:: News In Brief

War talk cancelled 03.02.12
A talk entitled 'Realities of War' by Commandant Kevin Mc Donald next Tuesday at the Donegal County Museum has been cancelled. "Please accept our apologies for the short notice of talk cancellation due to circumstances beyond our control," said a museum spokesperson today.

Uni announces scholarship giveaway 02.02.12
NUI Galway, one of the favoured universities for Donegal students, has announced details of a new scholarship scheme for postgraduate students. A total of 100 new scholarships will be awarded at €2,000 per student. The announcement follows recent cuts to maintenance grants for postgraduate students in the budget. The new initiative is open to postgraduate students, applying for a full-time taught Masters programme due to commence in Autumn 2012. Scholarships will be awarded to students who fulfill the criteria as outlined by the university. Recipients will have gained a first class honours degree and received a Council grant at undergraduate level. More information at www.nuigalway.ie/postgraduate/scholarships . Candidates can also phone 091 492844 or email postgrad@nuigalway.ie .

Realities of War at museum 01.02.12
A talk with Commandant Kevin McDonald on the realities of war as experienced by Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon will take place at Donegal County Museum next Tuesday.
Cmdt McDonald of 4 Western Brigade will present the talk at 1pm. Please note that the presentation will contain graphic images and is unsuitable for under 18s and those of a sensitive nature. Donegal County Museum is located at High Road, Letterkenny. Admission is free.

Derry man collects €5.5 million 31.01.12
A DERRY man has today collected a dream cheque for nearly €5.5 million. Ireland’s latest Lotto millionaire, who has declined publicity, picked up a cool €5,482,894 when he and his family visited National Lottery HQ in Dublin. He explained how he discovered his win after reading about it in the Belfast Telegraph. “As I read through the article, everything just added up for me. A €12 ticket – check; bought at Top Filling Station – check; Quick Pick – check. When I finally checked my ticket, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s surreal – amazing but surreal.” The delighted winner bought the life-changing Quick Pick ticket in Killea, Co. Donegal. It is the third jackpot winning ticket sold in the county in less than two months.

Another Lotto scoop for Donegal 26.01.12
THE winning ticket for last night's whopping €5,482,894 was bought in Killea, Co Donegal. The lucky €12 Quick Pick ticket was bought in the Top Filling Station, Killea on Friday, January 20.
The champagne is on ice for the lucky winner who has not yet claimed the prize. The cheque can be picked up at National Lottery offices in Dublin within 90 days of the draw.
This is the third Lotto jackpot win for Donegal in just under two months. That means three new millionaires have joined the Lotto rich list.
On December 21 a Donegal Lady won the €2 million Lotto jackpot. She bought her lucky €4 Quick Pick ticket in the Post Office, Tirchonaill St., Donegal Town. The lucky lady had no immediate plans for her win.
Just three weeks earlier, Kathleen McLaughlin from Redcastle won the Lotto jackpot of €2.6 million. Kathleen bought her lucky €4 Quick Pick ticket in Farren’s, Moville, Co. Donegal. Kathleen shared her win with her family, said a Lotto spokesperson today.

Monreagh gets new school 25.01.12
EXCITEMENT is building in Monreagh, Carrigans, as the community looks forward to the official opening of its new national school. Monreagh N.S., is a two-teacher school under the patronage of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. It currently has 28 pupils on roll with nine pupils in the senior room and 19 in the junior room. The original school building, across the road, was erected in 1852 and was one of the oldest school buildings still in use in the country. A health and safety report in 2000 deemed the school building unsafe. The official opening will take place on February 13, 2012.

Gardaí probe car arson attack 25.01.12
GARDAI are investigating an arson attack in which a car was burnt out in Buncrana. The incident happened at about 4.10am on Friday at Ardaravan Heights in the town. The car, a seven year old grey Peugeot saloon, was parked outside a private residence when it was set alight. Gardaí investigating the incident have conducted door-to-door enquiries and are examining CCTV footage from a nearby business premises. Anyone with information is asked to contact the local station on 93 20540.

Mentoring volunteers wanted 25.01.12
FOROIGE'S 'Big Brother, Big Sister' programme is currently seeking volunteers to work with young people in the Inishowen area. The programme acts as a mentoring service for young people aged 10 years to18 years. If you have one free hour per week, the programme would love to hear from you. If you would like to get involved or for more information, please contact 086 8213756 or visit www.bbbsireland.ie .

