Author name: oisinkelly

Donegal County Council is warning that customers who repeatedly ignore water bills that their supplies will be disconnected. The council is set to reach its water revenue targets this year, with County Manager Seamus Neely saying arrears are coming down. He’s urging any businesses having difficulty to engage with the council with a view towards […]

Letterkenny Town Council has instructed officials to write a 3% reduction in the commercial rate into the budget for next year, but only after Mayor Cllr Tadhg Culbert used his casting vote. The motion was moved by Cllr Dessie Larkin, and supported by his Fianna Fail colleagues. The other members in the chamber said they

Surveillance cameras are to be placed at litter blackspots across Donegal. The Council says that a pilot project in Inishowen has proved very successful. Senior engineer Con Mc Laughlin has confirmed, as a result, that cameras are going to be used county wide:

Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has described the use of data from several Irish passports by members of a Russian spy ring uncovered in the US earlier this year as “disturbing”. Gardaí are investigating the use of the passports, including one belonging to a volunteer with an Irish charity which works with orphans in

The Mayor of Donegal Cllr Cora Harvey says a council trip to Boston next week should pay real dividends for the county. The invitation to travel to Boston from the Irish Echo newspaper, and involves a number of speeches and meetings in Boston. They include Cllr Harvey making keynote speeches at a business awards ceremony

Donegal County Council’s reconvened monthly meeting was adjourned for a time today after repeated interjections from Cllr Frank Mc Brearty. His comments centred on his opposition to the council paying for two members and the manager to attend a number of functions. During the County Manager’s report, it emerged that the Mayor of Donegal has

The Minister for Disability and Mental Health will this evening address a public meeting this (Monday) evening about mental health stigma and what can be done to reduce it. John Moloney along with representatives from ‘See Change’ will address the meeting taking place in the Balor Arts Theatre, Ballybofey from 8 o’clock. See Change is

Donegal Councillor Frank Mc Brearty has accused the government of ignoring motions moved by local authorities. Cllr Mc Brearty says ministers send stock replies to the council promising that matters are “receiving attention”, but nothing is done. This morning, Cllr Mc Brearty was supported by all members when he moved a motion calling for commitments

Police are investigating damage caused to 30 cars parked in a mainly Protestant area of Derry at the weekend. The cars parked in the Irish Street area were vandalised sometime between 1.30 am and 10am on Sunday. DUP MLA William Hay says he believed it was a sectarian attack – that is a view shared

A Donegal County Councillor has claimed that foreign national women are openly involved in prostitution in Donegal. Thomas Pringle says the problem is such that women can be seen openly soliciting for trade on the streets. He raised the issue at a recent Joint Policing Committee meeting. Councillor Pringle says he is surprised that prostitution

It is hoped the future of Aer Arann’s Donegal service will be assured later when rescue plan for regional is outlined today in court. The examiner to the airline, Michael McAteer, is due to announce he has selected a prefered bidder. Its believed the group has been spearheaded by a British Transport Business called Stobart

The Minister for Justice and Law Reform Dermot Ahern is Donegal later to officially open the Buncrana Garda Station. The Justice Minister will be joined by Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW Martin Mansergh along with Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy for the ceremony. They will also meet with residents of Carndonagh to discuss

Donegal Deputy Dinny McGinley made the top 3 in terms if TD’s expenses claims covering the period during which the Dail was in summer recess. Figures published at the weekend show that Deputy McGinley claimed almost 21 thousand euro  – the third highest in the country. Deputy Niall Blaney also topped 20 thousand euro mark

An Bord Pleanala will have to decide if a major wind farm close to Glenties will be allowed proceed after a Donegal County Council decision to allow the project was appealed. The initially proposed development consisted of the erection of 35 wind turbines. The original application from a PJ Molloy sought permission for the construction

