A jilted man who could not accept the end of his relationship brutally attacked his girlfriend and then sent her a series of vile text messages.

Kieran Callaghan poured drinks over Martina Mulhern, headbutted her and then harassed by sending a number of threatening text messages to her.

Callaghan, aged 34, appeared at Letterkenny District Court to allow Judge Paul Kelly to hear a victim impact statement from Ms Mulhern.

Although the relationship was brief, 33-year-old Callaghan could not accept the break-up and approached Ms MUlhern while out on a number of occasions.

On July 2nd, 2017 in the Warehouse Bar, he approached her on two occasions and poured two drinks over her head.

On July 17th, Ms Mulhern was socialising in the Voodoo Nightclub in Letterkenny when she was approached by Callaghan.

He headbutted the woman causing her swelling and bruising to her face.

Callaghan, of Garrison Hill in Killygordon, also admitted sending a series of disgusting text messages to his former girlfriend.

Garda Inspector Barry Doyle said the text messages were very offensive and included “F*** you tramp. You rotten piece of s***. I hope you die a painful one”, “You are a pathetic lowlife scumbag I never loved you” and “I hope you fall off a cliff.”

The court was told that Callaghan had previously appeared in court for breaking a window in Ms Mulhern’s home in Ardara on the night he poured drinks over her head

Solicitor for the accused, Mr Frank Dorrian, said Callaghan had tendered an apology to Ms Mulhern and that it was sincere.

He said his client had been distraught and had experienced emotions of hopelessness and despair after the couple’s break-up.

Judge Paul Kelly described Ms Mulhern’s victim impact statement as “powerful” and said the attacks had had a very serious impact on her life.

Details of Ms Mulhern’s statement were not read out in court but the court heard she had to undergo counselling as a result of the vicious attack by Callaghan.

As well as treatment for being physically injured, Ms Mulhern was also left out of work.

The total cost of having her glasses smashed as well as counselling and other treatment, Ms Callaghan was out of pocket in the sum of almost €1,200.

A further loss of earnings for her time of work amounted to a total of €29,498.

Judge Paul Kelly told Ms Mulhern that the maximum the district court could award in compensation was €15,000 and suggested she take a civil case against her attacker.

He granted an order of €1,170 against Callaghan to be paid to the victim in the case.

He fined Callaghan €250 for pouring drinks over Ms Mulhern at the Warehouse Bar in Letterkenny.

He then sentenced Callaghan to four months in prison for assaulting Ms Mulhern by headbutting her but suspended that sentence for two years.

He jailed him for a further period of four months for harassing Ms Mulhern by sending her threatening texts but also suspended that sentence for two years.

He also ordered him to attend a 12-month course in Sligo entitled Men Overcoming Emotional Violence and to refrain from drinking alcohol.

A road in Malin Head has been renamed the R2D2 in tribute to one of Star Wars’ most famous characters.

The R242 road in Inishowen has officially been renamed the ‘R2D2’ in honour of the legendary Star Wars droid at a celebration in Farren’s Bar on Monday.

The initiative, which was proposed by Inishowen Councillor Jack Murray, is one of the numerous events which will mark the filming of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi in the peninsula.

Commenting after the launch, Cllr Murray said: “I am delighted that permanent road signage has now been erected along the ‘R2D2’ road and I hope that this novel change will encourage more visitors to the area.

“Star Wars is one of the biggest film franchises of all time with hundreds of millions of fans worldwide.”

Murray continued: “Many of these enthusiasts travel the world to visit filming locations from iconic scenes.

“We’ve seen what Game of Thrones has done for the Causeway Coast so there’s no reason that we can’t do the same here in Inishowen.

“I want to particularly commend Donegal County Council roads staff for acting so swiftly in securing these signs and thank my fellow councillors for supporting the proposal.

“With the upcoming May the Fourth be With You festival coming to Malin Head in the coming weeks, I hope that we will continue to expand our tourism product and encourage more people to visit this spectacularly beautiful part of Ireland.”

Benji O’Meara has been installed as the new manager of Red Hughs.

O’Meara takes over the Division 3 outfit following the recent departure of Seosamh Mac Ceallabhuí.

