Insurance woes the ‘last straw’ for thatch owners


DONEGAL’S thatching tradition will die out unless the government intervenes to help homeowners, a local councillor has warned. Fine Gael’s Barry Sweeny has asked that a letter regarding insurance availability for the owners of thatch cottages be written to the Department of Housing. His request that Donegal County Council contact Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien about the matter has received […]


Fines for some driving offences set to double


TRANSPORT Minister Hildegarde Naughton has used an event at Atlantic University in Letterkenny to announce a crackdown on rogue drivers. Minister Naughton intends to table legislation that will see fines for speeding, no seatbelt and driving while using a phone double. Anyone caught speeding will have to pay €160 as opposed to the old tariff […]


Ramelton Mary’s Meals activist in the frame


THE Donegal woman leading the Mary’s Meals campaign in Ireland says she was “overwhelmed” to be asked to participate in a new portrait exhibition. An oil painting of Patricia Friel from Ramelton has gone on display in Galway Cathedral. It is part of a collection entitled ‘People For Others’ by artist Sara Kyne. The portraits honour […]


Hallelujah…Empty church sells at last


AN abandoned church in Castlefinn has sold for almost double its original asking price. The 150-year-old Congregational Church of Ireland property, located in the town’s Diamond area, had been on the market for over two years. When it failed to sell estate agent Martin McGowan sent it to auction. It was bought by someone in Dublin […]


Tributes paid as ‘remarkable’ McGarvey turns 92


COUNCILLOR Ian McGarvey has received birthday wishes from the Seanad to mark his turning 92 years of age. The Ramelton man first entered politics as a member of Donegal County Council in 2004 when he was 73. He has successfully contested four general elections and last defended his seat in 2019 when he secured a final tally of 1,522 votes. […]


A-rt Team and Letterkenny pub team up for mica mural


A WELL known Letterkenny pub is to get a huge mural dedicated to families caught up in the mica crisis. The painting will adorn the gable wall of McGinley’s Bar and is being commissioned by local collective The A-rt Team. It will be The A-rt Team’s sixth project but only its second large scale mural. The first was painted […]


New digital hub for Carrigart


A new remote working hub with the capacity to cater for 18 people will open in Carrigart later this month. The project, ‘gteic@Carraig Airt’, has been developed by Donegal County Council in partnership with local community organisation Moving Mevagh Forward. It will be housed in a new single storey facility on the village’s Main Street. Advertisement As […]


Ballindrait man marks 80th anniversary of aunt’s murder


A Ballindrait man has taken part in a special commemoration in Scotland to mark the 80th anniversary of the murder of his aunt during World War II. Liam Canning recently returned from Scotland after attending the memorial ceremony organised by the Inveraray and District Branch of the Royal British Legion. The ceremony was held to […]


Meeting adjourned as gardaí summonsed


FOR the second time in 12 days gardaí have been called to a meeting of Donegal County Council. Today’s meeting in the Aura Leisure Centre was supposed to discuss a report regarding the purchase by the local authority of five houses in Buncrana. But it descended in to mayhem when Councillor Frank McBrearty appeared to […]


‘This is your day’ Council’s housing staff told


MEMBERS of Donegal County Council’s housing department have been told today is “your day for justice”. The comments were made by elected members during a meeting convened to discuss a report into the purchase of five homes in Buncrana. Independent auditing firm BDO Ireland found last week that there was no wrongdoing on the part […]