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

If you have a photograph you would like published, send it to editor@donegalnews.com

1975, October 11

Bravery awards for three Donegal Gardaí

THREE Donegal based members of the Gardaí were given special awards for bravery by the Taoiseach, Mr Liam Cosgrave, at a ceremony in the Garda Training Depot Templemore.

Inspector Pat English received a Gold Medal for “exceptional courage and heroism involving risk of life” during a border incident in February 1974. Along with fellow officers, he chased two armed men in an open field, and despite a number of shots being fired at them the attackers were taken into custody.

Inspector English is a native of Knocklong, Co. Roscommon. He has had long service in Donegal where he is very well known. He played Gaelic football with St Eunan’s and Donegal, and also for Roscommon and Connacht.

Awarded Bronze Medals were Detective Garda James Madigan, a native of Inver, Donegal, who holds a reputation in Donegal as an extremely capable and efficient police officer.

The third medal for another man involved in the incident went to Det. Garda Patrick MacGowan, a native of Leitrim and also well known in Gaelic football circles. He played intercounty football with Leitrim and is now with St Eunan’s.

2,000 Donegal lambs for Libya each week

THE Farmers Co-Operative at Fintown received a very welcome recently when the very much in the news Libyan Government put in an order for 2,000 fat lambs to be delivered each week.

This order could not have come at a better time. Sheep farming in Donegal has been badly hit by the world recession and prices have been very low. It was feared that ordinary farmers in the Fintown area would have a very bleak Winter if things continued in their present mould. The area is hilly and arable land isn’t too plentiful. To find other means of earning a living in these difficult times would have caused quite a few problems. But happily, these problems have been alleviated to a great extent.

A weekly order of 2,000 lambs is big business for Mr Connell Boyle, of Dooey, Lettermacaward, one of Donegal’s biggest sheep farmers, and a member of the Irish Farmers’ Association claims that in the normal course of events, mountain lambs in Donegal would only have fetched a few pounds each.

Mr. Boyle claims that “sheep farmers in Donegal are full of confidence.”

Refusal to provide bus subsidy “blatant discrimination” against North-West Donegal

“BLATANT discrimination against the people of North-West Donegal” is how a shop steward for the staff of the Lough Swilly Bus Company, Mr Cathal Murray of Burtonport, describes the attitude of the Minister for Transport, Mr Peter Barry, who had given a point blank refusal to provide for the bus service in the upper half of Donegal the same subsidy from the Government that he had handed to CIE, the State-supported public transport company.

The Minister for Finance brought in measures to reduce the Consumer Price Index, one of which was to reduce bus fares.

But no such subsidy has been provided for people resident in the North-West of Donegal.

“By Christmas the people of the North-West will have no buses”, says Mr Murray, who acts as shop steward for Swilly Co. staff in the Letterkenny, Fanad, Rosguill, Dunfanaghy, Gweedore and Dungloe areas.

2000, October 13

Gas mystery causes evacuation of Ireland’s largest school

OVER 1,800 students and teachers evacuated from two Carndonagh schools on Friday morning returned to their classrooms on Monday morning only to be evacuated once again.

Noxious smells from Carndonagh Community School and St Patrick’s National School led to the area being cordoned off by gardaí for the second time in four days.

Mr Paul Fiorentini, Principal of Ireland’s largest community school said on Wednesday he did not expect the school to re-open this week and he outlined the train of events that led to the closure of the two schools.

Mr Donal Casey Chief Chemist with Donegal County Council said on Monday that the Gas network of the school was down and one of the two bulk tanks had to be completely removed from the area as it was faulty.

Despite all gas supply to the school being turned off since Monday morning a similar odour was detected in a different area of the school grounds and once again Chief Fire Officer Mr Frank Kerrane ordered the two schools to be evacuated.

“At this point in tune it is a mystery but we are not in a position to take any risks,” Mr Fiorentini said.

“Hands off our water”

A POLITICAL row has erupted in Donegal this week after members of the Inishowen Electoral Area sought guarantees to ensure that no water is taken from the Fullerton Pollan Dam to service any new industry in Letterkenny until all parts of Inishowen have a proper water supply.

The ‘hands off’ warning comes just days after householders living near the dam stopped work on the interconnector to Newtowncunningham and a further extension to Manorcunningham and beyond.

The six elected Inishowen Councillors voted unanimously to block any water being taken from the Fullerton Pollan Dam to supply service to any new industry in Letterkenny at a recent Inishowen Electoral Area meeting.

Locally in the Inishowen area there is also strong feeling that the water may be used to develop Letterkenny at the expense of the peninsula, especially Buncrana.

Residents of outlying townlands just north of Buncrana had demanded that they be given a proper supply before the water from the £27 million dam was supplied to other areas outside Inishowen.

According to Fianna Fail Councillor Rena Donaghy there would be considerable “ill feeling” if water was taken from Buncrana to serve any new industry in Letterkenny until all households in Inishowen have a proper water supply.

St Michael’s meet their Termon-ators

TERMON produced a power packed display to defeat neighbours St Michael’s in the Intermediate Championship final replay at MacCumhaill Park on Sunday last.

Leading by six points at the interval, the “Burn Road” men had doubled that advantage to twelve points by the time match referee Jimmy White blew his final whistle.

Powered by the excellent Kevin McGettigan and Thomas Cullen in defence and the lowering James Brady and PJ McFadden in the middle of the field the forward unit of Darren Gibson, Mark Alcorn, John McCafferty and the vastly experienced Tommy Ryan were not found wanting in front of the posts.

This was a solid all-round team performance from Ternion with most players upping their performances from the previous week.

With the exception of Christy Toye at half forward, few St Michael’s reputations were enhanced in Sunday’s contest and it was hard to understand how they failed to fire this time around.