Donegal Creameries has struck a deal to dispose of its Milk Business and Retail Stores Business to Connacht Gold Co-operative Society Limited.

The deal is worth 13.5 million euro to the company but could rise to almost 19 million depending on how the business performs.

The deal will see Connacht Gold take over the drinking milk business- Its products are primarily sold directly to consumers or retailers as well as restaurants and food service companies.

Donegal milk products include butter, cheese and milk powder with its raw material milk sourced from farmer suppliers based in Donegal and Northern Ireland.

Donegal’s Retail Stores Business includes eleven stores -  nine of which are in the Republic of Ireland and two in Northern Ireland.

Connacht will pay Donegal Creameries €13.5m and further sum of up to €7.4m dependent on the operating and financial performance of the Milk Business during the year to 31 December 2012.

The proceeds from the Proposed Transaction will be used by Donegal for general corporate purposes.

Ian Ireland, Managing Director of Donegal Creameries plc, said the company will continue to develop in its key strategic areas of Seed Potato and Niche Value Added Dairy Products.

It will also maintain its Animal Feeds business, significant Property and Investment Portfolio, including The Grianan Estate and its investments in associates.”

Police say that 15 witnesses have come forward following the murder of a man in Derry at the weekend.

56 year-old Christopher McGaughey was stabbed to death at Hollymount Park in the Gobnascale area of the city at about 1am on Sunday moring.

A woman also suffered minor injuries in the attack.

Police have been given an extra 36 hours to question a 31-year-old man, who was arrested on Sunday.

Detectives have already taken statements from 13 people and CCTV footage is being examined.

It’s reported that Dana Rosemary Scallon’s niece has made a formal complaint to British police, alleging she was abused by her Donegal based uncle John Brown.

45 year-old Susan Gorrell travelled from her home in Iowa last Week to formally make a statement to officers in London.

Gorrell outlined two cases of abuse at a North London address in the 1970s.

And according to the Irish Mail on Sunday, she also plans to sue Dana personally for libel over claims made during the Irish presidential election.

John Brown, who acted as campaign manager during Dana’s failed election bid, has repeatedly denied the allegations which first surfaced during a 2008 court case in Iowa.

A man who died after being stabbed in Derry has been named as 56-year-old Christopher McGaughey.

Mr McGaughey was attacked at Hollymount Park in the Gobnascale area of the city at about 1 o clock this morning.

A woman suffered minor injuries in the attack. A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Local priest Father Michael Canny said the dead man and his family are well known to the whole local community….

And, Local Councillor Gerald Diver says people are stunned by what happened….

[podcasthttp://www.highlandradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/diver.mp3][/podcast]

Gay Mitchell and Martin McGuinness have been eliminated in the Presidential election count.

It means Michael D Higgins will be confirmed as the ninth President of Ireland later this afternoon.

After the third count Michael D Higgins was still some 90,000 votes shy of the quota.

That then led the Presidential returning office (Rena Ni Lan Alla) to eliminate the two lowest candidates.

This fourth count that’s now ongoing in 43 constituencies will give Michael D Higgins the votes he needs to reach the quota – he only needs about 1 in 4 votes from Gay Mitchell and Martin Mc Guinness.

It’s now expected that sometime around 4 or 5 o ‘clock this afternoon we will have a declaration that Michael D Higgins is President elect ahead of his inauguration on November 11th.

Then it’s the two referendums.

They’re already counted across the country – the results will be fed here to the central count centre and results are expected quickly after the presidential announcement.

Dana Rosemary Scallon says she does not regret entering the Presidential election.

The Independent candidate – who also contested the 1997 race for the Áras – was eliminated along with fellow Independent Mary Davis, after the first count last night.

Dana – who’s not ruling out contesting for the Presidency a third time – admits it was a challenging campaign:

Michael D. Higgins is accepting that he may win the election on the first count.

That will come some time this evening – and the Labour candidate is expected to have a comfortable lead over Independent Sean Gallagher.

Speaking to Galway Bay FM, Micheal D. says he is quietly confident of finishing in first place:

While it won’t effect the outcome of the Presidential Election nationally, Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has topped the poll in Donegal North East.

The figures are academic to the result with Labour’s Michael D Higgin’s set to be elected the country’s 9th President, probably on the first count.

This is how the candidates fared in Donegal North East in the first count:

Voter turnout 48.79%

Martin McGuinness 9,085

Sean Gallagher 7,978

Michael D Higgins 6,516

Dana Rosemary Scallon 1,905

Gay Mitchel 1,484

David Norris 788

Mary Davis 598

In Donegal South West Sean Gallagher’s local connection stood him well. The former Dragon’s Den star topped the poll after the first count. The breakdown in full:

Voter turnout 48.42%

Sean Gallagher 9,912

Martin McGuinness 8,738

Michael D Higgins 7,093

Gay Mitchel 1,620

Dana Rosemary Scallon 1,777

David Norris 916

Mary Davis 660

Deputy Pearse Doherty has predicted that Martin McGuinness will top the poll in Donegal South West.

He told Barry Whyte that the former Deputy First Minister’s entry in to the race broadened the debate:

There was controversy this morning at the Aura leisure Centre where complaints were made that those who had planned to tally were not facilitated early in the process.

It is understood that Sinn Fein may be seeking a meeting with the returning officer next week to express their concerns over how the situation was handled.

However, media liason Emilly Tully says that access was available yesterday for anyone wishing to set up a tally HQ – but they recieved no requests for access:

Lawyers for a Donegal business man sentenced to over six years in jail in a Czech court say he will appeal.

William Harkin, known as Billy, was tried in absentia for taking out a series of loans that he said were for investment in  Moravan Aviation company, which he bought in 2007.

According to the Irish Times Mr Harkin received the sentence for committing fraud estimated at  €760,000 during the takeover of the firm.