THE Bishop of Raphoe, Alan McGuckian SJ, has delivered a special message to the Leaving Certificate students of 2020.

Students will this year receive calculated grades following the cancellation of the State exams due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It has been a period of real uncertainty and worry for Leaving Cert students since schools shutdown in March.

In a recorded message, Bishop McGuckian, seeking to reassure the students, said: “I’d love to encourage you to look back on the last six years with real gratitude.

“You will have learned things about life, about yourself, about other people. lessons that will stand to you for your whole life if you really appreciate them.

“There were tough things but there were many things learned.”

Looking to the future, Bishop McGuckian urged those moving onto the next phase of their lives to be themselves.

He said: “If you really try and listen for it, you’ll know what it is that only you can do that no-one else can.

“A big help to you in that will be not to compare yourself to anyone else, to be the you in life. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Be the best that you can be and give yourself to other people.”

THE GAA has warned that teams who may be taking part in collective training that they are not insured.

Last Monday, the first phase of the easing of the Covid-19 restrictions came into being, allowing groups of four from different households to meet.

Sports such as tennis, golf and athletics have been allowed to resume, but with strict guidelines still in place.

All GAA facilities have been closed until July 20 and the players’ injury benefits scheme has been suspended.

There have been murmurs of teams undertaking some forms of collective work, but GAA spokesperson Alan Milton has issued a warning.

 “They are not insured,” he told the Sunday Independent. “I have heard of one or two clubs who are supposed to have crossed the line but we have no confirmation. 

“People might see one or two people on a pitch and say they are back training.

“But even aside from insurance, the relaxation didn’t allow for any form of training anyway.

“And there’s the question of using footballs or using sliotars which can increase infection risk.”

TWO Donegal Gardaí completed their 100,000 steps challenge in aid of Make A Wish Ireland yesterday.

The challenge amounted to the equivalent of two marathons.

Gardaí Kieran Langan and Mark O’Sullivan set off at 5am from Milford Garda Station.

They did a 3.3km loop of Milford all day before they completed the mammoth quest yesterday evening.

Already, they have raised over €8,000 – well in excess of the €5,000 target they had set themselves.

You can still donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/100000stepsformakeawish

THERE has been one more Covid-19 death recorded in Northern Ireland.

The one new death – which occurred in the last 24 hours – being the region’s death toll to 506.

Another 25 positive cases have been confirmed.

There have now been 4,570 positive cases in Northern Ireland since the outbreak.

To date there have been a total 57,052 tests carried out on 45,995 people.

GLENVEAGH National Park is to see the arrival of the first two electric buses in Ireland.

A contract was signed with commercial vehicle distributor Harris Group to supply the two electric buses, which will service Glenveagh.

The signing was announced by Minister for Rural & Community Development Michael Ring and Minister for Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan.

Confirmation was welcomed by Minister for Education Joe McHugh.

“I am delighted by the announcement,” Deputy McHugh said.

The project is co-funded by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Rural And Community Affairs under the Rural Regeneration Development Fund.

Deputy McHugh said: “The new buses will be the first of its type to enter usage in the Irish transportation network and supports the Government’s aims to reduce emissions.

The introduction of these electric buses follows on from the successful introduction of e-charging points for members of the public in Glenveagh National Park in 2018.”

THE fabulous ChefAid Letterkenny programme will come to an end next month, the group has confirmed. 

During the Covid-19 lockdown, the service grew to a point where it has been delivering over 2,000 hot meals to elderly and vulnerable people in the community each week. The last meals will be delivered on Friday-week next, June 5.

Over the past 10 weeks, the ChefAid project – funded through donation of fin ace and supplies – has shown the true meaning of community spirit.

ChefAid Letterkenny began on March 23 with the first meals delivered on March 28 to 40 people in the greater Letterkenny area.

A team of voluntary chefs, drivers and volunteers, with the aid of  Letterkenny Community Development Project and Honeypot Coffee House joined forces.

Over the past 10 weeks this has steadily grown to the delivery of 300 meals every day, seven days a week.

In a message today, the group said: “We are now entering the 2nd phase of the Government/Health Authorities easing of the restrictions caused by COVID 19 in our community. Businesses are opening, some people are going back to work and ChefAid will also be winding down.

“We are fortunate that enough funding has been allocated to enable us to continue to provide meals for the upcoming weeks. Our Completion Date for ChefAid LK will be Friday 5th of June 2020.”

The GoFundMe page, which raised a whopping €32,000 to keep the service alive over the last 10 weeks, has now closed.

ChefAid Letterkenny added: “We wish to thank all of you for the amazing support you have given to this project.”

TEACHERS from Pobalscoil Chloich Cheannfhaola went back in time to put together a stunning 1980s-themed video for their class of 2020.

Staff at the Falcarragh school really went the extra mile with their endeavours for a super video to give their students a memorable send off from secondary school.

In the absence of a normal graduation ceremony from the school due to the Covid-19 shutdown, teachers have been coming up with novel ways of marking the occasion.

PCC teachers delved into the 80s for their theme for a TikTok video set to some classics from the decade.

“Wishing you all the best in your future,” the video tells the students. “Don’t stop believing.”

THE words of Tom Reidy are as vivid now as they were 14 years ago: ‘If you want to go further, there is something there.’

Chloe Magee was in her Leaving Certificate year at the Royal and Prior and was eyeing up college life with her friends.