'At Your Service' in Inishowen 25.01.12
ANOTHER series of 'At Your Service' is being made for RTE and the producers want to feature hospitality businesses from the Inishowen and wider Donegal area.
"We don’t get anywhere near enough applications for 'At Your Service' from the (Donegal) area so we’re looking for B&Bs, hotels, guesthouses, hostels, camping and caravan parks and any other hospitality businesses in Donegal to get in touch," said a spokesperson. "The area is famous for its hospitality and friendly welcomes, its fabulous scenery and magnificent beaches. We’d love to see these on screen next year." If you would like more information, please contact Maggi Gibson at her email maggi@waddellmedia.com or call her on 04890 427646.

Eleven treated on trolleys 24.01.12
THERE were 11 patients treated on trolleys at Letterkenny Hospital today. Yesterday's figure was four. The daily nurses' survey shows there were 317 patients treated on trolleys nationally today.

On the buses 23.01.12
A documentary series on the history of buses throughout Ireland is being produced for TG4. The producers, Waddell Media, would like to talk to people, from all over Donegal, Derry and surrounding areas about their memories, personal stories and funny anecdotes about travelling on the buses from the 1920s and 1930s onwards. Photos, film footage and memorabilia would also be welcome. If you would like to contribute, please contact Sara at Waddell Media on 0044 28 90 42 7646 or email sara@waddellmedia.com .

TD praises local schools 23.01.12
DEPUTY Joe McHugh and congratulated Scoil Naomh Fionan, Whitecastle, and Ray N.S., for being two of just 11 Irish primary schools to qualify for the national final of the Our World Irish Aid Programme. "I applaud students for working hard to create awareness of our global responsibility to sustain our environment and world food supply." He said he hoped to visit both schools this week ahead of the national finals in Dublin in February.

Closure notices after bombs 20.01.12
DERRY City Council offices at Strand Road will remain closed to public and staff today following last night's explosions. A temporary tourist information service is available at the Tower Museum today until 4.30pm and on Saturday, January 21 from 10am to 3pm. Foyleside Shopping Centre is open for business and pedestrian shoppers. Foyleside car parks remain closed and a help line is available to update customers on vehicle collection arrangements. This number is 0044 7522036596. Meanwhile, several roads remain cordoned off today and traffic is said to be heavy in many parts of the city.

eircom apologises for outage 17.01.12
EIRCOM has apologised to customers in Inishowen after hundreds were left without phone and internet connections yesterday. The outage occurred about 3pm when a fibre optic cable was damaged. It affected phone landlines, broadband connections, and bank ATM machines in Carndonagh and Moville. The company said its emergency repair crew was on site quickly. "The (crew) established that a replacement cable was needed. As soon as the cable arrived on site the crew began immediate repair work. Full service was restored to all customers by 10pm last night," said a spokesperson.

Calling Inishowen creatives 17.01.12
A new arts group, SOAR, has just been set up and hopes to hold a festival and other events this year. Artists, craft makers, musicians, designers and anyone who has in interest in the arts and creativity are invited to an information night this Wednesday, January 18 in the Colgan Hall, Carndonagh at 8pm. Everyone welcome. To find out more, please email adelefilmfest@hotmail.com

Course registration days 17.01.12
INISHOWEN Development Partnership will hold an information and registration evening for all its courses next week. The event will be held in the IDP offices in Carndonagh on Wednesday, January 25 from 5-7pm and in Buncrana on Thursday, January 26 from 5-7pm.

Cllrs invited to fracking film 16.01.12
A GROUP of concerned citizens have invited councillors in Donegal and the public to a free screening of a film exposing the risks of allowing hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the county. Councillors in Ballyshannon, Buncrana, Bundoran and Letterkenny, as well as Donegal County Councillors have been urged to attend the screening of 'Gasland' in the following venues: Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny: Thursday, January 19 at 7pm; Moville Library: Tuesday, January 31 at 7pm; Buncrana Library: Wednesday, February 1 at 6.30pm.

'Wild Atlantic' should include us 16.01.12
INISHOWEN TD Pádraig MacLochlainn has contacted Fáilte Ireland to urge the tourism body to include the peninsula and wider Donegal North East in the proposed 'Wild Atlantic Drive' initiative. "If one of the starting or end points of the drive were to be Derry City, then you could include the Inishowen 100, Letterkenny, the Atlantic Drive around the Fanad and Rosguill peninsulas, and then take in the breathtaking Atlantic drive down West Donegal from Dunfanaghy to Sliabh League's cliffs. I trust that you will work with the tourism promoters in North and West Donegal to ensure that they are part of your plans," said Deputy MacLochlainn. Meanwhile, Deputy Charlie McConalogue has called for the initiative to begin at Malin Head. "Banba's Crown, Malin Head, is Ireland's most northerly point and it makes sense that the Atlantic drive route would start or end here."

