Author name: oisinkelly

A 22 year old man who was sentenced to 10 months in prison and banned from entering Derry for ten years has had his ban reduced to five years. Nathan McDaid, of Meenavanaghan, Quigley’s Point, Co Donegal had been convicted in 2015 for assaulting his former partner. The Court heard today from defence counsel Ms […]

A 27 year old man with an address at Mountcharles in County Donegal has been sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment for kicking his own dog to death. The case related to the brutal attack on an innocent Yorkshire terrier called Buttons on January 24th 2017. Garda Sergeant Oliver Devenney told the court yesterday how the

Tomorrow is ‘National Be Safe Be Seen Day’ – the shortest day of the year. As part of the initiative, The Donegal Road Safety Working Group with the assistance of members of the Donegal Youth Service will be distributing High Viz vests around Letterkenny. Brian O’Donnell Road Safety Officer with Donegal County Council says with

Donegal Airport is to receive almost €700,000 in Government funding towards operating costs. It’s part of an overall allocation of €3.6 million in grant aid to regional airports nationwide which is aimed at contributing to enhanced regional connectivity for businesses and tourism. Donegal Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher says the money will to a long

Lifeline in Inishowen could be facing closure due to funding issues. The centre located in Carndonagh provides services for women and children affected by domestic violence. The organisation has to vacate its current premises and is looking for a new base but its funding runs out at the end of March 2018. Speaking on the

The second phase of works at Malin Head is expected to be completed in the New Year. The work includes road widening, car parking improved and toilets provided. It had been anticipated that phase two would be finished before the end of the year however some issues reulted in the work being delayed. Local Cllr

60 percent of the Irish Hotel sector say Brexit has negatively affected their business this year. Latest research from the Irish Hotels Federation shows that Britain leaving the E-U remains a top concern. The industry is calling for an increased investment in marketing. Paul Diver, Chair of the Donegal branch of the Irish Hotels Federation

A Donegal Deputy is calling for urgent funding to be approved for Killybegs Tourism Information Centre. The centre has not received any offical funding for the past two years and is currently benefitting from donations to keep the centre afloat. Deputy Thomas Pringle says this is a vital amenity with volunteers working with cruise ships, contributing

An Post is reminding people that it’s the last day to send cards and parcels to guarantee they’ll get there by Christmas. Final delivery is this Saturday with Post Office’s closing at half one. An extra 300 staff were hired to help with the increase in demand this year. Anna Mc Hugh is from An

A Donegal County Councillor says an issue of public safety has now been resolved after the installation of new public lights at Lismonaghan Road in Letterkenny. For a long period of time, a substantial amount of the road leading to housing estates was without lighting. Councillor Dessie Shiels says this work combined with the construction

  It’s being recommended members of the North’s power-sharing assembly take a pay cut – because it’s not been functioning since January. 90 politicians haven’t been engaged in parliamentary work since a crisis saw the first minister and deputy first minister quit. Former Assembly chief executive Trevor Reaney has recommended pay is reduced in two

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Tuesday 19th December

More than €1.7 million has been approved by Cabinet to Donegal County Council to cover the cost of the initial clean-up following the Inishowen floods in August. Government Chief Whip Minister Joe McHugh has welcomed the payment of €1,729,122 due to be made to the local authority in the coming days. Minister McHugh has paid tribute

A statement this afternoon has been released on behalf of the Good and New Charity Shop in Letterkenny, in response to an article in the Sunday Times revealing that the charity had received over €400,000 more than it had spent in the past two years. The organisation say auditors have confirmed to them that the

Minister Kevin Boxer Moran has confirmed 8,000 homes across Ireland are to receive flood defences as part of a €260 million plan due to be signed off today. Minister Moran said the OPW carried out a CFRAM report which surveyed the country and identified flood-risk areas, including Castlefin. The Independent is reporting that separate supports

The Housing Minister has given the go-ahead to Donegal County Council to work on initiating a process which would provide housing for homeowners in Donegal affected by Mica. Many families have been forced out of their homes as they have been deemed unsafe to live in. Local Councillor Martin McDermott has welcomed Minister English’s commitment