In 2018, Red Hughs won the Donegal and Ulster Junior Championship titles but were thrown when Mac Ceallabhuí confirmed his departure on the eve of the 2019 season.

O’Meara has stepped into the void.

In 1991, O’Meara played in goal for Red Hughs in their Donegal SFC final defeat by Killybegs.

Six years later, he moved to join Glenfin and was the long-time ‘keeper at the An Gaeltacht Lár club.

O’Meara was a part of Mac Ceallabhuí’s backroom team at Red Hughs and has taken on his first senior management post.

It has been confirmed that residents on the Trusk Road will be consulted before any decision is reached on a new housing development scheme on the council-owned lands. 

Confirmation from senior council management on the issue was given on Monday.

Outrage was sparked ten years ago when the Donegal County Council had proposed to build houses/apartments on the small site which led to a protest outside the council building in Lifford.

Raising the issue at Monday’s reconvened full council meeting, Councillor Patrick McGowan, who supported the decision by local residents a decade ago, said: “I am satisfied that no decision will be taken on house design or the number of houses prior to residents being consulted.

“It is proposed that this small development will be reserved for an older people’s housing scheme and will be designed with the needs of older people in mind.”

Job Vacancy: Leading Solicitor’s practise requires a legal secretary

A position has become available in a busy solicitor’s practice in Letterkenny, County Donegal for a legal secretary.

This is a full-time position with an initial 6 month period of probation.

Please reply with your Curriculum Vitae to donegaldailyjobs@gmail.com and use the reference ‘Legal Secretary’.

It has been said that ‘food is the ingredient that binds us together’, and the new ‘Food From The Holy Land’ project aims to do just that.

The Loft Youth Project, Donegal Youth Service and the Community Foundation for Ireland are delighted to host the new initiative in partnership with the Donegal Local Development Company Resettlement Programme.  

The first event will take place on Thursday the 18th of April at 4.30pm in LOFT at Donegal Youth Service (the old cinema building), and will feature the cooking skills of Nadine Beri and Jawahar AL Kurdi, who are both from Syria.

“It is fantastic that two women from Syria who have recently arrived in Letterkenny are willing to share their food and culture with us and we are delighted to host them,” LOFT Youth Worker Frankie McGreevy said.   

Food is a universal language, so come along and meet new people, and taste new flavours.  Everyone is welcome!

Donegal Youth Service is a countywide youth organisation, meeting the needs of young people all over Donegal.  

For more information you can pop in to 16-18 Port Road, Letterkenny, call 074 91 29630, email admin@donegalyouthservice.ie, visit www.donegalyouthservice.ie and stay up to date with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Local election candidate for Milford, Maria Doherty has called for the upgrading of Ramelton Community Hospital.

The Sinn Féin candidate has demanded additional beds and nurses for the facility in order to alleviate pressure on Letterkenny University Hospital.

Ms Doherty said: “The hospital is a wonderful facility, with wonderful staff and close to the heart of all the communities in the area. 

“The crisis across our health service has been created by years of cutbacks and underinvestment by the current and previous governments.

“It was apparent a few years ago that the government intended to close down Ramelton Community Hospital and to relocate the beds and nurses there to a new privately built hospital in Letterkenny. The government backed down due to the hard work and efforts of local campaigners and committed to further investment and two more beds.”

The Carrigart native is calling for a review of funding allocations to secure the future of Donegal’s community hospitals.

Ms Doherty said: “Over the last 15 years one in four beds and nurses have been lost from community hospitals across Donegal. This feeds into the crises at Letterkenny University hospital where huge numbers of our people have faced long delays to get the care that they need at our major county hospital when they present at the emergency department. So it is important to elevate this that our community hospital in Ramelton and across Donegal are upgraded and properly funded. “

Donegal County Councillors have called for more time to make their decision on Preferred Route Corridors for the Ten T Network.

Representatives were due to confirm a decision on the preferred routes this week.

However, a number of elected representatives sought extra time to consult with landowners on the project.

