A crowd of supporters, local and national representatives turned out for the third ‘Solidarity with Sudan’ protest of the month in Letterkenny.

The peaceful gathering at Market Square last Saturday was organised by 2019 local election candidate Thoiba Ahmed in response to the violent political crisis in her home country.

Ms Ahmed’s protest highlighted the recent series of massacres that took place across Sudan by the Janjaweed militia in their campaign to suppress the uprising against toppled dictator Omar Al Bashir.

“Thoiba Ahmed was a candidate in the County Council elections in Letterkenny, and I got to know and respect her during that campaign,” says Councillor Jimmy Kavanagh who showed empathy when listening to Ms Ahmed talk of the atrocities occurring in Sudan.

Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh and Thoiba Ahmed at the Solidarity With Sudan protest

“I am here today to support Thoiba in her call for peace in Sudan, an end to violence, and a return to dialogue with a view to establishing democracy and lasting peace in a region that has suffered the loss of almost half a million lives in a few short war torn years. I hope that today’s event will help to raise awareness among our own community to the plight of ordinary people in Sudan,” said Cllr Kavanagh said.

Councillor Gerry McMonagle attended the protest because “for me, it’s in my DNA; I was raised educated of the history of Ireland, the military rule and colonialism.”

“As Irish people we can relate with what is happening in Sudan; any State in the world where physical force and military intervention has been exercised has never been successful. I fully support the people of Sudan and their right to democracy and self-determination” he added.

Thoiba Ahmed, Thomas Pringle TD and supporters at the Solidarity With Sudan protest

Thomas Pringle TD said: “It’s vitally important that we as Irish people support the struggles of the people of Sudan in trying to have a government that looks after the needs of their people.”

“A government that works on behalf of the citizens is the least that people demand and can expect. We in Ireland should expect the same,” Pringle TD added.

Thoiba Ahmed at the Solidarity With Sudan protest

Ms Ahmed confirmed that another protest will take place at Letterkenny Market Square on 29th June from 2pm-4pm. No event is planned this week due to the Donegal Rally, but demonstrations will continue ‘until the demands of the people of Sudan are realised’, according to Ms Ahmed.

She commented: “By recognising our shared humanity, we build connections that overcome the divisions of cultures, religions, and ethnicities. There’s a shared sense of responsibility when it comes to responding to the cries of help and confronting injustice.”

Saturday last saw more than 100 golfers on the course at Portsalon for the second staging of the John Sweeney Memorial and, once more, they were treated to sunshine and perfect playing conditions.

The course was in superb shape, a credit to Links Superintendent Johnny Shields and his team. Johnny was also the inaugural winner but, owing to team commitments elsewhere, he was absent on Saturday ensuring the trophy was up for grabs for a new winner.

Patrick Ronaghan (18) stepped in with some fine playing to card a 68 nett and become the second winner of the John Sweeney Memorial.

A birdie on the opening hole was the incentive needed for a strong day and a second one arrived on the par-five fourth hole. Steady play was the order of the day, with back-to-back pars to kick off the homeward nine and another on the penultimate hole, ensuring the winner always had a good score within his grasp. The margin of victory was just one stroke at the finish line, following a closing bogey at the treacherous 18^th hole.

The winner was certainly a fitting recipient of the trophy, with Paddy being a first cousin of Mary Teresa Sweeney and he was suitably delighted to take the honour in John’s memory.

Portsalon captain Pat O’Neill paid tribute to the great turnout for this event, a fitting tribute to John Sweeney, a man fondly remembered throughout golfing circles and indeed the wider sporting community across Donegal and further afield.

This event was again superbly supported and, fitting of the man being remembered, all prizes were once again kindly donated. Thanks to Enda Kennedy, Marty McDermott, Tommy Gallagher Injury Management, Portsalon Golf Club and, of course, to the Sweeney Family for providing the excellent array of prizes.

Full Results: John Sweeney Memorial – Saturday 15^th June

Winner: Patrick Ronaghan (18) – 68 nett

Runner-up: Enda McElhinney (13) – 69 nett

Gross: Garvan McFadden (7) – 79 gross BOT

Third: Roger Whiteside (19) – 71 nett BOT

Ladies Prize: Aideen Conway – 76 nett

First Nine: Michael Dunn (23) – 33 nett

Second Nine: Gareth McLarnon (13) – 32 nett

CSS: 71 (73 Visitors)

The Convoy 5K has a reputation for producing fast times and last Tuesday’s event didn’t disappoint. Danny Mooney was the first of the Letterkenny Athletic Club contingent, finishing in 3rd place in a time of 15.35.  

