Author name: oisinkelly

Today marks 25 years since three Strabane men were killed by the SAS. Brothers Michael and David Devine died alongside Charlie Breslin when they were ambushed by the SAS near an IRA arms dump in a field overlooking Fountain Street in Strabane. The Devine and Breslin families still maintain that their lives could of been […]

A 35 year old Donegal man has been jailed for 4 and a half years for incest with his sister in the 1990’s. The man also pleaded guilty to 20 counts of sexually assaulting the girl when she was aged between 10 and 15. The Central Criminal Court heard the abuse took place on a

Further details have emerged today of the garda operation which saw five men arrested in Donegal. It is reported in today’s Irish Independent that the arrests were part of an anti-crime operation targeting dissident republican groups. Local senior officers suspected members of a breakaway republican group were behind the intended hold-up plot in  Donegal. The

Donegal County Council saw a number of acrimonious exchanges last evening, with the February meeting adjourned for over 40 minutes folowing clashes between Mayor Brendan Byrne and Sinn Fein Cllr Padriag Mac Lochlainn. Earlier, at the reconvened January meeting, members narrowly voted against using council funds to pay for US trips on St Patricks Day.

Stranorlar area Fianna Fail Councillor Patrick Mc Gowan has been appointed Chair of the inaugural Donegal Joint Policing Committee. Both he and Letterkenny area Fine Gael Councillor Noel Mc Bride were nominated, and when the vote of the committee’s 14 councillors was tied, Cllr Mc Gowan’s name was drawn out of a hat. The challenge

A court has heard a 35 year old Donegal man sexually abused his younger sister on a weekly basis in the 1990’s, often when their parents were at bingo. He is to be sentenced at the Central Criminal Court tomorrow after pleading guilty to 2 counts of incest and 20 counts of sexual assault. He

26.5 million euro has been announced today for the upgrading of regional and local roads in County Donegal. In addition to the selected routes, this year’s allocation for County Donegal will go towards projects such as maintenance programmes together with a grant for local improvement schemes in the county. 7.5 million euro has been allocated

Donegal County Council has voted against authorising the sending of a delegation the the US for St Patrick’s Day celebrations next month. The motion to fund the trip was lost by 13 votes to 14, with Fine Gael Cllr Martin Harley abstaining. Traditionally, the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and one official attend functions in New York

A ‘hydrogen highway’ could be created between Derry, Belfast and Dublin, with alternative energy refuelling points, as part of a ground-breaking plan by the University of Ulster. The suggestion is aimed at making hydrogen and electric powered vehicles a viable alternative to petrol driven machines. Hydrogen has long been touted as an alternative energy source

Two men jailed for an attack in Letterkenny which left Derryman Mark Mc Shane permanently brain damaged are appealing their sentences in Dublin today. Today’s Derry News is reporting that Alan Lackey and Aidan Mc Hugh, both of whom have served one year of the two year sentences they received will appeal their sentences today.

The 28 year old woman killed in a single vehicle collision in Kilmacrennan early yesterday morning has been named as Elaine Brady from Rosemount in Kilmacrennan. She was a passenger in a black BMW car that crashed shortly before 4 o’clock yesterday morning. Ther male driver of the car is being treated in Letterkenny General

Five men have been arrested in Donegal as part of what gardai say is an ongoing operation to counter the activities of dissident republicans. Four were arrested in the Letterkenny area shortly after midnight, they are being held at garda stations in Letterkenny and Milford. A fifth person was arrested in Buncrana this morning, he’s

Some Donegal County Councillors have been accused of putting politics ahead of the development of Donegal. Deputy Niall Blaney has launched a scathing attack on a number of Councillors particularly Noel McBride, Ian McGarvey and Mick Quinn. He says it is odd that they have been critical of the condition of the approach road on

A woman in her late twenties has died in a road traffic collision in Donegal. The crash happened in the village of Kilmacrennan. The dead woman, thought to be from the local area, was a passenger in a black BMW that crashed shortly before 4 o’clock this morning. No other vehicle was involved. The male

A US based Irish priest has launched a legal attempt to remain on bail while he fights extradition over an alleged rape in Donegal 82 year-old Fr Francis Markey  now living in the US state of Indiana, has been accused of allegedly raping a 15-year-old boy ib two occasion, once at Lough Derg and once

