Author name: oisinkelly

A new report’s recommending a shake-up of garda rosters that would see more officers on the beat. The Head of the Garda Inspectorate Kathleen O’Toole says rosters were last negotiated in the 1970s and will have to change. However, the Garda Representitive Association says it will not cooperate with any attempt to being in new […]

The HSE has confirmed that Letterkenny General Hospital is now free from the winter vomitting bug, and all visiting restrictions have been lifted. We would like to emphasise that members of the public should confine visiting to the official visiting times which are 2.30pm to 4pm and 6.30pm to 8pm. Children under 14 years of

The full extent of the job losses incurred at Donegal County Council has been revealed with a considerable amount of jobs to be lost this year. The problems facing the council and the restructing of its services have also been highlighted given the current strike action being undertaken by staff. In a report to council

Five million euro of tax payers money is set to literally wash away following the government’s indication that it is withdrawing its support for the Greencastle Harbour Project. That is according to Labour Councillor Martin Farren who says the decision is a major blow for Greencastle and could leave its harbour in a very dangerous

A Donegal member of the board of Udaras na Gaeltachta says there is no question of the future of the authority being under threat. Senator Brian O’Domhnaill was speaking after the publication of Udaras’s annual report for 2009, which showed 204 jobs were created in Donegal  but 225 jobs lost, a net loss of just

A young Donegal man has claimed at the Central Criminal Court that he had sex with a teenage girl who is accusing his friend of rape weeks before the alleged incident. Under cross-examination from prosecuting counsel, the man denied that he had been called in “like the cavalry” to rescue his friend in a “cynical

Sinn Fein is refuting in the strongest terms claims that the Republican Movement used Donegal as a “dumping ground” for sex offenders within its ranks. The claim was made by a spokesperson for the Belfast Rape Crisis centre in yesterday’s ‘Donegal on Sunday’ newspaper. Senator Pearse Doherty says these claims are part of a wider

It’s emerged that Udaras na Gaeltachta sustained a net loss of 21 jobs in Donegal last year. The figure is contained in the authority’s annual report, which has just been published. A total of 204 new jobs were created in the Donegal Gaeltacht in 2009. When job losses are taken into account, overall employment declined

It seems the governments involvement in the Greencastle Harbour Project is coming to an end.Concerns were raised earlier this month when the government said only 104,000 euro would be made available for the 35,000,000 euro project this year.  It was confirmed at today’s council meeting that to date 8,000,000 euro has been spent on constructing

There were heated exchanges in the council chamber this afternoon when the issue of the Stranorlar Leisure Centre was raised. Councillor Martin Harley raised the subject calling on the local authority to increase efforts to progress the project – however the ensuing debate soon turned to farce when a round of name calling erupted. Commenting

The Labour Relations Commission has been asked to intervene in major industrial action due to get underway across the public sector today. More than 300 thousand teachers, nurses and members of IMPACT and the Craft group of unions are staging a work-to-rule in protest at Government pay cuts in December’s Budget. Meanwhile the IMPACT union

The SDLP are moving a motion in the assembly today calling the Executive to implement the Bain report recommendations of decentralising government jobs as a matter of urgency. The motion will be moved by Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Tommy Gallagher and Foyle MLA Pat Ramsey. Mr Gallagher, the SDLP’s Western Development spokesperson,  says as

Critical talks are being held in Belfast and London today to determine the future of the Northern Assembly. At Stormont, the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness will hold an urgent meeting with DUP leader Peter Robinson. While the British Prime Minister and the Taoiseach meet at Downing Street to try and break the deadlock over

The RNLI has released figures for 2009 which show there were 78 call outs in Donegal last year, with 69 people rescued. The organisation is preparing for a major fundraising drive, and is emphasising the fact that it’s totally funded by members of the public. On Saturday morning, Arranmore Lifeboat had its first call out

The government is to unveil plans to upgrade Ireland’s water system. 300 million euro is being slated for the project, but that’s all expected to be allocated from within existing budgets. Some homes in Donegal, Dublin and Clare are still suffering the after effects of the bad weather which saw frozen and burst pipes play

