Aoife Doherty delves into the archives to bring you the news and images from yesteryear.
July 31, 1976
Excitement and glamour in Rosses for Mary from Dungloe
THERE will be colour, high excitement and glamour in Dungloe this weekend as the Mary from Dungloe Festival reaches its climax. The organisers have had their problems, but have proven their abilities.
And they are confident that every difficulty is overcome and visitors to the Rosses capital will have plenty to enjoy and enthuse over.
They were told midweek that three Mary finalists from Birmingham, Liverpool, and Preston had cancelled their visit due to lack of funds; the Cork and Clare Marys had withdrawn through lack of interest; the Spanish Mary refused to travel because of the Irish “troubles”; and the South Africa Mary will not be there either. But there is ample beauty and glamour in Dungloe, with 17 lovely finalists coming before the public and the judges this Sunday; for the final decisions.
All Donegal eyes on the marathon tomorrow night
DONEGAL’S major interest in the Montreal Olympics focuses tomorrow (Saturday) night on the efforts of our own Danny McDaid in the gruelling marathon against a world class field. McDaid, the Letterkenny-based flying postman from Glenswilly, is rated as the fastest ever Irishman in the race.
This year he is the tenth fastest in the world and is a tremendously dedicated sports personality attached to the Cranford club. Originally he went for a spell to Dublin, but with his postman’s appointment in Letterkenny has been delighted to be back in Donegal.
He trains hard and has prepared himself with tremendous sacrifices for this marathon event. A shrewd runner, with plenty of experience, there is a quiet determination about Danny in his preparation for tomorrow’s big event.
The end of an era in Letterkenny’s commercial history
THERE was an end to an era in the commercial history of Letterkenny recently when the family-run firm of John Harris and Son Main Street, finally wound up activities.
The business, which was in existence for well over half a century, was founded by John Harris, who built it up to be one of the finest concerns in the county. It was one of those old types of shops that could be best described as the forerunner of the supermarket. One could buy anything from a pound of butter to the kitchen sink at Harris’.
However, sadly one can no longer do that.
A few weeks ago, Jack and Maisie Harris, a son and daughter of the late John Harris decided to sell the last remaining part of the business, The Spirit Bar and move out of their home.
August 3 2001
Post offices face closure
OVER 130 post offices in Donegal face the possibility of having to close their doors or undergo major changes if the government goes ahead with radical plans to overhaul the postal network across the country. The warning has come from the Lettermacaward-based Irish Postmasters Union spokesman in Donegal, Mr Brian Cannon.
It follows the approval by the Government this week of a blueprint for the biggest transformation of the postal service in the history of the state.
Under the plan much of the business currently conducted in the network of 1,800 post offices nationwide is to be transferred into a variety of retail outlets from late night shops to petrol stations.
An Post will retain a network of not more than 400 offices and there will be some 1,600 locations where a local agent will instead act for the Post Office.
The move, which was announced on Tuesday has led to panic and confusion among the hundreds of postmasters in Donegal, who claim the plan could signal the death of old-style country post offices.
First Filipino nurses arrive
FOURTEEN Filipino nurses began working in Letterkenny General Hospital last week.
The nurses are the first of 100 Filipino nurses due to take up their work in the North West over the next 12 months. The 14, including two male nurses, are undergoing a standard six-week induction period at Letterkenny General Hospital.
The induction period will allow them to obtain their nurses’ registration in this country.
The group are enthusiastic and committed to their work and have settled very well in Donegal.
Gardai in Bank Holiday appeal
GARDAI will be out in force to clamp down on speed, drink driving and other motoring offences over the busy August Bank Holiday weekend following the tragic deaths of 19 people on Irish roads last week. The warning came from Inspector Vincent O’Brien, Letterkenny, who is in charge of the Garda Traffic Unit.
He has issued an appeal to motorists to slow down and be extra careful, particularly young drivers in the 18 to 25 years age category.
“Traditionally there is a marked increase in the number of fatalities on roads over the busy Bank Holiday weekend. This is due to the extra vehicular traffic. Basically what we are asking is that motorists drop their average travelling speed by 10mph over the weekend.
“This will give them vital extra seconds for reaction time,” he said.
The appeal from Gardai came after a week in which 19 people were killed, bringing the number of fatalities to 222 for the year and 37 for the month of July. In Donegal there has been a drop of almost fifty per cent in the number of fatal accidents on roads so far this year. Eight people have been killed compared to fourteen for the same period last year. “We want to keep the downward trend,” Inspector O’Brien said.
An analysis of the deaths on Donegal roads shows that speed was the primary cause of five, with alcohol, road surface and human errors accounting for the other three.