North West Regional College’s (NWRC) Business Support Centre (BSC) has announced a new cross border collaboration project with leading manufacturing company Inishowen Engineering.

The 1.5 year project funded by InterTradeIreland is aiming to develop a surface preparation and coating facility for installation in the company’s new factory on the outskirts of Buncrana.

The process will need to be capable of handling varying sizes of components and assemblies as well as accommodating varying surface finishes.

Dr Fergal Tuffy, Technology Innovation Manager at the NWRC’s BSC explained: “The InterTradeIreland funded Fusion programme encourages cross-border collaboration where a company on one side of the border partners with an academic institution on the other to bridge a gap in knowledge and support the company with bringing new process development ideas to fruition.

‘’The college has expertise in setting up a powder coating and curing system within a manufacturing environment both in terms of process and in machinery and equipment choice and through Fusion a graduate is recruited to make the company’s vision a reality with support of the academic partner.

‘’NWRC can also provide access to staff with expertise in areas such as new product development, 3D CAD, FEA analysis and design for manufacture and assembly and have experience in supporting industry in these areas.

“This will be of benefit to the company and will fit in with their current approach of building in quality throughout their manufacturing coating processes.

‘’Furthermore the College has facilities specific to the engineering industry, with a £500k Product Design Centre at its Greystone Campus in Limavady, including 3D CAD suites, 3D printing, rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing technologies that will give the company an additional boost during the project as required.’’

Peter McGonagle, Quality Manager at Inishowen Engineering added: ‘’We have identified an opportunity to grow our business by providing our customers with the option of having their components and assemblies coated and painted in-house to their specification thus speeding up final assembly.

‘’We’re excited to be partnering with NWRC and InterTradeIreland on this project and we look forward to working together to provide our customers with the best possible service.’’

Vandals have destroyed granite sits which were put in place to allow elderly residents to enjoy views of some of Donegal’s most iconic islands.

The granite seats had been placed along Machaire Gathlan in Gaoth Dobhair after a voluntary project was set up by locals.

The idea was to place the beautiful benches along the beach top walks so people could take a rest along the way.

The idea first came to light when pensioner Paddy Theague, now deceased, approached local county councillor Micheal Mac Giolla Easbuig about getting a resting place for elderly walkers.

Local man Ciaran Gillespie agreed to fund the €450 cost of the first seat and voluntary workers kindly installed the seat.

The first seat was dedicated to locals Grannie Bhain Nic Giolla Bhride and Tom aBhungalow.

Each seat has been inscribed with a verse in honour of the various islands.

Another of the vandalised seats.

To date, four seats have been erected with plans for another five seats along the coastline in 2020.

However, locals have been left devastated after vandals completely destroyed the seats by pulling them apart and smashing them up.

Councillor Mac Giolla Easbuig said he is just so disappointed and annoyed by the attacks.

“I can’t say how disappointed I am. These seats were a lovely idea and thankfully, through the kindness and goodness of local people, we were able to put them in place.

“They were used so much by people, many elderly, who simply needed a rest while out walking and taking in the spectacular views of our islands.

“Now this has happened for no apparent reason and it is just so disappointing,” he said.

He hopes that local clubs and businesses may contribute in any way towards repairing and replacing the seats so they can be enjoyed once again by locals.

Aware is organising a number of new positive mental health programmes in Donegal.

A six-week Life Skills Programme open to anyone wishing to learn new ways to tackle life’s challenges gets underway in the Finn Valley centre in Ballybofey on Tuesday February 4 and in Ionad Naomh Pádraig in Gweedore on Wednesday February 5, both taking place at 7.30pm.

The Life Skills programme is designed to give people insights into how we think and how this can influence our actions in both helpful and unhelpful ways.

Based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, each session is guided by a trained facilitator to help people better manage the stresses of everyday life, learning to spot unhelpful thoughts and discovering new and healthier ways of thinking.

Confidentiality is the bedrock of the programme and nobody is asked to share personal information or experiences.

Evaluations show participants experience reduced levels of anxiety and improved mood on completion of the programme.

