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One of Letterkenny's best known buildings up for sale... again!

CAN YOU AFFORD ‘THE KUBE’? editor@letterkennypost.com

Pages 20-21

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One of Letterkenny’s best-known buildings will once again be going under the hammer at a knock-down price, the Post can reveal.

The Kube building, located close to Letterkenny Rugby Club, will be available to prospective buyers in the latest online BidX1

property auction, with a guide price of €420,000, which is down €20,000 from last year, when the property was up for sale with a reserve price range of €440,000– €460,000.

Described as a modern threestorey retail and office investment, the property is arranged over ground and two upper floors to provide a detached office building. Internally the property comprises five ground floor retail

units, together with two floors of office accommodation overhead.

The ground floor retail units benefit from own door access and rear loading access.

The second floor formerly housed Donegal Co. Council’s Central Laboratory since 2008.

A spokesperson for Donegal Co. Council said the local authority no longer had any “interest in this building”.

The property is situated on the

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southern side of Thorn Road towards the intersection with Elmwoods Downs.

A minimum bidding deposit has been set at €10,000 for the property.

A number of other lots from across the county will also be up for grabs, including 15 residential and four other commercial properties.

The BidX1 online auction will be held on April 13 and April 18.

Breton dancers entertaining the audience during the special opening night concert on Tuesday night to mark the official opening of the 47th International Pan Celtic Festival in Letterkenny.

The Festival runs until Sunday, April 8, and boasts a packed programme of themed concerts, music, song and dance workshops and competitions, talks, storytelling sessions, Celtic language workshops, street pageantry, spectacle and drama. Festival events will take place in a variety of venues and locations throughout Letterkenny including An Grianán Theatre, the Central Library, Letterkenny Shopping Centre, Donegal County Museum, Market Square and St. Eunan’s Cathedral.

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2 NEWS NEWSBRIEFS Creeslough NS staff shortages raised Donegal Independent TD Thomas Pringle has raised the issue of chronic staffing levels at Scoil Mhuire in Creeslough after it emerged that final appeals for an additional teacher were unsuccessful.

Deputy Pringle said: “An enormous amount of pressure is being placed on teachers and staff particularly at infant level to deliver on the curriculum in an environment that continues to deteriorate as the pupil teacher ratio rises further over the course of the year.”

He added: “I believed the situation Scoil Mhuire warranted a debate in the Dáil with the Minister himself.

Unfortunately the Minister declined my request to review his Department’s strict criteria for extra staffing.”

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Public Service Cards to come into force from next week Sean Murphy sean.murphy@rivermedia.ie

Donegal motorists could be put off the road because of new controversial administrative regulations.

This is because time is running out to get a new driving licence before procedures are changed to require them to have a Public Services Card (PSC).

From next week, everyone applying for a driving licence or a learner permit will be asked to provide their PSC number.

Donegal County Cllr Terence Slowey is now warning people that they have until April 9 when the PSC will be mandatory for a renewal or new licence.

The Government has stated that the card– of which three million have been issued at a cost of over €60m since it was first introduced in 2012 for welfare services like jobseekers’ payments – is not an identity card.

Data protection and privacy experts criticised the card last May when it was expanded to incorporate additional State processes such as first time passport applications.

They claimed it is contrary to the forthcoming EU General Data Protection Regulation

and accused the Government of introducing a national ID card by stealth.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties called for the card to be scrapped.

However, Fine Gael Cllr Slowey announced his support for the card at a full meeting of Donegal Co. Council in Lifford last week.

He said: “If you don’t have your PSC, you won’t get your driving licence, for example.

“I know civil liberties groups are opposed to it, but I don’t have a problem with the card, per se.”

Cllr Slowey proposed at the meeting that the council should “alert the people of Donegal that it will become a requirement”.

His party colleague, Cllr Barry O’Neill seconded his motion. The Road Safety Authority also supports the controversial card.

A spokesman for the RSA said: “This change will simplify and increase the security of the application process, help combat fraud and keep unlicensed drivers off our roads.

“People were using false identities to acquire driving licences. We want people aware of the April 9 deadline so they have time to get their PSC if they need it.”

The RSA is due to launch an online service on April 30 for renewals. Other applications will be made at National Driving Licence Service centres.

