Tourism is the key to Inishowen’s future.

This was the main message at the launch of the plans for the Sandy Bay Resort – a huge new hotel in Ballyliffin.

The 25 million euro four-star hotel is set to create around 120 jobs in the peninsula and inject three million euro a year in wages into the economy.

Plans for the new eco-friendly destination resort were unveiled at a press conference at Ballyliffin’s Lodge and Spa Hotel on Monday by businessmen Cecil Doherty, Owen McLaughlin and Sean Keogh.

Belfast-based architects RPP, who have extensive experience in large resort type projects such as Galgorm Manor, have been appointed to develop the project described as “understated elegance”.

Architect Harry O’Connor said it would be “contemporary and grounded in Donegal” and would maximise the stunning environment enveloping it.

The launch was attended by Ballyliffin residents , community and tourist groups, local public representatives, TDs and media.

It is envisaged the hotel – on the site of the former Pollan Beach Hotel – will help attract up to 100,000 visitors annually.

The plans include 104 bedroom/suites, 22 family apartments, state of the art conference and wedding venue facilities, an outdoor pursuits centre, bars and restaurants, indoor children’s play area, créche and expansive gardens stretching out to the beach. 

The Leisure Centre at Ballyliffin Lodge and Spa will be relocated to the Sandy Bay Resort and it will also incorporate a five-star spa.

Managing director of the project Cecil Doherty, said it was “a real investment in the future of our community”.

He said: “This will be talked about worldwide and bring hundreds of visitors.

“When I was growing up in this community I never thought I would have the opportunity to stand up here with these plans.

“I remember as a young boy and being involved in the football club I would dream about some big investor in America bringing us a parcel to create a big football pitch or something great for the community. That parcel has arrived here today.

“We have two serious businessmen who are willing to invest a serious amount of  money in this community.”

Dr James McDaid, TD – who has a holiday home in Ballyliffin – said the hotel was “the project we have been waiting for”.

He said: “With one project such as this we could literally give the injection of life into the construction industry in Inishowen.

“Tourism is going to be a major factor as we move into the future. With one fell swoop we could bring to the economy something we could only have dreamed of.”

Deputy Joe McHugh TD also gave his support to the “ambitious” project and praised Ballyliffin.

Senator Cecilia Keaveney said Ballyliffin was being recognised as “the place to come and stay”.

She said: “The more product we have, the more people we will attract.”

Local resident Brian Harkin said the plans were “a dream come true”.

He said: “As a resident of Ballyliffin I’d like to thank you all for your confidence in the area. It’s great for the people here and I hope the council and planners pull out all the stops.”

The planning application for the resort will be lodged with Donegal County Council on May 26.

The developers said they “respect the right of the planners” to adjust the proposal and aim to rectify a number of infrastructural problems in the area.

They said they – along with a number of other private developers – were hoping to create a “brand new” sewerage  plant for Ballyliffin as the present one was currently at capacity.

They also hoped to address traffic flow problems in the village.

The developers also invited letters of support from the community.

Mr Doherty said: “All support would be a great influence as a reflection of what the community wants.

“We can all help kick-start our faltering  local economy.”

Local groups are to get the opportunity voice health concerns to Fine Gael health spokesperson, Dr. James  Reilly, when he visits the peninsula this week.

During a two visit to the county, during which he will visit on Friday morning, Dr. Reilly will meet with various groups to discuss their concerns with issues such as cancer care, the pyschiaric nurses’ dispute and hospital waiting lists.

Fine Gael Health spokesperson, Dr. James Reilly, will visit Buncrana Nursing Unit on Friday morning as part of a two-day visit to Donegal during which he will meet with various groups to discuss concerns .

Dr Reilly will meet with representatives from CCNW and DACC to discuss the continual neglect of the North West in terms of cancer services and he will also visit nursing unit in Buncrana to discuss the care of the elderly. He will also meet parents of children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy to examine the possibility of funding for research.

Deputy Joe McHugh said Dr. Reilly’s visit provided local people with the opportunity an opportunity to express their views on health issues.