The Rape Crisis Centre in Belfast is accusing the Republican Movement of using Donegal as a “dumping ground” for sex offenders within its ranks. The claim is made by a spokesperson for the centre in today’s Donegal on Sunday. Spokesperson Eileen Calder says one high profile republican, who allegedly raped a young child, subsequently became

A teenager who alleges she was raped by a Donegal man when she was 15-years-old has denied that she had sex with one of the man’s friends a week before the alleged attack. The 23-year-old accused has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to rape, and defilement of the girl on a date

The Bishop of Raphoe Dr Philip Boyce has denied there is any cover up of abuse in the diocese. In an RTE interview, Sean O’Conaill of Voice of the Faithful Ireland discussed the Irish Bishops’ acknowledgement of a “a widespread culture of covering abuse”, and in the course of that discussion, he expressed ongoing concerns

It’s emerged that that two cross-border bodies could be targetted for cuts totalling over £2 million as part of a rationalisation being discussed by the Stormont executive. SDLP leader and Foyle MP says Tourism Ireland may have its budget cut by £1 million, and Inter-Trade Ireland by £1.6 million. He says this flies in the

The Arranmore Lifeboat has carried out its first rescue of 2010. At 6 o’clock this morning, the lifeboat was called out to a French trawler 18 miles west of Arranmore after a crew member on the trawler was injured in an accident. The crew reached the trawler at 7.20am, and brought the casualty to Burtonport,

The County Manager Micheal McLoone is to meet local union representatives to discuss how their planned strike action will effect council services. Trade unions have informed served notice on public Sector employers across Donegal that from Monday its members will be engaging in a campaign of severe and wide ranging industrial action activity. As part

A 20-year-old Derry man who admitted shining a laser pen at a police helicopter was told today that he faced the possibility of a ‘lengthy custodial sentence.’ Patrick White of Old School Lane in Derry pleaded guilty to endangering an aircraft on April 24 last year. According to reports prepared on White he had told

The former head of Donegal VEC, Sean O’Longan,  has been reacting to his appointment to the  new board of FAS saying his is looking forward to the challenge. Tánaiste Mary Coughlan yesterday unveiled a new 11-member board which also includes Margaret Sweeney, an accountant originally from Kilcar. Ms. Coughlan said along with new legislation it

A new guide has been launched for front line staff at Letterkenny General Hospital to help them better deal with people from backgrounds to different their own. The “Health Services Intercultural Guide” was developed by the HSE in response to the needs of the diverse religious communities and cultures now present in Donegal. The guide

IMPACT has served notice on Public Sector employers    across Donegal that from Monday its members will be engaging in a campaign of severeand wide ranging industrial action activity. As part of a nationwide programme of action against cuts in pay introduced by the government,  union members will refuse to work outside their contractual employment. One

The EU has awarded almost 2 million euro in funding for a new cross border Diabetes service for young people. From early this year young people with diabetes, their families and carers will be able to access specialist diabetes education programmes throughout the border counties. In s second initiative women with diabetes who are planning

The friend of a Donegal man accused of raping a teenage girl two years ago told a Central Criminal Court jury that he heard the complainant ask the man to be “f**k buddies” after the alleged attack. The 23-year-old accused has pleaded not  guilty to rape of the then 15-year-old girl on a date in

There are concerns that Scoil Chonaill Naofa in Bunbeg could miss out on funding for 2010 for an extension due to a technicality in the planning process. The issue was raised this afternoon in the Seanad. The 100 plus pupil school has been seeking an extension for 10 years with the current facilities described as

The internet forum, boards-dot-ie has been hacked and tens of thousands of email addresses and passwords may have been compromised. The website’s currently displaying a message with advice for members on what to do. But it insists subscribers credit card or financial information was not hacked. The Gardai and Data Protection Commissioner have been informed.