A four-week Relatives & Friends Programme, for those supporting a loved one experiencing depression or bipolar disorder, gets underway at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Letterkenny on Wednesday February 5 at 7.30pm.

The Relatives & Friends Programme is about providing participants with the emotional and practical skills they need themselves while supporting a loved one who is experiencing depression or bipolar disorder.

The programme offers coping tools to help people deal with their circumstances as well as helping to improve communication skills in their relationships.

It also offers advice on self-care and every person goes away with their own personal action plan to better address challenges at home, which benefits both themselves and their loved one.

People attending this programme really gain from meeting others in similar circumstances to themselves and in sharing that sense of mutual understanding and support.

A suspect is in custody in Derry after bolting across the border with Donegal last night to prevent arrest by pursuing Garda officers.

Police say the driver is being questioned by officers at Strand Road police station for a number of motoring offences.

A PSNI spokesman said “Members of Foyleside NPT, Moor NPT, Ballyarnett NPT and City Centre NPT have been out and about on Friday evening carrying out anti-crime patrols.

“During the evening we have assisted our colleagues in An Garda Síochána with a vehicle which had failed to stop.

“The vehicle was subsequently located and seized by officers from Moor NPT.

“One person was arrested for motoring offences and enquiries are ongoing.

“We also carried out beat patrols of the city centre and anti-social behaviour patrols in the Galliagh and Ballymagroarty areas.”

Gardai have named the three children found dead in a house in Dublin last night.

At approximately 7.45pm Friday 24 January, 2020 Gardaí responded to a call at Parson’s Court, Newcastle, Co. Dublin.

Ambulance personnel and responding Gardaí discovered the bodies of three children in the house, brothers & sister Conor (aged 9), Darragh (7) and Carla (3) McGinley.

A female relative, aged in her 40’s, was found at the scene and is currently receiving medical attention in Tallaght University Hospital.

The woman is understood to be the children’s mother.

The scene is currently being examined by members of the Garda Technical Bureau. Assistant State Pathologist Margot Bolster has attended the scene.

The bodies of the three children have been removed to the City Morgue, where a post-mortem examination will take place later today (25/1/2020).

The results of the post mortem will determine the cause of death of the 3 children.

A family liaison officer has been appointed and is in contact with the father and the extended family.

If you were to ask 100 people how they felt whilst on a diet, there would be a few answers that would stand out.

Things like;

• Restriction
• Alienation
• Fear
• Loss of control
• These might not seem familiar to you, but when they are put in context, they might seem more familiar.
• They feel restricted because they are on the diet.
  They feel alienated from their friends and family because they can’t eat along with them.
  They fear that they will fail and how this will make them look to others and that they will lose control and break out from their diet.

Loss of control is probably one of the biggest fears that dieters have. 

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Researchers from the Journal Of Consumer Sciences, took a group of 30 women and divided them into one of 3 groups of 10. 

The first group (the control group) was instructed to ‘just say no’ whenever a temptation to stray arose.

The second group was instructed to respond with “I can’t” whenever a temptation to stray arose.

The third group was instructed to respond with “I don’t”, whenever a temptation to stray arose.

How this worked is as follows.

If the groups were asked a question, for example, “would you like some cake?”
Group 1 had to respond with “no”.
Group 2 had to respond with “I can’t eat cake”.
Group 3 had to respond with “I don’t eat cake”

After 30 days, they gathered their findings and the results were pretty clear cut.
Group 1 had 3 members stay on track.
Group 2 had 1 member stay on track
Group 3 had 8 members stay on track

Why was there such a big difference between the “I Don’t” group and the others?
It all comes down to control.

When you use the word no, you are giving an answer to a question, but you are also leaving yourself open to a question as a response.

Would you like some cake?
No!
Why Not?
You then have to explain as to why you don’t want any cake and the next response is usually “I can’t because I am on a diet”
This then allows the other person to start and question as to why you are on the diet and then try and persuade you to have some cake because “you deserve it”. 

I’d say most of you know this scenario quite well.

If, however, you use “I don’t” in the conversation, it becomes a completely different scenario.