Nigeria’s ambassador to Ireland is in Donegal on Saturday for a special event marking the 50th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence. There is an estimated 200 nigerian nationals based in Donegal and they along with members of the wider community are being invited to attend the event in the Mount Errigal hotel in Letterkenny. Starting at

Senator Pearse Doherty will be officially ratified as Sinn Fein’s election candidate for the Donegal South West by-election tomorrow evening. Leading party figures including President Gerry Adams and Dáil Leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin will attend the convention in Gortahork. Senator Doherty is currently engaged in a High Court action against the Government over its failure

A Donegal legal expert says that anyone approached by a debt collection agency who fears they are in danger or are being intimidated should report the incident directly to the gardai. The comments come following reports that representatives from the debt collection agency owned by Martin ‘The Viper’ Foley called to the home of a

The Labour Party have confirmed that John Gallagher from Glenfin and previous independent local election candidate has joined the party in Donegal South-West. Mr.Gallagher an accountant from Glenfinn, joined the party this week. He recieved the backing of Cllr Frank McBrearty, the partys Donegal South-West by election candidate and recently selected general election candidate. Mr.Gallagher

Voting to elect the fifth term of the Donegal Youth Council gets underway today, with 12,000 12-18 year-old’s heading to the polls. 56 candidates will fight it out, with 36 to be elected by next Friday. With an increased number of 12-15 year olds putting their names forward, this years Youth Councillors are expected to

An endurance drive in aid of charity from Malin Head to Cape Town got underway last evening. Two Donegal men and a Tyrone man will drive in their 4X4’s through sixteen countries in aid of the Donegal Hospice and the Foyle Hospice. Jay Dolan from Lifford, Vicient Tully from Manorcunningham and Gary Patterson from Castlederg

180 minks remain at large after they were set free from a farm in Co. Donegal nearly two weeks ago. Animal rights activists are being blamed for setting the animals free from the farm in Ardara. The search has continuing over the past fortnight for the escaped animals with hundreds of traps in operation. There

A hotel and leisure centre, creating hundreds of jobs, could be on the way to the Strabane and Lifford area. Planning permission has been approved for the development along the border at the area known as “the camels hump”. The Riverside Building & Development Limited  proposal will include an employment park, a 100 bedroom hotel,

The National Cancer Screening Service has confirmed it is locating a second mobile screening unit in County Donegal. The second unit will be located in Buncrana, and will commence screening women at the end of November. BreastCheck has almost completed screening of over 5,300 women living in South Donegal, and the unit currently located in

The Connaught Ulster branch of the Ministerial Council on Intergration will meet for the first time in Galway this evening. The council is made up of 15 members of the migrant community representing 14 countries of origin who will outline their experiences of intergration in Ireland and inform future government policy in the area of

Senator Cecilia Keaveney is to meet with Justice Minister Dermot Ahern next week to seek a commitment on the provision of a new courthouse and garda station in Carndonagh. Minister Ahern is due in the county on Monday to officially open Buncrana Garda Station It was initially planned for the new facilities in Carndonagh be

The Government has defeated an Opposition motion on health cuts. Despite Galway West TD Noel Grealish again voting against the Government, Donegal North East TD Dr James Mc Daid and Sligo Deputies Jimmy Devins and Eamon Scanlon, all of whom have lost the Fianna Fail whip, voted with the coalition. The government won the key

The Government has defeated an Opposition motion on health cuts. Despite the Galway West TD Noel Grealish again voting against the Government, Mattie McGrath and other rebels voted with the coalition and they won by 77 to 73. Earlier the Tipperary North TD, Michael Lowry warned his vote would be in doubt in future if

Fine Gael has said it is to push for a reduction in commercial rates of at least 5% in advance of the Donegal County Council budget. The party has also called on both National and Local Government to act immediately to assist Retailers in the county in advance of the Christmas Shopping period. Councillor Barry

There is positive news for the Eagle breeding programme in Donegal with news that two Golden Eagle pairs successfully hatched chicks in 2010. Eggs from a third pair failed to hatch. Five young Golden Eagle were also imported from Scotland and released in Donegal in August. The project has been dogged by controversy in recent

