Dionne Meehan delves into the archives to bring you the news and images from yesteryear.
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MARCH 1, 1975
FIRST SOD CUT FOR SWIMMING POOL
THE first sod of Letterkenny’s new swimming pool, which is to cost £109,000, was cut on Saturday evening at the High Road site by Senator Bernard McGlinchey, Chairman of the Urban Council, and Secretary of the local committee, who 20 years ago set out to raise funds for this much-needed amenity.
During the ceremony, Mr Patsy Ward, another member of the original committee, handed over a cheque for £15,263 to the County Manager, Mr J D Williams, representing the local contribution. A substantial government grant and a contribution from the County Council will meet the remainder of the cost. The bulk of the local contribution was raised by way of bank loan, and it is hoped that through the fundraising efforts of the committee by way of weekly bingo sessions and an appeal to householders, to clear off this debt very quickly.
COUNTY COUNCIL SHORT £600,000 FOR HOUSING PROGRAMME
AT Donegal County Council on Monday, there were angry scenes and loud and heated exchanges that led to the chairman, Cllr Bertie Boggs, calling a temporary suspension of the meeting.
The disorder had become so complete that no business could be done and the chairman thought it advisable to give time out for tempers to cool. The meeting heated up when discussing a letter from the Co. Manager on the financing of their housing programme. The report from the Manager, Mr J D Williams, disclosed that the Council has sought a capital allocation of £1,938,739 for housing from the Department, but in a circular letter the Department indicated that they were giving a grant of £1,183,600. The County Manager, in his report, said with last year’s debit balance in housing, financial payments on completed houses, work in progress on housing schemes, and on schemes where work had commenced or contracts been placed, a total of £1,705,351 was necessary. The placing of contracts of other works called for a capital allocation of £316,000, and would have to be deferred. The Co. Manager pointed out that there was a short fall of £600,000.
FOCUS ON TEENAGE DRINKING IN LETTERKENNY NEXT WEEKEND
THE problems of teenage drinking will have the special attention of Letterkenny next weekend.
From Thursday, March 6 to Sunday, March 9, the students from the post primary schools of the town will seek to alert the young people and adults of the district to the problems of alcoholism and of over-consumption of alcohol that has aroused so much criticism of late with publication of the huge amounts of money being spent on it throughout the country. Three Pioneer Centres will be involved in the Students Educational Project that seeks to focus attention on the need for temperance; the student centres in Loreto Convent and St Eunan’s College and the adult group of the Letterkenny area which has a big membership. The major drive is to alert students themselves to the values of being on their guard against alcoholic abuses.
MARCH 3, 2000
FEBRUARY 29 BUG HITS HOSPITAL COMPUTER SYSTEM
THE North Western Health Board confirmed that there was a “minor” technical problem with the computer systems at Letterkenny General Hospital during the early hours of Tuesday morning.
In a brief statement a spokesman for the Board stressed that the computer problems did not impact in any way on hospital services. “There was a slight technical problem at Letterkenny General Hospital shortly after 12 midnight on February 29 but it was corrected within hours. The hospital successfully used the contingency planning procedures which are in place to carry out the minor necessary adjustments and the computer system was fully functional well in advanced of the morning shift,” the spokesman said. As Tuesday was Leap Year Day, Health Board staff were prepared to deal with computer problems similar to those caused by the Y2K bug.
SLIGHT DROP BUT WAITING LISTS ‘A SCANDAL’
DESPITE a reduction last year, the increase of almost 30 per cent in hospital waiting lists for the North Western Health Board area over the past three years, has been described this week as “scandalous” by Donegal South West Fine Gael TD, Deputy Dinny McGinley.
He said growing hospital waiting lists in Letterkenny and Sligo General Hospitals had now reached “critical proportions”. He has called on the Government to take immediate action to stem the increases. Deputy McGinley said that between March 1997 and December 1999 the waiting lists for the two major hospitals in the region had increased by a massive 26 per cent from 1,707 to 2,146.
In Letterkenny, the lists have increased by 21 per cent from 583 to 704. In Sligo the increase is even more critical as the increase has been 28 per cent from 1,124 to 1,424. However, the North Western Health Board has stated that despite the pressure of emergency admissions the waiting lists for Letterkenny General Hospital decreased last year.
DISASTER JUNCTION
THE new junction at Gortlee has been described as an ‘engineering disaster’ and a ‘death trap’ by a member of Letterkenny Urban District Council.
There has been a spate of accidents at the junction over the past few weeks and motorists are complaining bitterly about the dangers posed by the road alignment. Gortlee road was closed to vehicular traffic on Wednesday evening as part of ongoing efforts to reduce the slippery conditions of the new road surface.
The Council were hopeful yesterday (Thursday) that a new ‘skid resistant’ surface would be laid before the end of next week at which point appropriate marking could be put in place.
Cllr Jimmy Harte has called on the Council to redesign the new junction as a matter of urgency. It follows a spate of accidents reported in the area since the junction reopened.
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