The Minister for Sport has indicated that his department will shortly give Donegal County Council the green light to proceed the Finn Valley Pool to construction.

The Finn Valley Leisure Centre project consists of a 25 Metre – 5 lane pool together with other leisure facilities.

The estimated overall cost of the project is in the region of €8.7 million of which €3.8 from the Department and approximately €5m from Donegal County Council sources.”

The issue was raised in the Seanad last night by Senator Brian O’Domhnail who was responded to by the Minister for Sport, Micheal Ring:

The Irish population has increased by 8 per cent during the last 5 years.

Preliminary results from the 2011 census – carried out 12 weeks ago – show there are now more than 4-point-58 million people living in Ireland.

The figure represents a rise of over 341-thousand people since the last census in 2006.

The census total is a count of the number of persons actually in the State on census night.

The change in population between two censuses reflects the effect of births and deaths and of movements of persons into and out of the State during the relevant period.

The natural increase between 2006 and 2011 was 222,800 or 5.3 per cent of the 2006

Over the same period Donegal’s population increased by 13,663 or 9.3% – the county’s population now stands at 161,000

The census also took acount of Housing numbers, they have increased more rapidly than total population between 2006 and 2011, with a 13.3 per cent increase

Donegal is well above the national average in this regard with a 20% plus increase in houses over 5 years.

The 2006 Census provided figures for the first time on vacant dwellings in Ireland and the datashowed that 15.0 per cent of all housing was vacant in April 2006, that figure fell slightly in 2011.

However the rate in Donegal is almost double that with 28.5% of homes classed as vacant at the time of the census in April 2011, the second highest rate in the whole country.

Concerns are growing that the A&E Department at Letterkenny General Hospital is under threat and may be forced to downgrade by the end of the Summer.

In a joint statement, Donegal Sinn Féin TDs, Pearse Doherty and Pádraig Mac Lochlainn have appealed to the Minister for Health, James Reilly to urgently intervene and ensure that additional Junior Doctors are immediately appointed to Letterkenny General Hospital.

The Donegal Deputies said that it is their understanding that unless there is an immediate solution, the Accident and Emergency Department may be in danger of downgrading.

Deputy Pearse Doherty said that this was not scaremongering on Sinn Feins part, and Letterkenny General faced a shortage of junior doctors….

The Government has committed €19m to fund a radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin hospital in Derry.

Enda Kenny said that the Altnagelvin radiotherapy unit had now been sealed by the commitment of Government funds to the hospital.

Mr Kenny said the unit was not just for Derry but for the entire northwest, as 30% of those who attend the hospital are from Co Donegal.

Donegal North-East Joe McHugh, said that building work would now begin on the project, sooner, rather than later…….

A court in Mauritius has heard details of a murder confession in the Michaela McAreavey case.

The 27-year-old teacher was found strangled in the bathroom of her hotel room on the island in January.

A policeman read out a statement signed by Avanish Treebhoowoon in which he claimed his deep regret and asked for forgiveness.

Mr Treebhoowoons lawyers had previously told the court the accused had been “beaten and forced to sign” a false confession.

In his statement he said he and a co-accused, Sandip Moneea, were stealing a wallet when Ms McAreavey entered the room.

Mr Treebhoowoon said Mr Moneea grabbed her by the throat to stop her screaming.

After Ms McAreavey fell unconscious, they put her body in a bath tub and turned on the tap “to get rid of any clues”.

It was revealed that Mr Treebhoowoon had made two alleged confessions to police without a solicitor present in the 24 hours after the murder.

On 13 January, in the company of his solicitor, he signed a pre-written, full and detailed confession.

A 33-year-old Derry man was yesterday given a suspended sentence for supplying drugs to what the court was told was a ‘vulnerable 16-year-old girl.’

Rory O’Doherty of 25, Friel Close in Derry admitted three charges of supplying drugs to the girl on dates between July 12 and December 1 2009.

The court was told that the police were contacted by the parents of the 16-year-old vulnerable girl who said that O’Doherty had supplied their daughter with drugs over a period of time.

At the time O’Doherty was living with the girl’s sister.

The court heard that on the first occasion on the girl’s 16th birthday O’Doherty had shared a joint with her.
This had happened on two other occasions.

A prosecutor said that the girl was vulnerable due to her age and several other factors.

Deputy District Judge Philip McAteer said that people who supplied drugs faced more serious charges than those who simply possessed them.

He said that the period of time over which the offences occurred was a factor against O’Doherty and that he had supplied drugs to a vulnerable young person who in the eyes of the law was still a child.

He added that the gravity of this offence had to marked by a prison sentence.

He sentenced O’Doherty to two months in prison on each charge consecutively making a total of 6 months suspended for three years. He also fined him £300.

Receivers have been appointed to one of Donegals most popular hotels, the Shandon Hotel is up for sale for 1.5 million euros.

The four-star hotel which overlooks Marble Hill Strand and Sheephaven Bay in Port na Blagh, had a reciever appointed by Bank of Ireland in February.

The hotel formerly owned by Dermott and Catherine McGlade went on the market yesterday. The complex was once thought to be worth over 6 million euro.

Today esate agents Sherry FItzgerald Rainey put the hotel on the open market for a quarter of that price, Dermott Rainey said they were hopeful of a quick sale…

The Government should run a referendum alongside the Presidential election that would change the laws in relation to adoption in Ireland.

Currently there is no provision in the Irish constitution for adoption, making it difficult for Irish children to be fostered.

Fianna Fail is to bring forward a Private Members Bill in the Dail this evening.

Donegal North-East Deputy, Charlie McConalogue, says that only a small percent of Irish children are currently put up for adoption……

Donegal officials are this week insisting the club championships will go ahead this weekend as planned. With the Donegal Senior side looking forward to an Ulster Final clash with Derry on July 17th, Jim Mc Guinness had called on the County Board to consider postponing the First Round Second legs of the county championship. The Donegal manager said he was fearful that going ahead with important club matches this weekend may compromise the county team’s preparations. The Competitions Control Committee have confirmed that the games will go ahead this Saturday and Sunday.

Donegal Senior Football Championship 1^st Round 2^nd Leg fixtures.

Saturday 2^nd July @ 7.30pm

Four Masters v Bundoran ,Venue: Tir Chonaill Park Donegal Town

Glenfin v Malin ,  Venue: Pairc Ghleann Fhinne

Kilcar v Killybegs , Venue: Pairc Tamnaigh Kilcar

St Eunans v Dungloe ,  Venue: O Donnell Park

Sunday 3^rd July

St Michaels v MacCumhaills , Venue: Pairc Naomh Micheal, @3pm

Naomh Conaill v Glenswilly , Venue: Glenties Davy Brennan Memorial, @3.30pm

Termon v Gaoth Dobhair , Venue: Termon, @5.30pm

Cloughaneely v Ardara , Venue: Pairc Naomh Fionnan Falcarragh, @7.30pm

Any lingering concerns over the future of the Donegal VEC have been eased with news that the Donegal VEC is to remains intact.

There were fears that as part of a national  reorganization of VEC’s Donegal could have been amalgamated with other counties.

While the last government stated this would not be the case, with a change of administration doubts re-emerged.

Welcoming the news Donegal Senator Jimmy Harte says Donegal VEC can now get on with its important work without a distraction over its future: