Donegal Deputy Dinny McGinley has called on the Government to recognise reality and scrap the proposed changes to commerical vehicle tax.

The Fine Gael Deputy claims that Donegal would be severly hit as almost 1400 vehicles have been registered in the county for the first 7 months of this year.

He says plumbers, electricians, tradesmen, farmers and many others in the commercial economy would need to purchase a second vehicle for non-work related journeys.

Northwest MEP Pat the Cope Gallagher has said he has been assured that the appointment of interim examiner’s to Aer Arann will not affect Donegal airport.

The Irish based flight operator provides services at Carrickfinn airport.

The company is insisting that customers will not be affected by the fact that an interim examiner’s been appointed to the firm.

The airline after it’s suffered 18 million euro in losses since 2008, and was badly hit by the volcanic ash crisis.

Despite this,Pat The Cope Gallagher says it is business as usual at Donegal Airport:

A 15-year-old youth and a 20-year-old man are currently being detained at Letterkenny Garda Station.

The two are being questioned in relation to the robbery of Anna McDaid at McClure Terrace in Letterkenny last week.

The retired nurse Anna McDaid in her late 60s, received several fractures, bruised ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a head injury after being mugged in broad daylight.

The two males are being held under the Criminal Justice Act 1984.

It has emerged that users of the HSE day care service at Ramelton Community Hospital were told on Tuesday that they were not to attend the remainder of the week.

They say they were told there was a shortage of staff and because of HSE embargos staff allocated to the Day Centre are being transferred to ‘more urgent nursing duties’ within the hospital.

Local Cllr Ian McGarvey says has visted the hospital, but he wasn’t given any answers on what was happening.

He says a lot of elderly people depended on this service, and it’s shocking that they’re being treated in this manner.

Two brothers being held in connection with the alleged theft of imitation fire arms in Newtoncunningham last Monday, appeared in Letterkenny District Court yesterday.

Robert Orr with an address at Gealtex Road was charged with trespass with intent to commit theft at Donegal Airsoft Rifle and Archery range in Newtoncunningham last Monday.

18-Year-old Christopher Orr with an address at Trentamucklagh, St Johnston was also charged with the same offence and also burglary at Powerworld, in Killea, on the same date.

Garda Sean Barrett said Robert Orr was arrested on Wednesday morning in Letterkenny and charged with burglary this morning.

When caution he replied “no” to each of the six charges put to him.
Inspector Colm Nevin said the State were objecting to bail as the accused had a number of bench warrants for his arrest issued in the past.

He said the alleged charged were “very serious”.

Judge Conal Gibbons refused bail and remanded him in custody to re-appear at Harristown District Court later today.

Christopher Orr was released on a bail bond of €500, ordered to sign at Letterkenny garda Station three times a week and reside at his home address. His case was adjourned to Letterkenny District Court on October 6.

Up to 37 imitation firearms were stolen from Donegal Airsoft Rifle and Archery range during the early hours of Monday morning

A Donegal Senator received eight stitches to a head wound after an incident involving two other men as he made his way home from a disco.

Fianna Fail Senator Brian O Domhnaill was travelling in a taxi minibus to his Gortahork home just before 3am on Sunday after attending the Seaview Hotel in Gweedore with friends when the incident occurred.

Mr O Domhnaill was initially treated at NowDoc before being taken to Letterkenny General Hospital, where he received eight stitches to a head wound.

The Senator confirmed that he had made a complaint to the gardai, adding that the matter was now in the hands of the relevant authorities.

Yesterday, 42-year-old Jim Sharkey of Bayside, New York, appeared at Letterkenny District Court charged with assault causing harm to Mr O Domhnaill and criminal damage to a Ford Transit bus belonging to Neil Gallagher on Sunday at Meenacuing.

He was also charged with causing a breach of the peace.

His solicitor, Jacqui Sharkey said the charges would be heavily contested and Mr Sharkey may be “making a counter claim”.

“There were several people involved and there will be a serious conflict of evidence,” she said.

Bail was set at €2,000, with two independent sureties of €3,000 from the accused’s father and father-in-law. The case was adjourned to October.

Gardai and the family of murdered Republican double agent Denis Donaldson today clashed in front of a coroner over when the inquest will take place more than four years after his death.

