Aoife Doherty delves into the archives to bring you the news and images from yesteryear.
DECEMBER 6, 1975
Ramelton’s first ordination
THE first ordination in the town of Ramelton will take place on Saturday (December 6) when Anthony McDaid, son of James and the late Mary McDaid, Castle Street, will be raised to the Priesthood by Most Rev Dr McFeety, Bishop of Raphoe.
The ordination ceremonies will commence at 12 noon at St Mary’s Church. It is anticipated that clergy from many parts of Ireland will be in attendance.
The candidate for ordination, Anthony McDaid, was educated at the local national school before moving on to St Eunan’s College to receive his secondary education. After spending some time at Dublin University he then decided to join the priesthood and to take up studies in Rome.
Since that time he has moved even further afield and at the end of last year he was ordained Deacon in Denver, Colorado, USA, where his work is now based. He returned from the United States during the week to be ordained in his native town.
Producer defends RTÉ programme on Letterkenny
“IT IS very obvious that this producer came to bury Letterkenny, not to praise it. I can honestly say that it was the most boring programme I have ever seen. It resorted to the old-hat stuff that we have all heard so often in the past.
“There were references to the backwardness of Letterkenny and the old skeleton of religious bigotry was also raised, a bigotry which, I might add, does not exist in this town.
“During the programme it mentioned the fact that there was a declining Protestant population in the South. I am happy to say this is not true of Letterkenny. Religion should not have been brought into this programme” said Mr. Billy Watson, of Ard O’Donnell, Letterkenny.
Mr. Watson made his comments in a discussion at the Regional College after a special screening of the now legendary RTÉ programme on Letterkenny. Its producer, Mr. Brian McLaughlin, and Mr. Andrias Gallachoir, Assistant Programmes Controller, in RTÉ, were the guest speakers in the Contemporary Ireland series of lectures which are presently being held in the college.
Letterkenny Community Centre now an urgent need
“LETTERKENNY is a growing industrial town and must have a Community Centre as soon as possible. There is no publicly owned hall in which to have concerts, plays, socials or dances,” said Mr Brian Walsh, who was re-elected Chairman of the Letterkenny Community Centre committee at their animal general meeting at the Golden Grill, Letterkenny.
“It is a reflection on all of us that this is still the position in 1975.
“It is all right to build houses for people to live in a very necessary programme in a growing town but surely there is not much point if there is no place for young people to spend their leisure hours, except in lounge bars and singing pubs.
“Without recreational facilities we are bound to have vandalism, alcoholism, violence, and robbery. I believe that we are responsible if we do not provide the facilities to cater for all the people during their leisure hours which are being extended every year.”
He said that since they first talked in October, 1970 at the Golden Grill of having a Community Centre they had made progress, despite the dwindling interest in the passing of the initial enthusiasm.
A hard core of dedicated members continued working and they had raised funds for a site, purchased and paid for in 1974.
This was 41 acres along Railway Road, and the Urban Council had kindly agreed to lease one and a half acres adjoining.
As yet they had made no plans for building, as even today they had not been informed of being granted the council ground.
DECEMBER 7, 2000
McDaid’s £2 million means early start for major leisure facility
THE development of a regional sports centre in Letterkenny got a major boost with the announcement by the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr James McDaid TD that he is allocating a grant of £2 million for the project.
The funding will clear the way for work to begin on the £11 million centre at Sallaghagrane on the outskirts of the town early next year, according to Donegal County Manager Mr Michael McLoone. The site covers 20 acres.
“This is a major boost for Letterkenny and the whole North West region. We have completed the planning stage and now we can bring the development to tender stage. In the coming months we hope to finalise agreements between all of the partners and the funding agencies in relation to the management of the facility,” Mr McLoone said.
From wool to wind for farmers
FARMING in the wind is the way forward for Welchtown men Seamus and John Herron.
Diversifying from their business of sheep and cattle farming the Herron brothers have teamed up with Eirtricity to construct a new 18 turbine wind farm at Culliagh, about four miles from Ballybofey.
The wind farm was officially opened last Thursday, by the Minister for Energy, Joe Jacob. It was the seventh to be opened in the county.
Seamus Herron is a mechanic in Welchtown and John is a farmer.
”We have the best sites for wind energy here in the North West. We became interested in wind farming a number of years ago after a European company approached us regarding a different site. The proposed site was an area of national heritage. Following our first introduction to wind energy we actively sought a partnership with Eurotricity,” said Seamus Herron.
The local entrepreneurs began their wind farming venture six years ago when they first sought planning permission for a wind farm.
“This is our first venture which took over three years to gain planning permission. We now own a chunk of wind power which is the power of the future. We must look to alternatives and wind farming is the way forward and the land can still be used to graze sheep as before,” explained John.
Convoy driver wins National Rally Championship
CAPTURING the Dunlop National Rally Championship has underlined the unique talent of Paul Harris. The 32-year old Convoy driver, partnered by Donegal Town co-driver Eugene O’Donnell, proved a worthy champion and ended a 13 year wait to bring the national title to the county since it was won by Vincent Bonner in 1987.
Paul Harris is a popular driver with Ireland’s rallying spectators from his days in the blue Sunbeam to the Sierra, the Subaru Legacy and more recently, the Subaru Impreza.
Within the county, his talents were never in doubt. Yet, the lack of reliability and the odd off-road excursion meant retirement from a number of rallies where he could have savoured victory.
In recent years, particularly on the “Hills” or “Harvest”, depending on the time of year it took place, Paul was on the victor podium. A four-in-a-row was completed in 1999 while during the same period, second overall on the Donegal International was a major success and an important fact on his rallying curriculum vitae.
Now, that has changed. His CV can, and will, no doubt, be updated to feature the title Irish National Champion.
