Author name: oisinkelly

Donegal is to receive the biggest allocation in roads funding in the country for 2018, with €40 million being given to Donegal County Council. The funding will be put to use in a number of major N56 works including from Dungloe to Glenties, Mountcharles to Inver, Coolboy to Kilmacrennan (Blue Banks), Boyoughter to Kilkenny, Drumbeigh […]

An East Derry MLA says as the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement approaches, paramilitaries still exist when they should be a distant memory. The SDLP’s John Dallat was speaking after what he termed full and frank discussions with police where the continuing existence of the loyalist and republican paramilitaries was

The Mayor of Derry and Strabane says last month’s trade mission to US in conjunction with Donegal County Council was one of the highlights of 2017, and he looks forward to more such cooperation in 2018. Mayor Maolíosa McHugh says there are reasons to be optimistic looking ahead to next year, but the year gone

The British government has confirmed in writing that “uninhibited movement” will continue on the Irish border after Brexit. According to newly-published documents from the UK Foreign Office, the rights of Irish and British citizens under the Common Travel Area will be protected after the UK leaves the EU. This means no Irish or British nationals

The Irish Red Cross says it will have distributed all the money raised in the Donegal Flood Appeal by the first week of January. €150,000 is being distributed to 58 householders and 12 businesses. In total, €210,000 has been received via direct donations, by musicians via proceeds from concerts, by local community and sporting organisations,

Donegal County Council has produced a special map to share information on events and recycling services that are available over this festive season. The map includes important points of information including details of events taking place, recycling centres and their opening times, locations of bring banks and designated points for the collection of Christmas Trees

  Gaeltacht Minister Joe McHugh has met staff today at a Gaoth Dobhair company which closed without warning yesterday resulting in 32 people losing their jobs. After talks between Minister McHugh and Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty last night, staff from her Department also met former SLM staff in Gaoth Dobhair today to advise them

It’s been claimed that families are living in fear of their homes being flooded in Letterkenny. There have been various episodes of flooding at family homes on the Circular Road Road leading from Glencar to Ballyboe areas over a number of years however work to alleviate the situation has not been carried out. Local Dessie

Serious concern has been raised over a lack of basic equipment in the Donegal Garda Division to carry out duties this Christmas and their consequent safety. The Milford District alone is down three cars this year with no van since 2014 while a Garda van in Buncrana has not been replaced ahead of the festive

There were 10 people waiting for a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the INMO. Eight people were on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 2 were on wards. University Hospital Limerick was the most overcrowded this morning with 22 people waiting there. Nationally, there were 185 people waiting at

  Gaeltacht Minister and Donegal TD Joe McHugh is to meet staff today at a Gaoth Dobhair company which closed yesterday. SLM Eire Teo, a digital marketing company with its HQ in Manchester, gave their 32 Donegal notice of closure at their offices at the Gaeltacht Business Park. After talks between Minister McHugh and Social

A Donegal Deputy says Udaras must prioritise the workforce after the SLM closure. Deputy Pearse Doherty says Udaras and the Department of Social Protection must do what they can to support the workers and ensure they get all their entitlements without delay. At present, there is no Udaras board in place, and Deputy Doherty says

Udaras na Gaeltachta says it will seek the return of money paid in grants to SLM on the Gweedore Business Park, after the company closed without warning yesterday afternoon. It’s reported a liquidator has been appointed, but Udaras say it has not received any confirmation of that fact. In a statement last night, Udaras described

Road safety campaigners say this is one of the most dangerous times of year on the roads. Anyone driving home for Christmas today is urged to allow extra time for their journey and plan ahead. Thousands are expected to take to the roads around the country today as people plan to spend time with family

The Taoiseach admits relations with the UK are strained, but says they’re still not bad. Brexit negotiations have devolved into a war of words in the media during parts of the Brexit negotiations. Leo Varadkar says everyone is reacting to a decision they didn’t want, but the British people have decided on. And he says

Detectives at Strand Road are appealing for information following a robbery at a shop in the Park Avenue area of Derry on Sunday, 17 December. Detective Constable Brennan said “It was reported that shortly before 10:30 pm a male described as being in their early 20s wearing a dark blue coat and hooded top entered

