Author name: oisinkelly

Donegal County Council has passed its budget for 2015 after a 10 hour meeting characterised by a series of adjournments to allow for meetings between members and senior management. In the end, the budget passed by 31 votes to one, with only Independent Cllr Dessie Shiels voting against. Proposing the budget, Fianna Fail whip Cllr

The sister of Mary Boyle has reiterated her call for an independent inquiry into her disappearance almost 40 years ago. Mary was six when she went missing while visiting her grandparents’ home in Cashelard, Ballyshannon on March 18 in 1977. Her sister Anne claims that Mary may have been about to reveal a secret which

The Environment Minister says the Government’s new water charge regime will end public anger against the levy. Alan Kelly was speaking ahead of this morning’s Cabinet meeting – where Ministers will sign off on plans to delay all charges until January. The new regime is understood to be capped for at least four years –

Three Donegal-based gardai and a 21-year-old hospital equipment-maker will receive recognition awards for their heroism in Dublin today. They are among 35 rescuers to be awarded for saving 22 people from drowning in Ireland this year. They will be presented with their Seiko Just In Time Rescue Awards by Environment Minister Alan Kelly in Dublin

Seven men – four from the Republic – have appeared in court in the North charged with a series of dissident terrorism offences. The men – aged between 30 and 75 – appeared before Newry Magistrates Court in Co Down after being arrested last week by police investigating the Continuity IRA. There was a significant

A man’s body has been found in the grounds of St Conal’s Hospital in Letterkenny this morning. The discovery was made by staff at around 9:10am this morning. The identity or age of the man has not yet been released. Gardai are not treating the man’s death as suspicious.

  A 24 hour protest is to be held outside Junior Minister Joe Mc Hugh’s office in Letterkenny later this week calling on him to join his Fine Gael council colleagues in Donegal in publically calling for an end to water charges and a referendum to ensure Irish Water remains in public ownership. It follows

  Death threats made against a number of Community Safety Partnership workers in Derry have been lifted. A group calling itself the IRA made the threats against Community Safety Wardens. The workers had been transferred to other duties, and over the past number of days, council staff, unions, churches and other groups called for the

The house fire which killed a man in his forties in Derry is being treated as an accident. Anthony Mc Feely died in the fire at his home in Upper Bennett Street which was reported shortly after 8 o’clock yesterday morning. Foyle MLA Pat Ramsey says the neighbours tried to get him out of the

In the North, seven men have been charged with terrorism offences, by police investigating violent dissident republican activity. They were among 12 men held in Newry last Monday during a probe into the Continuity IRA. It’s believed some of those are from the Republic. The 7 accused – aged between 30 and 75 – are

Today marks World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Victims. Almost 24 thousand people have died on Irish roads since records began in 1959 and over 160 people have lost their lives on Irish roads so far this year. Special memorial masses and ceremonies have been taking place today to remember those who have lost their

Police in Derry are renewing their appeal for information following a serious assault in the city early yesterday morning. A 15-year-old girl was attacked by a man she didn’t know on Racecourse Road between the hours of 1.30 and 3am. The girl received medical treatment after the assault. The man has been described as being

  A man has died following a house fire in Derry. The fire in Upper Bennett Street was reported to police shortly after 8 o’clock this morning. The emergency services were called to the house but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. He is believed to have been in his forties. Speaking to

A Donegal Councillor says with the controversial levy for foreign trucks coming into effect in Northern Ireland on Monday, the government here must do more to have hauliers from Donegal exempted. There have been suggestions that some roads, particularly the A5 might be excluded from the new levy, but as it stands, each Donegal truck

  Independent MEP Marian Harkin believes The Department of Agriculture is unnecessarily imposing conditions on the participation of hill and commonage farmers in the new EU supported GLAS Scheme. The claims come following a meeting she organised with senior European Commission officials and which was attended by farmers from Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Sligo. Speaking

  A Derry couple who admitted possessing and supplying drugs during the Radio 1 One Big Weekend last year have escaped prison after a judge said it would not be in the public interest to send them to imprison them. Declan Wade (29) of High Park and Paula Gillespie (25) of St Cecilia’s Walk both in Derry admitted

Donegal TDs have earned over 1 million euro collectively in expenses since the General Election. In total, expenses to TDs have cost 24.4 million euro since the last General Election. It works out at an average of 147 thousand euro per TD since March 2011. The Irish Independent is reporting this morning that just one

  Donegal County Council has passed a motion calling for water charges to be scrapped. With the exception of Cllr Bernard Mc Guinness who abstained, Fine Gael members supported the motion. Councillor Frank McBrearty Junior had sough the meeting, to call on the the government to scrap water charges and to prevent the privatisation of

Fine Gael’s whip on Donegal County Council has gone against party policy in supporting a council motion calling for water charges to be scrapped. Councillor Frank McBrearty Junior put forward the emergency motion on Friday evening calling on the government to scrap water charges and to prevent the privatisation of Irish Water. All Councillors who

A Donegal solicitor says measures by government to close some legal loops holes for cross border criminals do not go far enough. Buncrana Solicitor Ciaran MacLochlainn says the greatest thing that ever happened for criminals is the border. He says this was highlighted by a visiting judge who was shocked to learn that she could

A Midlands North West MEP is defending Gerry Adams’s handling of the controversy surrounding the alleged sexual and physical abuse of victims by members of the Republican movement. Matt Carthy’s comments follow a number of recent heated exchanges in the Dail on the alleged abuse. Gerry Adams has denied any cover up and he’s apologised

A 31 year-old Sligo man who fired shots at gardai in a 13 -hour standoff in Sligo last December, was jailed for seven years, at the circuit court yesterday. The court heard that Michael O’Connor reloaded his father’s legally held shotgun on 23 occasions in a garda operation that involved 110 officers. He pleaded guilty