The HSE will introduce a new initiative in Donegal intended to help people get fit through gardening. ‘Green Gyms’ will be established in Downings, Moville, Castlefin, Ballybofey, Falcarragh and Donegal Town next month, with people being helped to grow and maintain crops. This, the HSE says, will promote healthy living in two ways ; by

There are questions being raised this evening about the future of Donegal South West TD Mary Coughlan as Tanaiste, with at least one member of the Fianna Fail National Executive believed to be pressing for her removal in a cabinet reshuffle following the resignation of Willie O’Dea as Defence Minister. Today, the Taoiseach told reporters

The government has been accused of playing politics and misstating the facts in relation to 30 million euro Greencastle Harbour Project of which it has pulled out of. Responding to Senator Cecilia Keaveney Minister Tony Killeen indicated that the reason the government has pulled out of the project with just 8 million euro spent is

An Bord Pleanala has given the go ahead for a major development on the shore front in Buncrana which will see a land mark hotel demolished. Buncrana Town Council had granted conditional permission for the project but that was appealed to An Bord Pleanala. The board gave permission for the development of over 70 units

A major cross border forum is being launched on Saturday which will look at ways that politicians on both sides of the border can work together to improve the plight of businesses north and south. Fine Gael’s border forum has been established by Deputy Joe McHugh who is the party’s spokesperson on north – south

A 30-year-old Derryman was sentenced to three years in prison for attacking a man and biting his nose in what the Judge described as an ‘absolutely disgusting attack.’ Declan Harry Jennings of 136a Canterbury Park, Derry admitted carrying out the attack on December 22 2008. The court had been told the injured party, who had

Roads across many areas of the northwest are in a Dangerous condition this Friday morning following snow fall overnight and this morning. Many people were caught out waking up to inches of snow in places after Met Eireann had only advised of occasional wintry showers on northern coasts. Many roads in Donegal are in a

The government has laid the blame for its decision to pull out of the Greencastle Harbour Project at the door of Donegal County Council despite claims to the contrary by the County Manager. Senator Cecilia Keaveney raised the issue in the Seanad this afternoon calling on the Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

The HSE’s Local Health Manager in Donegal has confirmed it’s intended to end inpatient services at St Conal’s Hospital by the end of this year. At present, there are just six female patients left in the hospital, and the plan is to transfer them into a more appropriate setting. 12 men were transferred before Christmas.

Detailed plans have been published in Derry today for the development of a new shared education campus on former military lands at Clooney. At a function in the city this morning, Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie and Education Minister Caitríona Ruane today confimed the lands will house new, purpose built facilities for Foyle and Londonderry

The Donegal Meats Plant in Carrigans is to relocate its boning hall to one of the company’s plants in Northern Ireland, with the loss of up to 75 jobs. It’s anticipated the move will be complete within eight weeks. Siptu’s Donegal Secretary Martin O’Rourke says this is a regretable move, as the skills of the

Donegal’s Public Arts Office has announced a unique six month programme to promote traditional music among young people in West Donegal. Altan, who are celebrating their 25th Anniversary, have been appointed “musicians in residence” at second level schools in the Glenties Electoral Area from now until July. Altan will perform and talk to students at

The north west of northern Ireland still has the highest percentage rate of unemployment According to the latest government figures, almost 7,000 people are out of work in the two council areas of Derry and Strabane. Derry MLA Pat Ramsey has been responding to the figures. He says while much talk from politicians in the

The Seanad has heard calls for Cancer services to be returned to Sligo General Hospital with claims that the move to Galway last year has been detrimental to patients. The issue was raised by Senator Pearse Doherty, who claimed that since Cancer services were transferred from Sligo to Galway, people from South Donegal and Sligo

The HSE’s Local Health Manager in Donegal says he believes mental health services in the county are set to significantly improve. John Hayes was speaking at the signing of a contract for a new acute psychiatric unit at Letterkenny General Hospital, almost six years after the facility was first announced. Mr Hayes says the new

Sinn Fein has been accused of jumping on the band wagon and playing populist politics, in raising questions over the cost to the county council of sending a delegation overseas this St Patrick’s day. Councillor Padraig MacLoughlainn says his party will not support the council’s St Patrick’s Day trip unless it can be proven to

The fire service has tackled an overnight fire in Killygordon. A spokesperson says the brigade was called at ten past one this morning, to find an outhouse at the rear of a dwelling ablaze. The fire spread to part of the main house, causing some fire and smoke damage. There was no-one in the building