The TEN-T Network in Donegal is a scheme of improvements on three routes: the N15/N13 Ballybofey / Stranorlar Urban Region, the N56/N13 Letterkenny to Manorcunningham and the N14 Manorcunningham to Lifford / Strabane / A5 Link.

Some of the biggest concerns about the road upgrades are rooted in the Twin Towns, where residents and business owners fear the proposed bypass will affect local trade. They are calling for a link road from the Route Corridor to preserve the commercial life of Ballybofey and Stranorlar.

A number of public consultation events were hosted by Donegal County Council in recent months to hear opinions on the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor.

The preferred routes were brought before the council on Monday, but councillors agreed to defer any decision-making on the plans to a special sitting on Thursday 24th April.

The Holy Thursday meeting will also consider a report by the Standards in Public Office Commission on Cllr John O’Donnell.

Donegal’s second Vegan Fayre had a fantastic turnout on Sunday with a great mix of people enjoying a conscious shopping day for a good cause.

Hosted by the Donegal SPCA Animal Rights Committee at Dillon’s Hotel in Letterkenny, the Easter themed Fayre offered a wide variety of stalls and goods including cakes, cosmetics, beauty products, vegan food, tester stalls, handcrafted toys, artisan sauces and an information stand.

There was also a vegan Easter egg hunt to keep the youngsters entertained.

The cakes by Wholegreen flew off the stand

Vegan hair experts were on hand with advice

Craft stall with an Easter theme

A spokesperson for the event organisers said: “It was a lot of hard work getting everything together, but we are absolutely delighted by the turnout and response from the public, so it was all worthwhile.”

A steady stream of local vegans and curious members of the public who were interested in finding out more about living a vegan lifestyle visited the fayre throughout the afternoon.

The spokesperson said “’There has never been an easier time to be vegan. Most of the main supermarkets and companies are developing their own ranges of vegan products to meet the rising demand.”

She said that from speaking with the public, people want to know more about how they can live a cruelty-free lifestyle.

“With a recent scientific study stating that the only way to stop irreversible environmental damage within the next 12 years is for everyone to become vegan, there has been an even greater spike in interest in veganism.”

The spokesperson concluded “Veganism is really taking off lately, the membership numbers of the Donegal Vegans group has grown a huge amount in recent years.”

“With all the information now available and options out there, there has never been a better time to be vegan – for the animals, for the planet and for ourselves.”

Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty is urging the Government to stop dragging its heels and to implement long-awaited changes to the Fair Deal Scheme – the State initiative set up to provide financial support to those in need of nursing home care.

Farmers are planning a protest outside the Department of Health today (Tuesday) over the lack of progress being made on the reform of the Fair Deal Scheme.

Under the changes, it’s proposed to cap participant contributions on farm assets at three years where a family member commits to working those farm assets, something not allowed for under the current programme at present.

Calling on the Minister for Health to urgently implement the reforms, Deputy Doherty said: “Under Fair Deal, you pay a contribution towards the cost of your nursing home care with the State picking up the rest of the tab.

“The amount a participant to the scheme pays depends on their income as well as whatever assets they hold.

“While under the current regime there is a limit on the value of the family home which can be used to pay towards your care, farming families and small business owners are required to set aside a percentage of the value of their land annually to fund their care needs.

“However, changes being proposed to the scheme would see this bill capped at three years, and would give farmland assets the same status as the family home.

“Yet, despite commitments from government as far back as 2016 to reform the current pricing mechanism, the government continues to drag its heels.”

Sinn Féin Deputy Doherty said that farmers need a solid commitment as they face the ‘totally avoidable consequences’ of a failure to reform the scheme.

He said: “Only last week, I raised the delay with the Minister in the Dáil who told me that while his department is continuing to work on the development of a draft Heads of Bill for the proposed legislation and hopes to bring it to cabinet by May, he says that this is subject to legal advice.

“While these reforms are important and are eagerly awaited, farming families urgently need a solid commitment on when the changes will actually come into force.

“Recently, I met with representatives from the IFA here in Donegal who voiced their frustration at this stalemate and they also highlighted the real impact this delay is having on farming families here who have already waited long enough on this government to get its act together and legislate in this area.

