:: News In Brief
Sinn Féin councillor bows out 18.07.08
SINN Féin Councillor Tony McDaid has announced he is to retire
from Donegal County Council. Lifford-based Cllr McDaid cited
increased work commitments in his professional life as the reason
for his decision. The party has identified the outgoing councillor's
replacement who will be co-opted to the Council following a
selection convention.
Hey Jude...it's BeatlesFest 16.07.08
IT'S festival time again in Moville this weekend as the second
BeatlesFest hits the Foyleside town. A great line up of Beatles
tribute acts is on the cards in the local bars from Friday until
Sunday including Niall O'Shea and Celine Burke who regularly delight
fans on Dublin circuit. Other acts include Gareth McLaughlin from
Campsie; Buick 6, a Moville band with Paddy, Sean and Tim while
Benny Doherty, who was lead singer with the now disbanded
Stratospheric, will also take to the stage. Beatles fans in
particular and music fans in general can enjoy a wide range of live
acts over the three nights of the festival while there will also be
added fun with a 1960s fancy dress in the Waterfront from 10pm on
Friday, July 18 and a Beatles table quiz in Rawdon's on Saturday
from 7pm to 9pm.
Families get keys to new homes 15.07.08
TWENTY-seven happy families will get the keys this week to their
new homes in Moville from Donegal County Council. Ard na Guala
Duibhe is situated at Gulladuff on the main Moville to Malin Road.
The lovely development includes a mix of two-bed apartments, three
bed semi-detached houses and a smaller number of four bed
semi-detached homes.
Derry flights cancelled and charters moved
14.07.08
BA/LOGANAIR has advised that its services to Glasgow and Dublin
have been cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday due to strike action
at City of Derry Airport. BA/Loganair will contact its passengers
directly regarding rebooking.
Meanwhile, Falcon/JWT/First Choice holiday charter service to and
from Reus on Wednesday, July 16, will operate via Belfast
International Airport. Departing passengers will be transferred by
coach from City of Derry Airport and it is expected that final times
for check-in and transfer times will be confirmed later today.
Passengers arriving from Reus at Belfast International on Wednesday
will be transferred by coach to City of Derry Airport. Falcon/JWT/First
Choice is currently contacting all of the affected passengers.
Ryanair will provide a travel update as soon as possible and
passengers are advised to keep in contact with the customer
information line at 028 7130 5039 or website
www.cityofderryairport.com .
Rory's remains to be flown home 08.07.08
RORY McMenamin who was tragically killed in an accident in
Australia will be buried in his hometown of Newtowncunningham on
Sunday. The 25 year old died in Brisbane, where he was working at a
tyre fitting centre.
He was changing a tyre on a truck when the vehicle collapsed on top
of him. He died later in hospital from his injuries. The young
Celtic supporter was a qualified accountant and had been
taking a year out. He had been in Australia since last Christmas.
The popular young man's death has left Newtown shocked and
devastated.
For funeral arrangements, click here.
Seagate to invest £120m 04.07.08
SEAGATE Technology which employs a number of people including
engineers from Inishowen has announced a £120m investment at its
Derry plant.
The Mayor of the city, Councillor Gerard Diver welcomed the cash
injection for the Springtown site saying it was a "strong
endorsement" of the company's high quality product and staff.
"Seagate is one of our major employers and the news that the company
intends to spend £120 million of its own money on new equipment, IT,
research and development infrastructure at Springtown, is a good
news story for our local economy in what are very challenging times
from a global perspective," said Cllr Diver.
Two men injured in head-on crash 03.07.08
Two men were seriously injured yesterday in a head-on crash
between a van and a car at Ballymagan outside Buncrana. The
collision happened shortly before 11am. Both drivers, said to be in
their 40s and 60s, were brought to Letterkenny General Hospital with
serious injuries.
ICRfm hones its Verbal Arts 03.07.08
Inishowen Community Radio is continuing its cross-border
relationship as broadcast partner with the Verbal Arts Centre in
Derry. Today it will broadcast ‘Magnetic North’ on its afternoon
talk show ‘Talktime’. The show will feature John Brown, editor of
the ‘Magnetic North’ book, as well as commentary and readings from
poets in the anthology, including Moyra Donaldson, Frank Sewell and
Ruth Carr. The documentary can be heard on ICRfm on 105fm and
107.6fm or online at www.icrfm.ie
. For more information, please contact Claire McDermott, radio
co-ordinator at the Verbal Arts Centre on 048 7126 6946 or at email
claire.mcdermott@verbalartscentre.co.uk
Coast Guard go before joint committee
02.07.08
A delegation from Malin Head will appear before to the Joint
Oireachtas Committee on Transport today in a bid to save the local
Coast Guard station.
Along with friends and colleagues from Valentia, the Save Our
Stations group will challenge the proposal by the Department of
Transport and Coast Guard management to close the stations.
Coast Guard management is accused of protecting their own jobs
against being moved out of Dublin. They are also accused of giving
factually inaccurate proposals about the two coastal marine radio
stations.