The Donegal Women’s Domestic Service is hosting a major conference in Letterkenny today to discuss how to deal with how violence impacts on the family. The conference is being addressed by representitives of the HSE, the Gardai and COSC, with an emphasis on how all the agencies involved need to work together. The conference comes

Police in Strabane have warned that counterfeit banknotes have been found in circulation there. Traders and business people have been advised to check that each note they receive is genuine. A police spokesperson said that there are a number of ways of telling if a note is authentic. Notes that look or feel different or

Labours education spokesperson Ruairi Quinn says he can’t see Senator Pearse Doherty winning his High Court attempt to forcing the government to hold the Donegal South-West by- election. The seat has been vacant since Pat The Cope Gallagher was elected to the European Parliament 16 months ago. The former Labour leader says he believes the

There are calls for Letterkenny General Hospital to give assurances that local cancer patients will not lose their subsidised flights to Dublin in order to receive treatment. Senator Doherty says he was appalled to learn that the withdrawal of the subsidy which allows cancer care patients to fly to Dublin from Donegal Airport for €30

A journalist who recently interviewed members of the Real IRA says he’s not surprised Monday night’s bomb in Derry exploded close to a bank. Yesterday police revealed that two officers were injured in the blast on the Culmore Road generated by 200 pounds of explosives packed into a Vauxhall Corsa. The Guardian’s Ireland Correspondant, Henry

It’s claimed in today’s Irish Times that former Fianna Fáil Senator Don Lydon was paid almost €150,000 in travel and subsistence expenses between 2004 and 2007 after changing his normal place of residence from Dublin to Donegal. 72 year old Don Lydon left the Seanad after 20 years in 2007, and previously served as a

Ryanair says it is committed to City of Derry Airport and is considering increasing flights from there in light of a recent decision to pull its services out of City of Belfast Airport. The company is celebrating carrying over 2.5 million passengers at City of Derry since it started operating their in 1999. Laszlo Tamas

Labours education spokesperson and former leader, Ruairi Quinn, who is in Donegal today, says the party have real prospects of taking the two Donegal seats in the next election. Cllr Frank McBrearty is to contend the Donegal South-West by-election, while Cllr Jimmy Harte has all but been confirmed to contest Donegal North-East in the next

A youth who was questioned yesterday by gardai about attacks in the Gortlee / Ashlawn area of Letterkenny has been released pending a file to the DPP. The 16 year old was arrested yesterday morning and questioned about three incidents in September before he was released last night.

The latest figures from property website daft.ie show that house prices in Donegal fell by 2.4% in the third quarter of 2010. Over that period the average asking price in Donegal was €183,000, a fall of €86,000 from the peak. The fall recorded nationally was 3.7% – Ronan Lyons of Daft.ie explains why the fall

Fine Gael’s Health Spokesperson Dr James Reilly is challenging government TDs to support the motion he’s moving in the Dail tonight calling for extensive reform across the health service. Already, Fine Gael locally have said that North West TDs, including Dr James Mc Daid, who have lost the Fianna Fail whip as a result of

The Mayor of Derry has condemned last night’s car bomb attack in Derry. The device went off close to the Da Vinci’s Hotel on the Culmore Road just after midnight. There were no injuries, but property damage is believed to be substantial. The area remains sealed off this morning, and disruption is being experienced in

A car bomb has exploded outside a shopping centre in Derry. Police say the blast caused substantial damage to nearby shops. A warning was received about an hour before the device exploded. Dozens of homes and shops near to the DaVinci centre on Culmore Road were evacuated. There are no reports of any injuries. Police

Gardai in Letterkenny are questioning a youth about three assaults in the Ashlawn / Gortlee area of the town. The 16 year old was detained this morning, and is being questioned under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. He can be detained for up to 12 hours.