The HSE will this afternoon sign the Contract for the long awaited new Psychiatric Admission Unit at Letterkenny General Hospital. The development will incorporate intensive care beds, observation beds and day facilities. The contract signing comes several years after the new unit was first announced, with the service housed in a temporary unit in the

The three year old boy who died after he was struck by a bin lorry at Ballymacool Woods in Letterkenny yesterday has been named locally as Patrick Mc Donagh. It’s understood he had been playing with his twin sister outside his home when the tragedy occurred shortly before noon. A nurse who was at the

Donegal County Council will next week hear calls for a full review of the council’s annual expenditure on overseas trips to see if it represent value for money for the county. On Monday councillors will be asked to sign off on St Patrick’s day trips which Sinn Fein claims normally cost in the region of

The Mayor of Letterkenny says more needs to be done to highlight the twinning arrangement between Letterkenny and Elizabethtown in the US. Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania was home to the Klein Chocolate company, now owned by Mars, and is regarded as the birthplace of M&Ms. According to CDllr Jim Lynch, the links between the two towns reflect

A 3 year old boy has been killed in a road traffic incident in Letterkenny. The child was killed in a collision involving a truck in a cul-de-sac in the Ballymcool area at 11.40am this morning. The toddler was taken to Letterkenny General Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Gardai are appealing for anyone who

Long awaited building works at Bunbeg National Schools are to begin this year. The school is the only one ion the county cleared to go to construction in the 2010 school building programme announced this afternoon by Education Minister Batt O’Keefe. Concerns had been expressed about the safety of the school – currenty there is

Gardaí say they have completed their inquiry into the death of a Strabane man who was found dead outside his apartment in Mullingar yesterday morning. They say they are not seeking to question anyone in relation to the death following a post mortem this morning. The body of Anthony Kelly was found in the hallway

A 20-year-old Derryman has appeared at the local Magistrate’s Court charged with throwing petrol bombs during disturbances following the annual Apprentice Boys parade in the city on August. Stephen Aaron McFadden of Foyle Park was charged with possessing petrol bombs, throwing them and riotous behaviour on August 8 2009. A solicitor told the court he

A 3 year old boy has been killed in a road traffic incident in Letterkenny. It is understood the child was killed in an incident involving a truck in a cul-de- sac in the Ballymcool area at 11.40am this morning. The toddler was taken to Letterkenny General Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Gardai are

Buncrana Town Council is to throw its weight behind Derry City Council’s bid to have the city declared European City of Culture in 2013. The issue was raised by Cllr Peter Mc Laughlin, who says given the ties between the two ties, Buncrana is well placed to benefit directly by hosting events, and also indirectly,

Letterkenny Town Council is seeking an urgent meeting with Bennett Construction to ask why the long promised Joe Bonner link road has not been completed. The new link will connect Pearse Road and Neil T Blaney Road, opening some land up for development. It was to have been constructed by Bennett as part of the

Councillor Barry O’Neill has been selected to contest the Donegal South West bye-election for Fine Gael. He defeated fellow Councillor Martin Harley to secure the nomination. A packed Highland’s Hotel last night heard a rallying call from party leader Enda Kenny who expressed his confidence that the party will be successful in the bye-election for

Donegal South West Fine Gael Selection convention Before local issues were allowed dominate proceedings this evening in Glenties the Fine Gael leader faced questions on a number of issues. Not least on his own leadership role within the party given recent events and a poor poll showing , but also on the ongoing public row between

The man – thought to be in his late 20’s or early 30’s, and originally from Strabane, was discovered in an apartment in Mullingar this morning. Gardai found the man’s body when they were called to an apartment on Grove Street in Mullingar at around 7.30 this morning. Originally from Strabane the man had been

A US-based Irish priest, who is accused of raping a 15-year-old boy in Donegal, has just 48 hours left to fight his extradition to Ireland to face abuse charges. For the past 18 months 82 year-old Fr Francis Markey  has been fighting the attempts by the Director of Public Prosecutions to bring him back to

Community allotments could soon be a reality in Letterkenny after the local town council decided this afternoon to progress the issue at its next meeting. A group has been established locally to progress the issue, and it has identified lands opposite the council offices on Neil T Blaney Road as the best possible site. A

Gardai are investigating a robbery of a so called head shop in Donegal Town. The front door of the shop were smashed in an attack in the early of Sunday morning. Those responsible stole ‘legal highs’ with an estimated value of 7,000 euro. It is the second head shop in the country targetted over the