No patients on trolleys today 16.01.12
THE daily nurses' survey has reported no patients on trolleys at Letterkenny General Hospital today.

Orphanage visit on film 11.01.12
SEAMUS Carey who took aid to Latvian orphans before Christmas is inviting locals to see a film and slideshow of the trip on Friday evening in Greencastle. The mechanic and his Moldovan colleague, Stas Casian, undertook a 10-day round trip with toys, clothes and toiletries to the orphanage in Sidrabini, Latvia, in November.
"It was an emotional trip. The children were so happy to see us when we arrived, it was hard to keep the eyes dry," said Seamus. The men had been given so many donations by the people of Inishowen, they were also able to distribute items to two playschools as well as needy older people in the area. "We would like to show people where their donations went and we would like to thank everyone for being so generous." Seamus and Stas' slideshow and video can be seen in the Castle Inn, Greencastle, on Friday, January 13, at 9pm. The event is free and everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be served.

Overcrowding eases slightly 11.01.12
THERE are 11 people being treated on trolleys at Letterkenny Hospital today. This is a slight easing of the overcrowding that saw 21 patients without beds yesterday, forcing the closure of all outpatient clinics. Conditions have eased slightly today but people are urged not to attend A&E unless in genuine emergencies. Nationally, there are 412 patients waiting on a hospital bed today, the daily nurses' survey shows.

Donegal Person of the Year 11.01.12
THE Donegal Person of the Year 2011 will be announced at a special function in Dublin next week. The outgoing holder of the prestigious title is acclaimed Greencastle-based playwright Brian Friel. The Donegal Association has issued an open invitation to the Harcourt Hotel next Tuesday evening at 8.30pm for the announcement.

21 patients on trolleys 10.01.12
LETTERKENNY Hospital is under severe pressure today with 21 people being treated on trolleys. All outpatient clinics have been cancelled following one of the busiest nights on record at A&E. People are being urged not to attend Casualty today unless in a genuine emergency.

''Reverse school cuts" 10.01.12
DONEGAL TD Pearse Doherty has called for support for a Sinn Féin Dáil motion on Thursday calling on the Government to reverse cuts to schools in disadvantaged areas. “Changes to the staffing schedule in Budget 2012 will mean that dozens of small primary schools across Donegal will lose teachers, forcing pupils to be taught in larger classes and remaining teachers forced to teach multiple classes," he said.
"The Government have not hid the fact that the reason that they have done this to schools with less than 86 pupils in them is to encourage these schools to close and amalgamate with other schools. Donegal is one of the worst effected counties with over 110 schools with less than 100 pupils in them."

Mahon to launch 'Carrowmenagh' DVD 10.01.12
The launch of 'The Carrowmenagh Evictions 1881', a DVD based on the play by John A McLaughlin, will take place on Monday, January 16 in Carrowmenagh Community Centre. Joe Mahon, presenter of UTV's 'Lesser Spotted Ulster' will be special guest on the night. The DVD will be on sale after the 7.30pm launch.

Two on trolleys at Letterkenny 04.01.12
THERE are two people on trolleys at Letterkenny Hospital today after a busy few days for patients and staff. The daily nurses' survey shows there are a total of 357 patients on trolleys nationally today - up from 309 yesterday.

16 on trolleys at Letterkenny 03.01.12
THERE are 16 people being treated on trolleys at Letterkenny Hospital today. The overcrowding has led to the cancellation of a number of outpatient clinics today. People are being urged not to go to A&E unless in genuine emergencies and to check if their outpatient appointment is going ahead. The first nurses' survey of the New Year shows there are a total of 309 patients on trolleys nationally today.

Re-run of 'Mulled Wine and Memories' 03.01.12
INISHOWEN Community Radio will re-broadcast Hazel McIntyre's 'Mulled Wine and Memories' programme tomorrow, Wednesday, January 4 at 4pm. Some listeners were unable to hear the original broadcast last week due to a power failure caused by stormy conditions, the station said. Listen to the programme on www.icrfm.ie

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