Her world, though, would change utterly one weekend when her father, Sammy, took her to a badminton camp in Belfast. Reidy, a native of Limerick who played badminton for the USA in 1992, knew what he saw.

Soon, Reidy was offering the 17-year-old Magee a chance to move to Sweden and become a full-time badminton player.

“It was never something I ever thought about making a career of,” Magee, now a three-time Olympian and three-time European medallist, tells Donegal Daily/Donegal Sport Hub. 

“Not in a million years. It was just sport.”

Reidy was keen, but Magee was unsure.

Sammy Magee had always been the guiding light, from the day and hour he first took his daughter in the doors of the Raphoe badminton club on the Diamond.

The teenage Magee’s mind spun as she took in Reidy’s offer to move to Sweden and play with the club, BMK Wätterstad, located in Jönköping.

The last of the exam papers had barely been handed back to the invigilator when Magee was on the plane. Her peers were off to college, but Magee was away to make a life she didn’t even know was possible.

“Everyone else was heading to college but when the chance to go to Sweden came Dad was really saying how it was too good a chance to turn down,” she says now. I couldn’t see that at the time. I was just a teenage girl who wanted to do what her friends were doing.

“Sweden was crazy. It was actually something I didn’t want to do. I had never thought about moving to a country. Even living by yourself, doing all of those things that you’ve never had to do before. All of that was on top of training full-time for the first time. That was a huge demand.”

A homesick Magee came back to Raphoe for Christmas and floated the notion of staying put.

Her pastime, her hobby, had now become effectively a job – a low-paid one at that – and the pangs for home were frequent.

That Christmas was a turning point of sorts. Sammy and Audrey Magee persuaded the young Chloe to stick it out.

She says: “The encouragement from Mum and Dad was so important. I didn’t see what I could achieve. Whenever you’re going through a really tough, physical period, where everything is changing… my diet was changing and the game was changing. All I saw was the hard work. I couldn’t see the results at the end.

“I was for stopping and just trying to find something else. My friends had started this whole college lifestyle and here was me stuck in Sweden. I didn’t speak Swedish and I had no really good friends. It was tough.

“That was a really tough period. I hated it. It’s everything around the sport that you hate. You just have to learn to adapt. Deep down, I loved the sport, but I couldn’t see that or feel that because I was feeling so shitty all the time.

“I was tired all the time. My body was adapting to a really big increase in what I was doing. I got really homesick about six months in. I went home for Christmas and I just didn’t want to go back.

“I hadn’t played in too many tournaments because Tom just wanted to get my technical side better. It wasn’t for me.

“I was crying my eyes out to Mum. She told me to give it a chance. It was one of those make or break points. If I hadn’t gone back to Sweden, I’d never have achieved anything in badminton.”

Just five months later, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) confirmed the name of Chloe Magee as one of the participants for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Chloe Magee concentrates during a game

*****

LAST June, Magee was announced as the flag-bearer for Team Ireland at the 2019 European Games in Minsk.

On June 21st Magee led the Irish team to the opening ceremony at the Dinamo Stadium.

It was a highlight and the beginning of a week that remains Magee’s career highlight: “It was such a great feeling, walking out holding the flag and the whole team behind me. It was a special moment.”

Four years previously, Magee and her brother Sam were bronze medallists at the first edition of the European Games in Baku and in 2017 they won bronze at the European Championships in Denmark.

Minsk, though, was different.

The Magees won their opening mixed doubles game against Russian pair Evgenij Dremin and Evgenia Dimova.

A narrow defeat to French pair Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue left the nerves jangling, but a win over the Belarus duo Aleksei Konak and Kristina Silich took them to the knockout phase.

The bronze medal was sealed in dramatic fashion, a 21-19 21-17 win over Netherlands’ Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek.

Their bid for glory ended at the Falcon Club with a semi-final loss to Chris Adock and Gabby Adcock, but the place on the podium was secured.

“There are so many highlights when I look back but for performance and for a huge achievement, it’s Minsk,” Magee says.

“All of the best pairs were there. There was no-one you could point and say they didn’t take part.

“The mixed doubles was so strong. The field was just packed. Everyone was saying before it how anyone could come out with the medals. To be one of those pairs in an Olympic qualification period was brilliant.

“Being there in a multi-sport event with the Olympic Council there, we had great support behind the scenes. It’s a week that I’ll never, ever forget.”

An hour later, the conversation returns to Minsk and you wonder if, perhaps, something else could overtake it.

“Everything about Minsk was so good, it was one of the best weeks ever,” she says.

“All the write-ups were talking up the mixed doubles. We could easily have gone home from the group. To be standing on that podium was unbelievable.

“Minsk was just such a buzz. All the best players were there. To come away with that medal was just the best feeling.”

Being given the role of Ireland’s flag-bearer was a mark of her standing.

“I couldn’t believe that they had picked me,” she says.

“I could have named out at least five other people who should have been ahead of me. The day before we went out, they asked me to say a few words to the team: ‘You want me to stand up in front of those great athletes and say something?’

“I remember just standing there thinking: ‘Wow!’ It’s one thing to stand in front of a classroom of kids, but to stand in front of all those great athletes from different sports, that was something else. It was a big moment.

“I don’t get nervous before I go on court, but I’m in control there. I was just standing there and everyone was just looking up at me, waiting to hear what I had to say.”

