Author name: oisinkelly

Hopes of a spectacular view of the most significant solar eclipse of this millennium so far were dashed for many people in Donegal this morning, with heavy cloud and mist obscuring the view. Over 90% of the sun was covered by the moon at the height of the eclipse at 9.30 this morning, but at

The North’s Culture Minister has been accused of failing to deliver on promises of a lasting legacy for Derry’s City of Culture. Foyle MLA Colum Eastwood says it’s now emerged that there is no money available to deliver City of Culture legacy projects from the end of this month. He says MInister Carál Ní Chuilín

A policeman sacked after being investigated for allegedly spying on a woman in a tanning salon in Co Donegal has lost a High Court challenge to his dismissal. Paul Laverty was seeking a judicial review over the disclosure of information about the incident to his PSNI bosses. But a judge yesterday dismissed his case due

Co Donegal will be the best place to be in the country this morning to view the first near-total solar eclipse of this millennium. This partial eclipse will be the biggest seen in Ireland since August 1999 with approximately 90% of the sun being covered. The event will finish at around 10.40am as the sun

Hundreds of people from Co Donegal are expected to descend on the capital tomorrow for a national demonstration against water charges. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend Right2Waters National Anti-Water charges demonstration in Dublin. There are three assembly points for the event in Dublin, namely Heuston Station, Connolly Station and Merrion Square

Police are currently at the scene of a serious road traffic accident in Derry. Police are advising motorists that Chapel Road in the city is currently closed at its junctions with Newlyn Terrace and Spencer Road due to the serious RTC involving a car and a motorcycle. There are no further details at this stage.

A Northwest MEP has said that the Government have shamed the country after it was ruled that Ireland is in breach of a directive on the working hours of junior doctors. A legal opinion from the European court of justice has found that the Irish health system cannot exclude the training hours of non-consultant hospital

A Derry City Cllr has questioned the use of PSNI resources in Creggan in the city last night. During a raid on a house in Ballymagowan Gardens just before midnight up to a dozen PSNI jeeps, two bomb disposal squads and a helicopter were deployed. Police say while there were no arrests, a number of

The Health Information and Quality Authority says it issued immediate high risk letters to 7 public acute hospitals over poor hygiene practices. In it’s latest survey, HIQA found these hospitals had problems with environment and facilities management, hand hygiene, communicable disease control and unclean patient equipment. Letterkenny General Hospital was not among the hospitals where

Plans for a Community Text Alert scheme in Malin are reaching an advanced stage, with a public meeting tomorrow night in the Malin Hotel to guage support for the initiative and provide the community with information on how it works./ Gardai say there’s been a big increase in the number of such schemes in the

A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of drugs offences following a police search in the Waterside area of Derry. Chief Inspector Tony Callaghan said that what are believed to be the remnants of a cannabis factory were fund during a search at Prehen Park last evening. A small quantity of suspected cannabis and

Enterprise Week, Donegal gets underway next Monday, with the Local Enterprise Office in the county urging existing and potential businesses to become involved. There are talks, seminars and workshops taking place at various locations throughout the week, culminating in the Enterprise Awards presentation on Friday March 27th. Ursula Donnelly is the Assistant CEO of the

Up to 500 thousand people take anxiety pills in Ireland. The Irish Examiner says almost 2.3 million prescriptions were written for anxiety and depression drugs in 2012. 330 thousand of those were public patients, at a cost of 40 million euro to the state. The figures published in today’s Irish Examiner are based on analysis

  Donegal Fire Service has urged caution after a number of fires involving multi-fuel stoves. The local fire service said it had noticed a rise in fires, some serious, involving the burners in domestic dwellings around the county. The stoves became hugely popular across Ireland during the recession as householders tried to reduce their reliance

A new report published to coincide with a major Seafood Show in the US suggests that salmon farming has a bright future. The International Salmon Farmers’ Association has published the document, which is titled “Salmon Farming – Sustaining Communities and Feeding the World”. It says there will be significant opportunities ahead, particularly for coastal communities

Armed Gardai and Detectives were involved in a number of raids in Letterkenny today. Searches were carried out at a number of premises in the Ballymacool and Long Lane areas this morning. The raids were in response to what has been termed “on-going investigations into criminality in Letterkenny.” No arrests were made, but some property

Skygazers have been treated to another spectacular display of the Northern Lights over the skies of Co Donegal. Increased solar activity meant that people further North had the chance of catching the colourful phenomenon in the early hours of this morning. The Northern Lights can be seen more clearly in areas absent from light pollution,

Donegal County Council have confirmed that the names and addresses of council housing tenants will be handed over to Irish Water. Council tenants will receive letters today informing them, while the details will then be given to Irish Water at the beginning of next week. County Manager, Seamus Neely says he is satisfied that the

Two men aged 28 and 30 have been charged following a major drug seizure in Derry on Monday. The men are due at Derry Magistrates Court today, charged with with possession of a Class B drug with intent to supply, and fraudulently importing a Class B drug They are due to appear at Londonderry Magistrates

A deal’s been reached to form the most significant electoral pact between the two Unionist parties in Northern Ireland in three decades. The Democratic Unionist and Ulster Unionist parties have agreed to put forward agreed candidates in four marginal seats, instead of splitting the vote. The Ulster Unionist Party will have the support of the

A Donegal TD is urging the government to facilitate the passage of a Fianna Fail bill calling for the establishment of a cross-border, multi-agency taskforce to tackle illegal fuel. Deputy Charlie Mc Conalogue says the bill, which has been moved by former minister Brendan Smith, has the potential to seriously curtail fuel smuggling north and

A week after a fire destroyed the Mandarin Palace restaurant on Derry’s Queen’s Quay, its owner has said he and his family are totally devastated, and numb with shock. Stan Lee initially opened the Mandarin palace on Strand Road in 1989, and it later moved to Queen’s Quay. In a statement, he says the messages

Thousands of people have been participating in St Patrick’s Day parades and events across the North West, with the good weather swelling the crowds. The main Donegal parade was in Letterkenny, with Errigal College taking the overall prize. The full results are as follows – Best Band – Letterkenny Senior Accordion Band Best Sport Entry

A Strabane Councillor is claiming that police refused to go to the home of an elderly couple who had been burgled in Sion Mills on Sunday night. Cllr Patsy Kelly says the couple had gone to church shortly before 6pm, and when they returned, they found their house had been broken into and a quantity

Detectives from the PSNI’s Organised Crime Branch have arrested two men and seized approximately £240,000 worth of suspected drugs in Derry. Yesterday evening, the men, aged 30 and 28, were detained on suspicion of possession of a class B controlled drug with intent to supply after the substance, believed to be cannabis, was found in