The North’s Policing Board says stop and search powers should not be seen as an alternative to traditional policing methods. However, the powers under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act remain in place, despite a European Court of Human Rights judgement that the practice is illegal. There’s been a marked increase in the extent to

A teenager who alleges she was raped by a Donegal man two years ago has denied that she was trying to portray herself as older then she was on Bebo and that pictures of her on the web site were “provocative.” The 23-year-old accused has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to rape,

The government has confirmed that the awarding of a contract to construct the new Finn Valley College is imminent. Responding to a query from Donegal Deputy Dinny McGinley in the Dail the Minister for Education has confirmed that tenders for the project were received last month and that a contract will be issued shortly. The

Donegal Senator Pearse Doherty has accused the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan of neglecting her own constituency. Senator Doherty says figures provided by her own department show that of the 1,740 site visits hosted by the IDA since 2003, only 41 were made to Donegal. Last year, there were three,

Recieved from and expressing the views of  Donegal County Council The water supply situation on 19th remains largely unchanged today 20th January. Whereas demand for water across the county is dropping, indicating a lessening of leakage and wastage losses, serious problems remain in some supply areas. The Lough Mourne supply, serving the Finn Valley area

Northwest MEPJim Higgins says Europe has failed Haiti with its slow response after last weeks earthquake. He says that the EU should have had people on the ground immediately after the quake struck so that a co-ordinated plan could have been put in place. The comments come as a 6.1 magnitude aftershock hit this morning

Derry city and Glengesh in Donegal both feature in Lonely Planet’s Top Ten Irish attractions list. In fifth place, Derry is praised for its ancient history, and terrific pubs in one of the island’s most fascinating cities. In sixth place, the guide describes the Glengesh pass as a generous slice of alpine magic in the

The parent company of Arntz Bellting in Derry is being urged to accept an enhanced redundancy package proposed by the workforce It was confirmed earlier this month that the factory is to close in March with the loss of 115 jobs. Making the call Derry MLA Martina Anderson says Germany based Optibeltz should meet the

Despite indications that the spread of the Winter Vomitting Bug at Letterkenny General had been contained  the hospital has now confirmed the norovirus has spread to other wards. The hospital is again urging people to adhere to the ban on visiting at the hospital. There are some exceptions but the hospital’s assistant Manager Paddy Rooney

Over 20,000 airline passengers will have their travel plans disrupted this (Wednesday) afternoon due to a four-hour strike by air traffic controllers. The stoppage between 2pm and 6pm will cause the cancellation of up to 150 flights at Cork, Dublin and Shannon. There is some disruption to flights in and out of the Northwest. A

The trial has opened at the Central Criminal Court of a Donegal man accused of raping a 15-year-old girl two years ago. The 23-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to rape, anal rape and defilement of the girl on a date in February 2008. He cannot be named for legal reasons. The now 17-year-old complainant

Donegal County Council says it is concerned that main water supply servicing the Finn Valley area is not recovering. While the water supply situation across the county is generally improving, the situiation at Lough Mourne is still critical. Even with water switched off for 12 hours a day, demand is running at 410 cubic metres

Donegal County Council Water Supply Update – 19th January 2010 Whereas demand for water across the county is dropping, indicating a lessening of leakage and wastage losses, serious problems remain in some supply areas. The Lough Mourne supply, serving the Finn Valley area and East Donegal is most critical. We appeal to all water users

Letterkenny Sinn Fein Councillor Gerry Mc Monagle has welcomed indications from the HSE that they are to surrender some rental accommodation around Letterkenny, and transfer part of its services and staff to the St Conals Hospital Campus. Cllr Mc Monagle claims more than a million euro is being paid in rent each year in Letterkenny

A PSNI team probing the theft of cash machines has arrested a 44 year old man in Fermanagh. He was detained in Derrylin on suspicion of attempted theft and criminal damage in Co Tyrone on June 29th last year. A total of thirteen ATM’s were stolen in Northern Ireland in the past year. Less money

The prospect of industrial action by almost 12,000 rank and file Gardai is looming once more. The Garda Representitive Association has sent its members a questionnaire, asking them their views on a number of options, including the withdrawl of labour. At the end of last year, the GRA announced plans to hold a ballot on

Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has insisted that the A5 and A6 road schemes will go ahead as planned, despite opposition from some landowners. Mr. McGuinness was responding to an Assembly question by Foyle MLA Martina Anderson who sought assurances that the Derry to Aughnacloy and Derry to Dungiven roads would go ahead.

The national cost of repairing roads following damage from ice and flooding over recent weeks could exceed 150 million euro. Donegal County Council has already held a speciall meeting to discuss the cost, with a bill of up to €4 million anticipated, and other councils are now following suit, with growing calls on the Government