Chloe Magee and Sam Magee with their bronze medals in Minsk at the 2019 European Games

*****

BEIJING was a whirlwind.

At 19 years old, Magee stepped onto the Olympic stage for the first time.

She created history, too, at the Beijing University of Technology. In beating Kati Tolmoff from Estonia, Magee became the first Irishwoman ever to win a badminton match at the Olympic Games.

The Raphoe woman bowed out following a defeat to the then world number 11 Jun Jae-Youn of South Korea, but the big decisions were already beginning to pay off.

“It’s funny because nothing was towards Beijing,” Magee says.

“Tom was just saying to do my best. He didn’t care about tournaments. He just wanted to see me improve on what we were doing in training.”

The journey wasn’t all rosy in the lead-up.

Magee made the semi-final of one tournament in Norway and was delighted.

Reidy’s mood was dark, though: “Tom was so pissed off with how I had played, he hardly spoke to me the whole way home. He was so annoyed with my performance. To me, the result didn’t matter because he wasn’t pleased with how I played.”

Reidy was demanding and Magee would reflect later:  “Tom was very blunt, he would say ‘you know you’re not in shape, you’re not an athlete, your technical skills are not good enough, your footwork is not good enough, you need to improve all these things and that’s even if you want to compete in international badminton’.

“At that time I was quite lazy, I didn’t know what it was to be an international badminton player and he was like ‘you can’t continue what you are doing, that’s not going to get you anywhere’.”

Pre-Beijing, Magee reached the final of the US Open in Orange County, losing out to Lili Zhou in the decider. The form was good by now.

The Olympic Games in Beijing came as a jolt for someone who had only sat her Leaving Cert a little over a year previously and who, the previous Christmas, sobbed into her mother’s shoulder as the homesickness took hold.

She says: “China is the powerhouse in badminton. To have an Olympic games there and get a chance to play badminton…That is probably one of the biggest stages you’ll walk on to play badminton.

“Tom said to me to soak it up and take it all in. I had never been to Asia before to play badminton so it was crazy.

“I was very young and didn’t really take it all in. There was so much from the Olympic village to playing in the games…it was a whirlwind that just seemed to pass so quickly. It was over in no time.

“The Olympics is a huge experience. It’s something that you can’t experience it apart from what it is…You just can’t put it into words. It was a crazy experience.

“You have to be mentally ready for it because you get such a high and then a low. If you aren’t ready for that, it can really eat you up.”

*****

BADMINTON was always a part of life in the Magee household.

At school, Magee was noted when picked to play for Ireland at just 16. Others were realising what she hadn’t seen herself.

Then again, she’d never looked into the mirror of Chloe the sportswoman.

She says: “I enjoyed it and I never put pressure on myself to be anything.

“By the time I was 17, I had a lot of energy left to push on. Sometimes you can train so hard when you’re a kid, you can miss that when you get to a bigger stage because you’ve done so much.

“On the other side, I could have developed more if I had proper coaching…It depends how you look at it.”

She played hockey, too, at school, and was always a sports enthusiast.

“I played every sport I could play,” she says.

“I played a bit of tennis – but I wasn’t good at all.

“When I was at school, I always played badminton. I enjoyed playing with my friends.

“I loved watching Venus Williams playing tennis. I’d watch wimbledon and think: ‘wow they’re really good’. I was always amazed by people who were good athletes. I became interested in what they were doing: ‘Why are they in such good shape?’

*****

WHEN Magee beat Egypt’s Hadia Hosny in her opening match of the 2012 Olympic Games at London’s Wembley Arena, her name his the headlines.

Even some front pages carried her story.

Alas, the fact that she had beaten Hosny 21-17 21-6 was by now a mere footnote.

On RTÉ’s live coverage of the game, anchor Bill O’Herlihy drew the ire of the public when he mentioned that badminton, when he was growing up, was ‘seen as a Protestant sport’.

Magee’s phone went into overdrive.

Magee spoke the following day to Shaun Doherty on Highland Radio and batted away the comments when she said: “We need to remember what the Olympics is all about. There are people here from all over the world and from many different religions. I’m sure he didn’t mean to say it. Why bring something like this into it?”

RTÉ was inundated with complaints and later issued an apology.

“It was a crazy, crazy thing,” she says now.

“You don’t watch you own games like that. those things can play on your mind. When I got back to the village, my phone was going crazy. I didn’t know what was going on.

“I was getting calls and texts everywhere and I was advised not to answer any of them. I had to do one because so many people were on so I got my side out and people could take from that.

“For someone to come out with that on national tv was crazy.

“For me, sport is for everyone. I never read too much into it. So many people were contacting me and it was nothing to do with badminton. Sport is for everyone and that’s that…especially when it comes to religion.”

London, just across the pond, was a memorable Olympics and Donegal was well represented.

Magee might have lost to Pi Hongyan of France in her second game, after pushing the match into a third set, but London remains high up on the list of moments.

“London was one of the best times of my life,” she says.

“Everything was brilliant about London. It was a really good Olympics.

“The whole Team Ireland, everyone came together. It was such a great environment and atmosphere and it was a brilliant team to be a part of.

“It was different, too, because the family were there and there was so much media in London. It was a crazy experience – in a really good way. That’s something I’ll never forget.

“I felt good before London. I had a really good year and had played some of my best badminton, beating people I’d never beaten before.