He said: “There are many concerns here in Donegal at the minute with cancer care hospital waiting times at the top of the list. Dr Reilly has vast experience in the area of health and is eager to hear the concerns of people throughout the country. Dr Reilly has challenged the health minister regularly in the Dail and it is important that he is fighting Donegal’s corner with the minister.”

Deputy McHugh encouraged members of the public to go along and meet Dr Reilly on Friday  to hear what he has to say.

He added: “We will be in my office at 1.30pm on Friday and everyone is welcome to attend and have a chance to speak with Dr Reilly.”

Malin Head Coastguard has been praised for its involvement in the recovery of the body of a missing diver off the coast of Arranmore Island at the weekend.

Ann Haudred (41), a single woman from Manchester in England, got into difficulties while diving at Saturday lunchtime. Her body was recovered at 10.00 a.m. the following day.

The deceased was one of a party of seven who had spent the day diving about a quarter of a mile from Arranmore lighthouse. An extensive search was launched after Malin Head Coastguard received a call that she had got into difficulty while re-surfacing.

Coordinated by  Malin Head Coastguard, those involved included the Arranmore lifeboat, Sligo and Dublin Coastguard helicopters, Bunbeg search and rescue units and up to 17 boats from the area, including the local ferry. Two diving units from Dundalk, who were in the area, also took part.

The search was called off at 11.00 p.m. but resumed at 5.30 a.m. and Ms. Body was found on the seabed at 10.00 a.m. on Sunday close to where she went missing. Her remains were removed to Letterkenny General Hospital for a post-mortem after being brought to the surface by the Sheephaven Sub Aqua Diving Club.

Nora Flanagan, of the Arranmore RNLI lifeboat, said the operation took some time as the divers had to acclimatise at different levels.

Paying tribute to all those who assisted in the search she stressed the Malin Head Coastguard played a vital role in the operation.

She said: “The Malin Head Coastguard provided invaluable assistance in co-ordinating the search which was a huge operation involving many people from the area and the diving club.”

It was the second time in a week that the Inishowen-based coastguard coordinated a major search operation. The previous Monday it was involved in the search and recovery of Brian McDaid, the 13-years-old schoolboy who drowned in the River Foyle close to his home in St. Johnston.

A Lisfannon man escaped death by seconds in a horrific crash at a notorious Inishowen accident blackspot, the Inish Times can reveal.

Seamus McLaughlin said he was lucky to be alive after watching in horror as a car “flew” over his head before plunging into the garden of his home on the main Buncrana to Derry road at around 9.30 p.m. on Monday last.

 The crash occurred at a bend on the same stretch of road where five Eastern Europeans were killed in a two-car collision in February, 2006, and is the second time in as many years a car has ended up in Mr. McLaughlin’s garden, which is situated 15 feet below one of the busiest roads in the peninsula.

Speaking yesterday to the Inish Times, Mr. McLaughlin said he was “pretty shook up” by the incident..

He said: “I had just finished cutting the grass in the garden and had locked up the shed and was returning to the house when the car came clean over the top of the shed and flew over my head and smashed into the garden wall.”

The impact of the crash threw the passenger from the car while the driver had to be cut free by fire crews. Both men were taken to Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry where their injuries are believed not to be life-threatening.

Mr. McLaughlin added: “As soon as it happened I phoned the Gardai and neighbours were on the scene almost immediately to comfort both men, both of whom appeared to be in a lot of pain.”

Mr. McLaughlin said the occupants of the car, although injured, were also fortunate not to be killed.

He explained: “If the car had not hit the wall it would have went over the edge and fell 30 feet onto the beach below.”

He added: “This is the second time something like this has happened. Two years ago a car also landed in the garden. I fear it is only a matter of time before a member of my family is seriously injured or killed.”

Local councillor, Peter McLaughlin, who attended the crash scene, said it bore a shocking resemblance to the current hard-hitting television advertisement which features a car careering into a garden.

Cllr McLaughlin said road safety measurements on the bend needed to be improved and called on the County Council to “revaluate” the situation.

He said: “At the time of the last crash, I called on the council to take a look at that bend and a crash barrier went in part of the way but, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to go far enough.

