Aoife Doherty delves into the archives to bring you the news and images from yesteryear.
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JULY 5, 1975
THREE DONEGAL HOTELS FOR SALE
THREE of Donegal’s best known hotels are expected to change hands over the next few weeks. They belong to the Costello group, who are selling all their hotels outside the Dublin area. The three in Donegal are the Rosapenna, the Portsalon and the Lough Swilly in Buncrana.
Over the years these particular houses have been synonymous with the tourist trade in Donegal. The Rosapenna and the Portsalon have received visitors from all over the world and many famous visitors have sampled their hospitality.
The Rosapenna stands impressively among 700 acres of land. It has 40 bedrooms, ten chalets and a famous 18 hole golf links.
The Portsalon has 80 bedrooms, a private beach and an 18 hole golf links standing on 110 acres. The Swilly in Buncrana Is one of Donegal’s busiest hotels and it has a large clientele.
It is anticipated that these three hotels should realise up to £2 million when sold. There are a few more takeovers expected in the Donegal hotel industry and before the season is out, quite a few hotels may have changed hands.
BOOM FOR FOLK FESTIVAL
THE International Folk Festival from 21st to 26th August will be the busiest ever. Week by week the number of enquiries grows and the busy Festival Committee work hard to keep pace with the growing demand on their time.
Now it is confirmed that fourteen countries will be represented at this year’s Festival. And these will include Folk Dance Groups and Folk Singers. There should be ample for days of endless music, dance, song and entertainment.
Latest to confirm their intention of coming are the Russians. Detailed arrangements are being worked out but the Russian embassy has been in direct contact confirming that the dancers will be present at festival time. A team of Latvians will also be present to perform Russian style dances and with fourteen groups in all already confirming their intention of participating, this certainly adds up to a bigger festival than ever before.
ALSATIAN FEAR IN KNOCKNAMONA
A wandering and seemingly ownerless Alsatian dog in the Knocknamona area has caused some concern among residents. The animal has been there for some weeks and more recently has lost a litter of puppies which must have been taken away. This is an added reason for the unease of people the animal may attack not alone children there but even adults. Who would find great difficulty in fighting off such a big dog, and certainly could not do so, if it attacked without injury.
JULY 7, 2000
FEMALE GUARD MAKES ALLEGATION IN GARDA CORRUPTION INQUIRY
THE fifteen months long investigation into alleged corruption within the Garda force in Donegal took another twist this week after a female garda claimed she had seen vital evidence interfered with in a murder case. The allegations are so serious that the Attorney General, Mr Michael McDowell will have an unprecedented meeting with the complainant and her solicitor to hear the gravity of the evidence.
Garda Tina Fowley, who served in Letterkenny until recently, has made a series of serious allegations about Gardai involved in the murder inquiry into the death of Raphoe based cattle dealer, Richard Barron in October 1996. She claims to have seen vital evidence” interfered with by senior garda figures so as to suggest guilt on the part of a Raphoe man. An alleged confession statement made by Frank McBrearty jnr is now at the centre of the biggest garda investigation of its kind in the history of the state. Mr McBrearty has denied ever making such a statement. It was reported earlier this week that the Attorney General had agreed to meet Garda Fowley and her solicitor, Mr Damien Tansey after he learned of the allegations.
The Garda Press Office refused to comment on the latest claims. A spokesman for the Government denied on Wednesday that any such meeting would take place with the Attorney General.
Garda Fowley claims that she was effectively demoted and suffered harassment, isolation and intimidation after she made her statement.
She is currently on leave but is considering taking a civil action against the State, the Minister for Justice and the Attorney General for personal injuries, breach of her constitutional rights.
FAIR DAY TO CAPTURE OLD TRADITIONS OF LETTERKENNY
MEMORIES of the traditional Fair Day will be re-lived again this weekend at the Oldtown Fair which takes place tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday in Letterkenny. Antique farming equipment, Clydesdale horses, a horse shoe throwing competition along with a pony show are among the many events lined up.
The Oldtown Fair was one of the biggest in the country many years ago but in recent times interest had dwindled. However, the tradition was kept alive by well known local businessman, Frank Sweeney who held a Horse Fair once a year.
Last year a local committee got together and decided to rekindle the Fair Day spirit. They ran a very successful event on a pilot basis last September and raised over £4,000 for charity.
“There is a great history attached to the Old-town Fair. The town used to be packed for the event years ago and farmers travelled all over to attend. Frank Sweeney, who is the current President of our committee, kept the tradition alive in recent times but we thought it could be taken a stage further and that’s what we did last year,” Charlie Devlin, Chairman of the Oldtown Fair Committee said this week.
HOW FISHERMEN CHEATED DROWNING AFTER BEING FLUNG INTO SEA OFF MALIN
ALL five crew of a Malin-based fishing vessel survived the sinking of their vessel because they had life jackets and a life raft on board, a Department of Marine report concluded last week.
The 35- foot St Brendan sank 25 miles of Malin Head after the derrick post being used to haul lobster pot lines from the seabed penetrated the hull on June 24 1997 causing the boat to quickly fill with water. Skipper Edward McColgan with the assistance of crewman Paul McLaughlin spent thirty minutes trying to cut the seal on the boat’s life raft had been serviced only two weeks earlier.
The difficulty they encountered trying to inflate the life raft has now led to the manufacturers, Beaufort, alerting service personnel to a potential hazard, kinking in the painter line that initiates inflation.
Skipper McColgan broadcast a mayday at 12.10pm alerting the coastguard and other vessels in the area that he and his four crew were abandoning ship and taking to the lifeboats.
The position he gave over the radio had not accurately reflected the position of the vessel’s true position but the British Coastguard immediately tasked the Islay and Portrush lifeboats while two helicopters from Aldergrove and a number of vessels in the area responded that they were proceeding to the scene.
When the life raft was finally inflated after thirty minutes in the water Skipper McColgan and Paul McLaughlin paddled it to Denis McColgan and Michael McColgan who were within thirty feet.
Once all the crew were safely aboard two parachute distress rockets were fired and one hand held flare.
These were spotted by the fishery patrol vessel Lough Braden. All five were taken aboard the Lough Braden at 1.58pm and were subsequently airlifted to hospital.