“Farmers and their loved ones must not be strung along any longer when it comes to their nursing home care needs, and so I pledge to continue to lobby strongly on their behalf and call on Government to urgently implement these reforms without further delay.”

Former Donegal waste contractor Jim Ferry has formally announced his candidacy for the upcoming local elections.

Mr Ferry will stand as an Independent candidate in the Glenties electoral area.

A native of Derryreel in Falcarragh, Mr Ferry confirmed on social media that he will stand in the May 24 elections.

“If elected I will be a strong voice to represent you at Council level in Lifford,” Mr Ferry wrote.

“I will represent you like you have never been represented before with your interest at heart, I have a good understanding of the needs of the people.

“I am asking you to give me your number one vote and follow me on facebook to keep up with the drama of the campaign.”

The businessman is facing an ongoing battle with the High Court over dumping on his lands at Rossbrcken outside Letterkenny as well as an investigation into his finances.

He is now engaged in full-time farming and said recently that a number of issues affecting the industry will feature on his campaign trail.

Donegal will have nine boxers competing in next week’s National Schoolboy Championships in Dublin.

At the weekend, six Donegal punchers received walkover wins and another three won in the ring at the Ulster finals.

Illies Golden Gloves’ Rory McDaid – who was beaten in an Irish final last year – overcame Daniel O’Neill from St John Bosco.

McDaid took a 4-1 decision to lift the Boy 2 35kgs crown and book his place in the National finals.

Luke Kelly from Dunfanaghy ABC was an impressive 5-0 winner over Conal Casey from Silverbridge. Kelly landed the Boy 1 43kgs title and will hope to emulate his brother Sean when he takes to the National Stadium’s canvas next week.

Luke Kelly

Raphoe ABC’s Aaron McDaid got past St Pat’s Newry man Gary Conway on a 4-1 decision to win the Boy 3 48kgs final. McDaid, a grandson of Raphoe ABC President Tommy Stewart, will head to the capital in fine fettle.

Aaron McDaid

The trio are joined by the six from Donegal who took walkover wins at the weekend: Thomas Browne (Convoy, Boy 1, 41.5kgs); Matthew Carlin (Dunree, Boy 2, 40kgs); Oisin Doherty (Carn, Boy 2, 48kgs); Kelvin McDaid (Clonmany, Boy 2, 59kgs); Anthony Doohan (Dunfanaghy (Boy 2, 62kgs); Shay Collum (Letterkenny, Boy 2, 76+kgs).

A small number of local post offices around Donegal are to deliver their usual services this Good Friday.

In a new policy change, local outlets have been given permission to open over the Easter holidays if they wish, which means that collection services and welfare payment collections can continue as normal.

One post office which is spearheading the change is Doherty’s Costcutter Ballybofey. The supermarket opened the town’s post office counter in January 2019 and offers full postal services throughout the day and during lunchtimes.

Store owner Michael Doherty said he is delighted to provide Good Friday postal services to the town for the first time.

Mr Doherty made an application to An Post to open on April 19th after listening to customer feedback. Typically, the day before Good Friday was extremely busy and pensioners had to wait a long time to collect their pension money.

Having the counter open on Good Friday will ease pressure on both staff and customers, said store manager Colin Harrison.

Mr Harrison said: “We are trying to change with the times and this has also reflected in the fact that we now open throughout lunchtimes from 1pm-2pm – once again because of customer feedback and people wanting to avail of the post office services on their lunch hour.

“We have had the post office since Jan 14th and have had great feedback in regards our location, our staff friendliness and being informed about the services the post office offers that people never knew about including the likes of credit cards, loans, bill-pay services, address-pal, e-commerce business cards for businesses and foreign exchange.”

The Ballybofey Costcutter Post Office will be open from 9am – 1pm this Good Friday.

Other Post Offices which have confirmed Good Friday opening times are Raphoe (9am-5.30pm) and Carndonagh (9am-1pm).

A derelict house in Raphoe was set alight in a suspected arson attack last weekend.

The blaze broke out at a house on Irish Street on Saturday 13th April at approximately 8.30pm.

