Author name: oisinkelly

Calls have been made once again to give fire fighters in Donegal permission to act as first responders in the event of an emergency. Donegal Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has raised the issue with Health Minister, Leo Varadkar and the Ambulance Service following discussions with fire fighters across the county. Deputy Mac Lochlainn says the

A Donegal County Councillor is criticising the school transport scheme, claiming it’s preventing children from attending preferred schools. Councillor John O’Donnell says it’s unfair that parents are being forced to choose the school closest to where they live if they are to avail of the eligible transport ticket which would otherwise cost 350 euro. Councillor

  Concerns have been raised about the effect the combination of low tides and gathering sands is having at Bunbeg Harbour. The harbour is regarded as one of the busiest in the North West and there are now claims that day-to-day activity by fishermen is curtailed due to a huge build-up of sand. There have

  A man who was arrested in connection with alleged human trafficking in Letterkenny has been released from custody. The man, who is in his forties was detained yesterday during one of a number of searches in the town. He was released this afternoon and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. It follows

The business and employers group IBEC has broadly welcomed a Government commitment to address critical infrastructure investment needs in the North West as part of the Capital Programme announced yesterday. The plan will be reviewed in 2017, with IBEC saying it’s important that part of that review see how effective the plan is being in

    (Pic: Independent.ie) A community which has campaigned for decades for the upgrade of a road known as the most dangerous stretch in Ireland is welcoming the news that the road is to be upgraded. 30 white crosses – each one marking a life lost – line the stretch on the N4 between Castlebaldwin

Gardai say their investigations into alleged human trafficking in Letterkenny, in conjunction with the HSE, the employment authorities and other agencies. Yesterday, a man in his forties was detained during one of a number of searches in the town. It follows the release of six men, believed to be Romanian, at the end of August.

A Donegal TD is questioning the accuracy of Department of Education priority lists after a Donegal school failed to show up on a list of schools identified as having pre-fab classrooms and no permanent structure. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked for the list in the context of determining the status of Gaelscoil na gCeithre Máistrí in

People can have their say on Development Charges in Donegal, which could see charges reduced for those building a home and introduced for companies wishing to construct windfarms. People wishing to build their own homes face charges of anywhere between 2,000 euro and 4,000 euro for the provision of services in neearby towns and villages. Also up

Donegal County Councillors have said they are fully committed to supporting the undocumented in The United States with a proposal for a conference on the issue to be held in the county. Michael McMahon, representing Familes of the Undocumented Irish in the United States, this week addressed the council, stating that for 20 years public

Gardaí in Letterkenny are continuing to question a man in connection with alleged people trafficking. He was arrested yesterday as part of an ongoing operation which saw six men rescued in the town last month. On the 30th of August last Gardaí found five men in a business premises on Pearse Road – they were

Four projects in Donegal are to benefit from 250 thousand euro worth of funding under a new rural development pilot scheme. As part of the Rural Economic Development Zone initiative Buncrana has been allocated €150,000, Carndonagh €50,000, An Bun Beag €25,000 and Doe Castle €25,000. The concept of a REDZ involves supporting communities to avail

A Donegal County Councillor is calling on Irish Water to make Inishowen a priority in their water infrastructure plans for Donegal. Irish Water confirmed yesterday that it will spend over €73 million upgrading the water supply in Donegal over the next four years including piping water from the Eddie Fullerton damn in Inishowen to Letterkenny.

  Calls have been made to provide free bus travel for cancer patients travelling from Donegal to Galway and Dublin for treatment. The call comes as many people are struggling with being able to afford countless bus fares to make the journey for their appointment. There is also concern that although there is currently free

  New statistics show the closure of five rural Garda Stations in Donegal has saved the state 25 thousand euro. Garda stations in Annagry, Brockagh, Churchill, Glencolmcille and Malin closed under the Garda District and Station Consolidation Programme since 2013. The latest figures compiled by the Central Statistics Office have revealed that nationally, the overall

  Claims have been made that the number of vacant council housing units in Donegal provides further evidence that the housing crisis has reached emergency levels in the county. According to recent reports, there are now 159 vacant council units in Donegal while there are almost 3,000 people on housing waiting lists. It’s also been

  Letterkenny was not the only town in Donegal to win a prestigious prize at this year’s Tidy Towns Competition. A number of other towns and villages across the county also received significant accolades in this year’s Tidy Town’s competition. Buncranna won gold in their category for Irelands Tidiest Large town while Malin won silver

Over 100 people gathered at Letterkenny’s Market Square tonight to welcome home the 18 members of the Letterkenny Tidy Towns committee with the National Trophy and also the Tidiest Large Town trophy which has been a goal for several years. Committee Chairperson Anne Mc Gowan paid tribute to the volunteers, residents associations and council staff

  Mayor of Letterkenny, Councillor Gerry McMonagle is calling on residents of Letterkenny and surrounding area to gather in the town  later this evening to welcome the team home who received the prestigious Tidy Towns award. People are asked to gather at the Market Square for 7.30 this evening. Letterkenny was named Ireland’s Tidiest Town

  Donegal Councillors have voted not to vary the rate of the local property tax for the next year. Councillors in each local authority have the power to maintain the tax rate or increase it or decrease it by 15%. Around 10 million Euro is raised in Donegal through the local property tax but the

  Letterkenny has been named Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2015. Letterkenny was today named best of the 862 towns and villages throughout the country that entered this year’s SuperValu National TidyTowns competition. The announcement was greeted by great celebration at today’s awards ceremony at The Helix in Dublin. Clonegal Co. Carlow claimed the award of

Donegal County Council officially launched a new online video today as part of a campaign to promote the county as a great place to live, work and do business. The video, which was posted online last week, has already had 11,000 views world wide. Council chairman Ciaran Brogan has been explaining more about the campaign………..

Irish Water has confirmed today it will spend over €73 million in Donegal’s water infrastructure over the next four years. The projects, some of which have been in planning for over 15 years include four new Water Treatment Plants at Goldrum in Letterkenny, Creeslough, Ballyshannon and Owenteskna. The work will by done in conjunction with

National Jobs Week gets underway today, with every region in the country hosting a series of events that will focus on getting jobseekers ready for the working world. A job Seekers and employers Information Open Day is taking place today in Department of Social Protection Office, Training Centre in Ballyraine, Letterkenny. The Open Day will

The smoky coal ban could be extended to the entire country. It’s 25 years since the ban on smoky coal ban was introduced in Dublin, and two years since it was enforced in Letterkenny. Up to now, the rest of Donegal has been unaffected by the ban, but that will soon change. Environment Minister Alan

Health Minister Leo Varadkar is to visit Letterkenny General Hospital this week, with meetings planned with a number of cancer campaigners and other groups and individuals. Minister Varadkar will meet with Donegal Action for Cancer Care and Cooperating for Cancer Care North West in the hospital during a visit on Thursday. DACC have been pressing