A weekend to remember for Letterkenny’s Clare O’Donnell


By Eoin McGarvey The curtain came down on the 2024 Mary from Dungloe Festival on Sunday night when pharmacy technician Clare O’Donnell from Letterkenny was announced as the 57th winner of the Mary title. Born and bred in Letterkenny, Clare, 26 is a daughter of Gerard and Iris O’Donnell and was delighted to be representing […]


Man jailed for raping new mum beside her baby


By Isabel Hayes and Eimear Dodd A MAN who raped a woman as she slept in bed beside her partner and her newborn baby has been jailed for eight years. Shaun O’Donnell (34) was found guilty by a jury of one count of rape and one count of sexual assault at a home in Donegal on March […]


Fire upgrade works force respite beds to close


by Louise Doyle A NUMBER of respite beds in St Joseph’s Community Hospital were forced to close in the wake of a HIQA inspection which flagged the need for continued fire upgrade works. Concern emerged this week that respite facilities had been removed from the Stranorlar based hospital with immediate effect following the inspection on Friday last. Advertisement […]


108 people died in LUH’s emergency department in the last five years


by Louise Doyle THERE will be “catastrophic outcomes” for patients if the State and HSE do not urgently intervene to address overcrowding and capacity issues, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has warned. The warning comes in the wake of stark data this week, revealing 108 people have died in Letterkenny University Hospital’s (LUH) Emergency Department […]


Sadness at death of Marian McLaughlin


THE death has occurred of Marian McLaughlin (née Black), 4 Elm Court, Ramelton. Ms McLaughlin passed away peacefully at the Donegal Hospice surrounded by her loving family after a long illness borne with dignity and courage on Tuesday, August 6. A warm and friendly person, Marian was very well known and extremely popular in her […]


First social housing demolition planned 


By Kate Heaney THE first demolition of a social housing project in Donegal due to the presence of defective concrete products could take place in Letterkenny in the not too distant future. Donegal County Council is seeking planning permission to demolish and rebuild a block of 18 apartments at Carnamuggagh. Advertisement The apartment block known as Block […]


Uisce Éireann appeals to customers in Letterkenny to conserve water


Uisce Éireann is continuing to experience high levels of demand in the Letterkenny area and has called on customers to conserve water and protect supply. The surge in demand for water supply has affected reservoir levels with some customers experiencing outages and low pressure. As a result, homes and businesses are being asked to be […]


‘Life’s a beach’ for Donegal holidaymakers


by Paul McElwee WITH summer in full swing and days at the beach enjoyed, even in the topsy-turvy Irish weather, a new study has rated 12 of Donegal’s beaches as some of the top sea swimming destinations in the country. The study, undertaken by the Lagoon Activity Centre in Cork which marked beaches out of 300, […]


Lough Swilly RNLI celebrate 200 years of the charity


IN celebration of 200 years of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), volunteers from Lough Swilly RNLI came together for a special photo. Marking the charity’s foundation in 1824, the volunteers came together at 18.24 on Thursday evening, August 1, 2024. This special event of ‘One Moment, One Crew’ is being held to connect all RNLI […]


July a ‘wash out’ in the North West


by Paul McElwee THE month of July was wettest in the North West, according to Met Éireann. Met Éireann’s Weather Provisional Statement, released on Friday, also shows Donegal experienced strong winds, with the highest gust reported at Finner on July 3 (46 knots/85 km/h). Advertisement The month’s highest 10-minute mean wind seed, recorded just a day later, […]