A number of fire engines were called to the scene and brought the incident under control.

No injuries were sustained as a result of the fire at the standalone property.

However, investigating Gardaí have confirmed that they believe the fire was started maliciously.

A community appeal has been launched for witnesses or anyone with any information to come forward. The public is asked to call Gardaí in Letterkenny on +353 74 9167100 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111

A man sustained serious injuries to his head after being struck by a hammer in Letterkenny at the weekend.

The man was set upon at around 1am on Sunday morning in the Pearse Road area, close to the Riverside apartments.

A man is believed to have been attacked by two males, who used weapons, including a hammer, during the course of the attack.

Garda Rafferty asked in a weekly community alert for anyone who lives in the area and who saw or heard anything to make contact with Gardaí at Letterkenny on 074-9167100 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666-111.

Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to two serious assaults in Letterkenny in the early hours of Sunday morning.

It is not believed that the two are connected.

At around 4.30am, a male was set upon at Oldtown Road. The man was waiting on a lift at Lower Main Street when he was approach by a group of makes and one female.

He was verbally abused before being attacked at Old Town Road where he received ‘quite a few injuries’, Garda Rafferty said.

Again, witnesses are asked to contact Gardaí at Letterkenny on 074-9167100 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666-111.

Houses in several Letterkenny estates were damaged by groups of youths throwing what have been described as ‘rocks or stones’.

Between last Tuesday and Saturday, April 9-13, between 6-10.30pm, houses at Dr McGinley Road, Beechwood Road, Long Lane and Meadowbank were targeted.

Houses had windows either cracked or smashed in the attacks

It is understood that a ‘small group’ of youths were responsible.

On the items thrown, Garda Rafferty said: “They’re big enough and were thrown with enough force to break the windows.”

Garda Rafferty urged parents to be vigilant and know the whereabouts of their children.

A Donegal county councillor is urging government action to ensure that the court services are retained in Carndonagh.

The call comes as the town’s court service is to relocated to Buncrana for an interim period of four months during renovations at the Carndonagh Court House.

Cllr Albert Doherty has called on the “confidence and supply partners” in Donegal, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil politicians to intervene on the situation.

Sinn Feín Cllr Doherty said: “The decision to adjourn the short term court sittings in Carndonagh and relocate to Buncrana for an interim period of four months is a very disappointing development.

“Mr Brendan Mc Donald, Western Regional Manager of the Courts Service has confirmed that he has visited the Colgan Hall and that the Court Service authorities are assessing the suitability and the court service needs at that location, likewise following his visit to the Court House in Carndonagh, he has indicated that in an initial assessment of the building, significant refurbishment works are required”.

“It is incumbent on government parties and government supporting parties under the “confidence and supply” arrangements to ensure that the court service is retained in the Carndonagh area, that the court house refurbishment work is delivered and that a stop is put to the reduction of services in rural Inishowen and Ireland.”

Cllr Doherty added that he will also seek the support of all solicitors and legal services in the county to lobby public representatives, the courts service and OPW and Justice departments to ensure the retention of court services in Carndonagh.

A former amusement arcade has become Ireland’s first island digital hub.

Islanders on Arranmore Island five kilometres off the coast of Donegal hope MODAM will breathe new life into an ageing population and encourage those who have left the island to return.

Today saw the unveiling of the building which boasts 13 digital desks and an average speed of 100 megabites.

Arranmore’s Community Council now hope the state-of-the-art building along with the high-speed broadband will encourage islanders who have long left its shore to return.

Seamus Bonner, an islander born and bred, is a member of the island’s community council.

He’s old enough to recall when the latest chart hits blasted from a jukebox in the corner and a line of arcade games swallowed 10p coins as if they were going out of fashion.

Two pool tables separated the boys from the girls with common ground being found at the sweet vending machines.

Seamus has seen many changes on the island but the common thread has been a gradual decline in population which sees a community of just 469 people left from more than 700 some years back.

He hopes the arrival of the digital hub which will revitalise the fortunes of the island and its people.

by Stephen Maguire on Arranmore Island

“So many people have come together to make this happen but it needed to happen. It’s no secret that the numbers of people in the island has been in serious decline.

