As pancake Tuesday is coming up this week, I thought I’d give you one of the recipes we give to our Rushe Fitness members. 

The one thing I try and get across to our members, is that food doesn’t have to taste bland and boring when you are trying to lose weight or get in shape. 

That’s why we give a new 30-page recipe guide every 6-weeks to our members absolutely free. 

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This recipe is for LEMON POPPYSEED PANCAKES. 

We don’t always make every recipe high in protein, but if you are training and want to have some protein pancakes, be sure to check out my Donegal Woman Blog tomorrow, as I’ll be posting 2 of them over there. 

These are really easy to make and taste fantastic. 

LEMON POPPYSEED PANCAKES. 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 medium egg 
• 200g (7oz) plain flour 
• 75 g (3oz) caster sugar 
• 2 tsp. baking powder 
• 150 ml (5fl oz) milk 
• Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons, plus wedges to serve 
• 40g (1½oz) poppy seeds 
• 2 tbsp. oil 

INSTRUCTIONS 

Sift the flour into a large bowl; stir in sugar, baking powder and ¼ tsp salt then make a well in the centre. 

In a large jug, whisk the milk, lemon zest and juice, egg and poppy seeds together. Pour into the well in the dry ingredients. Gradually fold the flour into the wet ingredients until combined. 

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over low-medium heat and brush or spray with some oil. Spoon the batter to make 10cm (4in) wide pancakes, ensuring that you space them around 2cm apart. Cook for 2-3 mins or until the edges are dry and bubbles start to show through the surface.
Flip and cook for a further 2mins on the other side. Transfer the pancakes to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm as you prepare the rest. 

In between pancakes carefully wipe pan with kitchen paper and give another light coating of oil. 

Serve the pancakes with yogurt, honey or some sugar free syrup if you wish.

These make 12 servings of pancakes, so the calories per pancake are pretty low (unless you are planning on eating all 12 yourself). 

But, when you taste them, that could happen. 

Give them a try and be sure to let me know what you think.
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THERE was disappointment for Dunfanaghy boxers Cormac Hall and Bernie McDonagh in the National Senior Cadet Championships yesterday.

Hall and McDonagh lost out in semi-finals at the National Stadium.

Hall lost out to Mullingar’s Michael Nugent in a 44kgs semi-final, with Nugent taking a 5-0 verdict from the judges.

McDonagh, who had beaten Luke Hall from Rochfordbridge in his quarter-final, meanwhile was beaten on a unanimous decision by Clonmel’s Raymond Joyce at 54kgs.

Carleigh Irving from Illies Golden Gloves will be the sole puncher from a Donegal club in finals action next weekend.

On Friday night, Irving defeated Siofra McGuire 5-0. Now, Irving – a 2019 European Schoolgirl bronze medallist – will meet Kanturk’s Katie O’Keefe in Friday’s 48kgs final.

The finals are scheduled for next Friday and Saturday at the home of Irish boxing. 211 bouts will have been completed when the final bell tolls on the tournament.

AN 11-year-old boy has tragically died in a Belfast hospital as a result of injuries sustained in a road traffic accident in Buncrana on Friday evening.

The boy was injured when he was struck by a van on Slavery Road, Tullyarvan, Buncrana at approximately 5.30pm on Friday.

Having been taken to Altnegelvin Hospital in Derry, the boy was transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital on Saturday morning.

An Garda Síochána confirmed that the boy was pronounced dead this evening.

The driver of the van, a man in his 50s, was uninjured.

Investigating Gardaí continue to appeal for witnesses to this collision.

A Garda spokesperson said: “Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have information regarding the collision, particularly any road users with camera footage who were travelling on the Slavery Road between 5.15pm and 5.45pm on 21st February 2020, to contact Buncrana Garda Station on 074 932 0540, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.”

RYAN McHugh laid it on the line for Donegal: ‘We need to start winning matches’.

For the third time in 2020, Donegal blew a lead as Dublin came from five down for a win at Croke Park last night.

After an opening draw with Mayo and the defeat to Galway two weeks ago, when Donegal had led by seven points, last night added to the frustration.

Hugh McFadden’s early goal gave Donegal the platform and Dublin only led for the first time when Paul Mannion netted in the closing minutes.

“It’s extremely disappointing,” McHugh told Ocean FM’s Paddy McGill.

“We didn’t come up here to lose – we came to win. We wanted a performance and we got that and it’s disappointing that we didn’t get over the line.

