1,872 of the 2008 second level students who sat the Leaving Cert examinations in Donegal this year went on to third level studies. That’s a total of 72% Of those, 508

A two-day think-in is to take place in Ballyshannon this weekend aimed at addressing the difficulties facing the town. Organisers hope the conference will help identifying the issues that have seen the town lose hundreds of jobs in recent years. The ideas will then be presented to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt

Donegal County Council is set to prosecute a woman who has refused to shut a chip-van that has served Ardara for 31 years. Rosaleen McCollum yesterday received notice that Donegal County Council has instructed a solicitor to prosecute her for breach of two laws. Ms McCollum bought the van almost three years ago in Ardara

Students from Letterkenny IT will join colleagues from the West and Morth West today for a demonstration in Galway today, in protest against possible increases in the Registration Fee and cuts to grants. Over 40 thousand students joined a protest in Dublin on November 3rd and another regional protest is planned for Cork on 1st

A new initiative to promote business leadership in the region is being launched at Letterkenny IT today. Leadership North West W is an organisation formed by graduates of the LYIT’s Innovation and Leadership programme, with major business players from Donegal, Sligo, Cavan, Derry and Mayo already involved. The organisation is intended to be a network

A new opinion poll shows Sinn Féin on course to win the Donegal South West By-Election. The RED C survey for ‘Paddy Power’ shows Senator Pearse Doherty on 40 per cent of first preference votes. Fianna Fáil’s Brian  O’Domhnaill polls less than half that on 19 per cent. Fine Gael’s Barry O’Neill polls third on

Deputy Richard Bruton is in Donegal campainging with Fine Gael byelection candidate Barry O’Neill. He says that policy’s that their party intend to introduce will have a positive impact on Donegal:

Indpendent by-election candidate Ann Sweeney is calling on the Green party to withdraw its support for government and by doing so, force a General Election. Ms. Sweeney is also urging the Health Minister Mary Harney and the other indpendents supporting the government to do so. She says the people of Ireland should be consulted before

The Special Criminal Court in Dublin has reserved judgment in the trial of three Northern Ireland men arrested during a garda investigation into dissident republican activity who are accused of IRA membership. Ms Una Ni Raifeartaigh SC, for the State, has told the court that the prosecution case was not solely reliant on the belief

A senior garda in Inishowen has renewed a garda appeal for information about an apparent hit and run at The Mullins outside Carndonagh between 4.30 and 5 o’clock on Sunday morning. A pedestrian was found on the side of the road by an ambulance crew which was transporting another person to Letterkenny General Hospital. Inspector

Councillors in Inishowen have asked County Manager Seamus Neely to put the application for Moville Greencastle sewerage scheme on hold pending an independent review into progress on the scheme, partricularly over the past 10 years. At an oral hearing in Redcastle last year, the council’s experts were questioned by an oceanographer hired by the Campaign

Donegal South West Independent Candidate Cllr Thomas Pringle is backing a campaign for radical change to the Common Fisheries Policy, and will travel to Brussels next month to meet with Fisheries Commissioner. Cllr Pringle is travelling with a deputation from ROSA, the “Reclaim our Seas Alliance”, which invoves a number of  fishing groups from the

Donegal Senator Cecilias Keavney says it’s vital that specific commitments are given for the upgrading of roads linking Lifford to Letterkenny and the Twin Towns. Senator Keavney raised the issue of the A5 and connecting routes in the Seanad last night. She was told by Junior Minister Sean Haughey that payment schedules have been agreed

As polling day, November 25th, fast  candidates have been vocal on a number of issues. Below is a selection of some of the issues raised: Donegal South West Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill today welcomed confirmation that following a meeting that both himself and Cllr Seamus O Domhnaill had with the Minister for Transport,  Noel Dempsey

