The new Mayor of Letterkenny says securing the position for Sinn Fein is the culmination of many years hard work and campaigning.

Speaking after his election last night, Cllr Gerry Mc Monagle says less than 10 years ago, there were no Sinn Fein councillors in the Letterkenny Town Council or County Council Electoral Area. Now, he said, there’s been a Sinn Fein Mayor of Donegal, the party has a local councillor in Lifford and Donegal North East has a Sinn Fein TD in the Dail.

Cllr Mc Monagle says the party has worked hard to grow to this point…….

Under the terms of the existing pact, Cllr Mc Monagle was unanimously elected, Fine Gael Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh was elected Deputy Mayor.

Largo Foods has announced an additional investment of up to €2.6m in its manufacturing facility at the Údarás na Gaeltachta Business Park in Gweedore.

The announcement came as the company’s new rice and tortilla based snack-food manufacturing line was officially launched by Junior Minister Dinny McGinley this afternoon.

Largo Foods currently employs over 190 people on a full time and part-time basis, and it’s hoped that will improve substantilly, with up to 40 new jobs expected.

In 2009, the company restructured with substantial job losses. Managing Director Ray Coyle says while it is a difficult time to do business, he’s delighted to be able to proceed with this investment….

A Donegal TD is accusing the government of refusing applications for help from the families of autistic children as a cynical means of saving money.

Deputy Thomas Pringle says the Domicillary Care Allowance was previously administered by the HSE, but that’s now been transferred to the Department of Social Protection, and since then, the number of refusals has increased substantially.

Deputy Pringle says given the number of representations he is receiving, the department has serious questions to answer……….

A woman was rescued from her home near St Johnson last night in one of  two overnight house fires  the county.

At around midnight, a neighbour checkin on animals noticed smokle coming from a house at Sterevedge outside St Johnson. He entered the house and brought out the elderly lady who lived there. Fire crews on both sides of the border were called. When a crew from Derry arrived, the fire was out, so the Donegal tender en route to the scene was turnded back.

Meanwhile, at around 2 o’clock, firefighters from Dungloe and Gweedore were called to a house fire near Glassagh, Gweedore.

The house was badly damaged, with an upstairs bedroom destroyed and severe damage to the roof.

There was no-one in the house at the time.

It’s expected that over 30 jobs will be confirmed today at Largo Foods on the Gweedore Industrial Estate.

Over €2 million euro is being invested in a new manufacturing line at the plant, which employs over 180 people. However, many of those are on part time contracts, and hope that these latest development will see their houtrs increase.

Last year, almost 100 people were let go, but management at the plant say this new line should give Largo in Gweedore a new lease of life.

Local Cllr and Udaras Board member David Alcorn is confident that today’s announcement will signal a turning of the tide for the company……….

Today marks one month since Lifford man David Colhoun went missing.

The 22-year-old escaped from Police custody after he was arrested in Strabane for minor offences on the 22nd May.

The search for David Colhoun is now being concentrated further down the River Foyle near the Red Bridge in Porthall.

Family, friends and Foyle Search and Rescue have been helping with the search.

The search was first concentrated on the River Mourne near Lifford bridge, but after 10 days the search was widened.

PSNI divers, sniffer dogs, Foyle Search and Rescue and the coastgurad all helped in the search.

It’s believed that the 22-year-old headed towards the river after escaping from police custody, although it’s not known exactly what part of the river Mr.Colhoun went into.

His father Joe has said he feared that his son drowned in the river.

David Colhoun has been missing since the 22nd May.

Fresh evidence has emerged to cast doubt on the army’s version of events in an alleged cover-up following the deaths of three Irish soldiers in the Lebanon in 1989.

Defence Minister Alan Shatter has already ordered an independent inquiry into the case after a witness came forward and undermined the findings of three military investigations.

This review is to be finished by August 19.

28-year-old Corporal Fintan Heneghan, 26-year-old Private Mannix Armstrong, and 30-year-old Private Tomás Walsh, were blown up by a roadside bomb as they returned from picking up rocks along a remote dirt track in southern Lebanon.

The army and the United Nations have always claimed the road was safe, was authorised for use and that there was no evidence of negligence.

However, pictures have emerged on the internet that show the obvious dangers the men were in on the morning of March 21, 1989.

The pictures, which are published in today’s Irish Examiner for the first time, show the devastation after the blast and the poor state of the track where the mine was buried.

Other UN maps show that the explosion happened well inside a zone controlled by Israeli forces, where peacekeepers were under additional threat.

The army has always argued the threat level was low, particularly with respect to roadside bombs. And it said there was no history of such attacks against personnel of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

Separate UN documents from the time show that roadside bombs had been used by Lebanese resistance fighters to target and kill peacekeeping soldiers. They also show ongoing concerns of peacekeepers because of mines.

Already this month, the state settled a 21-year-long High Court case with the widow of Private Armstrong in a €300,000 pay-out.

It is understood the dramatic twists in the case happened after the testimony of a senior officer serving in Lebanon at the time contradicted the official version of events.

The Swilly Ferry is back on the water – The service between Buncrana and Rathmullan will operate for the rest of the summer, but local politicians and tourism providers are concerned at the length of time it took to agree contract details and get the service running again.

Buncrana Mayor Cllr Nicholas Crossan says the discussions should be starting now, based on usage of the service over the summer.

He says a framework should be agreed before the budget meetings at the end of the year so that everyone knows wehere they stand well in advance of the 2012 season.

Cllr Crossan says this would also allow the service be promoted in brochures and websites while people are planning their holidays……

Fine Gael MEP Mairead Mc Guinness is in Donegal today to seek support from party councillors for her bid to secure a nomination to contest the presidential election later this year.

Ms Mc Guinness is one of three potential Fine Gael candidates – The others to declare are Pat Cox and MEP Gay Mitchell.

As a former Agriculture Journalist and broadcaster and a known campaigner on rural issues, Ms Mc Guinness, a native of Louth, will be hoping to secure substantial support in Donegal.

Responding to Pat Cox’s announcement that he’s throwing his name into the hat, the Fine Gael MEP says it’s great for the party to have 3 strong candidates:

Junior Minister John Perry has announced a return of some cancer services to Sligo General Hospital, but campaigners say it falls far short of what’s needed.

Minister Perry announced the return of mammography services before the end of the year, and the deployment of more staff.

However, there is no commitment to a full return of cancer services as had been promised by Fine Gael and Labour in opposition.

However, Ballyshannon Cllr Barry O’Neill who attended this afternoon’s press conference says the most important thing today is a document suggesting a new link between Sligo and Letterkenny. He says this is one of the medical profession’s preferred options, and should be carefully considered………