“We need to start winning matches now that we have got performances. We need to start getting over the line. It’s coming to a time now where we need to start picking up points.”

McHugh and Patrick McBrearty, who was in for his first appearance of 2020, were both denied by the Dublin goalkeeper Evan Comerford.

Donegal have back-to-back home games now against Monaghan and Tyrone.

McHugh said: “We class ourselves as one of the best teams in Ireland. We want to be playing the best teams in Ireland, but we also want to be beating them and we’re not doing that at the minute.”

Listen to the full interview below …

Buncrana’s Grainne Gallanagh delivered a game-changing performance on Dancing with the Stars tonight to win the first 30 score of the series.

The former Miss Universe Ireland wowed with her classy ballroom dance, earning top marks from the judges and securing her place for week nine.

B*Witched singer Sinead O’Carroll was the fifth celebrity to be eliminated in this series.

View this post on Instagram

OH MY GOD!! Three 10’s!! I can’t believe it! What an honour dancing to the RTE orchestra with @kaiwidd and getting the first three 10’s of the series! Please please don’t forget to vote tonight by texting Grainne to 53125 (lines open approx 8pm) thank you in advance #dwts #dancingwiththestars #viennesewaltz

A post shared by Grainne Gallanagh (@ggallanagh) on Feb 23, 2020 at 11:23am PST

Grainne and her professional partner Kai Widdrington danced the Viennese Waltz to Waltz of the Flowers by Tchaikovsky. Her performance earned outstanding praise and comparisons to Cinderella, with judge Brian Redmond hailing her immaculate footwork and Lorraine Barry commenting that the dance was a “masterclass”.

Her amazing progress elevated her to share a coveted top spot on the leaderboard tonight alongside actor Ryan Andrews with pro dancer Giulia Gotta.

Grainne and Kai took some time out of their busy rehearsal schedule to visit Donegal earlier this week. They visited Grainne’s former school, Cockhill NS, and Kai even learned a few lessons and new moves on the family farm.

View this post on Instagram

When @kaiwidd came to Donegal he got to meet the famous calves he was star struck Don’t forget to vote tomorrow #dwts #makingmooves

A post shared by Grainne Gallanagh (@ggallanagh) on Feb 22, 2020 at 9:46am PST

Grainne’s dancefloor journey will continue again on RTE One next Sunday.

A newly-published report into the standards of Letterkenny’s disabled parking bays has found that just eight spaces are completely fit for purpose.

Problems were found in 59 spaces which are under the responsibility of the local council. 

The spaces that are without key elements such as dropped kerbs are rendered “totally useless”, said Councillor Jimmy Kavanagh.

The cost of fixing all issues would amount to €31,000, according to the audit which was requested by Cllr Kavanagh last year.

The audit identified 44 disabled parking bays which do not have blue surfacing, 6 that need supplementary plates and poles, 26 needing signage, and 5 that need dropped kerbing,  8 need no intervention.

The survey included 67 disabled parking bays at car parks and on the streets of Letterkenny.

Cllr Kavanagh has welcomed the findings and said that steps must be taken to address major issues such as the provision of dropped kerbs and signage.

Speaking at the Letterkenny-Milford council meeting, Cllr Kavanagh said: “There are several disabled parking spots around the town without a dropped kerb and they are totally useless.”

Cllr Kavanagh said areas such as Lower Main Street, outside Elvery’s Sports, McFadden’s Chemist at Oldtown and the charity shop on Ramelton Road should all be addressed as they lack a dropped kerb.

He commented: “I’d like to thank the engineer and council staff for compiling the report, it’s a useful document for us all to work on, and Letterkenny is probably one of the few towns to have completed such an audit. 

“Although there is no statutory obligation on the council to provide signage, blue surfacing or dropped kerbing, it is obviously desirable that all the disabled parking bays are fit for purpose and easily recognisable by both disabled drivers and able bodied drivers. 

“I would now urge the council to do its utmost to identify funding and carry out the necessary works. I appreciate that this will probably need to happen over a period of time, and it would be useful if the work could be prioritised in terms of urgency. 

“Providing dropped kerbing where none exists at disabled bays would probably be the most urgent task and we should try to rectify those issues immediately, the bays located in car parks are probably the least urgent and could wait longer to be dealt with, now that we know what needs to be done, we should as a council try to get the issues dealt with as efficiently as possible.”

