jun3pmDonegal’s eight Oireachta’s members have been called on to unite and pressure the government to help the county’s struggling businesses.

Councillor Frank McBrearty made the call after being approached by a business man who pays 145 thousand euro per year in commercial and water rates while a second pays in excess of 100 thousand euro.

The Councillor says that businesses simply can’t cope and that government intervention is required and the county’s Dail members need to unite to ensure that happens.

The SDLP leader and Foyle MLA Mark Durkan has claimed that North-South co-operation was ‘staying low and going slow.’

He was in Dublin today to address the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Durkan gave the example of the North West Gateway Initiative claiming that it had delivered little to this region.

A former RUC reservist and Orangeman is to become Sinn Fein’s latest member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Billy Leonard, a Coleraine councillor, will replace Francie Brolly who has announced his retirement.

Cllr Leonard, a former member of the SDLP, has been heavily involved in cross border projects in the North West, working closely with members of Donegal County Council and other bodies. In particular, he has been a vocal campaigner in support of the Lough Foyle ferry linking Greencastle and Magilligan.

He says he now has a new arena within which he can pursue that interest.

Joe McHugh

Fine Gael Deputy Joe McHugh has said the news that services are to be curtailed and 18 jobs be lost at Letterkenny General Hospital highlights the flaws in how the health service is run.

He has critisised the system which sees the hospital allocated a yearly budget and says that instead funding should follow the patients.

Deputy McHugh also claims that Letterkenny Hospital’s budget should have been supplemented for the final six weeks of the year due to the unanticipated increase in patient numbers this year.

He says the HSE forcing hospital management to let 18 newly qualified nurses go and to close day services is a scandal.

Údarás na Gaeltachta has said that it maintained its job levels last year despite the the deteriorating economic climate in the latter half of that year.

However in its economic report the chair of Uduras said it had experienced the most difficult and challenging period in the history of the organisation.

The Uduras 2008 Annual Report states that a total of 1,269 new jobs were created in 2008 and 1,024 new full-time jobs were approved that year, involving a total investment of over €100m.

Total employment in Údarás assisted-companies stood at 8,193 at year-end.

Liam Ó Cuinneagáin, Chairman of Údarás na Gaeltachta said the 2008 results are a source of hope and encouragement.

However he the sudden change in the economic climate, the exchequer cutbacks arising from that and the significant decline in the organisation’s income from the sale of assets greatly restricted the operations of the organisation during.

Mr Ó Cuinneagáin says that as a result, it will be very difficult for An tÚdarás to meets it’s employment targets the current year”

The National Cancer Services Director has confirmed that patients requiring palliative radiation treatment can be considered on an individual basis for treatment in Belfast.

Up to now, only Donegal patients receiving radiotherapy designed to cure cancer have been admitted to Belfast, while those requiring radiotherapy to stabilise them and give pain relief haven’t been given the option.

This means that those most likely to be extremely ill have been forced to travel to Dublin or Galway.

The pressure group Cooperating for Cancer Care North West recently met with Professor Keane, and raised this anamoly with them. Now, he says, he’s reached an agreement with Belfast that patients can apply for treatment there.

Three Derry men will face trial in January in connection with an assault on a man from Donegal who was in the city for a night out.

Neil James Coyle, Gary Gerard McDernott and Patrick Joseph Ward all with addresses in Derry pleaded not guilty when they appeared at Derry Crown Court today

They are charged with unlawfully assaulting and causing GBH to Barry McNulty on February 20 this year.

The trial date was set for January 20.

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Manager Stephen Kenny and Chairman Pat Mc Daid

The walls around Derry City football club came tumbling down on Saturday 7^th November, When the FAI  terminated the clubs contract and through them out of the League of Ireland. Derry like must clubs were struggling in the recession with debts between half a million and eight hundred thousand pounds, The players were due 2 months wages so the FAI and the PFAI came on board to investigate. What developed over that first weekend of the month was mind boggling. The FAI’s decision to terminate Derry’s contract was based on the failure of the club to comply with the terms and conditions of their license. The league had said Derry was holding illegal secondary unofficial contracts with players. Derry City Officials were infuriated, Chairman Pat Mc Daid gave his reaction immediately after the meeting….
 
FAI Chairman John Delaney hit back with proof on paper and a figure of over €300,000 connected to contacts. Just days later the chairman Pat Mc Daid and the board had resign and the players contacted the FAI admitting signing two contracts but stated they had no knowledge of fraudulent activities and claimed the club had deceived them. Manager Stephen Kenny also announced that he was kept in the dark as to what was really going on.
A high profile FAI delegation come to the city to meet Council officials, supporters and business men to begin the process of restoring stability at the Brandywell. The outcome was an invited to Derry to reapply to the League of Ireland in a lower Division.

Finn Harps 0-2 Monaghan United

There was more talk about the demise of Derry City than the plights of Finn Harps or Monaghan United at a sparsely populated Finn Park on Saturday night. Harps’ north-western rivals were stripped of their contract to compete in the League of Ireland earlier that evening and mumbles whisked around the chill of the night air in Ballybofey about the possible knock-on effects for the club from the Twin Towns. The team managed by James Gallagher have had little to play for in recent weeks, and their form in stuttering to the conclusion of the season continued against an ever-improving Monaghan, who won thanks to goals from front two Freeman and Darragh Hanaphy. Harps finished 8^th in the First Division table 41 points behind winners UCD. Manager James Gallagher who replaced Paul Hegarty this season watched his side take eight victories, 9 draws and suffered 16 defeats. The Harps manager gave his reaction to the season…….