A charity endurance drive from Malin Head to Cape Town has finally been completed. Two Donegal men and a Tyrone man drove in their 4×4’s through sixteen countries in aid of the Donegal Hospice and The Foyle Hospice. Jay Dolan from Lifford, Vincent Tully from Mannorcunningham and Gary Patterson from Castlederg set off on their

A trawler which got into difficulty off the coast of Fanad in the early hours of this morning is been towed into Rathmullan by the Lough Swilly lifeboat. The Galway registered “Glor na Dun”, with four people on board, lost all mechanical power in gale force winds. It arrioved at Rathmullan just after 11.30 this

Enterprise Minister Batt O’Keefe may be asked to comment on the IDA’s recent decision to concentrate on Letterkenny when marketting Donegal abroad. At a recent meeting of Donegal County Council, a deal was agreed under which the IDA will hand over land and units in Ballyshannon, Buncrana, Carndonagh, Donegal Town and Milford to the council.

The government has been called on to intervene and ensure Donegal contractors, owed money by the McNamara construction company to be paid. McNamara went in to liquidation last week. All its projects, including building the new emergency department at Letterkenny General, ground to a halt. During a visit to the county the Taoseach Brian Cowen

A major logistical exercise is to be launched after it was decided to incinerate the 33 whales washed up on a Rutland Island beach. It had been originally planned to bury the pod of pilot whales on Rutland Island where they beached ten days ago. But local people expressed concern with  Donegal County Council’s plan

Buncrana Town Council has recieved a new application for a major residential development in the site of the old Fruit of the Loom factory, with a second application for retail development expected shortly. A previous application by development company Rishton Limited was refused after it was appealed to An Bord Pleanala. When the application was

A Donegal woman has been awarded the maximum 54 thousand euros compensation after suffering sexual harassment at work. Pauline Stone claimed to the Equality Tribunal in March of last year that she was repeatedly sexually harassed by a Director of the petrol station she worked at in Ballyshannon in Co Donegal. Ms. Stone complained to

There are fears that the Lifestart programme may be under threat in Donegal. The programme, which is intended to identify and help children whi may have difficulty in school costs around 750,000 euro a year to run in Donegal, helping 700 families. Cllr Jimmy Harte says the programme was first piloted in Donegal over two

Gardai are investigating an apparent hit and run in Carndonagh on Saturday evening which left a man lying on the side of the road on the Glentogher Roasd about a mile outside the town. It’s thought the incident happened some time before 5 o’clock, as the man was walking on the side of the road.

A senior Donegal County Council Engineer has defended the authority’s record on road gritting and salting, saying the council has been responding to wintry weather, and will continue to do so. After freezing conditions last night and this morning, questions were raised about the level of treatment on local roads. Michael Mc Garvey from Donergal

Plans are in place to increase the number of paid car parking places at Altnagelvin hospital in Derry. The Western Health and Social Care Trust are also to abolish free out-patient parking for those using the hospital as both outpatients and day care patients. A spokesperson for the Trust said that the paid parking would

Garda safety cameras will be switched on across the country from today, using both fixed and mobile cameras. It’s hoped the cameras will act as a deterrent, changing driver behaviour and reducing the number of road deaths. Their locations are primarily confined to accident blackspots, with 112 sites  identified in Donegal. Conor Faughnan of AA

Senior Donegal County Council officials will meet this morning to discuss how best to dispose of the 33 pilot whales washed up on Rutland Island just over a week ago. Area Manager John Gallagher will have to make the final decision, with two options open to the council, wither burial on the beach or transport

Caution is being advised on all roads in Donegal this morning as a result of first and icy conditions. Gardai say there have been a number of incidents of cars leaving the road, but no serious accidents have been reported.  Conditions have been described as treacherous in places. Conditons are improving, but continued care is

A spokesperson for the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group has said the pilot whale found on Mullaghderg on Friday evening is most likely from the same pod which was washed up on Rutland Island just over a week ago. The local photographer who found the whale reported that it seemed fresher that the whales on