This has been rebutted by Coast Guard management who claim the
equipment at the Donegal and Kerry stations is outdated.
Coast Guard management has rejected this, claiming the equipment at
both stations is out-dated and that they are acting in the best
interests of marine safety.
Donegal has lowest income 30.06.08
People in Donegal had the lowest disposable income at just 82%
of the national average, a new survey has shown. The survey from the
Central Statistis Office (CSO) also shows that the border region has
the lowest employment rate at under 60%. Meanwhile, Dubliners enjoy
the most disposable income in the country at 13% above the national
average for households of €20,164.
PARC fears Dempsey U-turn 30.06.08
Culdaff-based road safety campaigner Susan Gray fears the
Department of Transport may be stalling on the introduction of
compulsory breath-testing of those involved road traffic collisions.
Ms. Gray became anxious after learning that a Bill to reduce the
amount of alcohol permitted in a motorist's blood would be
introduced by the end of the year. But she now wonders where this
leaves Transport Minister Noel Dempsey's promise to her on mandatory
breath testing. She is looking for answers before the Dáil breaks
for the summer in around a week's time. (Inishowen Independent)
'Scrap Back-to-Education limits' 30.06.08
Donegal Senator Pearse Doherty has called on the Government to
end the requirement for people from low and middle income
backgrounds to be unemployed for a period of six months before they
can avail of the Back to Education Allowance. Senator Doherty said
workers losing their jobs need to be reskilled and retrained in
order to take positions in new and emerging industries.
Special education chief visits Buncrana 30.06.08
PAT Curtin, chief executive of the National Council for Special
Education and his staff will visit Inishowen today. During this
visit he will meet with parent representatives from the peninsula in
Buncrana and this will be followed by a meeting with post primary
principals, board of management chairs and special education
co-ordinators. Senator Cecilia Keaveney said clarification about the
role of the Council in delivering resources and supports to our
special needs students would be sought from Mr. Curtin during the
visit.
Man rescued in Lough Swilly 27.06.08
A LOUGH Swilly Lifeboat crew yesterday rescued a man who drifted
out to sea in a lilo in strong winds. The man who is understood to
be in his 30s had entered the water at Rathmullan on the inflatable
shortly after 3pm. The RNLI were tasked when a member of the public
raised the alarm. The man was treated at Buncrana pier by ambulance
personnel and did not require hospitalisation.
Opportunity for Inishowen taxi drivers 27.06.08
THE Text One Group based in Carndonagh are launching Inishowen’s
only 24 hour, 365 days a year taxi operation. The company will
operate from its head office in Carndonagh and is now offering all
Inishowen taxi and hackney drivers the chance to join its radio
circuit. Text One Group is the company that developed the global
award winning product
www.textataxi.com . Text One Taxis.com will be using the
textataxi.com system and all bookings for a taxi will take
preference if booked by this method. Any local owner-drivers or
drivers looking to get involved in the industry can simply contact
them via their website or contact Carndonagh 074 9329279. The
website is
www.textonetaxis.com .
Drive ban loop-hole closed 27.06.08
MOTORISTS disqualified in Inishowen will no longer be allowed to
drive in the North and vice versa. An historic deal to keep
disqualified drivers off the roads on the entire island of Ireland
as well as Britain was signed yesterday by the three respective
transport ministers. It is the first agreement of its kind in Europe
and means driving bans will be mutually-recognised in both parts of
Ireland and in Britain from next spring. The ministers also discussed the issue of
mutually-applicable penalty points although it's understood a deal
on this matter won't be ratified for some time.
Donegal patients wait longer for surgery
26.06.08
LETTERKENNY General Hospital is among five hospitals with the
longest surgery waiting list in the country.
A new report from the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) shows
that more than 16,000 adults and children are waiting more than
three months for surgery in Ireland. The NTPF has also identified
five hospitals it says account for over half of the 2,155 patients
waiting longer than a year for surgery. They are Letterkenny
General, Sligo General, the Midland Regional in Tullamore, Cork
University and Tallaght hospital in Dublin. The average waiting time
for the most common surgical procedures is now two to five months.
The NTPF plans to organise 23,500 operations and outpatient clinics
for 13,500 patients this year.
Mayor condemns Derry murder 24.06.08
THE Mayor of Derry Councillor Gerard Diver has condemned the
murder of a local man in the city earlier today. He described the
shooting as a "shocking and despicable act". The victim who was
local and in his early 20s was shot dead in the Bligh’s Lane area of
Creggan. Cllr Diver hit out at those responsible, saying they did
not have the support of the local community to carry out this
shooting. He also appealed to the public and anyone who had any
information to co-operate fully with the police in the
investigation. Meanwhile, he also extended his sympathy to the
family and friends of the victim.
Crossan is top female in Flanders 24.06.08
INISHOWEN Athletics Club ultra distance runner Helena Crossan
has had yet another triumph in her impressive running career.
She was the leading female finisher in the Night of Flanders
International 100km (62.2 miles) road race in Belgium last Friday.