First across the line was Finn Valley AC’s Gerard Gallagher in 15.17. In 4th place was Eoin Hughes, with another good sub 16 minute performance of 15.43.

Annmarie McGlynn broke the existing women’s course record when she took the women’s prize in 16.02. Raymond Birch finished in 16.30.

Sean McFadden made a welcome return home to Donegal and recorded a time of 17.40. Niamh Kelly had an excellent run and was the 3rd woman in 18.08. Patrick Brennan had a fine run and came home in 18.08. Barry Mackey’s good form continued and he was the leading M55 runner in 18.41.

Dessie Shiels’ time was 18.56. Darren Beecroft clocked 20.12 and fellow LAC M50 runner, Ciaran O’Donnell,  was just behind him in 20.20.

Stephen Shiels finished in 20.31, Eimear Gormley in 20.49, Pat Brady in 20.50, Gary Kearns in 20.56, Catherine McKinley in 21.22 and  Niamh McDaid in 22.03.

Ivan Toner was the winner of Wednesday evening’s Illistrin National School 5K. Ivan’s time was 16.38 on a course which featured a tough uphill 2KM start.

Darren Price won the M40 category in a time of 18.16. Male Junior, Adam McDaid, was 1st in his category in 19.48.

Paddy McDaid’s time was 20.21.LAC M50s, John Hughes and Frank Pinder, ran 20.39 and 20.44 respectively. Mark McFadden was just behind them on 20.52.

Male Junior,  Charlie Robinson, finished in 22.04. Female Junior, Sarah Robinson, in 24.09 and Male Junior, Jack Robinson, in 24.40.

Nicole McDaid clocked 25.03, Hugh Gallagher 25.33, Jack McDermott 25.39, Frankie Pinder 27.29. , Molly Robinson 29.55, Katie Ryan 30.22, Aoibhinn Maguire 31.01 and Ruby McMonagle 42.15.

Dessie Shiels’ impressive form since his recent return to competitive running reached a high in Friday evening’s Mantis 5K in Killygordon.

Running in his second 5K inside 72 hours, Dessie clocked 17.46 and took 37  seconds off the 5K PB he recently set in Buncrana. That equated to an impressive figure of more than 3% off his existing PB. Dessie was 11th overall and 6th in a highly competitive M40 category.

Noel Lynch’s time was 21.20. Margaret Shiels had a  strong run and won the F50 category in 21.47. Rosses AC athlete, Charlie O’Donnell, won the race in 15.48. Wheelchair athlete, Karol Doherty, recorded an exceptional time of 12.02.

4 LAC runners had good runs when they visited the capital of Inishowen on Saturday.

The leading LAC runner in the long-established Buncrana 10K was 5th placed Philip McHugh, who crossed the line in a highly creditable time of 35.49.

Ciaran O’Donnell was the 3rd M50 runner in 42.53. Gary Price’s time was 46.26 and Adrian Callaghan’s was 48.47.

The race winner was Foyle Valley AC’s Matt McLaughlin in 34.05.

Ciaran Doherty was also in action on Saturday. He had an excellent run in the Ballymote 5K, the 4th event in the 2019 6 race Sligo Road Race League.

Ciaran’s time was an excellent  15.37. He was 4th overall and the winner of a keenly contested M40 category, which also featured 2 of the top Masters in Connacht – Eamonn McAndrew, North Sligo AC (15.41) and Seamus Somers, Sligo AC (15.42). First across the line was Jake O’Regan, St John’s,  in 14.56.

Teenage LAC runner, Conor Farrell, was first across the line in Saturday morning’s Letterkenny parkrun. His time, in his 6th Parkrun outing, was 20.36.

Cathal Roarty had a top 10 finish and was 2nd in the M55 category in 23.40. Just over 12 hours after running in the 5K in Killygordon, Noel Lynch was the 2nd M50 runner in 25.35.

