Author name: oisinkelly

The Simon Communities of Ireland says we urgently need a Minister for Housing with a seat at the cabinet. The homelessness charity is making the call after new figures show there’s been a rise of almost 50 per cent of the numbers of people in emergency accommodation. In Donegal 27 people are homeless, the highest

A 48 year old Derry man has been arrested in connection with dissident republican activity. The suspect was arrested this morning by Detectives from Serious Crime Branch and has been taken to Musgrave Police Station for questioning. Detectives are also carrying out searches in Derry today.

Ireland South MEP Liadh Ni Riada is calling on the EU to do something about the increase in dolphin deaths and strandings off the Irish coast. Her demands come after the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group revealed that so far in 2016 there were 28 dolphin strandings off the Atlantic coast. Last weekend, a dead white

A Donegal councillor is calling for more resources for the passport office in Dublin, saying that a number of people in the county could miss out on trips abroad because their documents are not ready. In its latest update as of Wednesday last week, the passport says express renewals should take 11 to 15 working

Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty told the Dail last night that the real issues which affect people are not being dealt with because Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are more interested in posturing and divvying up ministries. He said there is a major disconnect between what the people expect and what is actually happening in Leinster

Enda Kenny is now leading the country in a caretaker capacity, after the 32nd Dail failed to appoint a new Taoiseach. Neither Mr Kenny, Micheal Martin, Gerry Adams or Richard Boyd Barrett secured enough votes from TDs to become Taoiseach. The Dail has now been adjourned until the 22nd of March, when there will be

Business owners and locals in Donegal are being asked to ‘Go Green’ for St. Patricks Day, with Donegal County Council striving to make this Ireland’s Greenest Town. . Donegal Tourism in conjunction with Donegal County Council have launched a campaign, encouraging people to green landmarks, heritage sites and other buildings by placing green light filters

40 thousand people will get cancer this year in Ireland, over 600 of them in Donegal. The Irish Cancer Society says the number of cases is increasing – and one in three of us will experience cancer in our lifetime. Today is Daffodil Day, which, over the last 20 years, has raised over 63 million

As the Irish Farmers Association prepares to choose a new president and vice president, the candidates for the two positions were in Letterkenny’s Clanree Hotel last night for a debate. Last night’s meeting was addressed by the three candidates for the presidency of the IFA – Flor McCarthy from Kerry, Joe Healy from Galway and

Police in the North are investigating a shooting at a house in Co Tyrone last night. It happened in Stewart Avenue, Cookstown at about 11.15 when a shot was fired through the window of a house. A man in his 50s who was in the house at the time was not injured, but was left

Negotiations resume shortly on the Rathmullan Ferry Service with hopes it can start on June 1st. The service, which is popular among locals and those using the Wild Atlantic Way, didn’t run in 2014 and ran for a short period last year. But Councillor Liam Blaney is optimistic that a final decision can be made

Letterkenny Municipal District Councillors have backed calls for the installation of a pedestrian crossing or other safety measures at a notoriously dangerous junction in Kilmacrennan. The junction, which is used by children walking to school, has been the scene of a number of crashes and near misses over the years with fears that it is

A Donegal man in his 30’s remains in Garda custody after the discovery of weapons in a car in Slane yesterday. He is believed to be connected to dissident republicans. Three assault rifles, which its thought may have been used in the Regency Hotel shooting of David Byrne, were seized by detectives when the vehicle

There’s been a 49% drop in the supply of land in Donegal. In its annual land survey, the Irish Farmers Journal is reporting average prices increased by 7.3% in the county, rising from €6,847 an acre in 2014 to €7,345 an acre last year. Just 976 acres were offered for sale in the Donegal in

A Donegal Deputy has stated that despite Fine Gaels firm stance on Irish Water, it is a ‘dead duck’ and must be abolished by the incoming Government. The 32nd Dail will meet for the first time later today but there is little chance of a government being formed for another couple of weeks. Yesteray Fine

Letterkenny University Hospital has again apologised for the long delays in its Emergency Department. The latest INMO figures revealed yesterday that there were 35 people waiting to be admitted to hospitals in the North West – 12 in Letterkenny University Hospital and 23 in Sligo Regional Hospital. LUH says the main reasons for the high

  Letterkenny Institute of Technology has seen a significant increase in third level applications for the coming year. Nationally, over 76 thousand students have applied for third level college places, an increase of two percent. The number of students wanting to study architecture, construction, business, law and nursing has increased. President of the Letterkenny Institute

Water charges will NOT be scrapped, and Irish Water isn’t going to be abolished. That’s according to Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney, who says his comments on the charge last week were misconstrued. The Minister says Fine Gael won’t compromise on it’s core principles during negotiations to form a government. Simon Coveney says Irish Water is

The Government’s special rapporteur on children, says cyberbullying should be a criminal offence. Geoffrey Shannon says schools should have a mandatory internet code of behaviour, as well as a series of sanctions in place for those in breach of it, up to a criminal offence. In Donegal, the sudden deaths of Erin and Shannon Gallagher

Councillors in the Glenties Municipal District say they will no longer accept, what has been described as, discrimination against the area. This week’s district meeting discussed spending in the area for the year with figures showing large differences in funding levels across Donegal’s 5 districts. In one example, the Glenties area gets 15 thousand Euro

Foyle MLA Raymond McCartney has called on the Public Prosecution Service to review a decision not to prosecute a British soldier who shot dead 15-year-old Daniel Hegarty in the Creggan area of Derry in 1972. Mr Mc Cartney also wants the PPS to meet with the Hegarty family to hear their concerns about this decision.

Donegal County Council has sought funding from the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine for the construction of a sea wall at Maheraroarty in Gortahork. There have been on-going issues with sand deposition and erosion in the area which consequently have had a negative impact on the tourism and fishing industry. It’s believed if the