Author name: oisinkelly

Foyle Sinn Féin MLA Raymond McCartney has been selected as the vice-chair of the new Assembly justice committee. Mr McCartney was chosen following a vote to elect Alliance Party leader David Ford as the North’s new justice minister yesterday afternoon. He becomes the first locally elected politician to hold the office for 38 years. The […]

A Donegal man has been jailed for five and a half years for anally raping a 15-year-old girl two years ago. The 23-year-old accused was also convicted of having sex with the teenager on the same occasion in February 2008. The jury failed to reach a verdict on a rape charge at his Central Criminal

The death of a Derry teenager after he jumped into a swollen river while fleeing police has left a deep scar running through his young friends and community, mourners at his funeral were told yesterday. 15-year-old Kyle Bonnes was laid to rest yesterday when many of his friends gathered for the funeral service wearing Rangers

A 25-year-old man is to stand trial at Derry Crown Court charged with breaching two interim risk of sexual harm orders. Paul James Lomas, from Ballycolman Estate in Strabane, is alleged to have committed the offences on 29 May 2009. He is accused of associating with people under the age of 18 without the approval

A family from Donegal who lost their daughter in a car crash in 2001, have been refused a meeting with the Oireachtas Committee. Sinead McDaid’s family claims the crash would not have happened if council workers, who tarred and chipped the road earlier that day, had followed safety procedures. Donegal County Council refutes that claim.

The Donegal County Council’s finances have been described as in crisis with fears that many major projects in the county will not be proceeding due to a lack of funds. Councillors today agreed the council’s Capital Programme for the next three years, however concern has been expressed that the council is to add to its

The Council has unanimously backed calls for the HSE to clearly outline the future of the Lifford and Ballyshannon Community Hospitals with concern that a decision has already been made to close them. Their futures have been the subject of much speculation of late with the HSE saying that talk of closures are premature and

It has been confirmed that the Polish president has been killed in a plane crash. Lech Kaczynski and his wife were on board the Smolensk bound flight in western Russia, from Warsaw. It’s understood none of the 96 passengers survived. A special mass for the victims of the Aircrash disaster is being held in the

The Donegal Travellers Project has expressed its concern at the low level of funding provided by government for traveller accomodation. The Government has confirmed almost 17 million euro for Donegal under the Social Housing Investment Programme for 2010. However of that, only 70 thousand euro has been allocated for Traveller accomodation. Siobhan McLoughlin of the

The Donegal Live Tourism Project will be officially launched in Letterkenny this coming Monday with the aim of significantly boosted the number of visitors to Donegal this summer. One of the key events of the project will be a full Donegal awareness day in Templebar Bar, Dublin on May !6th highlighting all aspects of the

There has been a small drop in the number of people signing on the Live Register in Donegal during March According to the CSO the Jobless figure still stands in excess of 21,000 county-wide. The figures show that last month there was 21,074 people on the live register, that is drop of 84 on Febuary

Strabane District Council is to place throw lines at The Weir in Sion Mills, the place where Sion Mills chef, Dale Alexander drowned almost a year ago. At an inquest into the 21-year-olds death on Wednesday, Coroner John Lecky called for an investigation into life belt provision along the river. Information panels warning of dangers

Buncrana Town Councillors have been split on what is the best way to deal with traffic congestion at Westbrook Junction in the Town. Following the development of in excess of 200 homes in the area there has been an ongoing issue with congestion at the junction particularly as children travel to and from school. Yesterday

The Minister for Housing Michael Finneran has confirmed funding of almost €17 million to Donegal under the Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP) for 2010. The money will be used for the provision of local authority housing, capital loans and improvemnts and extension to the county’s current local authorty house stock. 11.6 million euro will be

The Derry schoolboy who drowned while fleeing from police on Wednesday had been in court that morning. 15-year-old Kyle Bonnes was running away from police when he entered the River Faughan near Drumahoe. Despite attempts to rescue him, he was unconscious when he was pulled from the water and died a short time later. On