“I performed really well and missed out in three sets to the seeded French player, Hongyan. I had a chance to win. It took me a while to get over that. It was one of those things. It was a really good year.

“Beijing was a big help for London. I didn’t even go into the village as early. I knew a lot from Beijing. I knew what to expect. I was way more prepared for London.”

Chloe Magee in action during the 2012 Olympic Games in London

*****

THE life of the professional sportsperson is not all glamour.

In a Lima airport in April 2016, Magee thought the journey was over.

She had lost out to Turkey’s Ozfe Bayrak 21-18, 15-21, 21-8, and she considered quitting the sport as she prepared for the 12-hour flight home.

She hadn’t qualified for the 2016 Olympics and was drained.

The demons were plenty in the mind as she flew from Lima to Dublin.

She had shelved the mixed doubles qualification bid the previous winter to concentrate on the singles and she sealed a place at the Olympics at the European Championships a couple of weeks after shaking the head clear from Lima.

She says: “Things kept going against me. I doubted myself and I had to get through those rounds. The year just didn’t go how I wanted.

“It was a crazy year. Rio was so different. It played out so differently. Things happened through that year that hit me hard and I had a struggle to even make Rio.

“I shouldn’t have had the struggle. I was better than people I was losing to during the year. It was almost the last tournament when I got in. There was so much pressure and any time I did something it didn’t seem to go to plan. It happens like that some times. You have to fight through those moments.”

Having had two Olympic experiences in the singles, she bid for an appearance in both for Rio, but double-jobbing expended a lot of her energy.

“I was stuck between a rock and a hard place,” she says.

“We sat down at Christmas with the technical director. Chances were that I wouldn’t make doubles – and he advised to focus on singles. That was a tough decision.

“I was playing with my brother and we were ranked 21 at the time. We were really high. Being 21 in the world was a big thing. I had to made the decision – and he basically made it for me.

“i wasn’t in a good place going to Rio and I did a lot of work with the psychologist beforehand. Mentally, it was really tough. I wasn’t prepared.

“I didn’t foresee not getting into draws in the singles. I was going weeks not getting any points. That’s tough. I was going back when the draws were stacked in January rather than gradually doing it from the previous April.

“I was so relieved to make it. I sort of crashed after that and had to get straight back up again.”

Magee was given a tough draw in Rio to compound the tale and lost out to Wang Yihan (China) and Karin Schnaase (Germany) at the Riocentro.

She says: “Everything came down on top of me and I wasn’t in a great place going to Rio. Rio was a different experience and things weren’t as easy as they were in London is how I’ll put it…It was a difficult experience.”

Chloe Magee (right) with Team Ireland members Ellis O’Reilly, Ciara Mageean and Katie Taylor

*****

GROWING up in a family of eight, it was inevitable that Magee would have a competitive edge.

The teeth were cut inside the modest hall in Raphoe and from there a real competitor was born.

The modest and bubbly Magee is, by her own admission, ‘a very different person’ when she crosses onto the court.

“We worked on that,” she says.

“When I get on the court, I just want to win so much. I say things to people that I probably shouldn’t. When you’re on court….it’s not a cockiness, but if you’re not confident you don’t have a chance.

“It’s important to control the aggression. Sometimes, I’ve wanted to win so much I’ve used the wrong emotions. I did a lot of work in learning to control the emotion – in good times and bad.

“Any good athlete or anyone who wants to win in any sport, you have to be a different person when you’re on the pitch or on the court. You are different.

“I saw that in Minsk. People you’re on the same team as, you see them…Sarah Lavin is a good example. When she’s in a race, you don’t speak to her when she’s in that zone in a warm-up and ready to go. Some of the boxers are the same. Michaela Walsh or Kellie Harrington, you can have such a good conversation with them, but on the day of the fight – forget about it! Every good athlete has a switch that puts them in the zone.

“That is something you learn. It’s a part of growing up. I can see now in the badminton academy the ones who thrive on that and the ones who struggle with it. Everyone can work on it and make it better.”

Chloe Magee shows her passion on the court

*****

THE bronze medal from the first edition of the European Games in Baku holds weight, but it’s not nearly as valuable a currency as that from Minsk.

“Even though we won the medal, it didn’t feel like a ‘real’ medal, even though it was,” she says.

“People will look from outside the sport and see a European medal, but people inside the sport will be able to point to pairs who weren’t there.”

The Magees won their three group games before defeating Pawel Pietryja and Aneta Wojtkowska from Poland in their quarter final.

Magee says: “It was such a big moment and we had to beat a lot of top pairs to get the medal. It wasn’t a free medal!

“A lot of people played it down and others were saying how good it was. There were two different feelings: Happy to win it, but not totally satisfied.”

Her buzz returned after Rio and she put aside the singles career to concentrate on playing doubles with Sam.

The winning of a European Championship in Kolding, Denmark, three years ago was Ireland’s first European Championship medal in the sport.

“When John Quinn came in as a coach he said we could be among the better pairs in Europe,” she says.

“We targeted the Europeans in Denmark. We knew we were in good form. Things had come together. We were enjoying training just in mixed.

“The draw was quite tough and we expected that, but we felt real confidence inside us. It felt different. It felt good.

“We had a buzz of positivity. That’s one of the best feelings you can have before a tournament. You feel as if you can show your best and there’s nothing else going on. Everything came together.”

