Author name: oisinkelly

A Donegal man who admitted assault on an 87-year-old before robbing her of €1,800 was put on probation when a judge ruled he was ‘just about able’ to tell right from wrong. Michael Gilmore, 36, went into the home of a woman neighbour he knew, Cissie McGuinness at Benildus Avenue, Ballyshannon, at 7.30 a.m. on

The Dail has been told that as well as improving coordination between the ambulance service and hospital Emergency Departments, there must also be investment in ambulances and staff. Donegal North East Deputy Charlie Mc Conalogue was commenting on the publication this week of HIQA’s review of the ambulance service, which found unacceptable delays in a

Donegal County Council has backed a motion calling for the HSE to take over Aras Gweedore Nursing Home. There are concerns over the future of the nursing home which is reportedly losing up to €80,000 per year. It was reported in October that 50 staff members were asked by management to take a five per

Gardai have raided premises in Letterkenny as part of a two day nationwide operation targeting organised prostitution. The searches follow a six month long investigation by the Organised Crime Unit into the activities of a criminal group involved in organised prostitution, brothel keeping and other associated criminal activity. The operation was conducted in close co-operation

Met Eireann is downplaying reports of major snowfall this weekend. A cold snap is likely with wintry showers in many areas. Snow is expected on higher ground in Co Donegal. But Met Eireann forecaster John Eagleton is not expecting any major disruption…

Gardai are warning Donegal businesses of an increase in fake 20 euro notes in circulation. The notes are easily detected if checked. Donegal Crime Prevention Officer Sergent Paul Wallace says forged 50 euro notes are common, but fake 20 euro notes have been rare until now:

Two brothers from County Donegal who left the county four weeks ago after being threatened by a dissident republican organisation have now been told it is safe for them to return. The men were thjreatened on the basis of allegations against them which they and their family rejected as totally untrue. Now, the men’s father

The people of Letterkenny and surrounding areas  have shown their good will after dozens of people offered to help a family in need via social media. A post was put up on the Letterkenny Buy and Sell Facebook page asking if anyone would have a bed and mattress to spare for a local family. The

Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty has announced that his party will table a motion of no confidence in An Taoiseach Enda Kenny to be debated and voted on next week. Sinn Féin says it’s putting it down because Enda Kenny is refusing to listen to the calls of people to scrap water charges. Deputy Doherty says

The Environment Minister says 920,000 households have now registered with Irish Water. Alan Kelly’s also told the Dáil that 513,000 water meters have now been installed across the country with a new one put in every 30 seconds. He’s introducing legislation in the Dáil to implement the new water charges regime – including the two

Two men have been arrested following separate investigations in dissident terrorist activity in the North. This morning, detectives arrested a 21-year-old man in the Creggan area of Derry, while a 37 year-old man was detained by detectives in the north Belfast area. Both men are being questioned at the serious crime suite in Antrim.

A Strabane Cllr has claimed that water charges are on the way in the North. Northern Ireland Water has been installing water meters in all newly built domestic and non-domestic properties across Northern Ireland since 2007. NI Water has categorically denied though that meters are being installed in order to facilitate the introduction of water

The Health Minister is being urged to address the issue of overcrowding at our hospitals, and declare a national emergency. According to the latest figures, the number of patients on trollies in November is up 44 per cent on last year nationally. Letterkenny General Hospital bucks that trend however, with a fall of 77%. The

Donegal North East Deputy Charlie Mc Conalogue has told the Dail there there are over 1,300 people in Donegal in limbo after being involved in the government’s waiting list initiative last year. Under the initiative, people who waiting over a year for consultant appointments were referred to private hospitals in Ballykelly and elsewhere. However, that

Road safety group PARC have slammed a judge who dismissed all speeding cases involving ‘Go Safe’ vans in Co Monaghan. Judge Sean MacBride, who is from Moville, said the speed detection vans, operated by a private company, were “bringing the law into disrepute”. Judge MacBride claimed they often operated just inside or outside 30km per

  Poor drainage on the county’s roads has left them in a treacherous state for motorists. That’s according to Councillor James Pat McDaid who has called for the funding allocated to address the problem next year to be doubled. He says 3.5 million euro isn’t enough and has welcomed a council decision to seek extra

The Mayor of Donegal has outlined in a report how beneficial his recent trip to Boston was. Cllr John Campbell travelled to Boston, along with the Mayor of Derry, Brenda Stevenson for the 6th Annual Golden Bridges Conference. He said it provided a valuable platform for the county to advance a wide range of partnerships

Two Romanians who claimed they came to Donegal to play music, went on a stealing spree instead, a court heard. And in jailing Lucian Scarlat and Petra Descalu, of 71 Cabra Road Dublin for eight months each, Judge Kevin Kilrane said they had come to Donegal to rob and thieve up and down the county.

People in Dublin are much less likely to die at home compared to those in Donegal. That’s the finding of a new report by the Irish Hospice Foundation,  shows that only 18 per cent of people in Dublin die at home, compared to 34 per cent in Donegal. It’s recommending that the Department of Health

The Health Minister’s warning against a focus on ambulance response times in the wake of a daming report into the service. The health watchdog – HIQA – produced the review, highlighting how ambulances are being held up outside hospitals for long periods due to overcrowding in A&E. This was identified as a factor in the

Ireland’s most famous amateur weatherman has said he is certain that many parts of Ireland will see plenty of snow over the festive season. Postman Michael Gallagher is famous for his forecasts through studying the behaviour of plants and animals. He says all the signs are that we are in for a white Christmas……

A retired Donegal garda sergeant, who was bitten on both arms while attempting to arrest a woman, has spoke of the six months he spent worrying if he had contracted Aids. Christy Galligan says he was bit on both forearms when he tried to arrest a woman near Larkins Lane in Letterkenny after he found

The Garda Commissioner says the force will never give up in the search for any missing person. Noirin O’Sullivan was speaking at the second annual missing persons day ceremony in Dublin. Among those who spoke at the ceremony was Anne Boyle from Burtonport, whose daughter Mary has been missing since 1977. The force deals with