Author name: oisinkelly

  A body of a young man has been recovered from the River Swilly this afternoon during a search conducted by Gardai. The search was carried out following the discovery of clothing and identification  in the vicinity of Letterkennys Port Bridge by a passerby earlier today. Gardai have confirmed that the body is that of […]

Two councillors have confirmed today they have resigned from the SDLP and are contesting the assembly election in West Tyrone on an Independent Social Democrat ticket. Derry and Strabane Cllr Patsy Kelly and Omagh Cllr Josephine Deehan says they both attempted to resolve what they regard as serious internal issues within the party as recently

Donegal County Council has heard calls for the Fire Service to be used when necessary as first responders in cases of cardiac arrest. Councillor Martin McDermott points out that every fire station has a defibrillator and staff trained in cardiac first response. He says his call should not impact on the ongoing campaign for a

Gardai are examining clothing found in the vicinity of Letterkenny’s Port Bridge this morning, along with personal items understood to include some identification. The clothing was seen and reported by a passing motorist this morning, and gardai have been at the scene for some time. Gardai have stopped short of declaring a search, but we

  A senior Failte Ireland official says the gap between Donegal and other tourism counties is narrowing significantly. It follows claims from veteran tourism promoter and Donegal Councillor Sean Mc Eniff that Donegal has not been reaching its tourism potential as a result of centralised decision making. Joan Crawford, Team Manager on the Wild Atlantic

Over 90 per cent of Irish Bathing waters have met minimum EU standards for this year. The latest report from the Environmental Protection Agency shows just six of our 137 bathing spots are of a poor level. In Donegal, 19 beaches were assessed – 16 were graded excellent, two Portnablagh and Rathmullan were deemed to

There have been claims that Donegal is suffering a loss in the tourism sector with Failte Irelands latest reports suggesting there is significant gap in numbers visiting the county. When compared with other counties, Kerry receives over 1m overseas visitors per year as against 250,000 in Donegal whilst Galway attracts 775,000 domestic visitors as against

A Derry councillor has hit out after a fire was started at Holy Child primary school in Derry last night. Building materials at the school were set alight, the roof of the Creggan school was damaged. Councillor Kevin Campbell says there is shock in the local area that anyone would even contemplate starting a fire

The family of double informer Denis Donaldson has issued a statement marking the 10th anniversary of his murder, requesting that private documents be made available to those investigating his murder. Donaldson, 56, was shot dead by gunmen in a rural cottage near Glenties on April 4, 2006. The Real IRA claimed it was responsible. No-one

  It’s claimed that as the May 31st dealine approaches for a report on MICA blocks in Donegal to be delivered to Government,there is no evidence that the investigation has advanced at all. Thousands of homeowners in the county are thought to be affected by the issue, where their homes are crumbling and described as

A ten -year-old boy has appeared at Derry Magistrate’s Court accused of assaulting his mother. The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, is charged with common assault, criminal damage and assault on police. He is further charged with possessing an offensive weapon, namely a saw. The charges relate to an alleged incident

A Grandmother says she is in no doubt that her two young grandchildren were the victims of an attempted abduction in Drumkeen last Friday. The young girls were walking with their grandmother when a man in a red van stopped and asked them to get in the van with the offer of sweets. There grandmother

Workers’ Memorial Day will be formally observed in Ireland on the 28th of this month. A special event will take place involving the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, IBEC, the Construction Industry Federation and the Health and Safety Authority. Workers’ Memorial Day Ireland remembers workers lost and injured and highlights the importance of health, safety

A Donegal Deputy says the HSE must ensure that the temporary closure of Dungloe Hospital does not Impact on Patient Care. The HSE announced last week that the Hospital has been temporarily closed to new admissions after the discovery of the antibiotic resistant bacteria ‘CRE’ at the unit. The Executive says none of the hospital’s

There were nine patients awaiting admission at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning, four on trollies in the Emergency Department and five on trollies or chairs on the wards. Nationally, there were 437 people awaiting admission to hospital, 337 of them on trollies.

A report on community nursing in Ireland to be launched this morning indicates that the service is under severe strain. The report says the service is struggling to meet the demands from challenges including a changing national demographic and earlier acute care discharges. The moratorium on nurse recruitment has also had a severe impact according

Police in Derry closed the Culmore Road for a time last night to facilitate a reconstruction of the collision which killed an elderly pedestrian in February. 70 year old pedestrian James Brendan O’Connor died after he was struck by a car just before 7 o’clock on the evening of Sunday 21 February. It happened close

  The telecoms regulator Comreg is being urged to put pressure on mobile phone operators to improve the service provision which they are currently offering in Donegal and elsewhere in the west and north west. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher says the quality of service and availability of mobile signals has greatly deteriorated in parts

A Stranorlar area councillor is urging people to be vigilant after reports that a van driver attempted to entice two girls into a red van in Drumkeen on Friday evening. It’s reported that the van driver didn’t realise that the girls’ grandmother was with them, and challenged him. He is described as being in his

The Tyrone woman arrested and jailed for drugs smuggling in Peru has said her decision was made in a “moment of madness”. Michaella McCollum was freed on parole this week after serving more than two years in prison in South America. In an interview to be broadcast on RTE tonight, she says if the cocaine

Police say a 25-year-old man who was arrested in Strabane in connection with violent dissident republican activity has been released. The man was arrested in Strabane yesterday Friday morning. Police say he’s been released “unconditionally”.

A former DUP councillor has has been given a suspended sentence after pleaded guilty to 23 charges of fraud by false representation. Derry Magistrates Court was told Bill Irwin had home heating oil delivered to his home, but invoiced to the local DUP office where he worked. The 55 year old from Duncastle Road in

A Strabane woman, who is charged with setting fire to a county Donegal hotel, had her case adjourned, at Ballyshannon District Court. 50-year-old Sylvia Glenn, Greenway Park, Strabane is charged with arson in that she damaged by fire a water storage unit at the Allingham Arms Hotel, Bundoran on March 25. When the case was