Author name: oisinkelly

The security alert in Lettershandoney, Derry has now ended. Superintendent Gordon McCalmont has confirmed that a viable device has been recovered and will be taken away for further examination. Superintendent McCalmont says; “When violent dissident criminals tell us that there is a device in the area we do not take chances. Conflicting and inaccurate information […]

Applications are now open for the Donegal Emergency Humanitarian Support Scheme. The Government has requested the Red Cross administer two temporary emergency support schemes in the wake of flash flooding that devastated hundreds across Donegal last week. The temporary emergency scheme will provide emergency humanitarian support to small businesses, up to 20 employees, that have

A number of protests were held across the country today in opposition of Bank of Ireland’s decision to remove its Irish langauge option from its newer ATM’s. Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty attended a protest at the banks Bunbeg branch which he has desribed as positive and has welcomed the prospect of a meeting with senior

Irish Water have this evening confirmed that water services have been restored to all areas in Inishowen. Significant damage was caused to roads and bridges during last week’s floods, resulting in pipework being damaged and flooding at wastewater treatment plants, leaving hundreds without water. Temporary repairs have been carried out to restore the ulility while

Derry City and Strabane District Council is continuing to offer its support to those affected by the recent flooding with the two Flood Help Centres at YMCA Drumahoe and the Community Centre in Eglinton remaining open over the weekend from 10am to 2pm. The two centres have over the past week become a central point

A Strabane farmer has been convicted of making a polluting discharge to a waterway. Stephen Carson, of Tievenny Road, Strabane, was fined £1,000 for allowing a discharge into a tributary of the river Derg. A sample taken at the time of the incident confirmed that the discharge contained poisonous, noxious or polluting matter which was

Gardai have uncovered a substantial amount of money along with a number of stolen goods and cannabis plants at a property in Donegal. The Irish Times reports that the property in Rossbracken, Letterkenny is linked to waste operator, Jim Ferry. It is reported that Ferry has received a number of convictions including the illegal disposal

A Derry Councillor says she’s received reassurances from Environment Agency about the safety of drinking water in the city following the recent flooding. Sandra Duffy, Sinn Féin’s Environment Spokesperson on Derry City Council was speaking after the River Faughan breaced its banks into the illegal dump at Mobuoy. That led to concerns in the area

The Residential Tenancies Board says just because Donegal is not in a Rent Pressure Zone, that does not mean that tenants in the county don’t have rights. The board’s annual report which was published this week shows that last year, the RTB dealt with 135,000 calls and answered 51,000 e-mails. Many of the calls dealt

Donegal County Council has confirmed that’s its Carndonagh Office will open from 9am to 5pm tomorrow to continue to offer support to those affected by last week’s floods. To date, 50 families have registered with Donegal County Council as being displaced. 20 of these families are being facilitated by their own insurance companies, 15 families

  As a security alert continues in Lettershandoney, Foyle Superintendent Gordon McCalmont has called on those behind the incident to provide clear and accurate information. He says over a period of two days, violent dissident republicans have been telling police through intermediaries that there is a bomb in the area of Lettershandoney. On Wednesday they

  The European Commission has been urged to investigate possible emergency aid to help those affected by last week’s flash flooding in Co. Donegal and across the border in Derry and Tyrone. A letter has been sent to EU Commissioner Phil Hogan by Midlands North West MEP and EP Vice-President Mairead McGuinness, and Ulster Unionist

The Government’s being urged to stop focusing on foreign direct investment and instead focus its attention towards indigenous companies. Minister Eoghan Murphy’s set to hear calls for more efforts to grow the economy outside of Dublin at a conference today. The gathering organised by the Regional Studies Association is hoping to convince Minister Murphy to

The latest move to break the political deadlock in the North appears to have failed. DUP leader Arlene Foster says she’s prepared to do a deal on key issues like the Irish language as part of a parallel process once the executive and assembly are back up and running. Sinn Féin’s rejected the idea, saying

Bank of Ireland needs to re-think their plans to get rid of the Irish language option at ATMs, according to Sinn Féin. Yesterday the bank announced it was to remove the Irish language option from its newer ATMs. Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty heavily criticised the move which was blamed on failing demand with a recent