Her winning time was seven hours and 53 minutes a position that
placed her sixth overall in the race. She was the only Irish athlete
to compete in the event. The 100km race started at 8pm local time
and continued through the night. The Carndonagh-based athlete was
invited to take part in the race following her 10th place finish in
the World 100km Championships in Holland last year. For more local
athletics notes, click here .
Nun who helped Donegal immigrants visits county
24.06.08
A nun who helped hundreds of undocumented Donegal immigrants
from in Boston is visiting the county soon and would like to meet up
with those who have since returned home. Sister Veronica Dobson
founded the Irish Pastoral Center in Dorchester, Boston, 20 years
ago with Fr Daniel Finn. It was established in 1988 by the
Archdiocese of Boston as a non-profit organisation to minister to
illegal Irish immigrants who settled in the Greater Boston area.
Thousands of people from Donegal, Derry and Tyrone passed through
its doors and were helped with jobs, accommodation, spiritual and
material needs when they first arrived in their new environment. A
native of Co Offaly, Sister Veronica is a member of the Order of
Saint Brigid of Ireland and is now based in Austin, Texas. She will
visit the county in mid-July. For more information on her Donegal
visit, please call 087 9825001.
McHugh welcomes fishermen retraining
23.06.08
Fine Gael T.D., Deputy Joe McHugh welcomed the announcement that
the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries has agreed to investigate
his proposal to allow redundant fishermen retrain for the merchant
navy.
"The fishing industry has been on the brink of decimation over the
past decade and highly trained fishermen are finding themselves
reliant on social welfare," he said. "The decommissioning scheme,
initiated by the Government, compensated the owners of boats yet the
crews were left redundant with no financial package. The Government
now has an opportunity to address this failure by encouraging these
people to train for positions in the merchant navy."
Young Fianna Fáil to meet again 19.06.08
YOUNG people interested in joining Fianna Fáil in Inishowen will
have another chance to find out about the youth wing of the party
next week.
Carol Faulkner from Quigley's Point and Kevin Kelly from Clonmany
hope to start up an Inishowen branch of Ógra Fianna Fáil. They will
hold a second information meeting to assess the level of interest
from young people and give a general outline of what Ógra is about.
The first meeting took place in Moville on Monday with the second
scheduled for the Inishowen Gateway Hotel, Buncrana, on Monday, June
23 at 8.30pm. If you would like to find out more, please email
inishowenogra@gmail.com
or call Carol on 087 6172947 or Kevin on 086 8047115.
Inishowen to get extra councillor 19.06.08
INISHOWEN is to get an additional councillor under the recent
redrawing of the electoral boundaries. Manorcunningham joins the
peninsula in the latest Boundary Commission shake-up of the county.
It will mean that there will be seven councillors instead of six
sitting on the Inishowen Electoral Area Committee of Donegal County
Council. The Glenties and Donegal electoral areas will each lose one
seat with both seats going to the Stranorlar electoral area while
Letterkenny and Milford will be merged and allocated seven seats
each.
'Collusion' in Carn teen's murder 19.06.08
DETECTIVES have found evidence of security force collusion in
the murder of an Inishowen teenager 35 years ago. Sixteen-year old
Henry Cunningham from Carndonagh was killed in August 1973 when UVF
gunmen ambushed the van he was travelling in.
The collusion details have emerged following a fresh investigation
by the Historical Enquiries Team. The HET report said detectives
uncovered evidence of collusion in the theft of a murder weapon from
a UDR base.
The Carn teenager was travelling home from construction work in
Belfast on the M2 when UVF gunmen opened fire on the van from a
motorway bridge. His older brother Herbert, the driver, was injured
and another brother, Robert, was unhurt. No one was ever prosecuted
and the Cunningham family believe the case wasn't properly
investigated. They are to continue lobbying for justice for their
slain brother.
Tragic teen mum and baby named 17.06.08
A 16 year old mother and her three-month old daughter who died
in a two-vehicle collision near Letterkenny have been named as Kerry
Ann Meehan and Naoise Meehan, Manorview, Letterkenny. Kerry Ann was
originally from Derry. They died when the car they were travelling
in was involved in a collision with a jeep towing a trailer full of
sheep. The male drivers of the car and jeep were seriously injured
and taken to Letterkenny General Hospital. The driver of the car,
also believed to be in his teens, is understood to be in a critical
condition. The accident happened around 8.45am at Tullygay about a
mile and a half outside Letterkenny on the Glenties Road. Garda
forensic teams are still investigating the cause.
Rally accident victim named 16.06.08
The teenage spectator who was killed after being struck by a
rally car on Saturday has been named as Richard O'Donnell, known
locally as 'Richard McGrath', of Jefferson Court, Strabane, Co
Tyrone. The Topaz Donegal International Rally was cancelled as a
mark of respect following the tragic accident at Ballyarr near
Ramelton. It's understood the teen was crossing the road when he was
hit by one of the competing cars. The Donegal Motor Club said
initial investigations indicate there was no driver error involved.
Gardai want to speak to any witnesses who have not yet been
interviewed. They can be contacted on 074 91 22222.
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