Author name: oisinkelly

A father and son from Armagh who were jailed for10 and six years for possessing cannabis for sale and supply in Donegal in August 2007 have had their convictions overturned, and a retrial ordered. The two were arrested after they accepted five parcels containing herbal cannabis with an estimated street value of half a million […]

A senior customs officer has said that those enforcing VRT laws have been the subjected of unacceptable abuse, including being spat at, by some members of the public. Insisting that enforcement staff are respectful and courteous while doing their job,  Sean Kelleher says hostility towards them is more prevalent in Donegal than anywhere else. Mr

The Taoiseach has thrown his support behind Derry’s bid to become the UK City of Culture in 2013. Brian Cowen made his comments as final preparations are put to the bid which will face competition from Birmingham, Norwich and Sheffield who are also vying for the title. in supporting the bid The Taoiseach said Derry

Fine Gael Deputy Dinny McGinley has said the role of broadband in Donegal is not happening fast enough with many areas still without the service. He was speaking in the wake of new OECD figures which indicated that Ireland is 29th out of the 30 countries which are covered by the economic and development group.

Senator Brian O’Domhnaill is calling on the HSE to update the local community on how the proposed new Primary Health Care Centre in Glenties is progressing. Raising the issue in the Seanad last night for the second time in three months, Senator O’Domhnaill said that at a recent meeting in the area the local parish

A spokesperson for the IMPACT union says they are in no doubt that the HSE plans to shut Lifford Community Hospital with serious question marks over the The Rock Hospital in Ballyshannon. Richie Curruthers was speaking ahead of a public protest march scheduled to take place in Lifford from 3 o’clock this coming Sunday. The

The NRA has confirmed an additional 3.5 million euro in funding for Donegal roads. The funding is in addition to money allocated earlier in the year by the National Roads Authority. 900 thousand euro will be spent resurfacing a stretch of the N56 between Mountcharles and Killybegs, which has been the scene of a number

Figures released by the EU commission this week show that youth unemployment in Ireland stood at almost 28% at the end of March, over 7% above the EU average. Commenting on the figures, North West MEP Marian Harkin says the Irish Government must take decisive action immediately to introduce a coherent and brave employment strategy

Customs officials have this afternoon seized the vehicle of a woman who was the subject of a six hour stand-off in Buncrana yesterday . Friends of Ms Margaret Davin says16 customs officers arrived at her house this afternoon to seize her northern registered car despite claims that she had been given a caution yesterday. This

Buncrana is to recieve a major tourism boost this summer with news that the town is stage the headline act of the Topaz Donegal International Rally. 20,000 extra thousand visitors are expected to descend on Buncrana for two back to back stages which are the first hosted by the town in almost 30 years. In

A soldier who was the victim of a prank in which a pizza he ate was “spiked” with cannabis has now been refused an extension of his Army contract, the High Court heard. Two years ago, 32-year-old Private John White of Belldoo, Strabane, Co Tyrone, brought a successful High Court challenge to his discharge after

Less than 1 in 10 drivers involved in serious car crashes were tested for alcohol between 2003 and 2005 The PARC road safety group is appearing before an Oireachtas Committee on transport this afternoon to discuss the Road Traffic Bill 2009. Chairwoman and founder of Parc Susan Grey says that drivers involved in serious crashes

A 27-year-old man who was arrested by police in Derry on Tuesday has been charged with a firearms related offence. He is due to appear at Derry Magistrates Court on June 10. The man was detained in a PSNI operation investigating terrorist related activity in the Derry area. The police said a 26-year-old man arrested

A court has heard that a  group of protestors went beyond peaceful protest when they broke into the offices of a weapons software company in Derry. Nine women and five men aged between 25 and 66 face charges over the incident at the Raytheon plant on the Branch Road in January 2009. Two of the

A stand off between a woman and customs officials, who attempted to seize her car in Buncrana has ended. According to local council Padraig McLoughlain the woman was in the town to fulfill a court appearance to give evidence on behalf of gardai this morning. However the stand-off was sparked when customs officials attempted to