“It is a dangerous corner. The council should look at it, evaluate it and upgrade it in order to protect drivers, the people who live on that road and perdestrians who walk there. They need to look at better and more road signage as well as adjusting the road surface.”

The accident was the second horrific crash to occur within hours of each other on Monday. Several hours earlier, a car ended up on its roof after being involved in a collision with another vehicle at Newtowncunningham on the main Bridgend to Letterkenny Road, another notorious accident blackspot.

Ironically, the crash occurred only hours after Newtown councillor Francis Conaghan expressed concern about the road.

Speaking at the Inishowen Area Electoral meeting, Cllr. Conaghan said junctions on the road “were causing a lot of concern.”

He said: Whatever money we have should be going to what is needed. There are a series of bad bends and seriously dangerous junctions and unless we’re going to tackle them, then we’re just wasting money.”

By Laura Glenn

laura.glenn@inishtimes.com

A tiny Inishowen road has caused a furious political storm.

The road at Carroughill, Drumfries has “dropped off” a list of projects earmarked for improvement over the next three years.

Instead, the funding for it – and for part-repairs on the Brae Road in Burnfoot – was switched to the Letterkenny electoral area.

This now means that the Carroughill Road, which is uneven, littered with potholes and covered in grass, will not be fixed this year.

The situation caused a blazing row at the reconvened Donegal County Council meeting on Monday.

Inishowens county councillors were furious at the switch.

They demanded to know why they were not informed.

The issue arose after Councillor Francis Conaghan put forward a motion asking for the council to discuss the prioritising of the countywide list of non-national roads.

He revealed that he received three different answers from John G McLaughlin of the roads department.

These all attempted to explain the funding switch.

However, he said although this “worried” him, he did not blame Mr McLaughlin, who “found it difficult” to get answers himself.

Councillor Conaghan said he was “fed up” taking decisions at electoral area only to discover they had been “changed in Lifford”.

Irate councillor Bernard McGuinness said the situation was “council administration versus elected members” and said he “would normally” call for the suspension of the official who made the decision.

He said: “The situation is very serious for Inishowen where we have very few national roads. All our money comes from non-national roads. “The money which comes to us [Donegal] is mostly generated because of the mileage of county roads and the majority of these are in Inishowen.

“It is galling that the money has been switched.”

Councillor Rena Donaghey – who fought to get the Drumfries road on the list – said Inishowen did not receive any reduction in funding this year.

She said: “In September last year, the Inishowen Electoral Area agreed a three-year road plan.We spent a lot of time finalising that plan.

“Now, we discover that two roads have disappeared off that list.

“If the money was cut I’d certainly accept that. But, I checked with the department [transport] in Dublin two months ago and I was assured that the money for 2008 was the same as the money for 2007 [3, 838,620 euro]. 

“Inishowen has a much larger network of roads than any electoral area in the county.

“It is important to note that no community assist work was done and no money was spent from that budget in Inishowen on health and safety grounds.

“I have asked and was successful in getting Carroughill on the list – to be done this year.

“We also agreed that the Brae Road was to be done this year.

“This is a very busy road with approximately 150 houses on it.

 “Money has gone into Letterkenny which has shifted from Inishowen and I am not prepared to accept this.”

Councillor Pádraig MacLochlainn said the situation occurred because of “mismanagement”.

He said: “There has been serious miscommunication between the roads department, councillors and enginneers.

“Councillors are working patiently with road engineers. You meet someone, they show you a road, you put it on the roads programme and it takes three or four years.

“In that time you’re trying to get some maintenance done. For a councillor to come around and say the works going to be done then to discover, quite frankly, mismanagement, it’s not going to work.

“It causes embarrassment and maybe whoever’s involved needs to be reprimanded.”

However, Letterkenny councillor Ciarán Brogan said the Inishowen councillors needed to stop playing “parish politics”.

He said: “You are getting lost in the whole initiative. Letterkenny, under government policy has been designated as a gateway town.

“Anyone who would sit in this chamber and not see Letterkenny as the employment and retail hub of Donegal, well, it’s about high time you invested in the town.