As they stood on the podium in the Sydbank Area, the smile widened: “Everything felt right. It was: ‘This has all been worthwhile.’ All the years I had put in and all the sacrifices felt worthwhile.”

Chloe Magee and Sam Magee with their European Championship medals in 2017

*****

TOKYO, she hopes, will act as a swan song of sorts.

The postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games for 12 months allows some refocus. The Magees were outside of the 16 qualification places available for the mixed doubles when Covid-19 shut the world down, but she still hopes to make it to a fourth Olympic Games.

She says: “I can’t say we’ll definitely be there or we’ll definitely not. If things were to stop now, we wouldn’t. We always knew it would be close and we’d be just in or just out and there are only 16 spots for the mixed doubles.

“Sam and myself came away with a European medal and we’re still outside the group for Olympic qualification. It requires a lot of big results. We knew that from the start and we’re still fighting.

“A lot of things can change. We still had three months to go – and that’s a lot of tournaments. Everything can change in one tournament.”

Between Christmas and New Years, the Magees boarded a flight to Malaysia for some high-quality training and the air miles continued to tally, but now they await the next move and the next announcement.

She says: “We were glad of the break in some way. We got to step back and re-evaluate. We were in one of those pressure situations. We were in a lot of tournaments and we were traveling every week.”

The Magees aim to make it to the Olympic Games in the mixed doubles

*****

SHE made a hard decision after Rio to park her singles career and it wrangled with her for a time.

“I wasn’t happy and I wasn’t enjoying it,” she says.

“I’ve never played badminton for any reason other than I want to be the best I can be.

“I needed a change so I quit singles. It was a hard decision because I knew I didn’t get everything out of my singles career that I should have.”

She’s already thinking of post-Tokyo and has ‘a couple of things on the horizon’, one of which will be an extended break from regular visits to departure lounges.

It’s coming on 13 years now since she boarded the flight to Sweden.

On her arrival, Reidy asked her to write down some short-term and long-term goals.

Among them was qualifying for the Olympics and another was to win a European medal.

She’s had three Olympics and three European medals hang proudly at home.

“At that stage, I had no belief in myself,” she says.

“It’s a tough career, but staying in a  comfort zone in Ireland wouldn’t have cut it.”

ANOTHER four people have died from Covid-19 in Ireland, the Department of Health has announced.

The latest four deaths bring the overall number of Covid-19 related deaths to 1,608.

A further 57 positive cases have been confirmed.

Since the outbreak, there have been 24,639 cases in Ireland.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre’s analysis of the total confirmed cases as of Friday 22 May shows:

• The gender breakdown of confirmed cases shows 57% are female and 43% are male
• The median age of confirmed cases is 48 years
• 3,222 cases (13%) have been hospitalised
• Of those hospitalised, 394 cases have been admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU)
• 7,819 cases are associated with healthcare workers
• Dublin has the highest number of cases at 11,873 (48% of all cases) followed by Cork with 1,428 cases (6%) and then Kildare with 1,392 cases (6%)
• Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 59%, close contact accounts for 38%, travel abroad accounts for 3%

THERE has been no rise in the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Donegal.

The latest figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show that there have been a total of 478 cases in Donegal since the outbreak.

Those 478 cases account for 1.9 per cent of the total number of cases in Ireland.

These statistics from the HSPC were measured at midnight on Friday.

A further four Covid-19 deaths were recorded today with another 57 confirmed cases.

There have now been 1,608 deaths and 24,639 cases. 

DONEGAL dancing star Niamh Shevlin has been keeping busy – and showcasing some beautiful local scenery at the same time.

The Glenswilly woman, who is the lead dancer in Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, embarked on a recent project during the Covid-19 lockdown with fellow dancer Lauren Clarke.

Niamh, who is a former world champion Irish dancer alongside her twin brother Gavin, filmed her parts of the stunning video at Corravady Woods, Gartan and Woodlands.

Niamh was helped by her mother, her aunt and her friend, Rebecca – and this is the final production.

A BUDDING Donegal actress has been nominated for one of the top gongs at the 2020 Association of Irish Musical Societies (AIMS) awards.

Anna Gallagher from Gartan is one of three nominees for the best actress award.

Anna is nominated for her starring role as Nancy in the Donegal Youth Musical Theatre’s production of Oliver.

DYMT’s big show was held at An Grianán Theatre in August. DYMT are under the direction of Artistic Director and West End Director Séimí Campbell.

Anna Gallagher (Nancy) performing at the Official Launch of OLIVER!

The Letterkenny-based Encore Performing Arts Academy have four nominees.

Their production of Hairspray is among the nominees for the best visual.

Emile Rainey, who played Edna, is nominated for the best actor in a supporting role award; Marie O’Donnell is a nominee for the best female singer; while Andrew Tinney is nominated for the best male singer award.

The nominations for the ’19/20 season were launched online on the AIMS website and social media channels today.

Winners will be announced on Saturday 19th of September with further details to follow.

Speaking at the Nominations AIMS National President Rob Donnelly said: “These nominations are testament to the hard work and dedication from all of the wonderful societies around the country who work tirelessly in order to bring the curtain up on each show.

“While this year has been unlike any other, we want to continue to send good wishes and good vibes to all the societies and their members. Remember staying apart isn’t forever and we hope soon to be united and raise the curtain again. However, until we reach that day, we hope  these nominations bring some joy, smiles and much cheering in a time of uncertainty.”

