Author name: oisinkelly

A Derry MLA has hit out at Northern Ireland football manager Michael O’Neill, whio has said he wanta a gentleman’s agreement with his Republic of Ireland counterpart Martin O’Neill to prevent players switching to the Republic. Players born on the island of Ireland have the right to represent either the Republic of Ireland or Northern

The Governments 2017 Annual Progress Report on Actions to Address Unfinished Housing Developments has revealed that Donegal has one of the largest number of unfinished housing developments in the country. The Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Damien English has welcomed the reduction of 91% in the number of ‘unfinished’ developments nationwide since 2010. He

18 patients over the age of 75 were left waiting to be admitted to Letterkenny University Hospital for over 24 hours in 2017, according to new figures from the HSE. This is despite the HSE having a 24-hour target for seeing those over the age of 75. Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty says while it’s unacceptable

Detectives investigating the murder of Karol Kelly in Derry on Sunday last have charged a 17 year old male with murder. He is due to appear at Derry Magistrates Court today Thursday 8th March. As is normal procedure all charges are reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.

The average price of agricultural land in Donegal has fallen by 18% despite national prices being at a 3 year high. The average price of agricultural land was €6328 an acre last year, down from the 2016 figure of €7724. The biggest sale recorded last year in Ireland was in Donegal with the sale of

The community of Tory Island have reiterated that they will be rejecting the Queen of Aran ferry when it comes into service next month. The contract for the current service is due to cease on 1st April, to be replaced by the 40 year old Queen of Aran, a vessel with which Tory Island residents

Latest figures have revealed that HSE nursing homes in Co Donegal are being paid 78% more to provide care than private and voluntary homes. The figures published by the HSE show the average cost of care in public nursing homes is €1465 per person per week compared to €822 in private and voluntary homes. Private

Bus Eireann say they intend to amend existing timetables for commuter services in South Donegal to ensure alignment with its new Dublin Expressway service. The confirmation has been welcomed by Councillor Noel Jordan who says there was mounting frustration in rural communities owing to recent timetable changes which meant passengers of the Glencolmcille to Donegal Town

Irish Water say supplies in Donegal are returning to normal following Storm Emma. The utility says frequency of bursts to water mains has reduced significantly and reservoir levels are replenishing. However, customers are asked to remain vigilant and continue conserving water to ensure a continuous supply for all businesses and residents.

Police are appealing for information following the report of a laser being shone at an aircraft in Derry on Thursday last, 1st March. The incident was reported at 9:45pm as the aircraft was inbound to the City of Derry Airport from Stansted. Sergeant Nick Rainey said: “This could have had terrible consequences, and I would

There were angry scenes in court today in Derry as two brothers appeared charged with the murder of Karol Kelly. 20 year old Gary Anderson and his brother, 19-year-old Sean Anderson, with an address at Grafton Street, Derry are charged with the murder of the 35-year-old on March 4th. There were around 30 police officers

Hill Farmers in Donegal are being urged to attend a meeting in Carndonagh tomorrow night to discuss what needs to be prioritised in the new EU Common Agriculture Policy. Meetings will also take place this month in Killybegs, Falcarragh and  Brockagh. The meeting is being hosted by the INHFA, which claims the sector it represents

It’s been claimed that the livelihood of traditional seaweed harvesters in Donegal and elsewhere is under threat of impending commercialisation. A Dail motion is being introduced later today calling for the preservation of their rights in island, coastal and rural communities. Deputy Thomas Pringle believes that Donegal would be greatly affected if a number of

There were 26 people awaiting admission to Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the latest trolley watch report. 16 people were on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 10 were waiting on wards. Cork University Hospital was the most overcrowded today with 49 people waiting there. Nationally, there were 613 people waiting

A significant water outage has been reported in South Inishowen once again with hundreds of people affected in the town of Muff and surrounding area. Irish Water was alerted to the suspected pipe burst earlier this morning with a crew tasked to fix it. A restoration has not yet been given but water is expected

People are being invited to have their say on the future of Europe at a special event in Letterkenny tomorrow tonight. The event, at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Letterkenny, will discuss Ireland post Brexit and the implications for Irish people. The Citizens’ Dialogue is one of five taking place around the country over the

The HSE is being urged to restore home help hours in Donegal. It’s after new figures revealed that the provision of home help hours in the county dropped by almost 3,500 hours last year compared with 2016. Senator Padraig MacLochlainn believes this is having a knock on effect on the overcrowding crisis at Letterkenny University

Fianna Fail’s Agriculture Spokesperson is calling on the Government to approve funding for farmers impacted by snow and flooding. Deputy Charlie McConalogue says farmers across a number of sectors have been badly hit by Storm Emma and the exceptional snowfall over the past week. He is urging Minister Michael Creed to ensure that funding is

Three men have been arrested in Derry today following a number of planned searches in relation to ongoing INLA activity. The three men, aged 30, 36 and 44 have been taken to Musgrave Serious Crime Suite for questioning. A quantity of suspected cannabis, a sum of cash and INLA paraphernalia was seized during the searches carried

A former British soldier has told an inquest into the death of Kathleen Thompson a 47-year-old mother of six in Derry in 1971 that he would be ‘appalled’ if he had fired the shot that had killed the woman. When pressed by counsel for the Coroner as to his reaction if he had shot Kathleen

Irish Water have confirmed no water restrictions will be in place in Donegal tonight. However, the utility says consumption levels are still high with customers urged to turn off taps and conserve. Irish Water will continue to monitor water demand across the county over the coming days and decisions will be taken each afternoon as

Officers from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force have conducted a number of searches in Derry today in relation to investigations into ongoing criminality. The PSNI, HM Revenue & Customs and the National Crime Agency have established the Paramilitary Crime Taskforce to tackle criminality linked to paramilitarism.

There are calls for stronger enforcement’s to be implemented to tackle what’s been described as vast illegal landfill dumping in Derry. It’s after new figures show that while up to 750,000 tonnes of waste were illegally dumped in the Northern Ireland over the last ten years, there have only been 66 convictions in the same

  The number of people waiting to be admitted to Letterkenny University Hospital has jumped significantly today with 24 people waiting for a bed there this morning. It’s up 17 on yesterdays figure of 7. Five people were waiting on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 19 were waiting on wards. Cork University

It’s been confirmed that Loganair will take over the Glasgow flight to Derry air service, after Ryanair confirmed they will discontinue the route later this year. The Logainair service will operate on a five day a week basis, begining on Sunday October 28th, the day after Ryanair’s service ceases. A 33-seat Saab 340 aircraft will

Irish Water say that it will make a formal announcement on plans for a new wastewater treatment plant in Glenties next week. It’s understood that a contractor has been appointed to carry out upgraded works with the project currently in the design phase with work expected to be completed by October of this year. Chairperson