Caolagh Grimes delves into the archives to bring you the news and images from yesteryear.
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MAY 10,1975
ANGRY PARENTS AND CRYING CHILDREN, WHEN THE CIRCUS CAME TO TOWN
Crying children and angry parents turned away from the visit of Courtney’s Circus to Letterkenny on Monday last after having bitter arguments regarding the price admission.
The crux of the problem was that quite a number of children had come to the Circus with 30p in their pockets. However, when they arrived they found that all 30p seats had been “sold-out” and only those at 40p still remained. Parents claimed that their children were being duped and that the circus people had upped their prices when they saw the big crowd. They also claimed that the Circus advertising bill was misleading and that “half the acts advertised did not appear.”
Mr. Tom Courtney, a member of the family owned Circus said “I think we give good clean entertainment and 30p or 40p is not too much to ask.
ONE WEEK TO DECIDE ON GAOTH DOBHAIR AIRFIELD
The continued snags being put before the efforts to provide Gaoth Dobhair with an airstrip are soon to end. But the problems may result in Gaoth Dobhair being left without such a facility. Sites can be provided in either Falcarragh or the Rosses, and it seems that these are very shortly to come more directly into the reckoning and Gaoth Dobhair will rule itself out.
A frustrated and seemingly angry Deputy Jim White was in contact with associates in Gaoth Dobhair mid-week to inform them that Mr, Tom O’Donnell, the Minister for the Gaeltacht, was only delaying one further week before making his decision. The minister has been favourably disposed to provide money for an airstrip in Gaoth Dobhair, but there have been repeated snags raised by sheep farmers using the extensive commonage at Magheragallon.
Roinn na Gaeltachta has been accused of neglecting the Clouhganeely Gealtacht with practically no projects promoted over many years.
DONEGAL BRANCH OF RED CROSS TO BE REORGANISED
J. lavery, National Organiser of the Red Cross Society told a meeting in Jackson’s Hotel, Ballybofey that plans for expansion of the organisation had been mainly concentrated in the south of the country (Ballyshannon and Donegal) as well as Ballybofey and Letterkenny.
He also visited Fahan and Muff, but was not able to get to Buncrana.
There was a revival of interest in Red Cross work, shown by requests to start branches in various places.
The feeling was that the revival of interest in the organisation was perhaps due to the recent war in Vietnam.
A number of First Aid Certificates won by members of the then Ballybofey Branch some considerable time ago were available for presentation and these were handed over by Commdt. Leavery to the successful candidates.
MAY 21, 2000
COUNCIL CONSIDERED LEGAL OPTION AFTER TRAVELERS MOVE
Residents of Sentry Hill in Letterkenny have claimed this week that they are living in fear of a group of Travellers who recently moved onto a site behind an unoccupied house in the area.
Mr Peter O’Donnell, a spokesperson for the local residents, said that they were no longer able to tend to their gardens since the Travellers moved two caravans onto the site on Sunday afternoon last.
“We are living in terror. The whole situation has become unbearable in recent times,” Mr O’Donnell said. Town Clerk Mr Peter Coyle confirmed that the Council was taking legal action regarding the removal of the caravans parked in behind a house formerly occupied.
The residents claim that the families removed a load of rave blocking an entrance into a yard to the rear of the house before moving their caravans on Sunday evening last.
MAJOR DILEMMA FOR DONEGAL OVER REFUSE COLLECTION ISSUES
Households across Donegal face the prospect of an increase in refuse collection charges in the next few years if the local authority is forced to transport waste across the border to a site in Coleraine, the County Manager, Mr Michael McLoone has warned.
The Manager has expressed deep concerns about the council’s ability to deal with the growing problem of waste disposal.
He was speaking following “Mondays unanimous decision by members of the local authority to scrap plans for a super dump at Corravaddy, between Letterkenny and Drumkeen and to shelve moves towards re-opening of another controversial dump at Drumboden, near Kilmacrennan.
The County Manager will be holding key meetings with senior council officials in the coming weeks to find a range of options to deal with the growing waste problem, as part of a new comprehensive Waste Management Plan due to be adopted later this year.
GARDAI WERE IN “HOT PURSUIT” OF HORSES ALONG LETTERKENNY’S PEARSE ROAD
With Gardaí in pursuit in a patrol car, two brown horses ran along Pearse Road in Letterkenny and almost collided with cars and people, Letterkenny District Court was told last week.
Two Gardaí who tried to get the two horses off the main road at Port Bridge, Letterkenny, ended up chasing the horses along Pearse Road “in hot pursuit.”
Gardaí had received a report about the two horses wandering on the main road at 2.30am on March 12.
There was a lot of traffic coming from the discos at the time. With Gardaí in pursuit in the patrol car, the two brown horses ran along Pearse Road and almost collided with cars and people.
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