Solicitor Ciaran Shields, for the Donaldson family, accused the gardai of hiding behind the cover of the Coroner’s Act when, despite their claim progress was being made in their murder inquiries, there was no indication whether there would be criminal proceedings.

Mr Shields claimed at an inquest in Letterkenny – as the hearing was adjourned for the fifth time – that any further adjournment would be unlawful under a European court ruling in another death. That court said that after more than four years the Northern Ireland family of Patrick Shanahan were given a financial reward in lieu of the inquest into his death not being completed.

Counsel for the State, Stephen Byrne, argued before Coroner Denis McCauley that the gardai were putting together a criminal prosecution in “a very complex investigation” to bring the killers to trial.

He added that Superintendent Michael Finan was “obviously restrained in what he could put publicly” before an inquest at this stage.

Mr Shields said there was a pattern that every time the inquest was about to sit there was “a flurry of activity” in which the family were told there was development.

Earlier, Mr Shields said that initially the family was treated almost as suspects until there was a meeting with a Garda Assistant Commissioner when they accepted there was progress in the investigation.

Mr Shields complained most of the family’s later information came from newspaper reportage which would appear to be in the context of briefings given to the media but Mr Byrne intervened to deny gardai leaked information to the media.

Coroner McCauley fixed January 27^th for a “pre-inquest” open meeting between the sides for an exchange of documents and he would hope to fix a full hearing a month or so after that. Whether it would be a “standard” inquest to decide who died, when and where or whether it would be a more extensive inquest sought by the family would also be decided next year.

Donaldson, 56, was murdered in his remote home at Classey, Cloghercor, near Doochary, Glenties, Co. Donegal, on April 4th, 2006.

He was a senior Sinn Fein figure who headed his party’s support team at Stormont and who had been operating as a British spy for 20 years.

Bail has been refused in the case of a Strabane charged with having documents likely to be of use to terrorists.

Amid a heavy police presence, 38-year-old Michael Edwards of Park Road appeared before Strabane Magistrates Court this morning.

Wearing a black tracksuit top and jeans, Edwards spoke only to confirm he understood the charge.

Outlining the case, CID Detective Brian Reid told the court that on 11th August, police raided the defendant’s home under the terrorism act.

During the search of a Ford Mondeo, police uncovered a white envelope containing the registration numbers of three vehicles.

Checks revealed that one of the registrations related to a vehicle that was the subject of a pipe bomb in Strabane earlier this year.

A second car registration was that of a contractor who had recently carried out work at the local PSNI Station while the third number was of local businessman, who, police claimed, would regularly handle large sums of money.

DS Reid said the concern in that case was that the businessman was possibly being set up as a Tiger Kidnapping target.

Opposing bail, the CID officer said their fear was that if released, Edwards might abscond to the Irish Republic.

Representing the defendant was solicitor Canice McManus, he said his client had no knowledge of the document found in the car and when shown it, Edwards said he thought they were numbers for cattle kept on his father’s farm.

Taking into consideration both arguments, District Judge Mr Liam McNally said it was his belief that there was a strong case against Edwards. He added that given the large number of pipe bomb incidents in the town in recent times, it was significant that one of the registrations found was that of a car pipe bombed earlier this year.

This gave rise to concerns over the likelihood of further offences Mr McNally said and on this basis, bail was denied.

As Edwards was remanded to appear at Strabane court by video link again on September 23, family members applauded and shouted ‘you’ve been set up’.

The Impact trade union says progress in talks at Letterkenny General Hospital has been scuppered after management changed the goalposts.

The union says management has consistently sought pay savings of €390,000 to year end, and on that basis, the unions were close to a deal which ultimately would have led to the protection of jobs and services.

However, it now transpires the HSE are looking for pay savings of €1.2 million, three times the original figure.

This, according to Impact’s Richie Carrothers has scuppered any chance of a local deal in Letterkenny…….

The Donegal Peace Partnership Committee is putting the final touches to its Peace 3 spending plan, which will be submitted to the Special European Union Programmes Body next month.

The draft has already been given to Pobail which acts as a go-between between the councils and the EU, and it has made a number of observations which are currently being acted on.

Partnership Chairperson Cllr Dessie Larkin says it’s important that any potential issues are identified now, before the plan is submitted to the SEUPB.

He’s confident the plan that goes forward next month will be an effective one……