Gardai in Letterkenny are still questioning three men in their 20s following what’s been described as a spate of crime across the town last night. Three premises were ramraided, one premises was burgled and two cars were burned out.

Pauric Mc Ginty is owner of the North West hearing centre, one of the premises which was ramraided.

Speaking to Greg Hughes on the Shaun Doherty Show, he said he’s surprised his premises was targetted………….

The counting of Seanad Election votes for the Industrial and Commercial Panel is underway, with Cllr Jimmy Harte showing strongly after the seventh count.

He received 70 first preferences, and with a total of nine seats to be filled, he is currently ranked fourth of 35 candidates with 71 votes, 35 short of the quota.

Cllr Harte says he’s taking nothing for granted………….

 
The other Donegal candidate is Danny Byrne from Bruckless, who came to prominence when a report into the Lost at Sea scheme recommended his family be compensated. he received 15 votes.

The arrival of the good weather, a later than usual Easter and a combination of a number of bank holidays have all contributed to a bumper kick off to the tourist season in County Donegal this year, according to the Irish Hotel Federation.

The Donegal Chairman of the Federation Michael Naughton says he believes the excellent work that was done in 2010, with the Donegal Ad Campaign and the Donegal Live event in Dublin will pay dividends in 2011.

He says with Donegal Live happening in Glasgow this weekend and in Dublin in late May, the omens for the coming season are good………

Labour Cllr Frank McBrearty is urging Donegal County Council to put a proper sewerage infrastructure in place in St Johnston.

Cllr McBrearty says local residents are  suffering, and this shouldn’t be the case in this day and age.

He said there is often a bad smell in the area,  and that’s been a partuicular problem during the recent good weather spell.

Cllr McBrearty said that he is contacted by residents regularly on a weekly basis, and they’ve told him that sewerage can be seen running down the streets in the area………

Gardai in Letterkenny are questioning three men in their 20s following what’s been described as a spate of crime across the town last night.

The series of incidents began with attempts to steal two cars in Windmill View and Killylastin. Theyc were both set on fire. These happened between midnight and 1 o’clock this morning.

Then, between 4.30 and 6 o’clock, there was a break in at The Wine Buff on Canal Road and ram raids at the Riverside Shopping Centre and North West Hearing on Neil T Blaney Road and Thomas Keye’s Garage at Ballyraine.

Shortly afterwards, an attempt was made to steal a car at Glencar Scotch, three men were arrested. They are aged 20, 21 and 28, with gardai seeking a fourth man.

Almost 35 per cent of all babies born in the country between July and September last year were to unmarried parents.

There were 537 births in Donegal, 32% of them to unmarried parents. The birthrate in Donegal was slightly below the national average.

There were 298 deaths in the county over the same period.

Nationally, the data also highlights cancer as the leading cause of death among 45 to 74 years olds, while accidents and suicides account for the highest number of deaths in the 15 to 44 age group.

Senator Brian O’Domhnaill has been returned to the Seanad as an elected representitive on the Agricultural Panel.

On the 19th count, transfers from outgoing Senator James Carroll saw Senator O’Domhnaill elected.

His tally suggested he would take 22 votes, leaving him one short of the quota ; in the event, he took 24 votes and was deemed elected.

Senator O’Domhnaill said he’s delighted to be returning to the Seanad, he says if he hadn’t of been re-elected, he’d be looking for alternative employment:

Cllr Barry O’Neill has called on Donegal County Council to introduce a bye law to stop the practice of on-street casual trading on the Streets of Ballyshannon on the June Bank Holiday weekend.

Cllr O’Neill said that up to fifteen chip vans lined the streets of the town last year during the Rory Gallagher Festival, and this had a huge effect on local businesses.

He said if these bye laws are introduced then they would support local businesses and ratepayers during Ballyshannons busiest weekend of the year.

Cllr O Neill, who is one of the festival’s main organisers, says most of the casual fast food vendors are coming in from Northern Ireland..

The counting of votes cast in the Seanad election is continuing with outgoing Donegal Senator Brian O’Domhnaill in fifth place, with indications that he will draw sufficient transfers from Fianna Fail colleagues to draw him over the line.

After the 14th count, there are 15 remaining candidates contesting eight places. He says he’s hopeful, but is taking nothing for granted……………

*Correct as of 11.30am

Donegal County Council has been urged to debate the urgent need for action on Finn Valleys roads.

Cllr Gerry Crawford said the amount of potholes on some of the roads in and around the area is now at the stage of disastrous. And he highlighted one road in Tober, outside Lifford, that has completely collapsed.

He also said it’s well known by the council that the Stranorlar Electoral areas roads are significantly more damaged than any other roads around the county……

Meanwhile, Cllr Frank McBrearty stormed out of the Council meeting during Cllr Crawfords motion.

Cllr McBrearty put forward a similar motion at a previous Council meeting, and he questioned why this issue was on the agenda again.

He asked what was the point in him being there, and he said the roads in Finn Valley had been a mess now for a long time, yet nothing has ever been done to address this.

Cllr Dessie Larkin seconded Cllr Gerry Crawfords motion, but Cllr McBrearty asked what was the point, when at the end of the day, in a few months time, there would still be potholes on the roads in Finn Valley.

Cllr Frank McBrearty then got up and walked out of the meeting.