He was followed by fellow M50 LAC runner Paul Lee, in 25.43. Young Ronan Burke finished in 27.34.

It was another busy successful few weeks for the Letterkenny AC Juveniles competing in the NI Ulster Track & Field Championship which was held over two weekend 8th/15th in Mary Peter’s Track in Belfast. 

Club notes: 

During the course of the first weekend, several of our athletes ran the U14-17 1500m race, with some great individual performances starting with young Philip McGee who ran a real gutsy race, just missing out on the gold by seconds but took home a well earned silver medal and qualification for nationals.

Eoghan Farren also ran the 800m and ran with achieving a new PB finishing 8th position.

Our U15 Girls Gillian Reynolds(10th)  and Aimee Bonar (12th ) both out of age, ran well. Chloe Shields put in a good strong performance in the U16’s girls event finishing 5th, just missing out on National Qualification.

Evan Keown ran in the U16 Boys, starting off well, and looking confident and in form for the first three laps, but fell back a little in the last lap finishing in 8th place. Ryan Canning also ran the same race, finished well.

In the U17 boys, Jack Holian got off to a great start, out in front with a competitive pack, running well over the course of 3 laps, but overlapped a few times coming down the home front finishing in 8th place.

Mollie Page ran In the U18 /19 Girls 800m Event. Mollie ran a good first lap, looking strong but found coming. Into the last lap, a little tougher but still managed to finish 4th with qualification for nationals.

David Smith had a busy day competing in both the 800 and 1500m.

David displayed superb running in both races, starting with the 800m where he led for over 600m, but it the battle was on towards the finish for a podium position but David just got tipped on the line by a fraction of a second takings creditable 4th place with qualification for nationals.

A few hours later, David was back in action for the 1500m, in amongst tough competition, he managed to hold his own but was again unfortunate to miss out on medaling finishing 4th.

Moving on to the second weekend of Ulsters, many of the Juveniles made a return trip back to Mary Peters Track competing in Wet and cold conditions.

Excellent performances displayed throughout the day with  LAC ‘Highlight of the Day’ from Ryan Canning In the U17 300 hurdles event. A fairly new event for him, Ryan competing in his usual manner with a smile and a natural came down the finish line in a time of 41.60  to take home Gold Medal and Ulster Champion title.

A superb Result and next stop are Nationals. Ryan also ran in the 800m and finished strong keeping his PB.

U17 Ronan Kelly challenged a new event, trying out the steeplechase and was delighted with his effort taking home a silver medal and national qualification.

Back in action was U14 Philip McGee, adding to his collection of medals from previous week, ran a gutsy race in the 800m winning a bronze medal and also achieving a PB of 2.23.

Elvis Okoh, a talented Track Athlete won the Gold and was crowned Ulster Champion in the U14 Boys Triple Jump, displaying an amazing Jump of 11.05

In the U16 boys, we saw Patrick Mcdaid battle it out for podium position in a very competitive race. Patrick started out strong in leader position holding his own but over the course of the last lap, got overlapped near the finish line to take 3rd position in a time of 2.07 winning a Bronze Medal and qualification for nationals.

Michaela Galvin, a talented all-rounder athlete in both Track & Field events earned herself three individual National Qualification s. First Medal for Michaela was from the triple jump where she performed a jump of 9.80, winning silver.

Michaela won bronze in the Long Jump with an amazing jump of 4.59, and qualified for finals of 100m sprints, finishing in 4th overall. Well Done Michaela.

Fantastic Performances On show from other individuals, Chloe Shields in the 800m, ran very strong in what was a fast race to finish in 7th position.

Both Gillian Reynolds and Aimee Bonar gave a repeat top performance Same as the previous week and both delighted with their finish.

Jack Holian ran in the U17 Boys 800m. Jack ran a very strong race, looking very confident throughout and finished 5th, just missed out on National qualification but delighted with new PB of 2.00.

Another new event for U16 Evan Keown was the 3k. Evan ran in a combined race with the older age. Evan showed real determination and good stride but was unfortunate to get studded but still managed to keep a good position to finish in fine 5th place.

Katie McGee ran for the first time in the U16 Girls 3 k. Katie ran a good race and held her position well-finishing 4th with National qualification.