Reacting to protests and guffaws from Inishowen councillors he said he was “being serious”.

He said: “The council are only adopting government policy by putting extra money into Letterkenny. It’s high time parish politics stopped. Letterkenny is predicted to be a city and we need you to play your part.”

Johh G McLaughlin explained that Letterkenny was prioritised because of a new initiative called Small Area Population Solution (Saps).

This aims to direct money towards roads which have a higher volume of traffic.

He said: “The department asked for a three year list of roads. They didn’t ask by electoral area.

“Each area prioritises a list and then there is a master list.

“We took a look at the Saps next year and Letterkenny appeared to be the biggest benefactor. Most people would know that was going to happen from statistics.

“There were slight adjustments made  in compling the group and there was a reduction of about 1% for Inishowen, Glenties and Milford.

“This happened to be 0.98 per cent for Inishowen.

“Communication was poor when the decision was made to drop roads – they were not dropped but brought over to 2009. Burnfoot was at the bottom of the list and was presumed to be less of a priority, however apparently that’s not the case.

“There are two solutions, one is to reverse the decision but this makes it difficult to back out of a job for Letterkenny.

“The other is for more community assistance, to see of there is extra money there and make some local adjustments.

“The Brae Road will have two allocations for 2009. I wouldn’t agree with the suspension of staff or the comments made about mismanagement.

“It was down to communication, word should have went back to the councillors.”

However, Councillor Conaghan said he did not accept the explanation.

He said: “Who removed these roads and on what authority. What is our function here if the roads are going to be dropped and changed without communication.

“I fully endorse the Letterkenny area  but I would like to know what roads have been and will be  done. I drive over there every day and I don’t know.

“450,000 [euro] was robbed out of other areas, who took the decision and what was the protocol?

“There has been no clarification. John, I know you’ve had difficulty getting answers but it needs to be brought to attention some of the carry-on going on in roads.”

By John Grant

john@inishtimes.com

An Inishowen childcare facility has lost the funding for a new 1.2m euro state-of-the-art childcare centre due to the funding deadline expiring.

The company behind Greencastle Community Childcare Centre Ltd has been unable to satisfy all the criteria imposed by the funding body and, principally, the security of the lease of the proposed site. 

The company’s efforts to meet with the landowner in order to resolve the remaining difficulties proved fruitless.

The new centre, which was to be funded by the government, would have had the capacity to accommodate more than 70 children and 20 staff and would have brought 1.2 million euro to the area.

A management committee spokesman said they were “devastated with the realisation of the potential loss of the funding for the centre as it has taken eight years of hard work and dedication as many obstacles had to be faced and overcome”.  

He said: “The new investment would have yielded a number of new jobs for the area when the centre was up and running. It is outrageous for all the staff, the volunteers, the management committee, past and present, and the wider community in general.

“This has been a long and arduous process which causes various stresses to all involved and we appreciate the patience and consideration of the members of all parties involved. The project is an exciting and exceptionally beneficial project for the community and to lose this opportunity completely, would be a tragedy for all involved.”

Donegal senator Cecilia Keaveney said: “It is with great regret that I watch this specific project hit a brick wall.

“I realise the hard work put in by many to achieve the wonderful day when the money was granted. I do not think that anyone could have predicted that it was going to face as tough a challenge as it did, so far on in the process.

“I do hope that this is not the end of the project for the Greencastle area. It will take courage to get up and start again but there are strong people involved and the community is not lacking in community spirit and I can only commit that I will help in every way possible should a new site be identified.”

The committee is on the look-out for another potential site. 

They said that, while the current grant may be de-committed, they were determined to re-apply for another grant.

By Louise Doyle

louise@inishtimes.com    

THE Malin Head coastguard campaign has received another cross-border boost.   

Northern deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness, is set to raise the issue of the future of the threatened Malin Head marine rescue co-ordination centre with Taoiseach designate Brian Cowen.

The meeting will also include Foyle Sinn Féin MLA Martina Anderson.

Donegal Sinn Féin councillor Pádraig MacLochlainn welcomed the news.