According to today’s Sunday Independent, politicians gathering in Donegal for the by-election have been told not to stay in “posh” hotels. In spite of the party’s current low standing in the polls, confidence is growing within Fianna Fail that it may pull off a shock victory. Morale was fired up by a ‘call to arms’

There’s been another dead whale found on a West Donegal beach, this one at Mullaghderg close to Donegal Airport, about three miles from Rutland Island, where 33 dead pilot whales washed up a week ago. This latest whale was found yesterday by photographer John Rafferty of the Irish Skippers magazine…… The Irish Whale and Dolphin

Fine Gael’s Health spokesperson says that staff at Letterkenny General Hospital are fully behind his party’s proposed restructuring of the health system. Dr James Riley is championing change that would see a universal health care system free at the point of entry for all and following the model whereby the money follows the patient. Deputy

There are calls for an application to be made to help secure internationally recognised ‘Ramsar’ status for Lough Swilly. The proposal has been made by Buncrana Town Councillor Michelle Bradley. Ramsar provides a frame work for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. Councillor Bradley says

The AA says the new speed cameras being rolled out at collision blackspots next week are not a money making venture. The Association says the experience in other countries, including France and Sweden, is that they have reduced fatalities by almost a third in blackspot areas. 45 new gatso vans will be based at 600

Fine Gael’s Health spokesperson Deputy James Reily has said he has no faith in NAMA ensuring that work on the new Letterkenny Genera Hospital emergency department will be completed. McNamara construction,  building the new departmen\ at the Hospital has ceased work on all it’s current projects and a receiver has been appointed by NAMA to

Nominations in the Donegal South West by-election, have now closed. Candidates now have 24 hours to take their names off the ballot paper before the line up is confirmed. Six candidates have officially declared their intention to run in the Donegal South West by-election on Thursday November 25th. No further nominations were recieved before today’s

Fine Gael’s Health Spokesperson Dr James Reilly, has said he is strongly against any cuts to the pension in next months budget. His comments come a day after his party leader Enda Kenny refused to give any indication as to whether or not Fine Gael propose cutting the pension. Deputy Kenny said that his proposals

Buncrana Town Council is to establish a ‘Economic Development Group’ in an effort to attract and develop small and medium sized business to Inishowen. The IDA recently stated that its sole focues in attracting direct investment into Donegal would be in Letterkenny. The association signed over land and property across the country to the council

As the clean up operation continues today, the full extend of last nights damage as begun to emerge. The ESB has said North Donegal was the worst hit area in the country, and there was 600 outtages overnight. An ESB spokesperson said that most of the outtages have been now restored in the past half

The north and west bore the brunt of gales last night, with flash floods and trees brought down. Donegal was hit by flash floods on tributaries of the River Finn with several cars stuck in water which closed the N15 between Ballybofey and Lifford. A small river burst its banks near the Roadhouse Bar near

Up to 50 workers were turned away at the construction site of the new A&E unit at Letterkenny General this morning. The company building the new A&E unit at the Hospital has ceased work on all it’s current projects. It’s been confirmed that a receiver has been appointed to a flagship company formerly owned by

Fine Gael’s Donegal South West by-election candidate Cllr Barry O’Neill has said that Fine Gael in government will restore cancer services to Sligo General Hospital. Cllr O’Neill told a press conference today that the network of centres of excellence has condemned patients in the North West to lengthy journies at the worst possible time in

A spokesperson for Tanaiste and Education Minister Mary Coughlan says Fine Gael claims that Letterkenny and Sligo Institutes of Technology may be amalgamated are “completely untrue”. The issue was raised by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny during a press conference in Donegal Town this afternoon. Attacking Ms Coughlan’s record, he said she had let the

The ESB has indicated that up to 3,000 homes are without power in the county as high winds lash the county this afternoon. The worst of the problems are being experienced in the area of Milford, Kilmacrennan and Termon, with some outages on the outskirts of Letterkenny. Problems have also been reported in the vicinity