Police in Derry are currently responding to a second report of a suspect device. They received a report of a device being left in the Lettershandoney Ave area of the city. This is the second security alert in the area over the past 24 hours. Last evening Police received a report that a device was

A former mayor of Buncrana and his family have been rescued from their Texas home, which was engulfed by flood waters from Tropical Storm Harvey. Lee Tedstone has been living and working in Houston, Texas since July 2015. His family home in Houston has been engulfed by floods in the same week his property in

Gardai in Letterkenny have seized a vehicle which was discovered in an unroadworthy state. Letterkenny Traffic Corp seized the defective car which was found to have no windows and a seat belt holding both doors on the drivers side shut. Gardai say summons and fines are to follow.  

There is anger among the community in Stranorlar as it has emerged that the Church of Ireland facility at St Joseph’s Hospital is to be removed. It is understood the HSE’s decision to transform the Church facility into a day room was done without any form of consultation and plans reveal that there has been

  Teagasc has been authorised to assess flood damage suffered by Inishowen farmers. A substantial amount of livestock was lost to the torrential rain while fields and fencing have been destroyed. While the authority has already contacted its own clients, all non-members are also entitled to an assessment. The Donegal Chairmen of the Irish Natura

The Bredagh River in the Moville – Donagh catchment has been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as one of the most polluted rivers in the country. The EPA has today published a comprehensive review of water quality for the six year period between 2010 and 2016. Senior scientific officer Matthew Craig says while there

Just over 73% of working commuters in Donegal travel by car, according to figures published this morning by the CSO. The figures reflect the limited public transport options in the county, and also the distances travelled by people to get to work. The census showed 39,275 people living and working in County Donegal travelling to

  As the clean-up continues following the Inishowen floods, its emerged that 20 primary school pupils may not be able to get to school tomorrow. The children, who attend Muff National School travel to school by bus on a road which is currently closed because of a bridge collapse. Donegal Senator Padraig Mac Lochlainn is

12 people are awaiting admission today at Letterkenny University Hospital. According to the INMO, 10 patients are on trolleys in the Emergency Department with a further 2 waiting on wards or overflow areas. Nationally, 317 people are waiting on a bed with University Hospital Galway the most overcrowded.

An Inishowen councillor says Donegal County Council has been given an impossible task to administer an LIS scheme before the end of the year while also dealing with the aftermath of last week’s floods. Cllr Rena Donaghey says there’s a nine day window for applications to be made to the council, and then the authority

Serious concern has been raised over a lack of safety measures in place outside Maherabeg School on the Letterkenny to Derry road. It’s understood that reduced variable speed limits where to be situated on either side of the school during the summer however, no progress has been made. Local Cllr Paul Canning has been expressing

A Security Alert in the Oeghill Park area of Derry has ended with nothing being found. The PSNI say information was received by police that suggested a device may have been left in the area, and it was necessary to carry out a thorough search and clearance operation. Nothing was found during these searches and

Police in Derry are warning of a telephone scam centred on bogus tax demands. There have been several reports of fraudsters claiming to represent HMRC demanding payments. It is understood that older people are being targetted, and threatened with arrest if money is not paid. The PSNI say this is an ongoing scam that has

  Applications are being sought for the Local Improvement Scheme 2017. It was announced yesterday that the scheme is to be reinstated after being withdrawn in 2011. The Department of Rural and Community Development says the scheme will be dependent on the level of demand, the resources available, and the capacity of the Local Authorities

Donegal County Council has revealed details of the Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Support Scheme with €2million of funding being made available. The scheme will aid small businesses of up to 20 employees, community, voluntary and sporting bodies in repairing damage caused when torrential rain destroyed the Inishowen peninsula last Tuesday. The total amount of support

It’s hoped there will be an increase in US visitors to Donegal next year following what’s been described as a very successful trade mission to three US centres. Donegal Tourism was represented on the tour, which took in New York, Chicago and Milkaukee, the scene of Tradfest, the world’s largest Irish festival. Donegal County Council’s

The former mayor of Buncrana Lee Tedstone and his family have been rescued from their Houston home which was engulfed by flood waters from Tropical Storm Harvey. Lee has been living and working in Houstan, Texas with his wife Shannon and children Shea, George, Rory and Amy Rose since July of 2015. He is the Director