Author name: oisinkelly

  There are calls for the return of the Garda dedicated drugs units with claims the use of illegal substances is rampant across Donegal. The units were either removed or down graded in Donegal over the last number of years. Councillor Rena Donaghey wants their return, she says they were very effective:  

There are calls for a review of Donegal County council’s winter gritting programme with claims many important routes are excluded. The issue has been raised by Councillor John O’Donnell who highlighted a number of areas in Letterkenny that he says should be treated when temperatures drop. He has welcomed the council executive agreeing to hold

Police have warned Stormont’s deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness of a threat against his life from dissident republicans. McGuinness, said he was informed of the threat by police tonight. He says PSNI told him dissidents planned to attack him using a rocket launcher. Police say the threat was made by the CIRA. Issuing a statement

Donegal Cancer Care have learned that the locum breast surgeon appointed at Letterkenny General Hospital will only be there short term. DACC met with the Chief Operating Officer of the Saolta Group, Dr Tony Kavanagh in Letterkenny today. It was understood that the locum breat surgeon appointed a number of weeks ago would be there

A 25-year-old man has appeared at Derry Magistrates Court after drugs with a street value of 20,000 euro were discovered in his car and home. Gary McLaughlin from Rosskeen Park, Hazelbank was charged with possessing, possessing with intent to supply and being concerned in supplying cocaine and mephadrone. The court was told that he failed

A 34-year-old man has been arrested in Derry and is being questioned in relation to a number of ram raids in Co Donegal overnight. A pharmacy in Newtowncunnigham and a take away in Killea were targetted just before midnight last night. It’s understood a jeep, which was stolen from the Fortwilliam Terrace area of Derry,

Tributes have been paid to former Donegal County Councillor Denis McGonagle who died this morning. Today’s meeting of the council was adjourned for a time as a mark of respect to the former Fianna Fail representative for Inishowen. He was described as a gentleman and a true and loyal servant to the Fianna Fail party.

Gardaí are continuing to question socialist TD Paul Murphy over a protest in Jobstown where Joan Burton was trapped in her car. Deputy Murphy is still being held at Terenure Garda Station, where his detention was earlier extended for a further six hours. It’s believed that three other men arrested in connection with the protest

Police in Derry have recovered an abandoned jeep which may be linked to a number of ram raids in Co Donegal overnight. A pharmacy in Newtowncunnigham and a take away in Killea were ram raided just before midnight last night. The front of the premises in Main Street Newtowncunningham was badly damaged, but those responsible

The price of an average three bedroomed semi-detached house in Donegal rose by 12.4% last year according to figures published today by the Real Estate Alliance. Donegal now has the fourth cheapest such houses in the state according to the survey. According to figures collated by the Real Estate Alliance, the average three-bed semi-detached house

Police in Derry are investigating an armed robbery at a shop in the city last evening. It happened in the Laurel Hill Road area at around 6.20pm. It’s understood a man, believed to be in his mid 20s and armed with a knife, made off from the shop with a sum of money and a

  Fáilte Ireland is meeting members of the Donegal tourism industry in Letterkenny as part of a series of Fáilte Ireland briefings, with a focus on the Wild Atlantic Way. Over the coming week 6 additional workshops will take place along the Wild Atlantic Way route for members of the trade. At the briefing, Joan

A prominent cancer campaigner says there are very real fears for the future of breast cancer services at Letterkenny General Hospital. Betty Holmes of Donegal Action for Cancer Care was speaking as a Sinn Fein deputation prepares to meet with senior personnel from Saolta, the management group which runs the facility. Items on the agenda

    Gardai are investigating after there was an attempted robbery in Newtowncunningham. A pharmacy was ram raided in the early hours of this morning. Barry Whyte reports………….. We’ve had confirmation within the past few minutes that the chemist in Newtowncunningham is open for business as usual this morning. Matt Crossan is the owner of

  Engineers Week, the national campaign to promote the possibilities of engineering as a career kicks off today with events around the country. During the week, themed ‘Engineering is for Everyone’, hundreds of events will be taking place around the country to inspire the next generation of engineers. According to the Engineering Perspectives 2013 report,

Donegal Sinn Féin Representatives are to Meet Saolta Group Management over concerns about Letterkenny General Hospital. Donegal Sinn Féin Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Pearse Doherty, along with HSE West/ North West Health Forum member Cllr. Gerry McMonagle are meeting with management at 1.30 tomorrow. They are due to discuss the on-going issues at Letterkenny General

The news that narrow country roads will soon lose their 80km per hour road signs has been described as farcical The Department of Transport is to implement that recomendation of The Speeds Limits Working Group. The 80km sings will be removed and replaced by generic safety signs which will not recomend a maximum speed limit.

There has been a broad welcome to the news that Strabane is to be included in the bid for Fleadh Cheoil na h’Eireann to return to the north west in 2017. The Fleadh in Derry in 2013 was deemed a huge success with 430 thousand visitors converging on Derry over the course of the festival.

There is deep shock and sadness at the death of award-winning tour guide Martin McCrossan from Derry. Mr. McCrossan passed away with his family at his bedside in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast early on Friday afternoon. Paying tribute Foyle MP Mark Durkan said Martin McCrossan personified Derry hospitality with his ease of company,

Donegal based road safety group PARC has expressed concern at the news that the number of gardaí in the Traffic Corps continued to fall in 2014 and are now less than 750. Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald told Deputy Tommy Broughan that Garda management continually reviews numbers in the corps “in the context of crime

A new website ( www.killybegs.ie ) promoting tourism in Killybegs has been officially launched today. The new project, which includes a Facebook page and information pack, is designed to promote Killybegs and surrounding areas along the Wild Atlantic Way. It is also hoped to capitalise on the increasing numbers of visitors from Cruise Ships. Cathaoirleach

The HSE Donegal Mental Health Service is launching a new self-harm nurse service for Donegal. The new service will be accessible to people who need this professional help 0800am until 0800pm seven days per week, in the Emergency Department in Letterkenny General Hospital. The aim of the new service is to improve the outcomes for

Ulster Univeristy’s decision to scrap a number courses at the Magee campus in Derry has been described as “very disturbing”. In all 53 courses are being scrapped at the University of Ulster, with a dozen of these in the Magee campus. Local lobby group University for Derry (U4D) – which is spearheading the campaign for

Police in the North are appealing for witnesses to an arson attack on a house in Portstewart in Derry in the early hours of this morning. At around 4am it was reported that flammable liquid was poured through the letterbox of a house in Leer Park and also into the bins places against the door

The family of a Donegal man who is serving a prison sentence in Maghaberry have expressed concerns about their sons safety. Last week, a group representing some dissident republican prisoners in the jail released a statement saying that recent structural changes to Roe House landings were an attempt to debase and disempower the inmates. And