A 94 year old woman who died in a house fire in Buncrana has been named locally as Sadie Gill. The blaze broke out just after 4pm yesterday afternoon at her farmhouse in Illies just outside Buncrana. Ms. Gill who was the sole occupant of the house was pronounced dead at the scene and her

The water conservation notice on the Lough Colm and Lough Fad supplies has been lifted eight months after it was first issued. Records showed that April 2017 was the driest April experienced for 67 years leading to the conservation notice being put in place in May of this year. Although the request to conserve has

The contract for the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) for the five year period 2018-2022 was officially signed yesterday at the County House in Lifford. The contract, which will see a combined budget for SICAP in Donegal of just over €2 million per year across the lifetime of the programme, was signed

There were 32 people waiting for a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the INMO. 19 people were on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 13 were waiting on wards. Yesterday saw 35 people waiting for a bed at the hospital which resulted in the full capacity protocol implemented. University

Some locals have expressed concerns about a Donegal nightclub’s decision to open on Christmas night. A special licence has been granted to the Limelight nightclub in Glenties to open at 1 minute past midnight – technically on St Stephen’s morning. It’s thought as many as 16-hundred people will turn up. Brian Carr from the local

The Department of Transport has confirmed its intentions to award Stobard Air a new contract for flights between Donegal Airport and Dublin. The contract will maintain the current flight schedule and will cover the next four year period at the airport. However Glasgow flights from Donegal Airport are in jeopardy as Stobard Air has expressed

  A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out today following the death of a woman in her 90s in a house fire in Buncrana. The blaze broke out just after 4pm yesterday afternoon at a house in Ballymagan just outside Buncrana. The woman who was the sole occupant of the house was pronounced

Minister Damien English has confirmed that a number of recommendations set out in the expert panel’s report on Mica-affected homes in Donegal will be implemented in the coming months. The Housing Minister met with the Mica Action Group and affected homeowners in Carndonagh last night to discuss the latest report and he has committed to

The new Courthouse in Letterkenny is to open on 2nd January 2018. €11.5 million was spent on developing the building at the site on High Road. Local Councillor Dessie Shiels has welcomed the confirmation from the Courts Service that all court sittings for Letterkenny and surrounding areas will now take place in the new building

Groups across Strabane and Derry are being urged to support a new Peace Tourism project aimed to bring together local organisations across the region. The project will support the sector with producing, piloting and promoting tourism packages that will meet local, national and international visitor demand. The Natural Connections: Peace Tourism Project is part of

More than €113,000 is to be given to 12 Donegal Gaeltacht groups. The funding has been approved by Údarás na Gaeltachta under the LEADER Programme. In a statement Minister Joe McHugh these grants are important for work in sporting, community and recreational groups in Donegal Gaeltacht areas. The funding will help the work of small

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Monday 18th December

  Tourism Ireland has released a new film, celebrating Ireland’s Star Wars connections, featuring Mark Hamill. The film features a number of locations along Ireland’s western seaboard., including Malin Head and Skellig Michael. “The fact that another Star Wars film was shot on location along the Wild Atlantic Way is truly a fantastic coup for Irish

The Housing Minister is due to visit Donegal this evening to meet with the MICA Action Group and homeowners affected by the defective block issue. Damien English will arrive at the Public Service Centre in Carndonagh this evening at 8:30pm. The MICA Action Group are encouraging all homeowners whose homes have been affected by MICA

There are a number of homes and businesses without power in Inishowen. ESB are currently working to restore power to 1203 premises in Buncrana, Drumhaggart and Quigley’s Point. The network apologises for loss of supply and say power is expected to be restored by 5:15pm this evening.

A Sligo – Leitrim and South Donegal TD says people should be allowed to drive after drinking two alcoholic drinks. The new Road Traffic Bill would see those detected over the blood alcohol limit automatically disqualified. And it would impose a three-month driving ban for those caught with a blood alcohol level of between 50mg

The Full Capacity Protocol has been implemented at Letterkenny University Hospital. There were 35 people awaiting in-patient admission at the hospital this morning. Of those, 22 were waiting in the hospital’s Emergency Department. In a statement issued by the hospital they say the Emergency Department is extremely busy today with a significant number of patients