Emma Price competed in U15 Girls 100m sprint. Emma came 2nd in her heat and qualified for finals find shiny 8th overall. Athan Doherty had a good race in the Boys U15 event, finished 3rd in his heat just missed out on finals.

CORK REFEREE Conor Lane has been appointed to take charge of this weekend’s Ulster final.

Lane will referee the big game between Donegal and Cavan at St Tiernach’s Park in Clones.

Lane refereed the All-Ireland final last year between Dublin and Tyrone and was also in the middle for the 2016 final meeting of Dublin and Mayo.

Lane previously officiated in the 2017 League meeting of Donegal and Cavan.

North West manufacturing industries will face increased demand for supply chain logistics, electrical skills, and professional development skills in the next 12 months, according to a new report. 

Donegal ETB’s Letterkenny Training Centre hosted the Donegal launch of The Skills Needs of the Manufacturing in the North West 2019 on Friday last. The report was coordinated by the North West Regional Skills Forum (NWRSF) in collaboration with Fasttrack to IT (FIT).

The in-depth skills audit with local manufacturing employers was carried out to determine their current and future requirements in relation to recruitment, education and skills, in order to maximize manufacturing employment opportunities in the North West region over the coming years.

Drew Chambers, Fleming and Charles Young, LYIT. Photo Clive Wasson

Twenty six employers, employing 3,137 people in the region, contributed to the report which will be used by local education and training providers to further inform them about new programme development and changes to existing programmes.

The event highlighted some of the findings from the report, which can be found at https://www.regionalskills.ie/regions/northwest/news/the-skills-needs-of-manufacturing-in-the-north-west-2019.pdf and provided an opportunity for employers to learn more about how Donegal ETB and LYIT can support them with training, education, funding, recruitment, research and much more.

Paul Hannigan, President, LYIT and Lorraine Murray, Senior Training Advisor ETB. Photo Clive Wasson

A key requirement articulated in the skills audit was for skills in supply chain logistics in particular inventory planning and inventory management followed by make/buy decision making, cost modelling and metrics/ measures/standards.

The findings also reflected strong demand for manufacturing skills across a range of intermediate level technical areas. These include electrical, control systems, manufacturing, mechanical, workshop and electronic skills.

Manufacturing plays a critical role in the economy as a driver of exports, as an employer, as a source of revenue and as a key driver of growth. The manufacturing sector also has significant spin-off effects to other sectors including services, logistics, mining/quarrying, agriculture and sub supply.

The report also highlights the many services available to manufacturing employers in the region from Donegal ETB, MSL ETB, Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT), IT Sligo and St. Angela’s College, Sligo.

The report was officially launched by LYIT President Paul Hannigan and Donegal ETB Chief Executive, Anne McHugh, who noted that, “This report tells us what employers want – there’s no point is us in the ETB or LYIT providing courses that aren’t going to be relevant and suitable for people to eventually progress onto work. It’s great to have the chance for you, manufacturing employers, to input with ourselves into the kind of training you want us to provide.”

In outlining what the manufacturing sector looks like in Ireland, Dr. Oran Doherty, North West Regional Skills Forum Manager noted that, “Manufacturing in Ireland has undergone significant changes in the last ten years. Employers in our region are increasingly focusing on high-tech manufacturing due to shifting global demand for goods and increasing competition from countries which have competitive advantages due to cheaper labour”.

Anne McHugh, CE Donegal ETB and Paul Hannigan, President LYIT who jointly launched the report on The Skills Needs of the Manufacturing in the North West 2019 at the Donegal ETB’s Letterkenny Training Centre on Friday last with Dennis McFadden, Head of School, Department of Electronic and Mechanical at LYIT, Vinny McGrory, Area Training Manager ETB and Lorraine Murray, Apprenticeships Senior Training Advisor. The report was coordinated by the North West Regional Skills Forum (NWRSF) in collaboration with Fasttrack to IT (FIT). Photo Clive Wasson

Collectively, the findings point to a rich diversity in manufacturing operations within the North West with a different range of operations matching themselves to equally different types of location. Many of the world’s largest multinational MedTech companies have facilities in the North West, some with more than one facility. There are also indigenous Irish MedTech manufacturers and innovators in the North West. In addition, there are a large number of local companies providing specialist support services across Ireland to both multinational corporations and indigenous organisations.