He said: “I welcome the intervention by Martina Anderson and now Martin McGuinness on behalf of the Malin Head station and it clearly shows that this is a matter of huge importance for all the people of the northwest.  

“As this campaign gathers momentum, it is clear that north-south political co-operation is the most effective avenue and as the only all-Ireland party Sinn Féin will continue to pursue this issue with all our energy on behalf of the people of the northwest.” 

Martina Anderson said there are “deep concerns” for the future of the coastguard centres at Malin Head and Valentia in county Kerry.

She said: “I believe the decision to close these centres is flawed and should be overturned.

“It also flies in the face of the government’s stated policy of decentralisation.

“Instead of moving jobs to an area of high unemployment like Donegal, they are intent on removing much-needed employment from the area.”

Ms Anderson said she was “looking forward” to the intervention and added that she hopes Brian Cowen “listens to the pleas of people right across the northwest and overturns the decision as one of his first actions as taoiseach”. 

Moville Celtic FC 

Moville Celtic FC management and players would like to thank the supporters who turned out to the Greencastle pitch in such great numbers last Sunday for the Final of the League Cup. Moville Celtic were the victors with a well-deserved win over Redcastle.

Nigel McMonagle scored the winning goal to the delight of the manager John Canning. A special word of thanks to Greencastle FC for being generous hosts of the Final.

Numbers Draw

April 20 Winning Nos  9 .11 .23 24

No Jackpot Winner.

20-euro draw winners

1. Michael Noone c/o Eunan

2. Paddy Boyce Moville

3 Tony Duggan St Finian’s Park Moville 

Next Weeks Jackpot 3,580 euro

Numbers Draw April 27

Winning No’s 1 .6 .19 20.

No Jackpot Winner

20-euro Draw Winners

1. Declan McGuinness, Glencrow

2. Elizabeth Hunter, Mill Glen

3. Daniel Bradshaw Rosebank

Next week’s jackpot 3,645 euro. Draw will take place in Susie’s Bar on Sunday, May 4

Training for the Under 10s will be moved to the Bayfield from Monday, May 1. All new people welcome (help also would be most welcome )

Moville Youth Club

The Moville Youth Club has closed for the summer months.

Inishowen Camera Club

 A meeting of Inishowen Camera Club will take place tomorrow (May 1) in Serenity House, Moville .at 7.30pm. All welcome to join or just visit us.

Culdaff 5K One-Mile Road Race

Inishowen Athletic Club will stage the 5K and I mile Race on Friday 9th May. Juvenile 1 mile begins at 7.30pm, walkers start at 7.30pm and runners start at 7.45pm. All races start and finish at Culdaff Post Office. Prizes in Senior Male/Female  and Master Categories. Age groups for 1 mile are Under  13, Under 15 and Under 17. Prize fro the first three boys and girls in all age groups. Goody bag for all finishers. Contact 086 342 6698 for more details. Entry Fee is 8Euro fro the 5K and 5Euro for the 1 mile.

The Book Club

The Book Club will meet in Serenity House on Tuesday, May 13 at 7.30pm. The book for this month is ” This Distant Land of My Father ” by Bo Caldwell. All are welcome

Six-day trip to Wexford

Due to cancellations there are a few seats remaining fro the Serenity House Active Retirement Association 6 Day trip to Wexford on May 25. For further information contact Serenity House on 074 9382945.

Moville Bridge Club.

April 18 results. 1^st, Mai Mooney and Annie McBride: 2^nd, Mary B McLaughlin and Teresa McLaughlin: 3^rd, Ted McQuilken and Colette McCool: 4^th, Nellie McMahon and John F Lafferty: 5^th, Tony McDermott and Jackie McLaughlin: 6^th, Ann Vekins and Liam Doherty

Shanty Whist

April 17 Raffle : Kevin Cavangh,Shanty Bar : Michael McLaughlin Balleighan Greencastle : Danny Sweeney Drumaweir Greencastle : Frances Lake St Peter’s Park Greencastle : Molly Harvey St Peter’s Park Greencastle .

