A man has died in Sligo General Hospital this morning from injuries sustained in a traffic collision in Donegal on Monday morning. The crash, involving two cars, happened at about 10.00 a.m. on the N15 at Ballybugan, Ballintra.

The 38 year old man from Ballysodare in County Sligo was driving a van in the direction of Donegal Town when it was involved in a head on collision with a car.

A garda investigation into the crash in continuing. It is being led by Inspector Dennis Joyce……..

Elderly residents in the Fintown area were forced to travel extra distances to collect their pensions last week after the sudden closure of the local post office.

People went into the village to collect their allowance on Friday, only to be told they would have to go to Glenties, Dungloe or Brockagh instead.

The Department of Social Protection says pensioners were not told anything prior because too many people would have to recieve notification.

Donegal South West Deputy Dinny McGinley says many people in Fintown depend on the village Post Office…..

A 29-year-old man has been charged at Carrickmacross District Court with dangerous driving and driving with excess alcohol.

The charges relate to a collision involving three cars outside Carrickmacross on 27 December in which three people, including a pregnant woman, died.

39 year old teacher Róisín Connolly, nee Langan, was on her way back to her Dublin home with her husband when the crash occurred. They had been visiting Roisin’s family home in Fanad.

She was critically injured in the crash, and died a number of hours later at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda,Co Louth.

She was five months pregnant and efforts to save her baby, Catherine, were unsuccessful. They were both buried together in Fanad on New Year’s Eve.

The other two who died were friends Glen Curtis and Paul Carroll, both 27 and from County Meath.

Kevin McArdle of Longfield, Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan, was charged with dangerous driving and driving with excess alcohol. He was remanded on continuing bail to appear in court again in four weeks time.

Two people have been arrested in Derry in connection with the Real IRA  killing of Kieran Doherty who was shot dead by the dissident group last February.
A 42-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman are believed to have been taken to Antrim custody suite after they were arrested this morning (Tuesday) following a number of house searches in the city.
The woman who has been arrested is believed to be a relative of 31-year-old Mr. Doherty whose body was found dumped in the Braehead Road after he was stripped and tied up by his killers.

The arrests are believed to be the first in connection with the murder which the Real IRA claimed responsibility for accusing the dead man of being involved in drug dealing.
At the time of his death it was claimed that Mr. Doherty was a prominent member of the dissident republican group.
The shooting was widely condemned at the time and Mr. Doherty’s family have claimed that MI5 were deeply involved in the killing.
Shortly before he was shot the Derry father of one had approached local media outlets claiming he was being targeted by the intelligence services.
Recently the family had a meeting with Lord Carlile the British government’s independent adviser on the activities of the security services.
Lord Carlile travelled to Derry to discuss the case with Mr. Doherty’s relatives and said he would speak to the security services before reporting to the Secretary of State.

A 21-year-old man has appeared at Derry Magistrates court charged with a total of 20 offences including handling a stolen guitar that once belonged to murder victim Jim Gilchrist.

Joseph Patrick McMullan, of no fixed abode, is accused of handling a stolen van, the stolen guitar as well as a series of road traffic offences and assaulting police officers which were said to have occurred in Derry and Strabane on Monday morning.

In 2005 Jim Gilchrist was assaulted and murdered and his body dumped in the River Foyle.

McMullan is due in court again next month.

The future of the Mary from Dungloe festival has been thrown in to doubt once again after its co-ordinator and organising committee resigned blaming a lack of support in the local community.

With no committee in place, there are growing fears that last years festival, the 43 consecutive time it has been held, will be its last.

Former festival co-ordinator Tricia Gallagher has been explaining the reason behind her decision:
 

The fight between Paul McCloskey and Amir Khan is seeming more likely after talks on Monday. McCloskey’s manager  Franice McNicholl has been in negotiations with U.S base promotion teams. Mr. McNicholl and Matchroom sport have given “ Team Khan” four demands. One being ways of improving McCloskey’s share of the purse which was needed if the fight was to go ahead on the 16^th of April in Manchester. The Dungiven man is undefeated in 21 fights with 11 wins being KO’s. McCloskey is challenging for Khan’s WBA super lightweight title. If the terms are deemed acceptable by McCloskeys team, the 31 year old Dungiven man is willing to put pen to paper on the renegotiated contract, then preparations for the fight will get underway immediately.

It’s emerged that new births at Letterkenny General Hospital are not being registered because information is not being sent from the Maternity Ward to the Registrar’s Office.

The issue came to light when the father of a woman who had a baby earlier this month contacted the Shaun Doherty Show to say that she needed a birth certificate, but couldn’t get one because the information has not been provided.

The HSE has issued a statement which indicates that following early retirements and the recruitment ban, work is being prioritised at the hospital. However, the statement does not address the specific query.

Richy, who recently became a grandad, spoke on todays Shaun Doherty Show, said his daughter couldn’t get her new born childs birth registered……..

Richie Carruthers is Regional Spokesperson for the Impact Trade Union. He says this issue should be resolved in the context of discussions on how to reorganise and reprioritise positions within the hospital in the wake of the early retirements.

As of now, he says, management have not begun those talks………….

Shay Given

Four North-West players have been selected by Giovanni Trapattoni as part of his 29 man provisional panel for the Carling Nations Cup game against Wales on the 8^th February. They include Donegal’s Seamus Coleman and Shay Given, the other two are Darren Gibson and Ciaran Clark. This is Coleman’s 3^rd call up after  being selected on two previous occasions but the Killybegs man  is yet to win his 1^st senior cap. If Given plays it will be his 109^th international cap. Trapattoni has also recruited Anthony Stokes and John Walters to bring more fire power. This now means there is seven strikers in the squad.

A number of major school developements are to go ahead in Donegal.

An extension and refurbishment has been approved for Deele College in Raphoe, allowing it increase its enrolement to 550 students.

Approval has also been given for an extension at Holy Family National School in Ballyshannon to go to tender, while a new 24 mainstream classroom school is to be provided for Schoil Mhuire in Stranorlar at a site opposite the Finn Valley Centre.

Local Cllr Patrick Mc Gowan says this is a development that all public representitives in the area have been pursuing………..