A 27 year old male has been remanded in custody at Newry Magistrates Court after being extradited from the Republic 10 days ago on foot of four European Arrests Warrants sought by the PSNI. The man will for attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, theft and other road traffic offences. The charges relate to incidents in

Statement from Údarás na Gaeltachta regarding SLM Connect Teo., Gaoth Dobhair (21/12/17) Údarás na Gaeltachta is disappointed by the reports being received that SLM Ceangail Éire Teo. have terminated the employment of all of their staff today (21/12/17). This is a significant blow to the company’s current employees and to others who had recently secured

32 jobs are being lost at the SLM facility on the Gweedore Industrial Estate in West Donegal. There’s been no formal statement from the company, but local councillor Michael Colm Mac Giolla Easbuig, the Chair of the Glenties Municipal District says the workers were told at 2pm this afternoon that liquidators had been appointed to

Detectives in Derry are appealing for information following a fire in the Little James’ Street area of the city in the early hours of this morning. The fire, which is being treated as suspicious, started in bins in the Kular Court area. When firefighters and police got to the scene, outside bins were on fire,

A Midlands North West MEP is backing calls for a special transport subsidy to cover haulage costs as more and more farmers are forced to bring fodder in to the region from elsewhere in the country. Luke Ming Flanagan says August’s flooding in Donegal and elsewhere on the western seaboard created a serious problem, and

  A Donegal woman has been convicted of failing to adequately feed a dog, fined €10.00 and disqualified from keeping animals for a period of five years at Letterkenny District Court yesterday. Katy McMonagle of Lissmullyduff, Killygordon had admitted a number of offences under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 at a previous court

  Detectives from the PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch have arrested a 37 year old man today in connection with the attempted murder of an off duty police officer in Derry on February 22 this year. A viable Under Vehicle Improvised Explosive Device was discovered at the home of the officer in the Ardanlee area. He

  The Health Minister and HSE management can no longer continue to ignore the situation at Letterkenny University Hospital. That’s the view of Donegal Deputy Charlie McConalgoue who was responding to the publication of the HSE’s National Service Plan 2018. The plan outlines that a number of hospitals nationwide are to receive additional beds to

There could be light at the end of the tunnel for a cinema complex in Donegal Town. It’s after the developer behind the plans moved to confirm his intentions to submit another application for the project. Last month, plans were rejected for the five-screen cinema along with public parking and a shop and restaurant. This

Police in Derry are appealing for witnesses following a serious road traffic collision on the Clooney Road last night. The road remains closed this morning with diversions in place. In a statement Inspector Mark Knowles said that police received a report of a one-vehicle road traffic collision close to the Enagh turn-off, between the Gransha

A West Tyrone MLA is urging Department of Health in the North to provide extra funding for GP Out of Hours services in Strabane. It follows an announcement made by the Department that it is to invest an extra £3.9 million in GP services across Northern Ireland. The Out of Hours service in Strabane has

There’s been a serious single road traffic collision in Derry overnight.  The Clooney Road in Derry has been closed country bound between Gransha Roundabout and Maydown Roundabout following the crash. Diversions are in place.

A man, now living in Donegal, who sexually abused four schoolboys two decades ago has been jailed for eight years. Scott Turner,44, assaulted the children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at addresses in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire between December 1991 and November 1998. The High Court in Glasgow heard how two of Turner’s victims

The average private rent for new tenancies in Co Donegal was €545 in the third quarter of 2017. According to latest figures published by the Residential Tenancies Board, the average rent is up €21 euro, an increase of 4% compared to the second quarter of this year. Nationally, rents are highest in Dublin at €1,518

Today is the last day for express parcel post for Christmas. An Post says it expects to handle over 18 million pieces of mail between now and Saturday. The usual volume of 2 million per day trebles in the run up to the big day. An Post’s Angus Laverty says even though the deadline for

Letterkenny Tennis Club has been awarded a €53,500 Government regional sports grant. The club had bid for funding under the Regional Sports Capital grants. In a statement Minister Joe McHugh said that the club has ambitious plans to expand and enhance their site and to become a centre of excellence for the entire region, not

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Wednesday 20th December

The HSE has published its National Service Plan for 2018 and has set a budget of €14.5 billion for next year, a 3% increase on what was spent this year. The plan has outlined a number of acute hospitals across the country in which additional beds and new units will be opened to increase capacity