Author name: oisinkelly

The resignation of Donegal North East TD Dr James Mc Daid continues to dominate news both locally and nationally this evening following this morning’s shock announcement. Today’s events moved speedily. Rumours began circulating this morning that Dr James Mc Daid was resigning from Dail Eireann, and just after half past two this afternoon, Ceann Comhairle […]

Dr James McDaid says he resigned his seat in the Dail in order to expedite a general election. The former minister resigned this morning – in a letter to the Taoiseach Brian Cowen last week, Dr McDaid called for an election before the budget. His decision now leaves four vacant Dail seats and further undermines

The future of the Donegal Hospice is in doubt after the facility’s medical director said HSE cutbacks will force him to close it. Consultant Donal Martin says the hospice will not be able to accept any new patients from December 21st, and operations will be scaled down until all remaining patients have left. Dr Martin

It is understood that Dr James McDaid has resigned his seat in the Dáil. We understand the Donegal North East Deputy’s resignation will be submitted to the Ceann Comhairle this morning, and then laid in the Oireachtas library Dr McDaid has been outside the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party since he opposed Government policy to the

The search is resuming this morning for a fisherman who’s missing off the Donegal coast. 41 year old Robert ‘Jackie’ McLaughlin hasn’t been seen since he set out with his uncle. Eddie Doherty, on their crab boat, the ‘Jennifer’, yesterday morning. Mr Doherty’s  body was later recovered from the water. Wreckage of the vessel was

The Judgement on Sinn Fein Senator Pearse Doherty’s legal challenge in relation to the failure by government to hold the Donegal South West by-election has been brought forward. The decision was due to be announced next Friday but the parties involved have now been told that the outcome of the challenge will be known tomorrow.

The parents of the two teenagers who died from Carbon Monoxide poisoning in Co Derry three months ago say they will never get over their loss. Aaron Davidson and Neil McFerran were on holiday in the seaside town of Castlerock in August when the tragedy happened. Their friend, Matthew Gaw – survived. A new campaign

A Derry man and a man from Dublin have been sentenced for their part in the importation of nearly £2 million worth of heroin into the North. Sean Doherty (42) of Cornshell Fields in Derry admitted possessing the drugs with intent to supply on July 11 last year and Anthony Morgan (29) of Eaton Green

The search is continuing for a man who is still missing after the fishing boat “Jennifer” went aground on rocks near Glengad in North Inishowen. The body of the second man in the boat was recovered within an hour of the search being called just before 11 o’clock this morning. The body was that of

The State is to seek a retrial of a Kerrykeel man accused of the manslaughter of a garda, who died two weeks after being struck by a car. On Friday a  jury at Letterkenny Circuit Court failed to reach a verdict on the charge of manslaughter against Jamie McGrenaghan of Gortnatraw. McGrenaghan had pleaded not

The body of a man has been recovered from the sea near Glengad in north Donegal with a search under way for a second man after a vessel went on the rocks. Two people were on board ‘The Jennifer’ when it went on the rocks near Glengad this morning. The Coastguard was alerted to the

It should be known later today if a Kerrykeel man will face retrial for the manslaughter of Garda Robbie McCallion. On  Friday the jury in the trial of Jamie McGrenaghan of Gortnatraw failed to reach a verdict on the manslaughter charge of Garda McCallion at Tara Court, Letterkenny. The seven man and five woman jury

Major political parties and the unions will be represented at a public meeting in Letterkenny to discuss the current state of the health service and provide opinion on how it can be improved. The event is being organised by the Save Donegal Health Services campaign, which  is a broad based alliance of the three main

Up to 20 thousand students are expected to take to the streets this week in protest at an increase in the third level registration fee. There’s speculation the charge which currently stands at 1500 euro may be doubled in the budget. The USI says it would lead to huge drop out rates and the death

Two fishermen have been rescued off the north Mayo coast following a major operation co-ordinated by the Malinhead coast guard station. The men were located by the Sligo-based Coastguard helicopter after their 36 foot fishing vessel sank yesterday afternoon. The alarm was raised after they failed to return by nightfall to Porturlin Harbour. They spent

