Aoife Doherty delves into the archives to bring you the news and images from yesteryear.
1975, December 13
Letterkenny bright and festive ahead of the Christmas season
LETTERKENNY today stands as Donegal’s leading town. And the future seems bright. In a few years it is estimated the present population of around 6,000 will have jumped to 10,000. This is expected to benefit not Letterkenny alone, but prove a boon to people principally within a 15 to 20 mile radius of the town. And it is hoped the growth will not halt there.
Expectations rise for further industry that will cater fully for the chronic unemployment problem and the emigration trend that now seems to be turning back again to the bad old days.
Major hopes centre on the Lirelle Ltd Industry (in association with the Courtauld giant) that is preparing to get underway on the edge of the town in a matter of months. This has introduced a deep swell of optimism where otherwise there would be economic gloom.
And in the spirit of bright future times ahead, Letterkenny is putting a bright, festive, glittering smile on itself for the Christmas time. The streets will be more extensively lighted with coloured bulbs than ever before. More illuminated trees will adorn the main thoroughfare from one end to the other.
Christmas thoughts
What does it all mean to us as we wish each other Happy Christmas?
With money short, with prices high, with sadness, anxiety and uncertainty constantly by our side, happiness may first seem an almost fantastic word to use.
How can happiness possibly come into account today you may argue. In many a home in our country the family gatherings of last Christmas will be but cherished memories.
Chairs will be vacant. Familiar voices will be hushed. Much that was good and precious in life has been blacked out.
Nevertheless, Christmas will always be Christmas, get the spirit of it.
America, lavish as she is, has kept the Christmas spirit more alive than perhaps any country. Hollywood sets a lesson with her avenues of Christmas first set up and alight for everyone’s pleasure.
So does New York with the holly garlands on her doors.
Once we did a lot of home-made preparations and our friends treasured the present because of the labour and the love which had gone into it. Nowadays, the fashion of making things for ones friends seems to have died out.
St. Eunans College still unbeaten
ST. EUNAN’S COLLEGE 5-6
ST. COLUMBA’S 1-2
ST. EUNAN’S, who have now taken eight points from four games, outclassed St. Columba’s in the Loch an Iúir Cup (College football) at MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey, on Sunday.
With Charlie Mulgrew dominating midfield, Eddie McCauley a staunch defender, and Gerard Boyle, Michael McGeehin and Aidan Garvin pressing the attack, St Eunan’s posed a problem for which St Columba’s had no answer.
The losers were given few chances but most of what they did get were wasted by off-target shooting.
Denis and Frances McGrenra with Anne and Frank Kelly back in 2008.
2000, December 15
Brown eyed girl wins top ‘bonny baby’ competition
YOUNG Sarah McCoy is Bonny Baby of the Year, having scooped the Heinz and Woman’s Way Baby of the Year 2000 competition.
19-month-old Sarah was selected from over 2,300 entries nationwide. Sarah’s proud parents, Amanda and Patrick McCoy from Dromore in Letterkenny, travelled to Dublin with Sarah on Monday to receive the Heinz trophy, cheque for £2000 and hamper of goods and toys from sponsors of the event. Sarah was presented with a personalised teddy bear as a memento for the occasion.
In the 34th year of the competition, Heinz is a prestigious award which may lead to further modelling offers for the toddler in the future. The competition is open to all young children under the age of two and the winner is selected from a snap shot.
Remember what Donegal was like?
A BOOK which chronicles the lives and times of 22 Donegal people over the last century was launched last evening in Stranorlar Parish Hall.
‘When we were Young’ provides a fascinating insight into the county and its people during the last century.
The author is Anne McMenamin from Ballybofey who works as a full time photographer with the Finn Valley Voice newspaper.
The 20th century marked a period of huge change in Donegal’s history and the face of the county, and the introduction of electricity, the motor car, two world wars, famine, emigration and the political upheavals are illustrated through its one hundred plus pages.
Ms McMenamin remains true to the way the people expressed the story of their lives and local dialects and sayings which are unique to each area are retained.
Cathal Moy cutting turf near Glenveagh.
Car sales beat all records
JUST under 5,000 new vehicles were first licensed in Donegal during 1999, according to the annual report from the Department of the Environment released this week. This figure included private cars and goods vehicles.
New vehicle registrations here look set to reach an all time high with more than 6,900 new vehicles sold in Donegal so far this year, according to Mr Tony Kelly, past Chairman of the Donegal Branch of SIMI.
Almost 37,000 cars on Donegal roads last year were registered with the County Council and more than 70,000 people held licences issued by the local authority. Provisional licence holders accounted for 14,804.
The most popular car in the county last year was the Toyota with 4,930 registered with Donegal County Council. Opel followed a close second with a total of 4,662 cars registered. The third most popular make on the county’s roads was Ford with 3,642 models.
