Aoife Doherty delves into the archives to bring you the news and images from yesteryear.

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September 20, 1975

Letterkenny bottom of list in Tidy Towns rating

DONEGAL’S largest and most talked-of town, Letterkenny, has sunk right to the bottom of the list in Bord Fáilte’s Tidy Towns rating this year.

Letterkenny gained only 82 marks out of a possible 150 and merited only the rating of ‘Average’.

But the rating has come as no surprise to local people or members of the Urban Council whom the ‘Derry People and Donegal News’ queried on the decision.

They were well aware of the lack of general local interest in tidying up Letterkenny and some commented on the poor standard set by the Council itself.

Right at the top of the list is once more Malin.

Asked to comment on the poor showing of Letterkenny, Senator Bernard McGlinchey said that it was a much larger town than Malin or Mountcharles and initially it was badly laid out, making it very difficult for it to do well in a competition with smaller towns.

“If we are to improve the position the lead must be given by Donegal County Council and the Urban Council to clean up buildings, roads and approaches to the town that are unsightly.” said Senator McGlinchey who added: “If the local authority gives a good example I feel the people will follow.”

Dirty pub toilets in Donegal

THE criticism of dirty pub toilets in Donegal made by Mr T McFadden, 17 Apsley Street. Glasgow made through the Donegal News gently brought Letterkenny man Hugo Shiel to their defence.

He claimed that he found them well maintained and suggested that the critic should first look at the state of toilets in Glasgow pubs.

This week Mr. McFadden was back on the attack and wrote that “Mr. Shiel seems confused about my motives for criticising Donegal pub toilets as he is about their cleanliness.”

He goes on: “Please let me put the record straight. My mother and father were born in Donegal.

“So when he tells me to put own house in order, I think he should realise that that’s what I am trying to do in my own small way, because Donegal will always be home to me

“Finally I would advise him that Glasgow’s dirty pubs are being exposed by one of the Sunday papers which visit each pub incognito and report on the service, cleanliness, prices, etc.

“This is something I would dearly love to see done in Donegal by the ‘Derry People’ -that is if you have a reporter with a strong enough stomach!”

Donegal hospitality being replaced by a “rude and mercenary manner”

A DERRY organisation has levelled charges against some Donegal tourists’ interests alleging that they were treated in a “rude and mercenary attitude” when they brought a group of middle aged and elderly people on a trip recently.

The Foyle Neighbourhood Association levelled the charges at a hospitality premises in what would seem to be the Downings area.

In a statement they say, “For some time now we have listened, with sympathy, to the complaints of spokesmen for the tourist industry and individual hoteliers, of the decline in the numbers of tourists visiting Donegal. This depressing situation was brought about, some were told, almost entirely by ‘the troubles’ in Northern Ireland.

“It is with some regret, that we suggest, that whilst ‘the Troubles’ may have had some influence on this decline in the tourist industry, an even greater cause may be the changed attitude of Donegal caterers and vintners to visitors of that county.

“The atmosphere of hospitality and friendliness for which Donegal was so rightly renowned is being replaced by a mercenary attitude and rude manner, which ill becomes anyone let alone our once friendly neighbours in Donegal.”

September 22, 2000

Kilcar boy was bitten by fox while on holiday in the US

THE six-year-old son of former Donegal GAA player Martin McHugh who was bitten by a rabid fox while on a family holiday in the United States is now back at school in Kilcar.

Martin McHugh, his wife Patrice and their three children Mark, Ryan and Rachel were staying with friends in the Catskill mountains, upstate New York when the incident occurred earlier this month.

Ryan (6) and his big brother Mark had been playing outside with friends when the crazed fax approached. Terrified, they ran indoors but the fox bit into Ryan’s leg.

A family friend, Pat McGill from Ardara, pulled the fox off the screaming boy but when neighbours saw him trying to kill the fox they called the police thinking Mr McGill was being cruel to the animal.

However, when the police arrived and they realised what had happened they immediately shot the diseased fox.

McHugh took his son to the nearest hospital where he needed five injections but thankfully he has fully recovered from his ordeal.

“We were not worried about the disease because the treatment is very effective and the medical staff were absolutely brilliant.

“We were more concerned about Ryan’s fear of animals” McHugh said.

“I come from a farming background and Ryan is very close with my father. He loves going out to the farm at the weekends.

“We will have to wait to see if he has developed a fear of animals” he added.

Ballyshannon man‘s lotto win

THE National Lottery Game Show on RTÉ last Saturday saw a Ballyshannon man return home £20,000 richer.

Martin Collins from Creevy won £8,500 in cash and a Peugeot 306 car valued at £12,000. A retired garda, Martin comes originally from Co Galway but he has lived in Ballyshannon with his wife Phil for the last 28 years.

They have four children, Michelle, Karen, Fergal and Yvonne and two grandchildren.

Martin bought his lucky Winning Streak ticket at O’Neill’s Newsagents at Bridge End in Ballyshannon.

Martin bought the tickets and Phil scratched them.

He is a keen golfer and former President of Murvagh Golf Club as well as a member of Creevy Community Co-op.

The Collins family are building a new house at present so the extra money was a welcomed lift.

Ardara win first senior title in 19 years

UNDERDOGS Ardara humbled the defending Donegal champions St Eunan’s and lifted their first senior title in 19 years after a five point win in the county final at Mac Cumhaill Park. Ballybofey on Sunday.

The South West Donegal men were full value for their win and were it not for some wayward finishing the margin of their victory would have been much greater.

As a unit this was a spirited and at times polished display by the Ardara men and they can look forward to the Ulster Club championship first round game against Gowna in Ballybofey on October 1 with some confidence.

“This is a sweet win for us. We thoroughly deserved our win because of the way we played. I thought the wet conditions would not suit us but we were confident that if we got the ball into our forward fine we could do damage.” Ardara’s star player, Damien Diver said afterwards.

“This was the first time we were in a senior championship final for sixteen years. If you cannot raise your game for that you have no hope.

“Every man knew what he had to do and the workrate was fantastic.

“We couldn’t let our supporters down after such a long wait for success” Diver added.

The game ended with a scoreline of Ardara 1-9 to St Eunan’s 0-7.