“Would you like some cake?”
“I don’t eat cake”.

There is very little chance of a response to this because you have taken control of the situation and the conversation.
Even if they did question your response, you can finish the conversation with a similar response.

“Would you like some cake?”
“I don’t eat cake”.
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t!”

This leaves the other person in no doubt that you do not want any and not to be asked again.

This not only is great for situations like these, but it is also great for self-motivation and reaffirming to yourself that you are in charge of your own life.

“I don’t stray from my diet”
“I don’t miss workouts”
“I don’t drink alcohol during the week”
“I don’t need to reward myself with food”

If you usually use “I can’t” in these situations, you might see why dieting and exercise is so hard for you.

“I can’t because I’m on a diet”
“I can’t work out because I don’t have time”
“I can’t miss another night out with my friends this week”
“I can’t leave this to go to waste, sure I’ve been so good this week”

As you can see, changing the language from “I don’t” to “I can’t”, can change the situation completely.
With the “I can’t” conversation, you are telling yourself that you are not in control of the situation and that external factors can sway you from your goal. 
Whereas with the “I don’t” conversation, you are telling yourself that you are in control and that nothing will steer you off course.

This might seem simple, but it is extremely powerful. You are taking back control of your life and any situation that you might find yourself in, be it diet, exercise or anything else that you might want to achieve.

From now on say it loud and say it often;
“I Don’t”
#lean2.0

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Families will get a unique chance to tour an Irish Navy vessel when it arrives in Rathmullan this Sunday (26th January).

The L.É. NIAMH P 52 will berth at Rathmullan pier on Sunday afternoon for free guided tours from 1pm to 5pm.

This is a special chance to meet the ship’s crew and learn about the working vessel.

LÉ Niamh is an offshore patrol vessel of the Naval Service, the second Róisín class ship. She is 78.8m in length and designed for optimal patrol performance in Irish waters (which are among the roughest in the world), year round.

An appeal has been launched to find the owner of a dog found in Letterkenny today.

The dog was found on Main Street this Saturday (25th Jan).

If it is your pet or if you have any helpful information please contact Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coycolour or email berec@me.com

It’s time to add an extra blanket and make sure you have oil in your heating tank as Met Eireann forecast a real drop in temperatures from tomorrow night (Sun).

And the national forecaster says there is a real chance of sleet and snow for Donegal.

The following is the national outlook for the coming days from Met Eireann.

Overview: Turning cold and unsettled

Cold on Sunday night with showers or longer spells of rain, sleet or snow. The snow mainly on high ground. Minimum temperatures of -1 to +2 degrees in fresh and gusty southwest winds.

Monday: A cold and blustery day on Monday with sunny spells and showers, some of sleet or snow. The showers will be heaviest and most frequent in the west in fresh and gusty southwest winds. Maximum afternoon temperatures ranging from 3 to 7 degrees, coldest across Ulster. There will be clear spells and blustery wintry showers on Monday night with minimum temperatures of -2 to +2 degrees and a fairly widespread frost in areas sheltered from the fresh westerly breeze.

Tuesday: It looks set to be cold and windy on Tuesday with some bright spells but also widespread showers. The showers will bring a mix of rain, hail and sleet with some snow on high ground. There will be a strong and gusty westerly wind with highest temperatures ranging just 3 to 6 degrees. Clear spells and scattered showers overnight but with the showers becoming increasingly isolated. Possibly an early frost with lows of 1 to 4 degrees but turning less cold later.

Raphoe ladies produced a fine performance at the Royal & Prior Grounds this afternoon to earn a share of the spoils against the third-placed Ulster Elks, writes Charlie Collins 

Raphoe Ladies 2-2 Ulster Elks

Gemma Ferguson in the visitors’ goal had to be on her toes to keep the scoreline level by the end of the first quarter, with her side also enjoying plentiful opportunities from short-corners that came to nothing.

On 22 minutes the home side went in front with a fine goal from Katy Love, who applied the finish to a great move that involved Lisa Patterson and Leeanne Patterson. However, it was 1-1 at the end of the second quarter as, on 30 minutes, Jenna McCurley had rounded off a fast-moving attack.