Cróna Gallagher, Donegal ETB’s Director of Further Education and Training (FET) and Dennis McFadden, Head of School, Department of Electronic and Mechanical at LYIT both outlined the range of education, training and research provision both organisations can make available to employers in the county.

Declan Doherty, DEASP, Crona Gallagher, ETB and Anne McDevitt, DEASP. Photo Clive Wasson

The North West Regional Skills Forum is one of nine Regional Skills Fora, which were established by Government as part of its National Skills Strategy to provide an opportunity for employers and the education and training system to work together to meet the emerging skills needs within the region.

The region’s Education and Training Boards (Donegal ETB and Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB) and Higher Education Institutions (Letterkenny Institute of Technology, IT Sligo and St. Angela’s College) along with numerous employers and employer representative bodies are represented on the forum.

Donegal ETB’s Letterkenny Training Centre hosted the Donegal launch of The Skills Needs of the Manufacturing in the North West 2019 on Friday last. The report was coordinated by the North West Regional Skills Forum (NWRSF) in collaboration with Fasttrack to IT (FIT). Pictured are John Andy Bonar, LYIT, Mairead Carlin, ETB, Terry McNamara, IBEC and Vinny McGrory, ETB. Photo Clive Wasson

Donegal ETB’s Letterkenny Training Centre hosted the Donegal launch of The Skills Needs of the Manufacturing in the North West 2019 on Friday last. The report was coordinated by the North West Regional Skills Forum (NWRSF) in collaboration with Fasttrack to IT (FIT). Pictured at the launch are Dearbhla Kelly, Brenda Donnagher and Anne McHug, Chief Executive Donegal ETB. Photo Clive Wasson

Dr. Oran Doherty, North West Regional Skills Forum Manager speaking at the Donegal launch of The Skills Needs of the Manufacturing in the North West 2019 on Friday last in the Donegal ETB Training Centre in Letterkenny. The report was coordinated by the North West Regional Skills Forum (NWRSF) in collaboration with Fasttrack to IT (FIT). Photo Clive Wasson

One person has been hospitalised following a crash in Mountcharles on Sunday evening.

The quad accident happened at 7pm on a local road at Mullanboys near Mountcharles.

A man in his 40s sustained serious head injuries before being transferred to Letterkenny Hospital by emergency services.

Gardai said they are treating the incident as a single vehicle collision while the area has been preserved for further examination.

Met Éireann’s forecast for Donegal this week isn’t promising much sun as there is still a lot of rain and heavy showers to come our way.

Temperatures will be quite high ranging from 10 degrees to 19 degrees throughout the week.

There will be scattered showers followed by sunny spells mainly each day with the overall outlook of being quite mild.

Make sure to put on a coat and take an umbrella with you when leaving the house as you aren’t guaranteed dry weather for long.

A man involved in an accident on a quad bike has died in hospital.

The man, who was in his 40s, was involved in an accident near Mountcharles last night around 7pm.

The man came off the quad and sustained serious head injuries.

No other vehicles were involved in the incident.

He was rushed to Letterkenny University Hospital where he was being treated.

He was transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin but sadly passed away earlier as a result of his injuries.

A full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash is being carried out.

The man’s identity has not been released until all family members have been made aware of his death.

The Ulster-Scots Agency hosted its annual graduation for young pipers, drummers and drum majors at Stormont in Belfast on Thursday night last. 

The event was attended by pupils from Raphoe and 38 different tuition classes as they received their Foundation Certificates, which are accredited by the Ulster-Scots Agency and Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association NI.

Welcoming the event to Parliament Buildings, Michelle McIlveen MLA, commented: “I hosted the first of these events back in 2012 and I have always been greatly encouraged by the sustained growth in the number of participants.

“The pipes and drums have a long history in Northern Ireland and the numerous competitions which take place across the country have a strong and loyal following.

“There is a buzz and palpable excitement in a town or locality where a contest is taking place as well as an important increase in footfall in the commercial centres of those areas. This all points to a vibrant and flourishing part of our cultural tradition.”

The first such graduation event in 2012 saw 28 participants receiving certificates in the Long Gallery at Stormont; this year, the Great Hall had to be used for two separate events on the same night, as 239 pupils had completed a Foundation Certificate.