“Somebody compared this to the electrification of the island and I think that’s a fair comparison. The arrival of this digital hub along with such high broadband speeds will make this as a place people can come and stay connected.

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“People from Arranmore are dotted all around the world and with this development, they will be able to come back and work from here for a week, a month or for good,” he said.

One of those people is Nicola Greene who works for insurance company Optum in Letterkenny.

She may not be halfway across the globe but the opening of MODAM (named in a competition by local secondary school pupil Aiden Doherty) means she can catch the fast ferry at Burtonport and be out here in fifteen minutes to visit her mum and stay a few days.

“To be honest it has reignited my relationship with Arranmore. I come back a good bit but the opening of the hub means I can work and stay here for as long as I like and my company is okay with that.

“I would have to download a lot of large files with my work but with the broadband here that is now possible,” she said.

Her sentiments are echoed by her schoolfriends Eimer Gallagher and Lisa Rodgers who now plan to return from their homes in London where they have lived for a number of years.

Lisa is in business consultancy and Eimer is in fashion.

Both have children and while their ability to return to the place of their childhood will be dictated by school holidays, the improved connectivity means they can extend their visits and work from the island.

In what used to be the ferry’s ticket office in a room off the main digital hub, exiled islander Neil Gallagher, CEO and Founder of educational tech company Caped Koala is on a video call from London.

The quality of both the sound and the picture is perfect.

The view form inside MODAM. Pic Donegal Daily.

“I was on the island last week and the connection there is twice as fast as I have in London. I was there in 2007 and tried to work from the island but I wasn’t able to because the connectivity was not there.

“It is there and I can see myself returning in future and perhaps even setting up a remote base for my company.

“Like many other islanders, I’ve always wanted to add value to my community and this connectivity by Three will allow me to create opportunities and bring employment, by training people on the island to test software and take active roles in EU research projects. Beyond this, I hope to set up time-specific project teams on the island taking advantage of both the facilities, island life and the cost benefits.”

On a commercial level, islanders hope the opening of MODAM will bring plenty of financial spin-offs for the locality and for various local businesses.

John McCafferty, manager of one of the island’s co-ops, Ionad an Chros Bhealaigh, is convinced the new connectivity will attract so many new visitors.

And that’s good news as the co-op, which employs seven people on the island, offers a range of services including sailing, bike rental, kayaking and children’s clubs.

“People know their children will be safe and have plenty to do on the island when they come to use the hub,” he said.

Increased broadband speeds have also been installed in a number of local business and community facilities, including in Scoil Athphoirt where students can now use interactive whiteboards, research online and participate in online learning.

The broadband solution has also been installed in the medical centre which will facilitate telemedicinal applications including video consultations with consultants on the mainland, saving patients a four-hour round trip to Letterkenny or overnight trip to Dublin.

Pictured today were Seamus Bonner (Arranmore Business Council), Elaine Carey (Chief Commercial officer, Three), Adrian Begley (Arranmore Business Council), and Eoin MacManus (Business Director, Three).

And for a population whom half are aged over 65 years, that it is a vital link.

When the people of Arranmore flagged up a need for better connectivity to breath new life into the island, both Donegal County Council and the Department of Rural and Community Development back the plan.

But so too did Three Ireland who have supported the project at a grassroots level and help to make the island community’s dream a reality.

Eóin MacManus, Business and Enterprise Director at Three Ireland said “Last year we became aware of the great work being done by the Arranmore Business Council to improve connectivity on the island and, looking at the portfolio of services that we provide to thousands of businesses in Ireland, we identified a number of ways that we could help. We approached the island as we would any enterprise customer and worked in partnership with them to identify the best solution.

“As Ireland’s leading data network, we know how connectivity can transform lives and businesses, and we are delighted to bring this connectivity to Arranmore. Today’s launch marks the start of a long-term partnership as we work with the people of Arranmore to help deliver their ambitious plans for the island which will enable them to sustain and develop their community.”

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Donegal TD Joe McHugh says funding of Arranmore digital hub is important.

