The HSE’s Local Health Manager in Donegal says he believes mental health services in the county are set to significantly improve.

John Hayes was speaking at the signing of a contract for a new acute psychiatric unit at Letterkenny General Hospital, almost six years after the facility was first announced.

Mr Hayes says the new unit should be open and operational by this time next year, and allied with the freeing up of staff as a result of bed closure at St Conal’s, this will provide the best possible service.

Sinn Fein has been accused of jumping on the band wagon and playing populist politics, in raising questions over the cost to the county council of sending a delegation overseas this St Patrick’s day.

Councillor Padraig MacLoughlainn says his party will not support the council’s St Patrick’s Day trip unless it can be proven to have a positive return for the county.

However Councillor Dessie Larkin says this is dual speak from Sinn Fein.

He says despite the party having a controlling share on Letterkenny Town Council there was no objection or comment when the St Patrick’s Day trip was sanctioned for the town council Mayor.

After both Finn Harps and Derry City were granted their First Division Licence on Monday, The clubs this afternoon were notified of their fixtures for the forthcoming League of Ireland season.

Derry City who were last year thrown out of the Premier Division for irregularities in club will kick off life in the First Division with a home fixture at the Brandywell against Bray Wanderers on Friday 5^th March.  On the Saturday Night the 6^th Finn Harps will start the 2010 campaign with an away game to Longford Town at Flancare Park. Harps first home game is Friday 12^th March against Salthill Devon. Derry and Harps will meet in two derby league matches, with the first at the Brandywell on Tuesday 4^th May and Harps will host the candystrips on Friday 30^th July.

In the Premier Division Champions Bohemians will start the defence of their title at home to Sporting Fingal.

The fire service has tackled an overnight fire in Killygordon.

A spokesperson says the brigade was called at ten past one this morning, to find an outhouse at the rear of a dwelling ablaze. The fire spread to part of the main house, causing some fire and smoke damage.

There was no-one in the building at the time, and the scene has been preserved pending a routine garda examination.

The HSE will this afternoon sign the Contract for the long awaited new Psychiatric Admission Unit at Letterkenny General Hospital.

The development will incorporate intensive care beds, observation beds and day facilities.

The contract signing comes several years after the new unit was first announced, with the service housed in a temporary unit in the Carnamuggagh area of the town.

The new unit is being supported by the Friends of Letterkenny General Hospital – Its chairperson Noel O’Connell says it’s taken a long time to get to this point.

The three year old boy who died after he was struck by a bin lorry at Ballymacool Woods in Letterkenny yesterday has been named locally as Patrick Mc Donagh.

It’s understood he had been playing with his twin sister outside his home when the tragedy occurred shortly before noon.

A nurse who was at the scene ttried to resuscitate the child along with his mother, but he was declared dead at Letterkenny General Hospital.

The driver of the bin lorry was treated for shock.

Donegal County Council will next week hear calls for a full review of the council’s annual expenditure on overseas trips to see if it represent value for money for the county.

On Monday councillors will be asked to sign off on St Patrick’s day trips which Sinn Fein claims normally cost in the region of fifteen thousand euro.

Councillor McLoughlain says his party will not support the trips until a review determines if they are of any benefit to Donegal.

He says such money should not be wasted given the amount of people who have lost jobs with the council:

The Mayor of Letterkenny says more needs to be done to highlight the twinning arrangement between Letterkenny and Elizabethtown in the US.

Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania was home to the Klein Chocolate company, now owned by Mars, and is regarded as the birthplace of M&Ms.

According to CDllr Jim Lynch, the links between the two towns reflect the importance of the confectionary sector to both, with Oatfield’s Emerald brand arguably Letterkenny’s best known export.

Cllr Lynch says exploring and exploitintg such links is central to the concept of twinning, and he wants more signage in Letterkenny to acknowledge the arrangement.

A 3 year old boy has been killed in a road traffic incident in Letterkenny.

The child was killed in a collision involving a truck in a cul-de-sac in the Ballymcool area at 11.40am this morning.

The toddler was taken to Letterkenny General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Gardai are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward.

Parish Priest Fr Eamon Kelly says no words can describe the pain of the local community:

Long awaited building works at Bunbeg National Schools are to begin this year.

The school is the only one ion the county cleared to go to construction in the 2010 school building programme announced this afternoon by Education Minister Batt O’Keefe.

Concerns had been expressed about the safety of the school – currenty there is no trip switch, no fire alarms and the electrics have been condemned.

Senator Brian O’Domhnail recently shared from with Pearse Doherty in the Sinead on the issue – he’s delighted with the news:
 

Meanwhile, four schools in Letterkenny have been included in the programme. Three have been cleared to go to tender, they are Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal, Gaelscoil Admhnain and St Patrick’s, Lurgybrack.

Meanwhile, Scoil Colmcille Boy’s School has been cleared to proceed to design stage.