DONEGAL Hospice nurse Mary Coyle braved the shave in the name of charity this evening.

Mary shaved her locks to raise money for the Donegal Hospice and Pieta House.

The Glenfin native, who now lives in Dooish, wanted to help raise funds for the two good causes.

Her charity challenge was broadcast live on Facebook and already she has raised well over €8,000 – far and above her initial €1,000 target.

Mary has worked at Donegal Hospice since 2004. While staff are coping well with Covid-19 guidelines, she said the hospice will soon face financial pressure from the impact of the pandemic.

Pieta House will face similar challenges in 2020, and Mary also wanted to support their work with her fundraiser.

You can still donate on: https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/11385210_mary-coyle-s-page.html?fbclid=IwAR3fdshYW8o-C2PeWRLD5YlAq1uCrm9_loRJjoWl12I9AOhStcHm98fUZAQ

Judge Paul Kelly has led tributes to Garda Inspector David Murphy who retired from An Garda Siochana at the weekend.

Inspector Murphy, a native of Sligo, has spent the last 30 years serving the people of Inishowen and Donegal.

District Court Judge Kelly revealed Inspector Murphy was the first Garda he met when he arrived in this District nine years ago.

He recalled “At that time he was based in Letterkenny and welcomed me to the District on behalf of the Gardaí. He was gracious and welcoming in his speech, and assured me of his cooperation in my new assignment.

“For most of the following eight years he appeared regularly in the Courts, first in Letterkenny, and then in Buncrana and Carndonagh, where he was the “public face” of the Prosecution in those courts.

“He was always a pleasure to work with – meticulously prepared, scrupulously fair, and with the touch of humanity and compassion without which the District Court would be merely a court of law, rather than one of justice.”

Judge Kelly said Inspector Murphy exemplified that body of men and women who perform a very under-appreciated but vital role in the administration of justice in our community : the Garda inspectors and court presenters.

He continued “Every day they carry an enormous workload, and pit their wits against barristers and solicitors with great skill, professionalism and dedication. David Murphy was a robust but fair competitor and never played the man instead of the ball.”

He added that Inspector Kelly is very unlucky to have to retire at a such a young age, and with so much more to give.

He continued “I am very sorry that he will not be standing up in front of me any more, to present the facts of a case, or to cross-examine a witness, or respond to legal submissions – all things he did without fuss or rancour.

“He will be a huge loss to the Gardaí, the courts and the community in Inishowen. Our loss will however, be his family’s gain, and I wish him many years of good health to enjoy with them. I hope his many talents will find another outlet which can benefit the community.”

Inspector Murphy arrived Buncrana as a young Garda in 1990 serving afterwards in Moville and Burnfoot before being sent in 2001 to an Bun Beag on promotion to Sergeant and later navigating his way back to Moville and Buncrana again.

He was promoted to Inspector in 2007 spending three and a half years in Letterkenny before returning to Buncrana.

Married to Caroline, the couple have three children Ciara, Orlaith and Cian.

Colleague and friend Inspector Michael Harrison said Inspector Murphy was simply “a good guy.”

“David is a fellow Sligo man and I wish him the very best in his retirement. He is a good guy,” he said.

Former Letterkenny Inspector Goretti Sheridan, now promoted to the rank of Superintendent and based in Castlerea in Roscommon said Inspector Murphy was a pleasure to work with.

“I wish him all the best in his retirement. He was a pleasure to work with and I hope he has many happy years of good health and happiness in his retirement,” she said.

Sgt Paul Wallace, National Executive Member of the Garda Connaught Ulster Region said he too would like to be associated with the tributes to Inspector Murphy.

He said “On behalf of Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors of the Donegal branch I would like to wish inspector David Murphy of Buncrana Garda Station the best of luck as he heads towards retirement after a rewarding career.

“David was always interested in the welfare and working conditions in An Garda Siochana. David his wife and family are wished good health and happiness to enjoy the next phase of their lives.”

Garda Brendan O’Connor of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) in Donegal paid tribute to Inspector Murphy on behalf of the Garda rank in Donegal.

“On behalf of the members of Garda rank, I thank Inspector Murphy for the help, assistance and guidance he has provided over the years.

“He was always polite, courteous and pleasant in how he approached his role, something which was much appreciated. We wish him a long and happy retirement.”

Members of the Bar and court service are due to pay tribute to Inspector Murphy at today’s sitting of Letterkenny District Court.

A man who stabbed another man seventeen times with a scissors in a drunken row at an apartment in Letterkenny has lost his appeal against the severity of his eight-and-a-half-year sentence.

Kenneth Broe (47), of Alderwood Green, Springfield, Tallaght, Dublin 24 was convicted by a jury of assault causing harm and causing serious harm to Kristian Shortt in Letterkenny on October 9th, 2008.

During the trial at Letterkenny Circuit Court in May 2018, Garda Harvey Maughan gave evidence that Mr Shortt’s injuries were so bad that he could not tell if he was a man or a woman when he arrived at the scene.

Broe and Mr Shortt had been out drinking in the town before calling to a friend’s apartment on Letterkenny’s Main Street in the early hours of the morning.

Alcohol and cocaine were consumed in the apartment before an argument broke out between the two men.

Mr Shortt testified at the trial that Broe had produced a pair of scissors and used all his power and force to repeatedly stab him.