There is speculation today that Fianna Fail will call on soccer legend Packie Bonner to contest the Donegal Southwest bye-election which is expected to be held early next year. Mr Bonner is on the recored stating that Fianna Fail last year asked him to contest the European elections on their behalf and in a soon

A former champion boxer was left in a vegetative state after he was involved in a horrific road crash. Gareth Holmes, 20, was the backseat passenger in a classic car which hit a tree on March 13th, 2008. The car, a 1980 Escort RS 2000 was being driven by painter Kevin McLaughlin. Gardai and medical

HSE West is today warning about the dangers posed by bonfires and fireworks. Parents and children are asked to be extra vigilant over the next three days as the Halloween festivities reach their peak. Parents are also advised to ensure that their children are accompanied by an appropriate adult whilst visiting houses to seek Halloween

A number of Donegal groups are amongst a contingent of over 1000 people taking part in a unique ‘citizens forum’ in Dublin today. The Forum at the RDS is debating alternative policies to tackle the recession, and reshape Ireland’s economy. The organisers say they hope the forum will create a movement for change that politicians

A jury has failed to find a verdict against a man accused of the manslaughter of a young Garda. The jury could not agree if Jamie McGrenaghan was guilty of the manslaughter of Garda Robbie McCallion in Letterkenny, Co Donegal on March 26th, 2009. McGrenaghan, 19, was driving a car which knocked down Garda McCallion

A row erupted on The Shaun Doherty Show today between Councillor Frank McBrearty and Donegal News journalist Charlie Joe McGinley. In todays edition of the Donegal News CJ McGinley reports that Cllr Frank Mc Brearty swore at the County Manager and some Cllrs in the County House last Tuesday. While the Labour Councillor admitted using

The first step in developing a much discussed data centre on the Donegal and Derry border has been taken with the lodgement of a planning application by an agent based in Dublin. Senator Cecilia Keavney has welcomed the application, and while hopeful that it will develop into a successful project that will yield jobs, she’s

A Higher Education Authority report published this week has found that at Letterkenny Institute of Technology, student completion rates are higher than the national average for Institutes of Technology in all categories. This contrasts with the annual Sunday Times assessment, which has consistently found Letterkenny’s completion rates to be the lowest in the country. College

People are being urged to offer their views on wind energy and wind farms at a soapbox event at the Donegal County Library next month. The “Wind Farms – The Future or a Blot on the Landscape” debate is being arranged under the auspices of the EU Direct Centre for the North West, and today

HSE West today warned about the dangers posed by Halloween bonfires and fireworks. Parents and children are asked to be extra vigilant over the next three days. Parents are also being urged to ensure that their children are accompanied by an appropriate adult whilst visiting houses to seek Halloween treats Dr Anthony Breslin has this

Officers travelling from down the country are being putting up at a hotel because there is no room at Finner Camp according to a local councillor. Councillor Martin Harley says he’s been told by an officer in Finner that this is the case and he will be looking into the situation further. He says the

Highland Radio continues to be the country’s most listened to local radio station. Newly published independent figures show that 7 out of 10 adults who listen to the radio during the week listen to Highland Radio Its market share, a key indicator for advertisers is 63.4% – almost 10 points clear of any other local

Around 300 holiday-makers have been stranded after some flights to and from City of Derry Airport were cancelled. A strike by air traffic controllers in France led to the cancellations today. Ryanair cancelled four flights to and from Faro in Portugal and Alicante in Spain. Passengers, who were due to travel on those flights, have

Gardaí investigating dissident republican activity in Co Donegal last February found cable ties in a car and arrested three men from the North, the Special Criminal Court in Dublin heard yesterday. 58-year-old Desmond Donnelly of Drumall, Lisnarick, Co Fermanagh, 46-year-old Gerard McGarrigle of Mount Carmel Heights, Strabane and 61-year-old Jim Murphy of Floraville, Enniskillen pleaded

It’s emerged that ministerial discussions on funding a cross border radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry will take place in a matter of weeks. Details of the imminent meeting were revealed when a delegation from Cooperating for Cancer Care North West met with Health Minister Mary Harney in Dublin last evening. It followed assurances