On 40 minutes, the Elks, who showed their capabilities throughout, went in front when Chloe Mitchell was on hand to tuck home from close range after a rebound had come her way off the post.

But it took only two minutes for Raphoe to get back on terms at 2-2, when, from a short-corner, Leeanne Patterson’s shot was deflected past Ferguson by Wendy Patterson.

The final quarter failed to produce a winner, although Ferguson in the Elks goal saved brilliantly 12 minutes from time from Leanne Patterson.

Raphoe Ladies Squad: Heather Humphrey, Lisa Patterson, Wendy Patterson, Lyndsey Tinney, Victoria Wray , Arlyne Kilpatrick , Sarah McElrean , Sabrina Barrett , Zara Tinney , Sophie Wallace , Leanne Patterson, Katy Love, Shannon Porter, Janice Nelson, Lisa Smith, Julie Wilson, Michaela Van Da Walt.

Raphoe earned a much-needed home win this afternoon against Queen’s at the Royal & Prior, writes Charlie Collins.

Raphoe 2-1 Queen’s

And it was a come from behind success as well, with the away team taking the initiative in the 14^thminute with a goal from Philip Campbell – the goal coming against the run of play.

Raphoe had plenty of the ball, but it took until the 34^thminute for them to get level. The goal came from Johnny Long with a fine flick home when Keith Meehan had set up the chance.

A minute later Raphoe came within a whisker of going ahead for the first time, only for Tommy Orr to marginally miss out on getting the all-important touch to a Gavin Lecky centre.

The third quarter failed to find another goal, with Raphoe pressing and Queen’s soaking it all up and then proving to be a danger when they broke.

However, on the hour-mark, Orr picked up possession and fired a winner home to ensure Raphoe got the victory.

Raphoe Men’s Squad: Davy Moore , Tom Eaton , Evan Lyttle , Alan Meehan, Simon Goudie ,  John Long , Lee Stewart , Ian Mc Gonigle, James Wilson, George Patterson, Tommy Orr , Gavin Lecky , Keith Meehan.

There’s no business like show business, and the Letterkenny Panto cast and crew are enjoying a record-breaking week in the Aura.

The panto recorded its biggest ever crowd on Friday night – with 1,000 tickets sold on one night.

“1000 ticket sales for one show is a first for any Letterkenny amateur dramatic group and we are over the moon!,” said committee PRO Martina Garry.

The new venue at the Aura Leisure Centre has been packed each night with crowds travelling from across Donegal to enjoy the entertaining Cinderella show.

Martina added: “Aura have previously sold out professional shows like Riverdance and Daniel O’Donnell but with an amateur cast we are superbly proud!

“Kilmacrennan NS & Bonagee Utd were helping to drive the sales last night as our host clubs and the atmosphere was electric!”

You can still catch the show tonight at 8pm and on Sunday at 4.30pm (limited tickets remaining for the matinee).

The panto crew has many reasons to celebrate this week as they mark the 70th anniversary of the Letterkenny pantomime. The very first show was also Cinderella, back in 1950 at the Devlin Hall.

The Ugly Sisters with Prince Charming

This year’s panto features Kerrykeel teacher Anna Jane Kingston as the leading lady Cinderella, while Gortahork’s Conor Mangan is the dashing Prince Charming.

Other cast members include Daithi Doherty, Tina Garry, Martina McClafferty, James Patton, Adele Evans and Garry Coll – backed up by a 60-strong chorus. Up to 100 future stars make up the children’s chorus.

Collie O’Donnell and Andy McGranaghan provide the laughs as the Ugly Stepsisters – as you’ve never seen them before!

Saturday night’s show is hosted by Scoil Cholmcille and tickets are available from host group members or at the Aura Leisure Centre.

For more, visit the Letterkenny Pantomime Facebook page.

Emergency services attended the scene of a crash in Letterkenny this Saturday evening.

The two-car collision took place on the Pearse Road.

Major traffic delays occurred in the area as the fire brigade and Gardaí attended the scene.