Kristian Shortt (North West Newspix)

Mr Shortt was stabbed a total of 17 times – four times in the neck, three in the back of the head and three in the chest, and he was also wounded in the hands and back area.

He spent two weeks in intensive care and received two “life-saving operations”.

Broe fled the scene of the attack and was caught in Monaghan the following day with €1,100 worth of cocaine on him.

The defendant was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended by Judge Thomas John Aylmer on December 19th, 2018.

Broe moved to appeal the severity of his sentence in the Court of Appeal recently on grounds that the sentencing judge had erred in law by suspending a portion of the sentence rather than imposing a reduced sentence, when he found that mitigating factors existed.

Moving to appeal his sentence, his barrister, Colman Fitzgerald SC, said the mitigating factors had been dealt with entirely by a suspended sentence rather than by a reduction in sentence.

There had been a large gap of time between the offence being committed and sentencing, he submitted, and significant efforts had been made by the defendant during this time to rehabilitate himself.

“There was no accounting for the fact at the time of sentencing that Mr Broe was deserving of an amelioration of the headline sentence,” remarked Mr Fitzgerald.

Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Patricia McLaughlin BL, argued that to say mitigating factors and factors relevant to one’s continued rehabilitation ought to be distinguished was an “artificial distinction”.

These factors were all intrinsically linked and the plea had been presented in that way, she submitted.

She said “it was most appropriate to give him credit for mitigating circumstances” but a sentence should be imposed “that would also protect society”.

President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice John Edwards and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, reserved judgement two weeks ago.

However, the appeal was turned down on Friday last.

Reacting to the news, victim Kristian Shortt told Donegal Daily that he was pleased with the outcome of the appeal.

“Justice is still alive and kicking despite what I felt was a low enough sentence to begin with I feel. I am glad at least that the sentence has been upheld,” he said.

The Inishowen Co-operative Society Ltd. is a thriving farm supplier and local builders’ merchants that has been serving the local community in Inishowen, County Donegal for over 50 years.

The Co-op employs more than 90 people and has a turnover in excess of €20 million.

From initial registration as a society in January 1963, the Co-op today comprises 3 leading retail stores strategically situated across the peninsula in Carndonagh, Moville and Buncrana as well as a busy Mart and satellite store in Co. Sligo and a store, Limavady Agri & Build Supplies in Northern Ireland.

It has enjoyed significant investment and growth over the past 15 years and is ambitious in its future growth plans and strategies.

The Board of Inishowen Co-operative Society now wishes to recruit a dynamic individual who will lead the organisation going forward.

They are seeking to recruit a Chief Executive Officer / General Manager who, reporting to the Board of Management, will lead and drive the Co-op’s continued successful growth and development through strong day-to-day operational and retail management and commercial direction with an emphasis on strategic leadership and organisational change.

You should have a third level qualification in a relevant area such as Agriculture, Retail Management, Business Studies, Accountancy, Finance, Corporate Governance and at least five years’ experience, within the last 10 years, of working at senior management level providing effective leadership in an organisation comprising at least 50 staff and with an annual budget/turnover of at least €12m.

A detailed job and person specification is available from people@inishowencoop.com

Candidates should send full personal and career details quoting subject reference: ICO20 to Thomas Mullin, Chairman, Inishowen Co-operative Society Limited c/o ICOS, The Plunkett House, 84 Merrion Square, Dublin 2 or email: info@icos.ie

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe is reportedly set to cut the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment from early next month.

585,000 people are receiving the €350 payment across the country every week.

More than 20,000 people across Donegal are dependent on the weekly payment.

Donohoe is expected to suggest that some payment recipients, specifically part time workers, will be paid the equivalent of their average earnings before the pandemic to avoid people refusing to look or return to work.

It comes as a Department of Business report revealed that 38% of people receiving the unemployment payment are now better off than when they were working.

Labour’s Social Protection spokesperson Ged Nash TD said that it would be unacceptable for Fine Gael to cut the Covid-19 income of the lowest paid people in the country.

Nash said: “Cutting the basic income of thousands of workers when large parts of the economy are shut, with no alternative for them to go back to work would be wrong.

“Thousands of people who rely on part time hours, irregular and precarious shift patterns, and seasonal work will now be impacted by Fine Gael’s latest attack on social welfare recipients despite large parts of the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors being closed.

“Lets not forget we are talking about people who were in employment until the State itself shut down the economy. These were people who were working, who wanted to work and who in my experience want to get back to work as soon as possible.

“It’s a bit much and is utterly divisive for FG to be beating the welfare cheats drum.”

Nash continued: “The economy was placed in an induced coma to stop the spread of Covid-19 and the PUP and the Wage Subsidy Schemes were put in place to support incomes and businesses.

“The €350 level was seen as the rate that people needed to live on, based on the kinds of wages those in the most affected sectors ordinarily earned.

“Those sectors are a long way from coming back and the payment should not be cut now.

“The same bills are still there with rent, utilities and all the other costs of living.

“No one should be moved to a lower income payment when most of the country is still shut down.

“Instead of attacking the lowest paid in the country, the Fine Gael caretaker government should focus on addressing the problems workers are facing going back to work including the lack of a plan to reopen childcare, and the problems facing new mothers returning to work after maternity leave.”

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar acknowledged the scheme’s flaws this week and said that if people refuse to return to work after being offered their job back then they will lose eligibility for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.

Mr Varadkar said: “We knew half a million people were going to become unemployed within days.