Councillor Barry O’Neill has been called on to resign his position as chair of the Donegal VEC if he doesn’t issue an apology for comments he made following his election yesterday. Councillor Dessie Larkin has claimed Councillor O’Neil has cast a dark shadow over the VEC and how it is run by suggesting that there

A claim for damages against the chief constable and the NI Secretary brought by the husband of one of the victims of the Omagh bomb has been struck out. Laurence Rush brought the case over “the failures in the apprehension, detection and pre-emptive arrest of the Real IRA members who planted the bomb”. A high

The former detective whose book “Breaking the Silence” has been instrumental in securing an audit of child protection in the Raphoe diocese says he feels he had to write the book to give the victims of abuse a voice. Confirming that Raphoe would be among the first audits to be finished, Ian Elliot of the

The new chair of the Donegal VEC says the priority for the committee during his term will be to ensure further funding for the county’s schools and teachers. FG Cllr Barry O’Neill was elected to the chair at yesterday’s AGM, he beat Bundoran FF Cllr Philip McGlynn to the position. His deputy is Labour Cllr

A Donegal man has been convicted at the Central Criminal Court of sexually assaulting three young girls in his daughter’s bed while they were on sleepovers at his house. The 44-year-old man, who can not be named for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexually assaulting three then 13-year-old girls on separate

The head of Failte Ireland North West is predicting a tourism increase in Donegal this summer as a result of the Donegal Live event which took place in Dublin’s Temple Bar yesterday. Paul Mc Loone says the event is set to pay dividends, with industry representitives on the ground reporting a large number of positive

The head of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church says an audit of child protection in the Raphoe Diocese will be completed by the end of this year. Ian Elliot said he had discussed claims of cover-ups by the diocese with former detective Martin Ridge, who claimed in a book that

The HSE is being urged to bring jobs to Letterkenny rather than take them away. Deputy Niall Blaney has met the Health Minister Mary Harney to discuss the National Review of GP Out of Hours Service, which recommends that one call centre replace three currently in operation in the West. It’s widely believed Galway will

Ballyshannon Councillor Barry O’Neill is the new Chair of Donegal VEC following a sometimes acrimonious meeting, at which Fianna Fail members accused representitives of other parties of excluding them. The non-Fianna Fail councillors met at the weekend, leading to accusations of a secret pact to exclude Fianna Fail. However, Cllr O’Neill denies this. He’s pledging

A major exercise to test Donegal Airport’s Emergency Plan takes place tomorrow morning from half past seven. Exercise Eagle will involve simulating a collision between an aircraft and a helicopter on the approach to the runway at the airport. Eilis Barrett is Operations Manager at the airport, she says people shouldn’t be alarmed if they

The Donegal VEC holds what it describes as its quinquennial meeting today, at which the way the political element of how the committee operates for the next number years will be determined. Under new regulations, the committee chairperson is elected for three years, but in 2006, it was decided to implement a power sharing arrangement

Tanaiste Mary Coughlan will attend a function this morning to sign the contract for a key element of the €16 million Killybegs Sewerage Scheme. The document being signed today is a contract to design, build and operate the Main Pump Station, Outfall & Industrial collection System. Donegal Mayor Cllr Brendan Byrne is hopeful that schemes

The Irish Aviation Authority has confirmed closed until midday tomorrow as a result of further volcanic activity in Iceland. City of Derry Airport is also closed today, as are other airports in Belfast and in Britian.

A man remains in a critical condition in a Belfast hospital this evening after falling from a cliff at Portrush. The man was watching the North West 200 motorcycle race at Ballyreagh Road when the accident happened just before 3 o’clock yesterday. He fell about 60ft.

Donegal Airport could once again be affected by volcanic ash tomorrow according the the Irish Aviation Authority. In a bulletin tonight, the IAA says Donegal, Sligo and Ireland West (Knock) airports will be open until 7am . All other Irish airports will be open until at least 1pm tomorrow. The IAA said that due to

It’s emerged that the “Donegal Live” tourism showcase could be brought to Glasgow, Belfast and other areas if tomorrow’s debut in Dublin’s Temple Bar is a success. ‘Donegal Live’ kicks off at Meeting House Square tomorrow between 12noon and 6pm, with a host of local personalities and musicians there to promote Donegal as a tourist