MAXI Curran admits that defeat in Westmeath leaves his Donegal ladies in a ‘precarious position’.

Donegal lost out yesterday in Mulligar on a disappointing afternoon at the office.

Despite Amy Boyle-Carr netting a goal in the first minute, Donegal couldn’t build as Westmeath recorded a first win in 10 months.

“It was one of the poorest days out since I’ve been in the job,” Curran told Donegal Daily/Donegal Sport Hub.

“We had ample scoring opportunities. We kicked five bad wides at the end of the first half and we didn’t have enough graft or guile. You won’t get away with that in Division 1.

“It puts us in a very precarious position now in Division 1. We’re fighting for our lives.”

Listen to the full interview below …

PROMOTION from Division 3A remains the number one priority for 2020, insists Joe Boyle.

A 1-15 to 1-5 win over Monaghan yesterday keeps Donegal on track ahead of a tricky await tie against Longford next weekend.

After being relegated last year, Donegal are eyeing up a promotion charge once more.

“You have to be up in the higher Leagues,” Boyle told Donegal Daily/Donegal Sport Hub. 

“We were up there and it brought us on massively. It’s down here and it’s a battle every week. We want to get back up and keep Donegal at a good level.”

Yesterday’s win (picture above by Geraldine Diver), when PJ McCarron netted 11 minutes into the second half to steer Donegal to a comfortable triumph, was Donegal’s third in succession.

Boyle said: “We knew what we had to do after the first round defeat to Armagh. It has been must win since that.

“We have a lot to work on, but a win’s a win. It was comfortable enough. We put in a pretty good shift.”

Listen to the full interview below …

Many parts of Donegal have been blanketed by snow this morning following the biggest snowfall of 2020.

The sudden snow dump is leading to major travel disruption on the roads.

Motorists are being urged to take extreme care and allow plenty of time for travelling. The advice from AA Roadwatch is to “slow down and keep all manoeuvres gentle”.

Snow is affecting towns north, south, east and west in Donegal. Some of the worst-hit areas include the Barnesmore Gap, Letterkenny and Ballybofey.

UPDATE: Barnesmore Gap has been reopened following an earlier HGV blockage

UPDATE: Carndonagh Mountain Road R244 is reopened

A fallen tree is blocking traffic at Larkin’s Newmills.

Motorists are being advised to avoid the Back of Errigal.

McGrory’s Bray is down to one lane as a result of flooding.

School Closures: 

www.donegaldaily.com/2020/02/24/snow-day-school-closures-in-donegal-24th-february-2020/

Bus Services: 

Home James and McGettigan Travel will not be running this morning.

Bus Eireann service users are warned to expect delays.

Most services in the Northwest will experience delays this morning as a result of heavy snowfall. McGrory’s bay in Donegal is down to one lane as a result of flooding @OceanFmIreland @highlandradio @TFIupdates

— Bus Éireann (@Buseireann) February 24, 2020

Community Notices:

Cara Children’s Centre and adult courses in Cara House are all cancelled today

Updated: 8.30am. The court venue has been changed.

A man in his twenties is due to appear in court today in connection with a firearms incident in Glenties.

The man, who was arrested following the incident on Friday, is expected to appear before Letterkenny District Court this morning.

Two other men in their 20s and 40s arrested in connection the incident have been released without charge.

A man in his early 20s was arrested after shooting a rifle in the direction of gardaí in Glenties, Co Donegal on Friday night.

The terrifying events unfolded at midnight on Friday when shots were fired on Main Street Glenties.

Gardaí were called to Mill Road, where a brief stand off occurred and an armed man shot in the direction of Gardaí. A patrol car was damaged and the man was soon apprehended by armed Gardaí.

The armed man was arrested and taken to Ballyshannon Garda Station where he is currently detained under Section 30 of the Offences against the State Act, 1939. A rifle, a hunting knife and a number of rounds of ammunition were seized.

No shots were fired by Gardaí during the incident and no serious injuries were caused during the stand-off.

Investigations are continuing.

Over 750 homes, farms and businesses have been affected by power outages in Donegal this Monday morning.

Five separate electricity faults have been reported across the county, namely at Pettigo, Donegal Town, Glenties, Creeslough and Newtowncunningham.

ESB Networks are working on repairs for all faults and supplies are expected to be restored later this morning.

Local residents can check https://www.esb.ie/esb-networks/powercheck/index.html for live updates.