Both vehicles were removed at 6.10pm and traffic is now flowing as normal.

It is not yet known if any injuries occurred in the collision, however both cars were badly damaged.

There was a bumper entry in the Streets of Ballyshannon 5k this afternoon with Ryan Owen and Theresa Doherty winning the respective men’s and ladies events, writes Alan Foley.

Owen, from North Leitrim, came in first in the men’s in a time of 16:57 and Doherty was second overall and the leading lady finisher in the colours in Finn Vally AC. Her time was 16:58

The father of the three children found dead in a Dublin house last night is originally from Co Donegal.

Andrew McGinley, whose three children were found dead at the family home in Newcastle, is originally from outside Donegal Town.

He attended Annbey Vocational School but it is understood moved to Dublin many years ago.

He still has close links to the area and the family regularly spent time in Donegal.

It is also understood he has family links to Mountcharles.

Mr McGinley is being comforted by family and friends following the tragedy last night.

Gardai have named the three children found dead in a house in Dublin last night.

At approximately 7.45pm last night, Gardaí responded to a call at Parson’s Court, Newcastle, Co. Dublin.

Ambulance personnel and responding Gardaí discovered the bodies of three children in the house, brothers & sister Conor (aged 9), Darragh (7) and Carla (3) McGinley.

A female relative, aged in her 40’s, was found at the scene and is currently receiving medical attention in Tallaght University Hospital.

The woman is understood to be the children’s mother.

The scene is currently being examined by members of the Garda Technical Bureau. Assistant State Pathologist Margot Bolster has attended the scene.

Letterkenny Institute of Technology has introduced a new Bachelor of Science Honours in Digital Healthcare. 

Digital technology is dramatically influencing the global healthcare industry today and it will continue to do so for decades to come. In the UK, 65% of interactions with healthcare facilities will occur by mobile devices. Four out of five doctors use smartphones and medical apps and almost three quarters regularly access drug information via smartphones.

Wearable devices and apps that monitor exercise and sleep patterns for example are becoming increasingly common. The data gathered provides medical professionals with early warnings and often life saving information. 

Given the complexity and budgetary constraints of the modern healthcare sector, there is a clear need to provide modern knowledge-driven infrastructure to support the healthcare sector. Letterkenny Institute of Technology introduced the New Bachelor of Science Honours in Digital Healthcare. 

This innovative new programme is a multidisciplinary degree which has been developed by the Departments of Computing and Nursing and Healthcare with input from the Departments of Law and Humanities and Business Studies. This programme will provide students with the opportunity to develop their understanding of the field of ICT and its application to improving healthcare.

Computing at LYIT

Students on the course will learn about computer systems, healthcare models, healthcare regulation and compliance, ethics, law, economic models, artificial intelligence, data analytics, physiology, programming, app development and healthcare systems design. 

Digital Healthcare is important as it allows for better communications among healthcare professionals. It provides better communications with the patient and better patient access to information which facilitates patient centred care. It improves security and privacy when implemented correctly. It increases efficiency. 

Computing at LYIT

Thomas Dowling, Head of Department of Computing is delighted with the new course offering – “this programme provides students with the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and excel in this fast-changing dynamic profession. Graduates from this new course will have plentiful career opportunities to choose from including Digital Healthcare IT Specialist, Data Scientists, Medical Data Architects, Healthcare Informatics, Project Management and Cyber Security to name but a few”.

Applications are now open for this programme on the CAO website. The course code is LY728. For further information contact Thomas Dowling, Head of Department of Computing – Thomas.Dowling@lyit.ie or visit: https://www.lyit.ie/CourseDetails/D202/LY_KDHLC_B/DigitalHealthcare

James Durcan came off the bench with four minutes to play in Ballybofey and fired 1-3 to salvage a draw for Mayo from the fire against Donegal.

Donegal 0-19 Mayo   2-13

Donegal were looking good for a home win, leading 0-19 to 1-13 in the eighth of the ‘minimum of six minutes’ injury time that had been signaled. Then, Durcan, who had popped over two frees and a point, smashed an unstoppable shot into to top corner with the penultimate kick of the game, clipping the hand of Michael Murphy  on the way.