The partner of a Donegal man accused of sexually assaulting three young girls has denied she ever walked into their daughters room and found him him standing over the bed with his privates exposed. The 44-year-old Donegal man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexually assaulting

Two gardai who died in seperate incidents in Donegal last year will be honoured at the opening of a memorial garden today. Robbie Mc Callion and Gary Mc Laughlin were the latest of 83 gardai who have died in the line of duty. Also included is Donegal Sergeant Paul Reid, who died on UN secondment

Appeals against the Omagh bomb civil action are to go ahead after legal aid was granted to all four men held liable for the atrocity. Judges were told funding has been secured for each of the dissident republican suspects – including Liam Campbell, the alleged Real IRA chief who was undefended at the original trial.

The Supreme Court is to rule today on a challenge to the constitutionality of the mandatory life sentence for murder. The appeal was brought by convicted killers Paul Lynch and Peter Whelan. Peter Whelan is serving life for the murder of 20 year old student Nicola Sweeney at her home in Rochestown, Cork, in April

NOTE: CONTENT MAY OFFEND A friend of three girls who claim they were sexually assaulted by a Donegal man while on sleepovers has said the allegations came to light when one of the girls became distressed after seeing a photo of the accused. The teenage witness told the Central Criminal Court jury that after the

Letterkenny Town Council is to investigate the feasibility of introducing a Cycle scheme in the Town. The idea would be a scaled down version of schemes seen in major cities which make available bicycles in a number of various locations which would be available for locals and tourists alike. The suggestion was made by Councillor

MEP Pat the Cope Gallagher remains the so called last man standing having yet to confirm if he is to give up his ministerial pension. It’s two weeks since the former Donegal South West Deputy indicated that he was due to announce his decision, but to date he has yet to express his intentions. Last

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 64.1% – 10 points clear of any other local radio

A Derry man  will go on trial next month charged n connection with the seizure of more two million pounds worth of heroin on the Foyle Bridge in Derry last July. He stands accused along with a man and woman with addresses in Dublin. At Derry Crown Court today 42 year-old Sean Doherty  of Cornshell

A special meeting has been held in Donegal aimed at encouraging older people in the county to have their voices heard in the compiling of the government’s National Positive Ageing Strategy. Submissions are currently being accepted for the strategy which is the first of its kind in Ireland spurned by predictions that the country’s population

The new Northern Ireland secretary, Owen Paterson, has called for the Bloody Sunday report to be published as soon as possible. It’s understood that the printing of the final report is under way and the families will see the findings by the end of this month. However, spokesperson for the Bloody Sunday families, John Kelly

There’s been a call for more cross border cooperation to tackle the issue of domestic violence, and in particular, its impact on children. In what’s been described as a unique partnership, the NSPCC in Belfast and the Donegal Women’s Domestic Violence Service have come together to publish a report which includes a number of recommendations.

A teenager has told a Central Criminal Court jury that she fell asleep while babysitting, to wake up finding the father of the girl she was minding standing naked at the side of the bed. The 44-year-old Donegal man, who can not be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of

As expected, a Fine Gael bill seeking to introduce administrative penalties for minor fishing offences was defeated in the Dail last night, with Minister Brendan Smith indicating that the government weill bring in its own bill shortly. Among those who spoke on the debate last night was Donegal South West Deputy Dinny Mc Ginley, who

A senior government minister admitted in the Seanad last night that the EU commission would like to see VRT abolished. Speaking on the adjournment, Donegal Senator Pearse Doherty told Minister Tony Killeen that a campaign had begun in Donegal against VRT, and also against the heavy handed way in which people believe the tax is

A dissident republican group says a device found at a leisure centre in Derry yesterday had been left there five days ago. A group of school children from Castletown, St Johnstown were among those evacuated from the pool yesterday afternoon when the device was found. Evelyn Devenney, Principal of the Castletown National School, says the

A robbery at Carrigans Post Office in February of last year has been raised by Donegal North East Deputy Joe Mc Hugh at an Oireachtas Communuications Committee meeting. During the meeting, Deputy Mc Hugh claimed that Carrigans and other rural areas close to major population centres in Northern Ireland are being treated differently to similar