Author name: oisinkelly

The reintroduction of a Derry Dublin air service could be on the cards, as could a new service to Birmingham. Start-up grant applications for both routes have been submitted to the British Government’s Regional Air Connectivity Fund. Among 19 bids being considered is a submission by Isle of Man-based regional carrier Citywing to provide a […]

  A Foyle MLA has accussed the North’s Health Minister of failing people dealing with addiction issues by ruling out cross-border cooperation in the north west. Jim Wells has indicated he does not believe that a service agreement with Whiteoaks in Donegal is viable. However, Maeve Mc Laughlin says health is an area where it

A Stranorlar area councillor has claimed that some of  Donegal’s roads may have to close, because they are in such a bad condition. Cllr Frank Mc Brearty says with maintenance expenditure cut-back by an estimated €80 million over the past five years, many Donegal roads are falling apart. It recently emerged that in the Finn Valley

A translator was present in Donegal Co Council yesterday to translate from Irish to English. A number of Cllrs, who are native Irish speakers, chose to address the Council in Irish only. The majority of Cllrs and the media have little or no Irish, so the Council have had to provide a translator. Headsets were

Donegal South West TD, Deputy Pearse Doherty has welcomed a decision by the HSE to appoint an additional staff nurse to Tobar Training Centre in Gaoth Dobhair. Deputy Doherty raised the issue of on-going service disruptions at the centre in Dail a few weeks ago. Speaking to Highland Radio News, he said there have been

  A security alert in Coleraine is now over. James Street in Coleraine was closed for a time this afternoon. A number of homes have been evacuated and the ATO were tasked to the scene. An unexploded grenade was recovered by the ATO.

A man described in court as the ‘principal member of an organised crime gang’ allegedly involved in the attempted importation of drugs valued at more than £2.1 million into the North and who had been shot and had his house blown up while living in St Johnston in Donegal has been refused bail. Declan Gallagher

Councillors on Donegal Co. Council are objecting to plans to build Ireland’s largest windfarm in the county. Plans have been lodged by Planree Ltd for up to 49 wind turbines stretching from Barnesmore Gap to Castlefin. Almost 200 submissions and objections from members of the public on both sides of the border were received by An Board

The Govnernment has given the green light today to build a new bridge in Glenties. The Department of Transport has announced funding of €800,000 for Mullantyboyle Bridge this afternoon. The bridge collapsed five years ago, and since then the local community had campaigned to have it repaired. Local people said that if the centre of Glenties

It’s emerged that a planning appeal has been lodged in relation to Bio-marine Ingredients Ireland Ltd’s (BII) plan to develop a €40m fish processing facility in Killybegs. Commenting on the development, B.I.I. CEO Jason Whooley said while the company is disappointed at the appeal and the delay which it has the potential to cause, they

Donegal County Council planners are to ask An Board Plenala to reject proposals to build Irelands largest windfarm in the county. Plans have been lodged by Planree Ltd for up to 49 wind turbines stretching from Barnesmore Gap to Castlefin. Planree Ltd have applied to An Board Pleanala to develop Ireland’s biggest onshore windfarm at

The Honorary Secretary of Carrickfergus Rugby Club says they are in contact with the IRFU to discuss what counselling opportunities are available for parents and children after Saturday’s bus crash between Laghey and Pettigo. Nine of the 24 children on the bus were brought to hospital in Derry and Enniskillen, all were later discharged, but

There’s been another paramilitary style attack in Derry, this time in the Creggan. A man in his thirties was badly beated at around midnight last night. Condemning the incident, local Councillor Kevin Campbell says in a sinister twist, a wheelie bin was placed against the house and set alight…………..

Concerns have been raised about what is believed to be ‘organised fighting’ among a number of youths in the Culmore area of Derry. Over 30 youths are believed to have taken part in the fight, which began in a shop. SDLP Cllr Angela Dobbins witnessed the incident ………..

Irish Water will tomorrow start reading meters in advance of their first round of bills. The utility confirmed last week it’s expecting a large number of queries about the bills, because of gaps and errors in the information they have on some properties. Meanwhile it’s reported today that the names of more than 100 thousand

Foyle MP Mark Durkan has welcomed the news that after a year of protracted price negotiations between the British government and drug manufacturers a deal has been struck. The life-saving vaccine against Meningitis B disease will be made available for free on the NHS for babies in Derry and across the North from September. Mr

A number of children have been taken to hospital following a bus crash in Co Donegal. The bus was carrying the Carrickfergus Rugby Club’s Under-14 team and their coaches. It is understood the bus overturned on the Laghey to Pettigo Road just before 3pm this afternoon. The team had travelled to Donegal town to play a

The skipper of the world’s largest trawler, branded King of the Seas by a judge, has been convicted of breaching EU fishing regulations on board a vessel that’s half a metre longer than the Croke Park pitch. Two of the five charges against Gerrit Plug, skipper of the 144.6 metres long Annelies Ilena, were rejected

454 drivers were detected speeding – between 7 o’clock yesterday morning and 7am today – during ‘Operation Slow Down’. Gardai launched the 24 hour initiative in an effort to reduce the number of speed-related collisions and officers say reports from around the country show the message was heeded, and there was a visible reduction in

A Donegal South West TD is hoping that the latest development package for the Irish seafood sector announced by Minister Simon Coveney will see substantial investment in Donegal. 241 million euro is being pumped into the industry by the government, backed by substantial private sector investment. Minister Coveney says it will provide capital to assist

  Donegal South West Deputy Pearse Doherty has welcomed Údarás na Gaeltachta’s 4.7 million euro plan to support the creation of three hundred new jobs in the Gweedore Business Park. However Deputy Doherty says there is no government commitment to address problems identified in the report. They include delays in the long awaited Gweedore Sewage

An investment package for the Irish seafood sector has been launched with the aim of creating thousands of new jobs. 241 million euro is being pumped into the industry as part of a new development programme, from which Donegal will be expected to benefit. It will provide capital to assist seafood enterprises to grow their

Donegal County Cllr Ciaran Brogan has announced that he will NOT be seeking the Fianna Fail nomination to run in the next General Election. The two three-seat Donegal constituencies, North East and South West, will come together as one five-seater for the next election. A number of names within the Fianna Fail party have been

A Derry man has been found not guilty of murdering Barry McCrory in Shipquay Street in 2013. 59 year old Kieran McLaughlin, from Elaghmore Park, had consistently denied murdering Barry McCrory, who was shot dead in October 2013. In delivering his reserved judgement at Belfast Crown Court, Judge Mr Justice Horner, who sat alone without

Údarás na Gaeltachta have announced that they are to support the creation of 300 new jobs on the Gaoth Dobhair Business Park over the next 3 years. 80 new jobs for the Business Park will also be coming on-stream in the near future. The agency is to invest a total of €4.7 million over the

A Donegal Cllr has claimed that UK windfarm developers targeting the county are laughing all the way to the bank. Planree Ltd have applied to An Board Pleanala to develop Irelands biggest onshore windfarm at Carrickduff Hill and Lismullyduff. The proposed windfarm could see up to 49 wind turbines built over 20 townlands from Barnesmore