Whist John McGowan Ballynally Moville: Harry McCormick Drumaweir , Greencastle : Athol Stewart Balleigfhan Greencastle :Bridie McLaughlin St Paul’s Park Greencastle :Eugene O Sullivan Carrowhugh Greencastle :Sheila McGonagle Ballybrack Moville: Kathleen McDonald Drumaweir Greencastle :Mary McGroarty St Finian’s Park Moville:Mrs Wilson Quay Street Moville

Preparatory Studies

Do you feel you missed out on education when you were younger? Are you interested in returning to education? This is your chance. The Certificate in Preparatory Studies will be commencing at Serenity House. This is a one-year full-time course specially designed for mature students returning to education who would ultimately continue to third level. This is a nationally accredited Foundation Certificate which will open the doors to Higher Education anywhere in Ireland. Contact Serenity House at 074 93 82945 or by e mail at serenityhouse@eircom.net for further information

By Laura Glenn

laura.glenn@inishtimes.com

Inishowen gardaí have announced a massive crime crackdown.

It is hoped the initiative will drastically cut crime by making the public aware of crime prevention tactics.

Gardaí will also liase closely with the public and the media to increase co-operation between all parties with a view to cutting crime.

Buncrana district superintendent, Jimmy Coen, will focus on the criminal activities directly affecting the peninsula.

He will then give guidelines on the best way to prevent them.

In the first of a number of proposed press conferences, he focused on the distressing issue of theft.

He revealed that since January 1, 2008 there have been 34 incidences of burglary from homes in the Buncrana district. 

Again, he stressed that a number of suspects had been arrested and charged in relation to the incidents.

However, he explained a lot of these crimes were “opportunistic” and “very distressing” and outlined a number of measures Inishowen residents can adopt to ensure they don’t become victims.

In their investigation of burglaries, gardai found that the majority of injured parties do not live locally and are away from the area for a period of time.

However, Superintendent Coen said if the trend continues “it will have a very detrimental effect on the area’s very positive tourism sector”.

He encouraged residents to ensure their premises are secure and if you have a holiday home, “serious consideration” should be given to an alarm system.

According to the superintendent, there has been “a spate” of arsony of trailers in the first three months of the year.

He said: “There are groups operating on both sides of the border who are on the lookout for unsecured trailers.”

He called on those who own a trailer to prevent it from becoming an easy target.

He suggested storing it in a shed at the back of your home or positioning it between two vehicles.

A large number of tools have also been stolen from building sites recently.

Superintendent Coen urged contractors to “be aware” to not leave valuables unsecure and vunerable.

He said people “could become victims when they least expect it”.

He said: “If you’re in a crowded area, take personal care of your wallet, keys, mobile phones, Ipods and MP3 players.These are very popular.

“Lock any valuable property in the car but never leave it visible or easy accessible to thieves.

“If possible, use cash machines during the day, put away your cash and cards immediately.

“Never write down your pin number where it can be accessed and never store it on your mobile phone.”

Thefts from parked cars have also become a major problem.

Superintendent Coen said most of these crimes are “opportunistic”.

He said: “It takes just 30 seconds to break a window, reach in, open the lock and steal valuables.

“Give serious consideration to where you park, park in a well-lit and open place. Never leave mobiles, cheque books or cash cards in the car.

There has been “a worrying number” of these thefts in the Buncrana district in March alone.

Thefts of satnav systems are especially common at the minute. A number of these occurred because the cars were unlocked.

Superintendent Coen said although the thefts were “minor” they were still very disturbing for those affected.

He suggested securing the ID number of valuable equipment as this can help gardaí in their investigation if it is stolen.

Graveyards and places of worship have also been targeted in recent months.

However, these have been reduced due to detection and strategy. However, there will “always be a risk”.

Superintendent Coen outlined a number of other measures the public can adopt to ensure the safety of themselves and those they care about.

He said: “Always be a good neighbour, keep an eye out for the elderly, vunerable and those on their own.

“I would encourage everyone to report any suspicious activity to gardai.

“For more information on how to keep safe, the public can access www.garda.ie and they will find details of local crime prevention officers and other useful links.”

