Author name: oisinkelly

A family in Ardara have been left without a home this evening after their house was gutted in a fire. A fire broke out in the kitchen area of the family home in the Glengesh area just outside Ardara. Two fire units from Glenties and Killybegs were quickly on the scene, while an ambulance was

Can’t Pay Won’t Pay are hosting a meeting tonight at which claims of heavy handedness by Irish Water contractors will be discussed. A Letterkenny woman claimed yesterday that she was abused as she protested the installation of meters on her estate but Highland Radio News understands that a formal complaint was not made to gardai.

Fire crews are currently at the scene of a house in Ardara. Two units of the fire brigade are at the scene of the fire on the Glegesh road. There are no reports of injuries and Gardai have closed the road between Common Bridge and Meenanary. Gardai say the road will be closed for at

Hundreds of teachers are on strike across Co Donegal today over a dispute over Junior Cycle reform. It’s the second day of strike action in six weeks over plans to make teachers assess 40 per cent of the work of their own students. Talks between the ASTI, TUI and the Education Minister failed to end

Seven organisations and venues in Donegal are to share over 500,000 euro in arts council finding this year. The highest allocation of 170 euro goes to the Earagail Arts Festival, which receives 170,000 euro and the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny, which receives 120,000. Other recipients include An Grianan Theatre in Letterkenny, the Balor Theatre

A senior Fianna Fail representative in Donegal says he would oppose his party entering any coalition with Fine Gael after the next General Election. Fine Gael’s Simon Coveney has been accused by Labour of being “disloyal” after suggesting that the party could go into government with Fianna Fáil after the next election. But Councillor Patrick

The Mayor of Derry says more still has to be done to curb unemployment in the city, despite the announcement of 65 jobs yesterday. It was announced yesterday that seven businesses in Derry are creating a total of 65 new jobs, as part of a £2.8m investment. The seven companies are Hunter Apparel, All Pipe

Harvey’s Point in Donegal has been named Ireland’s number one hotel in this year’s TripAdvisor awards. The hotel in the Bluestack Mountains on the edge of Lough Eske, was also named sixth best top hotel in Europe and 18th in the world. It is the third year in a row that Harvey’s Point has won

A number of women who took part in a protest in Dungloe against the temporary closure of the antenatal clinic there want to meet with HSE management. The executive confirmed the temporary closure because of staff shortages caused by sickness a fortnight ago but a date for the reopening of the clinic has not been

A total of 27 patients are on trolleys or waiting in wards at Letterkenny General Hospital according to the latest figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives organisation today. The INMO figures show that 20 patients are on trolleys, while a further 7 are on wards. Letterkenny General has the 4th highest figures in the

The Taoiseach has described as “an historic day in our country” the Cabinet’s approval of the wording for the referendum on same sex marriage. The Justice Minister has published the wording which states “Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex”. While ministers signed off on

The father of a young man killed in the Omagh bomb has won the legal right to challenge the Government’s refusal to hold a public inquiry into the atrocity. Michael Gallagher’s son Aiden was among 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, killed in the August 1998 outrage. Mr Gallagher was in court today

A Foyle MLA says he believes there is more of an appetite for shared health services, which could see White Oaks in Donegal used as a cross border addiction treatment centre. Pat Ramsey was speaking as new figures from Stormont show a rise in the number of people receiving drug and alcohol treatment to over

Motorists are advised to drive with care this morning following reports of ice in a number of areas and reports of a number of minor collisions. Met Eireann issued a ‘status yellow’ snow and ice alert overnight, and AA roadwatch is warning of icy conditions in Donegal, as well as in Longford, Westmeath, Offaly, Galway

  Work is expected to begin in the coming weeks on a major regeneration of Brooke park in Derry. Derry City Council has appointed a construction to carry out the 5.6 million pounds project which it’s hoped will provide a new focus for the Rosemount area. Local Councillor Mickey Cooper says as well as new

A Donegal County councillor has called for the street lights in Malin Town to be inspected. It’s after a local resident had a lucky escape when a large bulb fell and narrowly missed them. Councillor Martin McDermott raised the issue at yesterdays monthly Inishowen Municipal District meeting in Carndonagh. He says a globe light bulb from

Hundreds of women who are in the early stages of breast cancer in Co Donegal will no longer have to travel to Co Galway for treatment. It’s after a locum consultant breast surgeon was appointed at Letterekenny General Hospital. The consultant will start with immediate effect and will back up the existing breast surgeon that is

Donegal Deputy Joe McHugh says he isn’t even thinking about what the make-up of the next Government will be. Earlier today he Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney suggested Fine Gael could go into Government with Fianna Fáil. But there was opposition to Simon Coveney’s views within his own party, his coalition colleagues – and Fianna Fáil

A West Tyrone MLA has said that union representatives and NI Water should be locked in a room and not allowed out until a resolution has been found. More than 7 and a half thousand properties are without a water supply in West Tyrone and Fermanagh. Staff are working to rule – and not conducting

Donegal is facing an increase in rural crime because of garda cutbacks in the county. Under the proposals, gardaí who had been taken off rural duties for single days up until now will be moved to urban stations for up to eight weeks instead. Gardaí in Lifford, Carrigans, Raphoe, Newtowncunningham, Convoy and Castlefin have been

A survey has shown that while 60% of SME’s in Donegal and the border counties are confident about the year ahead, but 16% are not, and that’s the highest proportion in the country. The inaugural Magnet Regional Business Barometer finds that 9% of businesses don’t believe the government is doing enough to help them, but

A Derry City Councillor says the city should be allocated a significant sum of money to repair broken street and road lights in the city. Cllr Tony Hasson says the Department for Regional Development will receive over £5million for street lighting and roads maintenance as part of the January monitoring round, and works are due

  Families in some rural parts of West Tyrone are facing a fourth day without water today. Thousands of homes in the northwest have been without water since Saturday because repairs are not being done because of a pensions’ dispute at Northern Ireland Water. At one stage yesterday 6,500 customers were off supply. Ciaran Woods

The EPA says water for nearly 1 million people is at risk of contamination as it recommends priority improvements for 121 water schemes, ten of them in Donegal. Over 20 thousand people, on 20 public water supplies, are affected by boil notices, none of them in Donegal. In its assessment of Donegal, the report says

Former Tánaiste Mary Coughlan has confirmed that she is being encouraged to contest the next General Election. But she denied claims in yesterdays Sunday Times that she had already met with senior Fianna Fail members to discuss the issue. The former Tainaste said that local Fianna Fáil party members are encouraging her to contest the

Charges against a Donegal Senator have been adjourned at Letterkenny Court today. Senator Brian O Domhnaill is charged with a number of alleged motoring offences in the Tullygay area of Letterkenny on September 2 2013. Mr O Domhnaill, whose address was given as Killult, Falcarragh, is charged with being drunk in charge of a motor

Gardai are at the scene of a petrol station break-in on the outskirts of Termon, during which we understand a significant amount of damage was caused, and a sum of money was taken. As part of their investigation, gardai are seeking to trace the movements of a saloon car seen in the vicinity at 5