Until then, it looked as though Murphy would taken Donegal to victory.

After Letterkenny IT’s harrowing loss in the semi-final of the Sigerson Cup on Wednesday night, their manager Murphy was asked would be wearing the Donegal colours on with Mayo coming to Ballybofey in the Allianz League opener.

In recent times, Murphy was laterally introduced into the Donegal line-up, like last year when he first appeared in March when Armagh came to Ballybofey on a night when the uprights wobbled in the wind.

“Ah we’ll see,” Murphy said in Inniskeen. “ … if I’m picked.”

New faces. Mayo started with four of them, whilst Donegal, fresher from their Dr McKenna Cup withdrawal but stretched from injuries nonetheless, welcoming back Eoghan Ban Gallagher from his nasty summer ankle injury and Conor O’Donnell making his league bow.

But Murphy was the constant, scoring eight placed balls when one appeared more tricky than the one immediately beforehand to keep the Donegal support in the 8,729 crowd delighted and the huge Mayo support who made the journey up wishing Mick Murphy, Michael’s father, hadn’t of bothered all them years ago.

Murphy scored a monster free into the wind on 11 minutes to put Donegal 0-3 to 0-2 up, adding to an earlier score of his own from a placed ball after Jamie Brennan’s opener. Fergal Boland and Brian Reade had scored for Mayo.

Paul Brennan rounded off a flowing move with a point when going for goal was an option but as Donegal fluffed chances into the wind in the second quarter and four short into David Clarke’s breadbasket, three wide and an Eoin McHugh effort coming down off the upright, Mayo’s James Carr scored a rather unusual but opportunistic and fantastically executed goal.

Patrick Durcan’s skied pass took a while to drop but seeing he was the only person towards the River End at MacCumhaill Park alive to the situation, he opted not to mark and from left-of-centre lobbed Shaun Patton in the Donegal goal.

That made for a 1-3 to 0-4 Mayo lead and while James Horan’s side remained dangerous in attack, like when Diarmuid O’Connor slapped wide, they didn’t have enough of the ball with Donegal finding their range late in the half.

Donegal scored the last five points in succession, with Ciaran Thompson posting two of those from frees, to establish an 0-9 to 1-4 interval advantage, with the source of their chance creation being impressive turning over.

Horan threw Aidan O’Shea and Tommy Carr on at the break, having introduced Kevin McLoughlin for the hobbler-offer Carr right before it. Murphy scored another boomer, this time from in front of the stand before Thompson nipped possession and Peadar Mogan cut inside only to see David Clarke save on 40 minutes.

Donegal were ticking but Mayo kept clinging with O’Connor and McLoughlin swapping the frees on either side. Thompson’s free for Donegal bounced over the crossbar in the 56^thminute for 0-13 to 1-8.

And when Michael Langan and then Ryan McHugh scored on then around the hour-mark, Donegal were looking in decent stead with a 0-15 to 1-9 lead. Donegal were mindful it was Mayo who dumped them from the championship last summer under the crackling umbrellas in a fueled-up Castlebar to prove that although Mayo mightn’t really have got there in the end, they hadn’t gone away at the same time.  It was the same in Ballybofey.

And when Michael Langan and then Ryan McHugh scored on then around the hour-mark, Donegal were looking in decent stead with a 0-15 to 1-9 lead, which went out to 0-19 to 1-13. Donegal were mindful of last August and indeed Mayo’s last visit when McLoughlin’s goal salvaged a draw to put them down in 2018.

The more things change; the more they stay the same.

