Donegal’s Covid-19 vaccine roll-out slowing down


DONEGAL’S Covid vaccination roll-out is starting to show signs of slowing down. Latest figures from the HSE highlight the reduced demand for a programme which accelerated through much of last year. As numbers presenting to the Vaccination Centre in Letterkenny continue to drop, the HSE is looking at opening up pop-up vaccination centres at different […]


Donegal woman managing property portfolio worth €1.5bn


THE driving force behind the State’s largest residential landlord is Donegal woman Margaret Sweeney. A chartered accountant, Ms Sweeney manages a property portfolio valued at more than €1.5bn at Ires Reit, a company that houses more than 8,000 tenants. While many homebuyers are shut out of the market, Ms Sweeney’s company spent €285m on 815 […]


West Donegal company is creating 30 new jobs


THERE is an air of optimism around Páirc Ghno Gaoth Dobhair with job creation figures continuing to rise. As highlighted in Údarás na Gaeltachta’s Annual Report for 2021, 286 new jobs were created in the Donegal Gaeltacht over the past 12 months, signifying the largest number of jobs created in a single year in the […]


Letterkenny Credit Union gave almost 3,000 loans


LETTERKENNY Credit Union loan book passed the €30 million landmark for the first time last year. Letterkenny Credit Union also generated the highest ever loan income of €2.16 million in 2021. The credit union has provided 2,965 loans to the local community with a value of €15.3 million over the past year. The Income and […]


Growing hemp could be good for Donegal farmers


DONEGAL farmers have a golden opportunity to become major players in the production of medicinal cannabis. Industrial hemp can be legally grown in Ireland under licence from the Department of Health for a range of uses, including for fibre, food and feed. The industry has been slow to take off due largely to a lack […]


Went around the world and back to edit community paper


WHEN Ken Russell retired as a specialist in sedimentology and petroleum geology two years ago he promised to take things easy. A native of Milford, he lives in the historical Scottish village of Doune near Stirling where he edits the local newspaper. He was working his way through the layout for the February issue of […]


The drink of the Vikings to be brewed in Convoy


TWO Letterkenny-based friends are finalising plans to transform honey, water and yeast into mead, the world’s oldest alcoholic drink. The Ulster Mead Company will initially produce two varieties of the beverage in their new meadery which is located in the former Convoy Woollen Mills building. ‘King of the North’ and ‘Ragnar’ are both made with […]


Charity has helped repatriate 36 Donegal people


A CHARITY set up by grieving parents after the loss of their son has helped bring home 36 Donegal people who have died abroad in the past eight years. The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust was set up by Kevin’s parents Colin and Eithne after their son tragically passed while living abroad in 2013. They have […]


‘Now the valley is dark, from one end to the other’


THE last resident living in the Croaghs in the heart of the Bluestacks was laid to rest in Edeninfagh Cemetery this week. John McLoone (87) was born in the famous valley which had over 300 people at the 1911 census and a primary school. It is now empty of all but sheep. Local folklore was […]


Top Donegal rally team revving up for the new season


A LETTERKENNY based rally team has grown to become one of the biggest and most professional rallying outfits in the country. Run by Philip Case out of the Carrygally Business Park, Lismonaghan, the PCRS team has built a strong reputation in Ireland and the UK over the past sixteen years. In more recent times, the […]