By Laura Glenn

laura.glenn@inishtimes.com

A Buncrana councillor has hit out at a controversial new plan by the education minister.

Councillor Daren Lalor is furious that Mary Hanafin is going ahead with a directive that will force all-Irish language primary schools to teach English from the start of the second term of junior infants.

Most schools do not introduce the language until senior infants or first class.

The minister said she believed the decision will not have a detrimental effect on the Irish language.

There are a number of Irish-language schools in Inishowen.

The peninsula’s first Irish-language secondary school opened its doors to great acclaim last year.

Councillor Lalor is a member of the parent’s committee of Gaelscoil, Buncrana and was also a founder member of the Gaelcholáiste.

He said the minister is “wrong”.

He was reacting to comments made by his party colleague, Donegal senator Pearse Doherty who said the minister was “paying lip service to consultation”.

He asked for clarification after it was revealed that a letter was sent to schools, parents organisations and teachers unions seeking consultation and proposals on the issue.

These were to be submitted by April 30.

However, Senator Doherty said the regulations “come into effect on May 1” and “there would not be enough time to take into account submissions made”.

Councillor Lalor is furious.

He said Inishowen is going through a “revival” in the language.

He said: “It really beggars belief that the minister intends to end the Irish language immersion, when here in Inishowen we are witnessing a fantastic revival of our language.

“The revival of our language here in the peninsula is down to the hard work and dedication of parents and teachers alike.

“So, if these groups are reluctant to comply with Mary Hanafin’s new regulations then surely that must send a signal to her that she may be wrong?”

The directive was prompted by a controversy at a Gaelscoil in Tralee.

Parents objected to the withdrawal of English language tuition for junior and senior infants at the school.

A subsequent report from a Department of Education inspector said the lack of tuition had a strong impact on the pupils’ English skills.

This has been greatly disputed.

By Laura Glenn

laura.glenn@inishtimes.com

An irate Inishowen councillor has accused Donegal County Council of “dragging their heels” over a proposed civic-amenity site.

Councillor Pádraig MacLochlainn recently posed a question to the council asking what plans they had to ensure the delivery of a site to Buncrana.

He was informed by Chris Lyons of the Water, Environment and Emergency Services that, due to a lack of funding, it will not happen this year.

He said: “The council’s waste-management plan 2006 – 2010 made reference to the possibility of a civic amenity site being provided in Buncrana.

“The council remains committed to this, pending grant funding being obtained towards construction costs.

“As no funding has been identified, this project will not proceed in 2008.

“The council remains committed to commissioning the new civic amenity sites currently being developed in Milford, Dungloe and Letterkenny by the end of 2008.”

However, Councillor MacLochlainn hit out at the “frustrating” response and said it was “nothing new”.

He said: “The response from the council management that they are committed to delivering a civic amenity site to Buncrana in the future is nothing new.

“Indeed, they have no choice than to give this commitment because it is down in black and white in the Donegal Waste Management Plan 2006-2012 – at my insistence in the workshops leading up to its completion.

“This has been a frustrating battle against bureaucracy for me and the people of Buncrana. “The last waste management plan [2000- 2006] remarkably failed to deliver a civic amenity site to Buncrana, the second largest town in the county.

“I was not a councillor when that plan was drawn up.

“I was elected in 2004 and every time I raised the matter, I was advised that there were other locations ahead of Buncrana and they had to stick to what was agreed in the existing plan.

“I then ensured that the 2006- 2012 plan had a commitment to Buncrana – in the face of resistance from some officials –  and two years on, the council are still dragging their heels.

“The problem is that, incredibly, the original plan committed to one civic amenity site per county council electoral area.

“Inishowen is twice the size of two of these – Stranorlar and Milford – yet we were given the same service. It’s crazy.

“Then, because the roll out of these Civic Amenity Sites has been so slow, Buncrana has had to wait.”

Councillor MacLochalinnn said he is determined to fight for a site in the town.

He said: “I am determined to pursue this matter vigorously as I believe that Buncrana, and indeed Inishowen,  were failed by the last plan.

“I am not going to stand by and see us failed again.”