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Caolan Ward, Neil McGee, Eoghan Ban Gallagher; Odhran McFadden-Ferry, Conor O’Donnell, Paul Brennan (0-1); Caolan McGonagle (0-1), Michael Langan (0-1); Eoin McHugh, Ryan McHugh (0-1), Jamie Brennan (0-2); Ciaran Thompson (0-4, 3f), Michael Murphy (0-8, 7f, 1m, 45), Peadar Mogan. Subs: Hugh McFadden for McGonagle (38), Brendan McCole for McFadden-Ferry (58), Andrew McClean (0-1) for P Brennan (62), Jeaic Mac Ceallabhuí for McHugh (64), Conor Morrison for McGee (66)

Mayo: David Clarke; Oisin Mullin, Brendan Harrison, Colm Boyle; Padraig O’Hora, Stephen Coen, Patrick Durcan; Tom Parsons, Jordan Flynn; Bryan Walsh (0-1), Diarmuid O’Connor (0-2, 2f), Fergal Boland (0-2); Ryan O’Donoghue, Brian Reape (0-1, 1f), James Carr (1-0). Subs: Aidan O’Shea, Kevin McLoughlin (0-1, 1f) and Tommy Conroy (0-1) for Parsons and Reape (half-time), Keith Higgins for Walsh (58), James Durcan (1-3, 2f) for Boland (66)

Referee: David Coldrick (Meath).

“Scoláireacht Éamoinn Ghráinne” or The Éamonn Ghráinne Scholarship was presented to Conor Ó Gallchóir from An Bhealtaine, Gort a’ Choirce at a special award ceremony in An tSean Bheairic, a cultural community and language center in Falcarragh.

This award is presented every year, for the past seven years, to an outstanding singer from the community who then uses the funds awarded to organise classes and events to help give the gift of sean-nós singing to the next generation.

At a special ceremony during the week in An tSeanBheairic in Falcarragh, Bell Mac Ruairí, the manager of Sean Bheairice, Seanán Mac Aoidh, and the Language Planning Officer of Clogheen Head, Mícheál McAoidh, presented Conor Ó Ghráinne with the Éamoinn Ghráinne Scholarship.

As part of the scholarship, Conor Ó Gallchóir will be responsible for helping to promote sean-nós singing in the area.

Conor will help to provide a program of workshops and support classes for young people in the area who are coming up as young singers themselves.

This award was made in memory of the late Eamonn Ghráinne Mac Ruairí from Tory, who spent much of his life living in Falcarragh.

Conor Ó Gallchóir was delighted when he received the news that he would be awarded the scholarship.

“Éamonn Ghráinne Mac Ruairí left behind a rich heritage of singing, storytelling and music and it was a great honor for me to help preserve and strengthen that heritage in this area,” he said.

The grand total raised from December’s Rathmullan Polar Plunge has amounted to an amazing €17,147.60.

That’s €5,000 more than the previous year’s total, and the largest amount out of every Polar Plunge across Ireland!

All proceeds will go towards Special Olympics Ireland and a team of VIPs from Little Angels Special School had the honour of being presented with the large cheque on Friday.

Rathmullan Polar Plunge cheque presentation at Milford Garda Station. Photo: Paul Deeney

The 2019 Polar Plunge attracted hundreds of people to Rathmullan Pier on the 7th of December, where TV commentator Joe Brolly was the star attraction. Crowds enjoyed seeing Brolly get ‘chilly in the Swilly’ as he took the plunge for a great cause.

Joe Brolly takes the plunge at the Polar Plunge in Rathmullan in North Donegal in aid of the Special Olympics. North West Newspix

Other brave divers included the Gardaí, army and coastguard as well as community groups and individuals.

The Polar Plunge committee has issued a huge thank you to each individual, agency, company and organisation that helped, supported, sponsored and attended the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) event for 2019.

Declan Bonner admitted his disappointment in the wake of Donegal’s 0-19 to 2-13 draw against Mayo in the Allianz League Division 1 opener, writes Alan Foley

Donegal looked as though they had done enough to get over the line as a Michael Murphy free put them three points in front in injury time. However, in the eighth additional minute, Mayo’s James Durcan produced an unlikely leveller when his shot clipped Michael Murphy on its way past Shaun Patton.

Donegal manager Declan Bonner during Saturday’s game. Photo Evan Logan

All in all, the Donegal manager was pleased with certain aspects of his team’s display ahead of their trip to Navan this coming Sunday to take on Meath in the second series of fixtures.

Bonner spoke to Charlie Collins afterwards …