Donegal farmers are recognised for dairy farming excellence


DAIRY farming family, Brian Gallagher and his sons Stephen and Mark from Castlefinn have been acknowledged for dairy farming excellence at the annual Aurivo Milk Quality Awards. Brian, Stephen, and Mark received the award for Lowest TBC in Liquid Milk. The family milk 109 Holstein Friesian cows on 80-hectare of land in Castlefinn and have plans […]


THE VET’S ADVICE: Identifying grass tetany in cattle


WITH the days getting warmer grass is finally beginning to grow (at long last!) but with that so does the incidence of grass tetany for lactating cows. Grass tetany also known as grass staggers, lactation tetany or spring tetany is a metabolic disease caused by a magnesium deficiency usually after grazing lush grass. Magnesium is needed for proper muscle and nerve function so low levels in the blood cause ‘tetanic spasms’ […]


Donegal could return to two constituencies with rise in population


CONFIRMATION that the population of the county has shown a five per cent increase could see a return of the Donegal North East and Donegal South West constituencies, and a return to six TDs in Donegal. The recently created Electoral Commission is already examining Dáil boundaries and is expected to report its findings by the […]


IFA encourage farmers to be SunSmart


As the Irish weather becomes increasingly warmer over the summer months, IFA National Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Alice Doyle is encouraging farmers to protect their skin from sun and reduce risk of skin cancer as they work outdoors. “Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in Ireland with almost 13,000 cases […]


Turning ‘frantic’ voice notes into a successful podcast


TWO best friends who turned their frantic voice notes into a popular podcast are close to celebrating one year of providing listeners with a weekly dose of ‘light-hearted good craic’. Marie Shields is from Glen, Carrigart and Trish Geraghty (pictured below) is originally from Mayo but is now living in Rosnakill. The pair launched the ‘No Other […]


‘Volunteers in action’ photography competition launched


THE Donegal Volunteer Centre have launched their third annual photography competition in collaboration with the Donegal County Museum and the Donegal News. This year’s theme is ‘Photographing Volunteers in Action’ and will highlight the hard work volunteers do in our communities. “The Volunteer Centre are delighted to offer this competition because it is a chance for […]


People urged to use other care options before presenting at Emergency Department


OVER the June Bank Holiday weekend, Health Officials in the North West are asking people to consider all care options before presenting at Emergency Departments. Health Services are advising the public that there will be large numbers attending Emergency Departments this weekend and they will be prioritising those in need of urgent and emergency care. […]


Cancer survivor pens song to raise funds for Relay for Life


A WOMAN living in Letterkenny was inspired to compose her song ‘The War’ following a moving experience at her first Relay for Life last year. Rachel Akkoç, who is a breast cancer survivor, wrote the song as a fundraising effort after she was struck by the amount of people she witnessed wearing the purple survivors […]


THE THIRD DEGREE: From surviving the pandemic to earning a four-star rating


BY PAUL BRADLEY In this week’s edition of The Third Degree Conor McEniff, General Manager of the Mount Errigal Hotel in Letterkenny talks about their new four-star rating, managing through the pandemic and how he is the third generation in his family to work in the industry. Hi Conor, how are you? Thank you for taking […]