Author name: oisinkelly

The National Chairperson of the Irish Red Cross has praised the resilience of the people of Donegal as efforts continue to rebuild Inishowen in the wake of last month’s floods. Pat Carey, a former minister, visited Donegal at the weekend. Yesterday, he attended a special concert at the Aura Leisure Centre in Letterkenny at which […]

North Korea’s latest nuclear test registered on the St Columba’s College seisomometer. Pyongyang said it had successfully trialled a hydrogen bomb that could be loaded on to a long-range missile. The signal from the bomb was recorded on the college’s equipment 11 minutes after it was detonated. North Korea has defied UN sanctions and international

The Minister for Foreign Affairs says the only ray of light in a bad week of Brexit talks has been progress made on Ireland. Simon Coveney will tomorrow meet EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels but says he is in daily contact with negotiators. Minister Coveney says all sides have come round to accepting

The Government has been heavily criticised for its failure to adhere to the EU Floods Directive. EU member states were required to produce flood risk management plans by 2015 in compliance with the directive, however the Irish Government has failed to submit plans to the EU Commission. The news comes in the aftermath of flash

Police in Derry are appealing for information following a serious assault on a man last month. The man was attacked sometime between 1:30am and 2am as he attended a bonfire in the Gallaigh area of the city on 16th August. The victim sustained injuries to his face, including a fracture to his left eye socket

The Minister for Agriculture has visited Donegal to assess firsthand, the aftermath of last weeks floods. Many farmers have been left devastated after livestock was lost, crops washed away and fields and fencing demolished. Michael Chance, Donegal IFA Chairman, met with Minister Creed and discussed the support needed to return farms to their pre-flood state.

As the political deadlock continues in Northern Ireland, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has appealed to parties to cooperate and compromise in a bid to restore the assembly. The Taoiseach says while Brexit negotiations continue it is vital Northern Ireland has a voice at the table and that it is not up to British Ministers to run

The actions of the Minister for Agriculture are unacceptable as farmers have yet to receive confirmation that they will be awarded support in the aftermath of last Tuesday’s flood. That’s according to Donegal Deputy Charlie McConalogue who says he feels farmers are being treated in a discriminatory manner by the Government. Many farmers, particularly those

The Donegal branch of the Irish Cattle & Sheep Farmers’ Association has offered its assistance to farmers in the county who have been affected by last week’s flash flooding. Livestock was lost, fields and fencing damaged and crops washed away as the torrential rain struck. The ICSA has also called on Minister Michael Creed to

Police believe the New IRA was behind the attempted murder of a police officer in Derry earlier this year. On 22nd February, a viable Under Vehicle Improvised Explosive Device was discovered at the home of the officer in the Ardanlee area. Police sources have indicated that the device which they say was designed to kill

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