A number of schools in Donegal have announced that they will not be opening today as a safety precaution due to heavy overnight snowfall.

The following schools have confirmed closure (Monday 24th February):

Loreto Secondary School, Letterkenny

St Eunan’s College, Letterkenny

Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál, Letterkenny

Scoil Cholmcille, Letterkenny

Errigal College, Letterkenny

Deele College, Raphoe

Lurgybrack NS, Letterkenny

Lakeview Montessori, Ramelton

Colaiste Ailigh, Letterkenny

St Bernadette’s, Letterkenny

Gaelscoil Primary School, Letterkenny

Sessiaghoneill National School, Ballybofey

Little Angels Special School, Letterkenny

Community Notices:

Cara Children’s Centre and adult courses in Cara House are all cancelled today

Bus Services: 

Could the week get any better for cheeky Daragh Curley from Glenswilly?

Er, well actually it has.

We were first to bring you the amazing story of how the 10-year-old Ma Utd fan wrote to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp asking him to lose more games because it was making him sad.

Amazingly, the German wrote back and said that he could as millions of Liverpool fans wanted his team to win.

Daragh’s story went viral after it appeared on Donegal Daily and he appeared on media outlets around the world.

He even appeared on RTE’s Late Late Show alongside his dad Gordon’s hero Roy Keane!

But the icing on the cake came at the weekend when the big-hearted people from Champions Travel in Letterkenny presented with tickets for a Man Utd game in May.

He was presented with the tickets by Champions Travel’s Kevin Ward.

Sadly it’s not Anfield but no doubt Daragh (and whoever he chooses to bring!) will enjoy his trip to Old Trafford.

A young man who was found dead in a drain in Ballyshannon on Saturday evening has been named.

He was 36-year-old Thomas Kelly, with an address in Belleek but who was originally from Cloghore in Ballyshannon.

Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced. Ths family home is private, at present.

Investigations into Thomas’ death are still ongoing.

Gardai say the results of a post mortem will determine the course of their investigation.

The N3 road remains closed at between Ballyshannon and Belleek. Diversions are in place.

The talented troupe behind Fergus Cleary’s hilarious comedy play the Island Wake is returning to the stage this week in aid of the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) charity and centre at Woodlands, Ramelton Road, Letterkenny.

Convoy native Fergus Cleary wrote The Island Wake in 2016 and has staged over 50 performances throughout the North West over the last three years.  Fergus and the cast have now raised over €50,000 for charities and local community groups staging the play in almost 50 different venues across a number of counties in the Northwest.  

This week’s show takes place in An Grianan Theatre on Thursday 27th February. Tickets are €15 and on sale at the box office in An Grianán Theatre, Letterkenny. Tickets can be purchased online at www.angrianan.com or call (074) 912 0777 to book over the phone.

Fergus said: “The cast and I are delighted to put to be back in an Grianán for this very worthy charity.

“We staged a very successful performance in April last year and we hope that people will come out to help raise funds to support the great work being done by Acquired Brain Injury Donegal.”

The Island Wake

The Island Wake

The Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Centre is a residential rehabilitation centre that provides a community outreach service.  The centre is based across from the Woodland NS just off the main Ramelton Road, Letterkenny Co. Donegal.  A brain injury affects not only the person injured but the whole family.  

Fergus continued: “We have been staging the play for over three years now we have thought about winding it up on a few occasions but if we can help raise money for a good cause, why not keep it going.”

It’s been the longest wake Fergus has ever been at!

“The cast have been a real pleasure to work and I appreciate the hard work and commitment they have shown over the last few years,” Fergus adds.

The Island Wake

TONY McNamee has rallied Finn Harps to pick themselves up from the disappointment of Friday night’s derby stalemate.

Harps were heading for victory over Derry City, thanks to Ryan Connolly’s goal, when Adam Liddle netted a 95th minute equaliser for the Candystripes.

Having taken four points from their opening two games of 2020, Harps host Shelbourne tonight at Finn Park.

“We have to pick ourselves up,” McNamee told Donegal Daily/Donegal Sport Hub. 

“We have to look forward to Shelbourne and try to pick up three points.

“We will look back and think it’s two points dropped. Conceding with 30 seconds left, it will feel like that. If you were to offer us four points from the first two games, we’d have taken it with open arms.”

The Ramelton man was handed a start on Friday night, alongside his brother Barry, one of Harps’ new signings, and he believes Ollie Horgan has strengthened the panel.