A coroner has called on authorities on both sides of the border to review roads signs on a dangerous road on the outskirts of Derry where a 29 year-old Donegal man was killed almost three years ago. Gavin McGinty, from Drumkeen who was killed when his Renault Clio car collided with a van emerging from

Donegal sheep farmers have welcomed the annoucement that €54 million in unused EU funding will be allocated to the sector over the next 3 years. Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith said the scheme would help to stop the decline in flock numbers and reduce income pressures on farmers as well as the number of producers

A public nursing home with 41 elderly residents and 20 duty staff has been branded a fire hazard reports The Irish Independent. According to today’s Irish Independent, a HIQA report found that Dungloe Community Hospital failed to provide the necessary levels of safety to protect residents and staff. Safety concerns at the nursing home, which

The Police Ombudsman’s Office has appealed for witnesses to the drowning of a teenager in the River Faughan in Derry to come forward. 15-year-old Kyle Bonnes from Tullyally, died after being pulled from the river on Wednesday. The incident happened in the Drumahoe area just after 5 o clock. The boy was running from police

A coroner has called for an investigation into life belt provision along the River Mourne, following the death of a young Sion Mills man last year. Coroner John Lecky made the call during an inquest into the death of 21 year-old Dale Alexander  at The Weir, Sion Mills on June 1 2009. His parents Malcolm

Donegal have captured the Ulster U-21 football Championship. They defeated Cavan this evening by 2-08 to 0-7 Donegal won the provincial title for the seventh time on Wednesday Night after their seven point win over Cavan at Brewster Park in Enniskillen. Man of the match was Glenswilly’s Michael Murphy who contributed 1-5. Dermott Molloy scored

A car salesman under arrest by detectives probing a threat to gardai with a firearm as they broke up a row outside a rural pub has been put on bail of €25,000. John Moran appeared at Donegal District Court today charged with possession of a gun and ammunition at Gleneely, near Carndonagh on Monday. He

The Royal College of Surgeons has expressed concern for patient safety at Letterkenny General Hospital’s Emergency Department if measure aren’t taken to address staffing levels. The Hospital is one of a number around the country which has a shortage of Non Consultant Hospital Doctors which the RCSI says is stretching resources and hindering the safe

Latest figures from property website daft.ie indicate that the d The average asking price in Donegal in the first three months of 2010 was €199,000, a fall of €70,000 from the peak in 2007, but largely unchanged compared to the first three months of 2009. Commenting on the latest figures, Ronan Lyons economist with Daft.ie,

Relatives of those killed and injured on Bloody Sunday have said they are disappointed in the delay of the publication of the Saville Report Yesterday, the Northern Ireland Office said it would not be given to parliament until after the election. A spokesperson said that the decision had been taken because of the impending dissolution

A DUP MLA wants dissident republican rallies banned after a sinister warning was issued at an Easter Monday commemoration in Derry. Representatives from various republican groups were among the hundreds of people who gathered at Derry City Cemetery to mark the 94th anniversary of the Easter Rising. They heard a representative from the Real IRA

The Minister for Education’s been met with stoney silence at the TUI annual congress in Ennis. Only a handful of delegates left the hall when Mary Coughlan took to her feet. The Minister offered an olive branch by announcing a review of the moratorium on recruitment of middle management, to relieve pressure from retirements. But

A cannon linked to a fortune in gold has been unveiled as a tourist attraction at Downings Pier more than 90 years after it sank to the seabed 39 metres down in the mouth of Lough Swilly. The 7m-long gun weighing more than seven tons was lifted on to the pier at Downings 2½ years

A member of the Real IRA yesterday hinted at an upsurge in the republican paramilitary group’s campaign of violence. Dressed in a paramilitary uniform and wearing a scarf and black beret as well as sunglasses to conceal his identity, the Real IRA man emerged from a crowd of several hundred people during a 32-County Sovereignty

An investigation is under way after gardaí were threatened with a firearm as they broke up a row outside a rural pub in Co Donegal in the early hours of yesterday. The incident happened in Gleneely, a village about five kilometres from Carndonagh, following an altercation between several locals and a number of people from

