Twin Towns boxing coach Eunan Devenney punched his way back into the Guinness World Records last weekend. On Saturday the Ballybofey man completed the task of hitting a punch bag for 45 hours and 4 minutes shattering the previous record by over seven hours. Ten years ago Eunan first entered the Guinness World records by punch for over 24 hours. Speaking after his marathon session Eunan was delighted with his achievement.
Failte Ireland is rowing in behind a new festival taking place in Rathmullan in July, with hopes that it may become an annual event.
SeaFest, which runs from the first to the third of July will see yacht and currach races on Lough Swilly, a series of activities on shore, and a focus on the seafood tradition of Donegal.
The genesis of the event was last year, when 300 people ate an open air meal at the Battery at the Harbour Feast.
Rick La Vert, one of the organisers of the SeaFest event says The Battery will be a central focus of the new festival…………..
With seven sides separated by just three points there could be changes once again on Monday night in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. If results go their way Derry City could go top. Stephen Kenny’s side missed the chance to move level at the top with Shamrock Rovers on Thursday night when they lost 1-0 to Dundalk. The Candystripes will be red hot favourites to secure the three points against Glaway United, who were shocked 2-1 at home to bottom of the table Drogheda four days ago. On the team front Derry have no fresh injury worries with Kevin Deery back to fitness. Other crucial games tonight include Shamrock Rovers taking on Bohemians and Sligo Rovers host Dundalk.
Finn Harps make their shortest trip of the season on Monday evening to Gortakeegan for the meeting with Roddy Collins’ Monaghan United (kick-off 8.00pm). And, with their first victory of the season secured on Thursday night last, Harps will go there with a new sense of confidence. Harps had a deserved win over Athlone Town at Finn Park on Thursday night last, and probably should have won by more than Kevin McHugh’s 19th minute winner. Harps have no fresh injury worries ahead of the trip to Monaghan tomorrow. Gary Whoriskey, Conor O’Grady and James Doherty remain out, although Doherty is hopeful of being fit for Friday’s FAI Cup third round fixture against Longford Town. Last Thursday Monaghan United had a fine 1-0 victory over Waterford United at the RSC – a result that moved them to within two points off top spot, and with a game in hand on leaders Cork City. Since Roddy Collins’ appointment as manager, Monaghan have lost just once in eleven league games.
Despite being in hospital at the weekend Donegal captain Michael Murphy is expected to be available for Donegal’s Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter final with Cavan on 12th June. The Glenswilly forward was hospitalized on Friday last with a problem above the ankle. Murphy got a knock in the game against Antrim which inflamed and became swollen. As a precautionary measure the Donegal medical team sent him to the hospital where he had fluid removed. Speaking to the Donegal News, Manager Jim Mc Guinness expects Michael to be ok and he should be back training next week.
West Tyrone MP and MLA Pat Doherty says a statement from Taoioseach Enda Kenny at a cross border conference last week should end any speculation that the planned A5 upgrade might be jeaopordised.
Speaking at the Institute for British-Irish Studies annual conference at UCD, Mr Kenny reaffirmed the Irish government’s £400 million contribution towards the project.
Earlier, Transport Minister Leo Varadkar had said the amount might have to be reduced, leading some Ulster Unionist MLAs, who oppose the plan, to suggest the project would have to be halted.
Mr Doherty says in that context, Enda Kanny’s intervention is “extremely timely”.
The filmmaker who exposed poet Cathal O’Searcaigh for having sex with boys is making another film which threatens to lift the lid on one of Ireland’s most horrific sex scandals.
Neasa Ni Chianain admits her life has been turned on its head since exposing the Donegal poet in her film ‘Fairytale of Kathmandu’.
The film showed O’Searcaigh befriending a number of boys in Nepal in 2005 after raising €50,000 in Ireland to spend on their ‘education.’ The Irish language poet and writer later admitted he had sex with a number of the boys but did not think he had done anything wrong.
Neasa Ni Chianain is working on a fictional adaptation based on Donegal Garda Martin Ridge’s book, Breaking The Silence.
The film, which is a fictional adaptation of the book, tells the true story of nearly 30 years of sexual abuse by two convicted paedophiles in Co Donegal.
The film, which Neasa is making with partner David Rane, is the latest project tackled by the filmmakers who are based in the rural Donegal Gaeltacht village of Gortahork
It reflects the story of two paedophiles, priest Fr Eugene Greene and teacher Denis McGinley.
Greene, who violently abused altar boys in different parishes for 17 years, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2000.
In 2002, teacher McGinley, whom former Detective Ridge said abused “a conveyor belt of victims”, was sentenced to 30 months on 21 sample charges and is now free.
Donegal’s newest County Councillor will formally take his seat today.
Michael McBride from Kilmacrennan will replace Jimmy Harte on the council who had to give up his seat following his election to the Seanad.
Mr McBride is a former Fianna Fail local election candidate – he believes that his supporters will stick by him despite his switch of allegiance…………
A man in his twenties is fighting for life in hospital this evening after an overnight crash in Co. Donegal.
It happened when the car he was a passenger in, went out of control on the N14 at Drumoghill.
The man was in Letterkenny General Hospital, but has since been transferred to the Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, where he’s in a serious but stable condition.
The driver of the car suffered minor injuries.
The Manager of Letterkenny General Hospital says everything that can be done locally to speed up the completion of the new Emergency Department has been done, and it’s now a matter for national discussions to resolve the issues.
Work has been stalled since Mc Namaras, the main contractors, went into liquidation last year. Since then, there have been disputes over the non-payment of sub-contractors, while discussions between the HSE and bondholders over how the work can be completed have not yet completed.
Sean Murphy admits that it could be next year before the work is finished………