The audience for the event included many proud parents and grandparents, as well as teachers, representatives of the Ulster-Scots Agency and senior members of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association from Northern Ireland and Scotland.

The gathering was also addressed by the Ulster-Scots Agency’s Chief Executive, Ian Crozier, who said: “Here in Ulster we have a reputation as world beaters when it comes to pipe bands.

“We want to ensure that reputation continues long into the future; and with the huge number of young people and level of achievement represented here tonight, we can be sure that the legacy of excellence which has been built over decades will be in safe hands with the next generation of Ulster-Scots musicians.”

An impressive second-half performance saw Bundoran leave Falcarragh with the precious two Division One points.

Having led by two at half-time, Cloughaneely were outscored by 1-04 to 0-01 in the opening fifteen minutes of the second half and never really recovered, scoring only three second-half points and also allowing their frustration to boil over as they finished the game with thirteen players.

Speaking to Charlie Collins after the contest, Bundoran manager Niall Dunne told Donegal Daily/Donegal Sport Hub his side knew before the game the magnitude of the tie.

Listen to the full interview below…

Two local heroes will have their well-deserved moment in the spotlight this week when the Garda Youth Awards are televised on RTE.

Ruby Hurst (20) and Odhrán O’Neill (19) from Ballyshannon were awarded for saving the life of their classmate last year.

The former Coláiste Cholmcille students acted quickly to perform CPR on their classmate and, thanks to their immediate efforts on that fateful day, the young person was given a chance to live.

Ruby and Odhrán were both honoured with the Community Safety Award from An Garda Siochana and the Des Kenny Award from Irish Water Safety.

The inaugural Garda Youth Awards took place on the 27th of April. They will now be televised on a Today Show Special on RTE One, this Tuesday 18th June at 7pm.

Chief Collette Quinn with Award Winners Ruby Hurst and Odhran O Neill at the inaugural Garda National Youth Awards

The awards saw 22 prizes presented to over 100 young people aged 13 – 21 in recognition of their contribution to making their communities better places to live.

Odhrán and Ruby were nominated by Principal Jimmy Keogh of Coláiste Cholmcille and highly praised for their decision to sign on for the life-saving CPR course.

AMBER BARRETT is moving to Bundesliga side FC Köln on a two-year deal, the Milford woman has confirmed.

Barrett is making the switch from Women’s National League table-toppers Peamount United and will join her new club next month.

Barrett is the WNL’s top scorer and is a regular international with the Republic of Ireland senior team.

There were a number of offers on the table, but Barrett has plumped for FC Köln and will become a professional player, signing a two-year contract.

“Going pro is ideal and recently I’ve gotten in touch with Cologne FC who are going to take me on a two-year contract,” Barrett said on Sports Joe’s PlayXPlay programme.

“I’ve always believed in education and getting the best out of college that you can. The boys are scouted much younger and some of them end up coming back and it’s a lot more difficult than people think. Some people get very homesick.

“The schedule I got from Cologne, it’s the equivalent to three weeks training with Peamount in a week.”

Listen to the full episode below …

An appeal has been made to find a much-loved pet cat who is missing from the Meadow Hill area of Letterkenny. 

Diddles went missing in Letterkenny over a week ago while the pets owners were on holiday and a neighbour was feeding him.

He hasn’t been seen since.

He is neutered and is friendly.

The owner is very anxious for him to return home safely.

Please ring contact Karen Kirwan on Facebook if you have seen him or have any further information.

The Community for Clean Estuary group and Donegal politicians have held meetings with Irish Water this week to highlight concerns with the Moville Sewerage Scheme.

Concerns were raised on the project which seeks to end current pollution with a new wastewater treatment plant and collection system.

At present Moville has no municipal wastewater treatment facilities and the discharge of untreated wastewater into the Bredagh River has seen it classified as being ‘Seriously Polluted’ by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The equivalent of approximately 2,800 wheelie bins of untreated wastewater are currently being discharged into Lough Foyle and the Bredagh River every day, according to Irish Water. The water authority plans to build a wastewater treatment plant in Moville to ensure that untreated wastewater is no longer discharged in the river and lough.

In meetings with Irish Water on Monday, representatives from Community for Clean Estuary and local council raised concerns over elements such as the location of the outfall pipe.