He said: “We added a bit of extra quality up the pitch, but we need the steel at the back.

“Sligo only had one real chance and Derry took their only real, proper chance. The defence stood up well.”

Listen to the full interview below …

TONIGHT’S League of Ireland Premier Division game between Finn Harps and Shelbourne has been postponed.

Many parts of Donegal were blanketed by snow this morning.

Ballybofey was among the areas to be badly hit by the first snowfall of 2020.

Harps were due to face Shelbourne, but a pitch inspection this morning has ruled Finn Park unplayable.

Ollie Horgan’s Harps are on their travels to Turners Cross on Friday night to face Cork City.

Dragon’s Den presenter and well-known business journalist Richard Curran will appear at a Business Breakfast event in Letterkenny next week.

At the Business Breakfast Richard will share his thoughts on Brexit and how Donegal businesses can maximize their opportunities.

The event will be hosted by Donegal County Council on Wednesday 4 March in the Radisson Hotel in Letterkenny as part of Local Enterprise Week.

It is the first in a series of Donegal County Council business engagement events where Donegal businesses and those planning on starting a business or relocating their business to Donegal will have the chance to explore the opportunities arising from Brexit, participate in an expert panel discussion and engage with the Council and its various services.

Donegal County Councilllor, Nicholas Crossan, said he is delighted to have journalist Richard Curran provide the keynote address at the first in a series of Business Engagement Events around the county.

“Brexit is a reality for us now and while there are still many uncertainties around the process and how the trade negotiations will progress, businesses here in Donegal and those looking to relocate to Donegal are already exploring opportunities to build resilience allowing them to continue to thrive and compete in an increasingly changing environment,” he said.

Richard Curran is the presenter of The Business radio show on RTE Radio One and columnist with the Irish Independent and Sunday Independent as well as presenter on RTE’s Dragon’s Den.

He has been a business journalist for 25 years and is a former deputy editor of The Sunday Business Post and former business editor of the Irish Independent.

He has co-written two books, one on Irish entrepreneurs and the other on the collapse of Irish Nationwide Building Society and has made several TV documentaries for RTE.

The event will also include the launch of Donegal County Council’s new Business Concierge Service which is being set up as part of the Council’s newly formed Economic Development Division.

Director of Economic Development, Garry Martin, said this service is about helping local businesses who are thinking of starting, growing or relocating their business.

“It is to both navigate Council services by connecting them quickly with key services and personnel, to assist them in meeting any regulatory or statutory obligations and also by strategically facilitating inward investment to the County, both from within the island of Ireland as well as from abroad.

“Our business concierge service will operate hand in hand with other Council services including the Local Enterprise Office which already provides an extensive range of business supports and advice including mentoring, training and financial supports,” he said.

Key personnel from various Council services including the Local Enterprise Office, Planning, Roads, Environmental & Pollution Control, Fire Safety, Commercial Rates and Property Solutions will be in attendance and will be available to offer advice on a one to one basis during the event.

The event will take place in the Radisson Hotel, Letterkenny from 8am to 10am on Wednesday 4 March 2020.

Admission is free but booking is recommended.

Book your place online at https://bit.ly/37LXe8m

Gardai are investigating fire attacks on two cars at the same location in Dungloe in the early hours of Saturday morning last.

The cars, which were parked at Gortnamona, Dungloe, were badly damaged.

The fire attacks happened around 4.20am.

A Garda spokesman told Donegal Daily “Gardaí are investigating an incident of criminal damage that occurred at Gortnamona, Dungloe on the 22nd February 2020 at approximately 4:20am.

“Two cars were set alight during the incident. No arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing.”

Gardaí have issued an appeal to Donegal motorists today to never use their mobiles to take videos while driving.

The warning follows a number of videos posted online showing snow conditions on the roads.

But the videos appear to have been taken by people behind the wheel.

“This is not acceptable and is highly dangerous,” said a spokesperson for An Garda Síochána Donegal.

Gardaí are urging drivers to obey the law and avoid putting anyone in any further danger.

The spokesperson said: “The roads were in a treacherous condition this morning in many areas. We are all aware of that without requiring footage and there is absolutely no excuse for putting your life and the lives of everyone else in danger!

“Do not ever use your mobile phone while you are driving.

“The roads are a dangerous enough place to be on especially when the roads are in a bad condition without adding further danger to the situation.”