“We said the best thing we could do would be to give everyone maybe 70 or 80 per cent of their previous income.

“With that volume of people losing their jobs so quickly we worked out within hours that it would take weeks to administer that and half a million people would have been left with little or no money for a very long period of time.

“We made sure everyone got money very quickly in contrast to Northern Ireland or Great Britain where people are only £100 a week.”

Irish hairdressers are to push the Government on plans to reopen hundreds of salons earlier than scheduled.

The Irish Hairdressers’ Federation (IHF) will present comprehensive recommendations to Government.

Hair and beauty salons and barbers are not scheduled to reopen here until July 20th much to the annoyance of many people across Donegal.

The recommendations cover critical areas of the day-to-day operations of salons and the IHF believes they will enable them to reopen in a manner which is “safe to both staff and customers”.

The proposals are supported by several other organisations in the hair and beauty sector.

It is expected the final document will include over 110 specific recommendations which will help keep salons safe from Covid-19.

Incoming President of the Irish Hairdressers Federation, Danielle Kennedy, said: ”Foremost in our thoughts is the wellbeing of our staff and the safety of our customers.

“The recommendations will radically change how we do our business, which will see the extensive use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and sanitisation procedures.

”There are 25,000 people employed in our sector and we want to ensure they can come back to work safely.

“I have been talking to hundreds of hairdressers in the past few weeks and they can’t wait to get back to work because they love their job and they love their customers.

“Our customers come in, they talk with the staff, find out the local news and they all go home feeling great. It’s a vital local service, especially for the elderly.”

Ms Kennedy told RTE’s Morning Ireland the IHF is recommending that salons only allow customers in by appointment and carry out pre-screening to see if clients have been abroad or ill recently.

She said that salons are well equipped and have good sanitisation procedures and it will be recommended that salons “take this up a notch”. In addition, salon workers will wear masks.

The IHF represents over 400 salon owners nationwide, who in turn employ over 5,000 stylists.

The cost of a litre of petrol and diesel has dropped further this week as traffic levels start to increase with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.

A litre of petrol has fallen from a price of 126.9c in April to a current national average of 123.7c, with diesel seeing a drop from last month’s price of 116.9c per litre to a current average of 115.5, according to a price study by the AA.

The continued fall in fuel prices is welcome news for motorists as they begin to drive more frequently.

Fuel prices have been low for much of 2020 as global demand has dropped significantly. Both fuels have dropped significantly in price compared to the start of the year, when a litre of petrol cost 144.5c, with diesel costing 135.9c on average.

“As the country starts the slow process of lifting the COVID-19 restrictions, we have seen traffic levels start to increase somewhat with more people undertaking journeys to the likes of hardware stores and garden centres and, with many of us looking to keep our day-to-day costs down, the continued drop is fuel prices is something to be welcomed,” Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs stated.

Crude oil prices have bounced back slightly but still remain significantly below levels seen before the COVID-19 outbreak.

Faughnan added: “As countries across the globe begin to ease restrictions, we could see demand start to increase but it is unlikely to be at the same rate as we would normally see for someone time. With so many across the world working from home, travelling less, and choosing to travel more by bike or walking, it’s likely that demand will stay low for the time being and as a result pump prices can be expected to remain close to their current level.”

Donegal native Conor McCarthy has taken up the role of President of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland, (ACEI).

The ACEI represents the business interests of over 100 member firms and their 4,000 employees. This is the first time for a representative from a company in the North West of Ireland to become President of this long-established national organisation.

Conor, originally from Lifford, has worked for 38 years in consulting engineering in Ireland and the U.S.  A Director and Partner at Jennings O’Donovan, Conor is a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of Engineers Ireland and a Registered Fellow of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland.

He is taking up the role of President at a particularly challenging time for consulting engineering firms and indeed for society in general due to the impact of the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic.

Commenting on his appointment, Conor said it was an honour for Sligo-headquartered Jennings O’Donovan and for him personally.

He added: “There is a real and genuine worry among the consulting engineering sector that Government will scale back on investments in infrastructure projects due to the potential impact of the coming recession. I believe the ACEI needs to be advocating for is a directly opposite approach to this.

“The cost of borrowing for capital projects is lower than ever. I will be advocating for an increase in the level of spending in public capital investment and use the aftermath of this public health crisis as an opportunity to stimulate economic recovery.”

A previous Captain of County Sligo Golf Club, Conor has also been President of Sligo Rotary and is the immediate Past President of Sligo Chamber of Commerce.

Conor said that the underlying challenges that existed before the crisis still remain. The population is still projected to grow by an additional one million people by the year 2040.

Significant investment is still needed in housing, healthcare, education, transport, utilities including water and wastewater, in renewable energy and in infrastructure.

He added: “Regional imbalance across our country remains a serious challenge. We are more reliant on our capital city, Dublin, than any other country in the EU. Addressing years of under-investment particularly in digital and transport infrastructure and in third level education in the regions and along the Atlantic Economic Corridor is essential to overturn this imbalance to support the longer-term development of the regions and promote balanced regional growth.”

The health of workers will also be a priority for Conor as he takes up his role. He said: “I know remote working has benefits for many in terms of efficiency and reduced travel times. However, it is not for everyone. As business leaders, we need to be conscious and aware of the potential negative impact on our staff and ourselves in terms of balancing home life with work expectations”.