Author name: oisinkelly

A Donegal councillor says despite the Millennium Falcon structure in Malin Head being dismantled in the coming days, fans will continue to flock to the area. The structure was erected for the filming of Star Wars and the idea of retaining the film set and turning it into a tourist attraction was being explored. However […]

  Donegal Deputy Joe Hugh has been appointed the new Junior Minister of State for the Diaspora and Overseas Development Aid. Deputy McHugh leaves his former brief of the Arts Culture and Gaeltacht affairs behind. The Taoiseach has made his formal announcement of his Junior Ministers in the Dail a short time ago.

    Killybegs is set to suffer a significant loss in tourism income next month following the shock cancellation of a major powerboat racing event. The Venture Offshore Cup which was due to take place in June was called off this week due to one of the funders pulling out, with in-depth planning and preparations by the

Planning permission has been granted for a new 24 bed boutique hotel with bar and restaurant facilities at the junction of Foyle Street and Shipquay Place in Derry. The permission was granted to the Elm Village Company. The application is for the refurbishment and extension of the buildings at 1-4 Shipquay Place and 7-17 Foyle

Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle is backing calls for an inquest to be held in the case of Mary Boyle, who’s been missing, presumed dead, since 1977. Earlier this week, responding to a Dail question from the Independent Deputy, Tanaiste and Justice MInister Frances Fitzgerald said it is not her place to call for an inquest

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is expected to name his 12 Ministers of State today. Ten of the jobs will go to Fine Gael TDs, with two being given to independents. It’s not yet clear whether outgoing Junior Minister Joe Mc Hugh will be reappointed. he previously held the Arts Culture and Gaeltacht brief, but there’s been

The government is being urged to provide more funding to improve the Home Help service and allow more time to be given to the elderly. At present, the maximum time Home Helpers are paid for is 30 minutes per day, during which they must carry out various duties. Former Donegal councillor and union official Seamus

Today sees the opening of a two day conference in Letterkenny on 1916, it’s legacy, and it’s impact on the Diaspora. Now in it’s fifth year, the Donegal Irish Diaspora Conference is hosted by Donegal County Council in association with the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Centre for Irish Partnerships. Donegal County Council says this conference

A Garda investigation is underway following the discovery of a cardboard box containing 17 abandoned kittens outside a Killybegs butchers shop yesterday morning. The kittens are only 2-4 weeks old, ten of them are sick with serious eye infections. Gardai say that during an inspection of CCTV in the area, a man can be seen arriving

Donegal Deputy Charlie McConalogue has been appointed as the new Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, leaving his former position as Education Spokesperson for the party. The announcement was made by Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin earlier today during his declaration of his front bench team for the 32nd Dáil. Speaking to Highland Radio

  Fishermen in Donegal are being invited to share their views on how fisheries management can be improved in Ireland. The ERSI is conducting new research in the field and areas of interest include angler facilities, greater catch sizes, the economic benefits of fisheries in the local economy and the benefits of tourist anglers. Head

    Police in the North are appealing for witnesses after an attempted murder in Tyrone this morning. Shots were fired at a house in the Cookstown area at about three o’clock. A 45 year-old man was in the property at the time – however he escaped injury. The PSNI’s appealing to anyone who witnessed

Gardai have confirmed that a small quantity of drugs were discovered during a search of a property on Lower Main Street Letterkenny last night. The type of drugs that were found is unknown as Gardai say they are subject to analysis. The matter is still under investigation and there are no further details at this

The Ulster Farmers Union says it’s disappointed at the level of compensation being offered to farmers whose land will be affected by the construction of the Gas to the West Scheme. Contractors Mutual Energy says the scheme will benefit the environment and reduce fuel costs as it is one of the cleanest fossil fuel. However,

The Child and Family Agency Tusla has said the closure of a facility in the Knocknamona area of Letterkenny is temporary. This morning, Deputy Pearse Doherty questioned why the facility had been closed,saying he’d been promised clarification by the agency’s CEO, but that had not been forthcoming. He claimed children at the facility had been

There is a fear in the Galliagh area of Derry that the bus service provided to the locality could be withdrawn following a number of stone attacks within the past month. In the latest incident, four windows were smashed in a bus by a number of children believed to be between 12 and 14 years

It’s emerged that a residential centre for children and young people in Letterkenny has been closed by Tusla, with some children transferred to a residential unit in the midlands, 200 kilometres away. Deputy Pearse Doherty says the closure of the facility in Knoclnamona is ‘extremely concerning’ and he has called on the relevant authorities to

A Donegal Deputy has said if the right to water were enshrined in the Constitution, it would protect the resource against further privatisation. Deputy Thomas Pringle believes if his proposed legislation were accepted, it would bring about a referendum on the public ownership of water in Ireland, therefore determining the uncertain future of Irish Water. Deputy

Derry City and Strabane District Council will host a series of public meetings next week ahead of the preparation of a programme for Peace IV funding in the district. The first of the meetings takes place on Monday next at the Holywell DiverseCity Community Partnership offices and St Columb’s Park House. Meetings will take place

Sinn Fein wants the promised review of the School Transport Scheme to take into consideration the views of families in Donegal. The controversial scheme has been criticised for being to stringent on distance rules which means some families could only avail of free transport to the closest school. In many case distance was calculated on

New statistics from from UK’s Department of Health show that 67 woman from Donegal traveled to Britain for a legal abortion last year. That figure represents 2% of the total number of 3,451 woman from Ireland who had legal abortions in Britain in 2015. The Donegal figure is a fall from 87 in 2013. Overall

Donegal must get its fair share of the extra gardai promised under the Fianna Fáil Confidence and Supply arrangement which saw Fine Gael returned to power. Thats according to Donegal TD Charlie McConalogue who says the Government must follow through on its commitment to increase Garda numbers to 15,000. Eight Garda stations closed under Fine

It’s been claimed that an EU commissioned impact assessment study on the TTIP trade agreement with the US confirms fears about the drastic impact on Irish beef and jobs. The 394-page impact assessment, commissioned by the European Commission two-and-a-half years ago, was released at the weekend. Midlands North West MEP Matt Carthy says the report

A Donegal Senator is calling on the housing Minister to amend the terms of reference for the expert panel currently investigating the MICA blocks issue in the county. The call comes following recent claims that the panel are limited in their power to carry out a thorough investigation. It’s understood they are currently examining private

There was regional success for a number of North West premises in the All-Ireland Restaurant Awards which were announced in Dublin last night. Browns Restaurant and Champagne Bar in Derry was named best restaurant in Ulster, Aroma Café at the Craft Village in Donegal Town was named best café in Ulster, and Harvey’s Restaurant at

  Cuts to guidance counselling have been ‘catastrophic’ according to the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. A new report has expressed concern over the service with students being given advice by unqualified personnel. DEIS schools have taken the biggest hit, losing 30 per cent of their guidance counsellors since 2012. Fianna Fáil has secured a commitment

A senior Emergency Department consultant is calling on the new Government to act immediately to resolve the overcrowding crisis. Dr Fergal Hickey of Sligo University Hospital, who also serves as Communications Officer with the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine, was speaking after it emerged that the numbers on trollies for more than 24 hours in

A national school in St Johnston is appealing for the return of its Active Schools flag. Castletown National School is one of over 30 schools in Donegal to have earned the flag, which recognises a commitment to physical activity and healthy eating practices among pupils and staff. The flag was taken from a pole outside