Author name: oisinkelly

As the planned improvements of the A5 between Strabane and Aughnacloy draw nearer, councillors in Donegal are turning their attentions to having connecting roads on this side of the border improved as well. Coincidentally, two Sinn Fein representatives are moving similar motions at Donegal County Council’s meeting next Monday. Cllr Mick Quinn is calling for […]

Its emerged that a special social welfare payment to lone parents will be stopped once their child reaches 13. Following a review the Social Protection Minister Eamon O’Cuiv is cutting the One-Parent Family Payment. The benefit is currently paid to the lone parent until children are 18, or 22 if in full-time education. But for

A local chip shop owner was “amazed” when almost 400 people apllied for a dish washing job. Donal Cox, who runs Charleys Cafe on the Pearse Road in Letterkenny, got more than he bargained for when the job was advertised on the FAS website. He said most of the applicants from outside the area were

The Tanaiste and Minister for Education, Mary Coughlan has opened the new 2.7 million euro Scoil Eoghan in Moville. The new school consists of eight classrooms, two special tuition rooms, a library and a general purpose hall. The school has 220 pupils and 14 staff. Local Senator Cecillia Keaveney has welcomed the news.

The SDLP’s Colum Eastwood is to be the new Mayor of Derry. He was selected at a party convention last night. The 27-year-old will take over from Sinn Fein’s Paul Fleming next month. He said it was an important year ahead for the city. Cllr Eastwood will take up his new position on the 7th

It’s expected to be a small, dignified, peaceful demonstration with around 50 people expected. The demonstration is taking place outside the Revenue offices. Around 10,000 people have now joined the abolish VRT group on Facebook. Creator of the Facebook group, Ryan Stewart, says VRT has to be abolished.

Two men have been arrested by police investigating an explosion outside a house in Strabane, Co Tyrone. Police detained two men aged 29 and 30 following the alert in Springhill Park yesterday morning. A pipebomb was thrown at the house in the Springhill Park area of Strabane overnight. Damage was caused to the door but

A special Town Council meeting to agree changes to the Letterkenny and Environs Development Plan has been postponed until Tuesday next. The special meeting, which was adjourned last Monday, was to have reconvened today. The delay arose when councillors refused to agree to changes to the line of the proposed Eastern relief Road in Sallaghagrane

Donegal North East Deputy is accusing the Department of Agriculture of discriminating against Donegal, as rules coming into force next week on the electronic tagging of lambs for export. However, Deputy Mc Hugh says while such tagging makes sense if sheep are being exported internationally to Europe or further afield, the rule also applies to

A leading housing charity is forecasting a sharp rise in the number of people in mortgage arrears  this year. New figures published by the Financial Regulator today revealed a 13% increase in accounts in arrears during the first three months of the year. By the end of March, over 32,000 account holders were not making

The remains of a small bomb have been recovered in Strabane. A security alert in Springhill Park, Strabane, began at half past eleven this morning, following a report of a suspicious object. It’s believed a device was thrown at a house in the area and exploded. The property was unoccupied at the time. A number

Gardai have seized a significant quantity of suspected stolen goods as part of an ongoing investigation into criminality in the Donegal garda division. During an operation in the Isle of Doagh area of Inishowen last evening a number of items were seized. These included a jeep, quad and electrical equipement including tvs, mobile phones and

Donegal’s Veterinary Officer has called on the dog owners in the county to take proper responsibility for their pets after figures released show that Donegal puts down more dogs than any other county in Ireland. Last year 874 dogs were taken with almost 750 of those being put down – of that figure 105 were

The Friends of Lifford Hospital Group have said they are ready to take their campaign national. Earlier this week the organiser of the “Save the Wexford Hospital” protest called on all the hospital campaigns to come together, to organise a mass demonstration in Dublin. Closures of community hospitals throughout the country are expected, although nothing

Ardara based Fine Gael County Councillor Terence Slowey may be about to step down from his seat. Newspaper reports suggest that Councillor Slowey has been asked to vacate his Donegal County Council seat by his party in the wake of an expenses controversy earlier this year. In January Councillor Terence Slowey admitted claiming expenses for

A Fine Gael bill proposing that bye-elections be held within six months of a vacancy arising in a constituency has been defeated in the Dáil. The Government’s side won the vote 72-68. Bye-elections are due in three constituencies: in Dublin South, Waterford and Donegal South West. The Donegal South West seat has remained vacant for

An inquest in Derry has been told how a Castlederg girl choked on an uninflated balloon last year, just two days before her 11th birthday. Dreena Harron wept after hearing coroner John Lecky describe her daughter Clarice’s death as  “absolutely devastating”. The inquest heard how on November 7, parents Gerald and Dreena Harron and daughter

Sinn Féin have confirmed that local community activist Mary Kelly will be coopted on to Buncrana Town Council next month to replace former councillor Darren Lalor, A convention will take place in the town on Tuesday next, with Ms Kelly unanimously nominated as the party’s sole candidate for selection. Cllr Padraig Mac Lochlainn says Mary

Workers in the retail sector in Donegal are being urged to become unionised. The trade union Mandate is organising a major recruitment drive in the county this week, with Divisional Organiser Ciaran Campbell saying many retail workers have experienced significant reductions in living standards through deteriorated terms and conditions. He says in some instances, this