“Irish Water representatives were able to dispel the myth that discharges from the new treatment plant would pollute the coastline and destroy the beaches. In fact, the opposite is true. The new treatment plant will dramatically improve the water quality along the coastline ensuring the beaches are protected from wastewater pollution,” an Irish Water spokesperson said.

“Storm water will not be discharged from the proposed Carnagarve site to Lough Foyle. All storm water management will take place at the proposed River Row pumping station site.”

Elected officials also expressed their disappointment at Greencastle not being included in the current scope of the project. Irish Water advised that Moville is currently one of the highest priority schemes for Irish Water due to the ongoing discharge of untreated wastewater from the public sewerage system. The current design will enable the connection of Greencastle at a future date.

Speaking following yesterday’s meetings, Colm Claffey, Irish Water said: “Today’s (Monday’s) meetings provided us with a great opportunity to hear and discuss in an open environment the concerns of the Community for Clean Estuary group. We were delighted to be able to clarify some misinformation that had been circulating and to impress on them and the elected officials at a later meeting the absolute need for this essential infrastructure to end the unacceptable discharge of untreated effluent on the beaches in Moville and dramatically improve the quality of bathing water.”

FORMER DONEGAL midfielder Neil Gallagher says Joe Brolly was on the money when he called Michael Murphy ‘the most influential Ulster footballer of his generation’.

Before Donegal’s Ulster SFC semi-final, Brolly was engaged in a debate with fellow RTÉ panellist Colm O’Rourke about Murphy’s influence.

At one stage in the brief discussion, O’Rourke likened Brolly to Nigel Farrage or Boris Johnson on drugs when he’d keep saying things like that.’

“He has drifted out to midfield and ended up giving and taking short bandpasses,” O’Rourke said. “…Greatness must be dictated by impact on very big championship games in Croke Park.”

O’Rourke reeled a list of games in which he felt Murphy hadn’t played well, but Brolly added: “You’ve a bee in your bonnet about Murphy and you can never give him credit.”

Joe Brolly and Colm O’Rourke

Gallagher says he was in disbelief when he watched the clip on social media that night.

“I don’t know where Colm O’Rourke was coming from because, sharing a changing room with him, I’ve never seen a better player playing the game,” Gallagher told Donegal Daily/Donegal Sport Hub.

“I couldn’t understand it. The influence that he has on the team…if Colm O’Rourke came to one training session and saw the way he trains and plays, the way he dedicates himself to the team and to the whole thing, he would have a different opinion.

“He has been captain for nine years now. Most other players would go and focus on their own thing, but he’s taking the leadership and captaincy role. He thrives on it. He’s not undervalued by anyone who knows footballers and who knows great Gaelic footballers.”

Michael Murphy, Neil Gallagher and Ryan Bradley celebrate after the 2012 All-Ireland final

Murphy has played 142 times for Donegal and has been county captain since being appointed by Jim McGuinness in 2011.

The Glenswilly man is Donegal’s top scorer of all time having posted 29 goals and 519 points (606 points).

Murphy turned in big displays of graft and was at the controls for both of Donegal’s Championship wins – against Fermanagh and Tyrone – so far this year.

“He has influence on the whole game and the whole team,” Glenswilly team-mate Gallagher said.

“Murphy just controlled things from around the middle. He had an exceptional game. With Jamie (Brennan) and Patrick (McBrearty) going so well inside, maybe himself he doesn’t maybe think he has to take on as much of a scoring threat. The work-rate he goes through…everything he touched in the last two games was just brilliant.

“Tyrone would put a big focus on Murphy, but he’d just think: ‘Right, I’ll hang back here and let Eoghan Ban take a run and the space will open up’.

“Listen, against Fermanagh when he wanted to step on the gas, he did it.

“Something you have to look as well at is that he is so tightly marked. They’re marking him so much and giving him dog’s abuse. Sometimes because he’s such a big, strong man, you feel he doesn’t get as many frees.

“Those young boys and even the older boys like Frank McGlynn and Neil McGee, they take their cue from Michael.”

Gallagher, a two-time All-Star winner, says Donegal’s four-point win over Tyrone in Cavan was ‘right up there’ in comparison to the county’s best wins of recent years.