Relatives of those killed on Bloody Sunday in Derry in 1972 have welcomed a decision by the Parliamentary authorities to allow two members from each family to read the report of the Saville inquiry before the findings are published. They say they are relieved there has been a change of heart after pressure from them

A nurse received a suspended prison sentence when she admitted stealing tablets from a patient at a sitting of Derry Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. Cheryl Brolly (54) originally from Scotland but with an address in Heather Park, Buncrana admitted three counts of shoplifting, stealing the tablets and obstructing police. The court heard that on three

Gardai are hoping their Easter weekend warning road safety warning will significantly reduce the high level of drink driving and speeding offences detected at the same time last year. The Head of the Donegal Traffic Corp, Inspector Michael Harrison, says that looking at figures for last Easter the message so far is not getting though.

Donegal County Council has again been hit by severe weather in east Inishowen, which has affected the public water supply. The storm on Tuesday night knocked out power supply to that area including the water treatment plant at Redcastle. The Council moved a generator into the Redcastle Plant yesterday and powered up the works and

The Minister for Transport has confirmed a one of grant of 500 thousand euro for improvement works for the approach road to the Harry Blaney Bridge on the Fanad side. The money will be used for widening, strengthening and draining works as well as resurfacing of the 6 kilometre route. Deputy Niall Blaney had been

It has been confirmed today that €16million has been approved to allow work begin on the Killybegs Sewerage Scheme. The main pumping station, outfall and industrial collection system contract can now proceed under the Water Services Investment Programme. The tendering process is now complete with Ascon Ltd having been selected to carry out the work.

The Seanad has been told that closer cooperation is required to ensure that the border does not provide protection for sex offenders in any direction. Senator Cecilia Keavney said sexual assault services in the North West should be coordinated on a cross border basis, and the establishment of a cross border register must be prioritised.

Donegal Senator Pearse Doherty has told the Seanad that the Ombudsman’s assessment of the Lost at Sea scheme as ‘deficient and flawed’ was correct, and a full investigation is necessary into all aspects of how the scheme operated. The Agriculture and Fisheries Committee has now backtracked on a previous decision and agreed to invite the

A function has been held to identify Donegals future entrepreneurs. Two young people have been chosen as winners of the Foroige / Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship Foroige awards. Eight youth groups from around the County showcased their business ideas yesterday evening at the Letterkenny Institute of Technology. The winning group, Sluffins, will now represent the

Donegal North East Deputy Joe Mc Hugh has welcomed government indications that the role of Special Needs Assistants is to be reviewed, but he fears it’s being done for the wrong reasons. The Fine Gael representitive says he believes the government is looking at the issue from a budgetary point of view, with the aim

3,000 residential and business ESB customers remain without power in Donegal this evening after damage was caused to the company’s network by strong winds and snow showers. The custromers affected are primarily in the Moville area. The ESB says it expects most to have their power returned by 8 o’clock this evening but some will

The Joint Oireachtas Committee for Agriculture has invited Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly to make a presentation on the Special Report on the Lost at Sea Scheme. It represents a u-turn by the government which was heavily criticised by the Ombudsman for refusing to debate the report or implement its recommendations. One of those was that compensation

Gardai are warning people to be wary of letters purporting to be from Special Branch. Gardai in Milford say they have received reports of letters looking for information, and advising the recipients to travel to a garda station at a specific time. They say the letters have a Garda crest and look genuine, but no

The UNITE and TEEU trade unions have suspended their strike action at the Medisize plant after it was agreed that the dispite will be heard before the Labour Relations Commission Nine workers associated with the unions had been on all out strike since Monday, they claim management reneged on an agreement reached with unions on

According to the latest Property Barometer issued by MyHome.ie, the price of a 3 bedroom semi in Donegal has fallen by a further 3.66% . The average price in the county is now just under €184,000, down over 11% from peak prices. Meanwhile, Estate agent Sherry Fitzgerald says there are signs the crisis is bottoming