The long-awaited report on the Bloody Sunday killings in Co. Derry will be published in just over a fortnights time. 14 people died after soldiers from the British Parachute Regiment opened fire on crowds during a civil rights demonstration on January the 30th, 1972. Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness says the British Prime Minister has kept

Meanwhile, the HSE says that no decisions have been taken on the future of Community Hospitals in Donegal, with fears that the Ropck and Shiel Hospitals in Ballyshannon are at risk of closure. The issue was raised by Donegal representitives at a meeting of the HSE’s regional health forum in Galway this week. One of

The long-awaited report on the Bloody Sunday killings in Co Derry will be published on June the 15th. 14 people died after soldiers from the British Parachute Regiment opened fire on crowds during a civil rights demonstration on January the 30th, 1972. Reporter Mark White the Saville enquiry has taken a very long time. “12

Repair works are to begin in the coming weeks on the N56, the main road in the Glenties electoral area. The road was badly damaged in places due to the frost during the winter. It was annouced at the Committee meeting for the Glenties electoral area yesterday that 525,000 euro has been allocated for repairs.

People locally are being treated unfairly twhen applying for Job seekers allowance, according to local Councillor Mick Quinn. He has attacked the manner in which the rules governing  the use of habitual residency are being used by the Department of Social and Family affairs to determine someones entitlement to sign on. Councillor Quinn, says its

A Fianna Fail County Councillor has said there will be murder, metaphorically speaking, if the government go ahead with reported plans to scrap town councils. Sean McEniff, who also sits on Bundoran Town Council was responding to news that town councillors are to be ditched in a radical shake-up of local government planned by Fianna

Children in Derry have been warned by Sinn Fein not to get mixed up in so-called recreational rioting this summer. Previous holiday periods and marching seasons have been marred by violence at interface areas on both sides of the city. Brandywell councillor Patricia Logue has appealed to parents in Derry to ensure their children don’t

The north coast of Donegal is currently “teeming” with a record number of basking sharks, according to marine researchers. More than 100 of the world’s second largest fish were tagged by the Irish Basking Shark Study Group off Dunaff and Malin Head within the past week. This compares with 106 tagged during the entire season

North West MEP Pat The Cope Gallagher says the go ahead has been given for the long awaited Glenties Primary Health Centre to go to tender, with construction to begin later this year. The facility has been on the agenda since Mr Gallagher was a Junior MInister in the Department of Health, and last week,

Health Minister Mary Harney has indicated she would consider the development of a new communuity hospital in Lifford, possibly as part of a Public Private Partnership. Senator Brian O’Domhnaill says he spoke to Ms Harney in the wake of Sunday’s march in Lifford, and they plan to meet again in the coming days. He says

A 65-year-old man who was extradited from County Donegal was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life after he pleaded guilty to 25 sexual abuse charges and two counts of assault. He also admitted assaulting his ex-wife on two different occasions. The man who cannot be

Two young men have died in a crash in the Fanad peninsula. One of the men has been been named locally as 18 year old PJ Crerand from Kilmacrennan Road, Milford – he was a front seat passenger of one of the vehicle involved in the collision. The driver of that car, a 19 year-old

Police have seized 20 bags of suspected mephedrone during a drugs operation. The bags of white powder were recovered during a search by police officers in Castlederg, Co Tyrone, on Friday, but details have just been released by the PSNI. The seizure is believed to be the first of its kind in the North West

After thousands turned out for a protest against the possible closure of Lifford Hospital on Sunday, calls are now being made for a national demonstration. The organiser of the “Save Wexford Hospital” protest wants all the hospital campaigns to come together, to organise a mass demonstration in Dublin. Closures of Community Hospitals throughout the country

The decision proposed change to the Letterkenny and Environs Plan allowing for a new bridge over the Swilly at Oldtown has been deferred. A Letterkenny Town Council meeting to endorse the proposal was adjourned today, when it emerged the changes could lead to the demolition of a house, and seriously impact on two other properties.

An Inishowen councillor is to raise the issue of restricting the use of jet-skis on all Donegal beaches after a girl was injured in an accident involving one of the vehicles on Sunday. The girl, thought to be in her early teens, was injured when she was thrown from a jet ski on to rocks

Fine Gael has claimed that government is running scared of holding the Uduras Na Gaeltachta elections for fear that they will lose their representation on the board. The elections were due to take place in April but the government says they will not take place this year because it wanted to finalise a new 20-year

The impact of border service on soldiers, gardai and other frontline services is being explored by a new group which will have its inaugural meeting tonight. The Ex-Border Personnel Association was formed on foot of a research project  looking at the experiences of Irish soldiers who served during the Northern conflict. Areas of concern that

Thousands  of people took part in a protest march in Lifford yesterday against the closure of the local Community Hospital. Organisers of the protest said the huge turnout reflected the sense of anger and opposition to any plans there may be to close the hospital. Our reporter Barry Whyte, was at yesterdays protest and you

Figures published today show that Donegal had one of the biggest wage bills in the country for Councillors. The Figures in the Irish Times show that Donegal County Councillors received a total of 910 thousand euro. Of that the Mayor recieved 43,600 euro while the total amount of gratuities paid was 139,600 euro. Payments recieved

More than 450 people will hear today if they’re facing blood tests as part of a Hepatitis C scare at a number of hospitals in the Northwest and West, including Letterkenny General. A review of patients was undertaken when it was discovered a surgeon who worked at three facilities between 2004 and 2008 had contracted