He said: “It was a great performance.

“The fitness levels are a credit to the boys doing the fitness work with them. In a tight game, when you’re a couple of points up, it’s maybe easier to be fitter.

“It’s right up there, the fact coming into it once the league finishes, you don’t pay much attention to it, but Tyrone were still playing in Division One and had more competitive games. Donegal had a good finish to the League, but you still didn’t really know there they were at.

“Tyrone were definitely favourites. For the boys to put in a performance like that was definitely right up there. The pace they had, their decision making, even after losing Jason McGee, shows that the backup in the squad.

Gallagher won Ulster finals in 2011, 2012 and 2014, as well as the 2012 All-Ireland, with Donegal.

The captain in 2007 when Donegal won the Division One League crown, Gallagher still looks back with regret at the missed titles – and says there’s no chance of the class of now resting on any laurels after putting Tyrone to the sword.

He said: “From our point of view, we should have had more. 2015 and 2016 were ones that got away from us. It’s a much changed team, but you still have good experience there.

“Even with beating Tyrone…You still haven’t won anything. A lot of ones mentioned to us about the All-Ireland final in 2014, but I don’t think about it because we lost it. Michael, Declan (Bonner) and those boys will be just focussed on winning the final.”

The man killed when his quad crashed outside Mountcharles on Sunday evening has been named.

He was Patrick McGinty, a 42-year-old single man from the local area.

Mr McGinty was thrown from his quad and suffered serious head injuries around 7pm on Sunday evening.

He was rushed to Letterkenny University Hospital and then transferred to Beaumont Hospital but died in the early hours of Monday morning.

Mr McGinty was well-known and liked in the local area where he was remembered as friendly, quiet and a huge Liverpool FC fan.

Tributes have been flowing in on social media for the late Mr McGinty.

A full investigation into the cause of the crash is being carried out by Gardai.

Thousands of homes in the Newtowncunningham and surrounding areas are without power this morning.

The fault has left an estimated 3,000 homes and businesses without supply overnight.

The ESB say they are aware of the situation and that a crew is working to restore the power in the area.

It is expected to return later this morning.

The North West 10k committee is delighted to announce that €51,020 was the overall figure raised from this year’s Charity Race and Walk which took place on the May Bank Holiday Weekend.

The figure was revealed by 10k Chairperson Neil Martin at a cheque presentation function on Monday night in the Mount Errigal Hotel.

It means that the three charities, Little Angels Association, Donegal Cancer Flights and Services and Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus Ireland each received €17,000.

It was the 23rd North West 10k Run and Walk and the overall total raised since the event started in 1997 is now just over €827,000 which has benefitted over 30 charity organisations.

The North West 10k would also like to thank the five sponsors of this year’s event, DonegalDaily.com, Brian McCormick Intersports, Century Cinemas, the Mount Errigal Hotel and the Value Centre.

The third meeting of the Northwest season went ahead on Sunday last and it was Dylan Browne McMonagle who again had another good day in the saddle as he racked up a four timer on an overcast afternoon.

Unhinged took the opener 143cm for Dylan in good style and he soon doubled up as Five Stone Of Lead kept up her fine record of wins by scoring in effortless fashion in the 148cm pony race.

The treble was landed as Let It Go bounced back to winning ways in the twelve furlongs open and Dylan finished the day off in a thriller as Who Knows got home by half a length to give the Letterkenny rider a four-timer.

Galway rider Danny Gilligan got off the mark in the 153cm when Mr Balboa stayed on best in the closing stages to win.

He quickly doubled up in the the two mile open as Hes Got It got on the scoresheet for the season and Danny’s treble was completed when Mrs Mac dug deep to fend off Call The Cops in division two of the open mile.

Antrim rider Sam Ewing also got on the board as he guided Louis Vuitton home to see off all challengers in the first divide of the mile open.

Bipolar Blondie got a cracking ride from Co Meath jockey Ben Mulligan to make his journey home all the sweeter.

The local race had all the fun of the fair when first time rider Will Ewing had a handy lead aboard Made Of Candy but was unshipped two furlongs out and then the much improved jockey Kian McNally on The Sinful Man was left with a clear lead, but plenty will feel that the latter was coming home strongly from a good bit back and might have got there in the nick of time anyway.