“We allocated €100,000 from the Town and Village Renewal Scheme because we knew it could be a game-changer for the island,” said the Education Minister.

“There is a massive potential now for remote working and bringing jobs to the island. I saw the hub two weeks ago and I welcome the partnership between the local community and businesses to take the project forward.”

Towns and villages across north and west Donegal are being encouraged to apply for funding under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme provides funding of up to €200,000 for projects that make rural towns more attractive places in which to live and work.

The scheme is specifically targeted at supporting rural towns and villages with populations of less than 10,000.

Fine Gael local election candidates Eimer Friel and Evelyn Sweeney are leading the call out for applicants to avail of the funding boost.

Milford Electoral Area candidate Eimer Friel said: “Since the Town and Village Renewal Scheme was introduced in 2016, almost €53 million has been approved for over 670 projects across the country.

“These projects cover a range of activities, from improving the public realm, to job-creation initiatives such as the development of enterprise hubs and digital hubs. Already Rathmullan, Portsalon, Kilmacrennan and Kerrykeel have availed of these funds and I would encourage groups in Milford and Ramelton to apply this time around.”

Fellow Fine Gael candidate Evelyn Sweeney said: “This is a brilliant scheme and already Glenties, Falcarragh, Burtonport and Arranmore have received funding in the past 18 months – with the Arranmore digital hub opening today. I visited the hub last week and it has a huge potential for the island, allowing islanders to work from the island in the future.

“I strongly encourage other towns and villages in the west and north of the county to work with Donegal County Council in preparing innovative and well thought-out projects under the scheme and I look forward to the announcement of the successful recipients of funding in the coming months.

“In order to avail of funding through the scheme, Donegal Co Co will be required to advertise for expressions of interest from towns and villages and will select proposals for development into detailed applications to be submitted to the Department by the end of June.”

The 2019 Donegal County Pool Championships take place in the Radisson Hotel in Letterkenny at the weekend.

A jam-packed schedule, which included no less than 7 separate competitions, was on the cards, and saw some fantastic pool being played.

Friday evening saw 3 competitions take place. 6 ladies took part in the inaugural Ladies Championships, and it was Dungloe’s Helena Sharkey who came out on top. Helena has represented Ireland at a number of international competitions, and in February gone reached the quarter final of the Ladies European Championships.

In the under 23s section, it was Kilcar’s Luke Donegan who reigned supreme in a field of 12. 20 players contested the highly competitive over 40s competition. Reigning champion, Tony Mulhern, just missed out on retaining his title – succumbing to his good friend Donal Curran in the wee hours of Saturday morning, on a 7-4 scoreline.

Saturday saw the hugely enjoyable A and B team competitions take place. In the B section, it was last year’s runners up, The Beachcomber, who went one better this time.

Gabriel McAteer potted a really tough black to get his team over the line, winning 9-7. In the A section it was the the Snug Bar from Letterkenny who took the spoils, beating the highly talented Donegal Town team, Fox’s Den in a nail-biting deciding frame!

Sunday saw a field of 32 contest the singles main event. Although not quite firing on all cylinders, Shaun Sharkey managed to dig deep in some tricky matches to make the final, and managed to come out on top against his Donegal teammate, David Moore. This was Shaun’s fifth county title, and his fourth on the trot.

In the men’s plate competition it was Joe Gallagher who came out victorious in a tight final against teammate Mattie Mahon.

Well done to everyone who came along and made it such a fantastic weekend.

The Donegal Pool Association would like to thank everyone who helped make this event possible. The Radisson Hotel for hosting the event, the table provider, CGQ Quinn Snooker and Pool, Irish Pool Online for providing the live stream all weekend. Also, the table and stream sponsors – Donegal Service Station, DM Construction, Letterkenny Readymix, Cassidy Concrete, Charleys Café, Joe Bonnar Metal Crafts, The Stove Store, Steppers Bar in Dungloe, McGuigans Bar in Stranorlar, Rosey Pics Photography, Brittons Pharmacy in Donegal Town, Dohertys Bar in Ardara, Donegal Q Club pool hall in Ballybofey and Owenies Bar in Dungloe.