Caolagh Grimes delves into the archives to bring you the news and images from yesteryear.
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MAY 24, 1975
HALF MILLION POUND BRIDGE OVER MULROY BAY ‘UNREALISTIC’
A bridge over Mulroy Bay which would connect the peninsulas of Fanad and Rosguill, would cost nowadays in the region of £500,000 of which the County Council would have to contribute a quarter. It would be unrealistic to spend this money at the present time.
This was the view expressed by the Deputy Co. Manager, Tom O’Reilly when he replied to a question by Mr. Harry Blaney at this week’s meeting of the County Council. Mr Blaney had asked what, if anything, had been done in connection with the proposed feasibility study for erection of a bridge over Mulroy Bay.
When told that it was an unrealistic proposition Mr. Blaney asked if the councillors realised what a new bridge would mean. A contribution of £125,000 from the council was a small amount at the present time, and would be money well spent, he said.
£350,000 FROM BANK IN NORTH TO HELP HOUSING IN DONEGAL
In a sequel to Monday’s discussions at Donegal County Council’s meeting concerning the refusal of the Bank of Ireland to advance a loan of £350,000 for housing in County Donegal, Mr. Paddy Harte T.D, announced on Thursday that discussions with another bank had taken place and that it had agreed to advance the money.
Mr. Harte said “through the good offices of a friend in the banking world in Northern Ireland I have passed the information to Mr. O’Reilly who is acting Co. Manager in the absence of leave of the Co. Manager, Mr H Williams.
“I understand the discussions are to take place.” Mr Harte added: “I would like to publicly acknowledge the offer. It is gratifying to know that in these times of extreme stress in Northern Ireland, they can take time to concern themselves with the affairs and welfare of Co. Donegal.”
SOARING ENTRIES FOR DONEGAL RALLY
The newest of the flying Finns, Ari Vatanen, plus former Circuit of Ireland winner, Tony Fall will drive Dealer Opel Team-entered cars in the Donegal International Rally. They are among a soaring entry list for the June 20-22 European Championship Rally.
Twenty-two year old Vatenan, the latest rally star to emerge from Finland, is still virtually unknown in the British Isles although he made a fairly dramatic impact in the Welsh Rally where he collected a couple of maximums, but still managed to stay in the hunt until he broke the steering of his Ascona on the last stage for another maximum.
The chase for Donegal’s £6,000 plus prize fund is really hotting up with top names from all over Britain putting their signatures on the entry form for the Rally that was voted one of the best of 1974.
JUNE 2, 2000
LETTERKENNY SELECTED AS ‘HI-TECH’ TOWN
Letterkenny has been selected as one of ten towns across the country in the Government’s £230 million plan to develop incubator units to grow technology firms and create 8,500 hi-tech jobs over the next seven years.
The new ‘webworks’ will be located in Letterkenny, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Dundalk, Carlow, Athlone, Castlebar, Sligo and Waterford.
Enterprise Ireland has pinpointed digital media, electronic business, health sciences, software and telecommunications as areas of growth.
The new companies will specialise in an attempt to grow Ireland’s internationally traded services from £1.1 billion last year to £3.9 billion in 2007.
Enterprise Ireland Regional Director Mr Barry Egan said that while companies in these sectors would naturally develop in Dublin the State organisation was trying to steer them away from capital.
“We’re delighted that two towns in the region (Letterkenny and Sligo) have been selected. It’s a very positive sign,” Mr Egan said.
GLENVEAGH CHOSEN AS SITE TO RECREATE ICE AGE
Recent reports of wild looking folk on the hills around Glenveagh National Park were confirmed this week, but they are not undiscovered Neanderthal men, but actors in a £2 million film documentary.
Donegal has played host for the last month to the cast and crew of a Channel 4 film production on the cave dwellers of the Neanderthal race, to be screened this autumn.
This documentary is set in the Dordogne Valley in France but due to climate changes over the last 30,000 years, the present Donegal landscape, climate and plant life portrays the Ice Age in the Dordogne at that time.
The documentary producers were fortunate in that they enjoyed two of the finest May weeks Donegal has had for a long time. While the park had its own wealth of wildlife, the producers brought in a wolf from Omagh, buzzards and eagles from Sligo and a wild boar from Belfast.
WORK STARTS ON NEW WIND FARM NEAR BALLYBOFEY
Work has started on the construction of a wind farm at Cuillaigh near Ballybofey. Comprising 18 wind turbines, the farm will pump 12 megawatts of green electricity into the national grid when fully operational.
This development follows the official opening of the first electricity wind farm in Gaoth Dobhair last month. Eirtricity has signed a contract to take green electricity from a new wind farm. To date over 700 small and medium businesses customers are accounting for contracts worth in excess of £3.1 million.
These extra 12 megawatts of green electricity could light over 11,000 homes each day.
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