Local authorities in Donegal are being urged to regenerate local authority housing by transfering it to a housing association. Cluid Housing Association, a not for profit group develops housing for people on low incomes and those with special needs. The organisation argues that it is more cost effective to focus on the regeneration of estates

The mother of a 27-year-old man who killed himself after being discharged from the psychiatric unit at Letterkenny General Hospital has lost her negligence case against the HSE in the High Court. Ellen Ann Orpen argued that the HSE had failed to provide adequate care to her son Michael when he presented himself at the

The Department of Agricultures delay in processing agri-funding applications is crippling farmers, according to Donegal North-East Deputy Joe McHugh. And Deputy McHugh has now called on the Minister for Agriculture, Brendan Smith, to divert staff in the Department to process all outstanding payments. He says farmers can’t afford to wait to January for these payments.

Donegal County Council is to adopt new by-laws to allow it deal with abandoned horses, but more discussions will take place before a final draft is agreed. Outgoing county vet Frank Mc Rory told members last evening that the economic situation has led to a serious increase in the number of horses being abandoned in

A judge has described the conditions at a court as “laughable” after prisoners were held all day in a prison van because there was no room for them in the courthouse. Judge John O’Hagan said the physical conditions at Letterkenny Circuit Court in Donegal were simply not good enough. The judge said the legal profession,

A man who tried to rob a bank in south Donegal was caught after a bank assistant recognised him by the teardrop tattoos on his face. 19 year-old Joseph Myers walked into the Bank of Ireland branch on Main Street in Ballyshannon in Co Donegal and demanded a cashier put money into a plastic bag

A 27-year-old Donegal man has been found not guilty of three counts of dangerous driving causing death. The jury returned three unanimous verdicts shortly after 5pm today at Donegal Circuit Court. Niall McGrath, Grahamstown, had pleaded not guilty of dangerous driving causing the deaths of Nora McGee (74) Magheraroarty and a couple from Omagh, Damien

Donegal County Council has formally agreed a deal with the IDA, which will see land and units in Ballyshannon, Buncrana, Carndonagh, Donegal Town and Milford handed over to the council. As part of the deal,the IDA is providing €800,000 for repairs and €500,000 for road improvements. County Manager Seamus Neely says there are already three

A Donegal County Council debate on the introduction of an anti-social behaviour strategy has been dominated by a discussion on one clause which states that the council will seek information from gardai about prospective tenants. Cllr Frank Mc Brearty strongly opposed this provision, saying the garda Pulse system records arrests, but not court findings, and

A Derry Councillor is calling for a complete ban on the sale of fireworks in Northern Ireland over the counter. Shantallow representative Tony Hassan says there’s been a high number of complaints about the misuse of fireworks and associated products in the city. Incidents include fireworks being pushed into letter boxes and thrown into gardens

Local authorities in Donegal may be forced to cut services next year because of cuts in funding from Dublin. Labour Councillor Jimmy Harte says the local government fund could be cut by as much as 10% next year, and realistically, councils cannot expect commercial ratepayers to make up the shortfall. He says this means services

After another paramilitary style shooting in Derry over ther weekend, Foyle MLA Pat Ramsey has called on Republican Action Against Drugs to engage in talks with the SDLP and community leaders to find a solution to violent attacks in Derry. On Saturday night, a pizza delivery man was lured to an address in Creggan Heights,

An Inishowen Councillor says a land deal being signed today between the IDA and Donegal County Council will have to be very carefully monitored. The IDA is now concentrating all its efforts on securing investment for Letterkenny, so it is signing lands in Buncrana, Ballyshannon, Carndonagh, Donegal Town and Milford over to Donegal County Council

Speculation is mounting that Letterkenny Institute of Technology is on the verge of acquiring a 10 acre site for car parking and other developments. Last week, when asked about the car parking issue, LYIT president Paul Hannigan told Highland Radio that an announcement is imminent, and he expects confirmation of a breakthrough in a matter

A campaign is growing in Derry to have the new bridge linking Ebrington and the Cityside named after John Hume. Assembley work on what has become known as the “Peace Bridge” has been underway for over a week, with local SDLP politicians saying the awarding of the title “Ireland’s Greatest” to their former party leader