Easter Egg Hunt a big success

Cassidy Peoples Sales

cassidy@letterkennypost.com

Mob: 086 774 067

Suzanne Callaghan Sales

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Mob: (074) 9112753 NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS The Letterkenny Post reserves the right to decline, omit, or alter an advertisement submitted for publication, or to terminate any contract. The Letterkenny Post will not be held responsible for any loss caused as a consequence. No liability accepted for any loss or damage caused by an error in the printing of an advertisement, or by the omission of an advertisement. Positioning of an advertisement is at the discretion of the newspaper. No liability is accepted for any loss or damage caused by a delay in the forwarding of box numbers.

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Large crowds attended the Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt in Letterkenny on Easter Saturday.

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A Letterkenny family helped to launch this year's Organ Donor Awareness week, alongside broadcaster Claire Byrne.

Clíona Marley, with her three children Zoe, Féile and Mollie were in Dublin to launch the event. Clíona underwent a successful heart transplant in 2014. Pictured from left: Claire Byrne, Clíona Marley with her three children representing the Irish Heart and Lung Transplant Association and Valerie Brady, National Honorary Secretary, Irish Kidney Association.

Pro-choice campaigners in Letterkenny.

Pro-Choice campaign group highlights importance of men voting Pro-Choice campaign group, Donegal Together for Yes held information stalls in Letterkenny on Saturday.

The group handed out information leaflets and answered questions the public had about the referendum to remove the Eighth Amendment from the Constitution.

The issue of men voting was a major issue on the day.

Nora Newell, Donegal Together for Yes Spokesperson, spoke about a man at the stall in Letterkenny who said that he “hadn’t really given any thought to the issue of abortion until his wife was told that there was a problem with her pregnancy and that their child would probably not survive beyond birth.

“This caused them both such upset and distress as this was a much longed for child.

“They were then faced with having to travel to the UK as abortion healthcare was not

provided here in Donegal.

“The man said that it was then that he realised that the only way that we can genuinely care for a family like his is to repeal the Eighth Amendment and to provide a full range of pregnancy healthcare in Ireland, including abortion.”

The referendum will be held on May 25 and polling stations will be open between 7am and 10pm.

People should check that they are registered to vote and they can check the register in any council office, post office, Garda station or public library.

They can also do so online at www.checktheregister.ie.

People can be included on the Supplementary register by completing a form available online or at any of the above locations.

The deadline for the Supplementary register is May 8. The register for Postal votes and for Special voters is April 28.

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NEWS 3

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

101 fewer gardaí across the county now than eight years ago

Donegal hit by crime surge

By Rory Mooney editor@letterkennypost.com

Concerns have been raised over the lack of serving gardaí in Donegal.

According to Donegal TD Pat 'the Cope' Gallagher, a lack of gardaí across the county has resulted in rising crime figures.

New figures have shown that over the past eight years, there has been an 21% reduction in the number of guards serving in Donegal.

The latest CSO figures show that there was a 34% rise in burglaries and a 17%t increase in controlled drugs offences in the county.

The Central Statistics Office has just resumed publication of Recorded Crime statistics, following a 12-month suspension resulting from quality issues with regard to An Garda Síochána PULSE data.

In Donegal last year (2017) the figures show there were 86 rape/sexual assault cases compared to 97 in 2016 ( a drop of 11%). The figures also show there were 246 reported assaults causing harm last year compared to 135 in 2016.

By the end of last year (2017) there were a total of 294 controlled drug offences compared to 250 in 2016 ( a rise of 17 per cent).Notably, there were 49 cases of drugs for sale and supply compared to 36 in 2016.

Deputy Gallagher said that crime figures were raising at an "alarming rate".

"The figures show that unless extra resources are provided for Gardaí within the county they will continue to struggle to counteract the growing figures and instances of crime within our communities.

"It is time this Government realised that drugs, burglaries are not just an urban problem or issue alone, such crimes are routinely effecting all of our rural communities too but, unlike urban areas resources are not being directed to rural policing by this present administration."

Drugs problem

He added: "It is clear that the drugs problem within our county is spiralling out of control and most drastic intervention needs to be taken by the Government, otherwise the scourge of drugs will waste the lives of our younger generation within the county.

"In order to counter act drugs in our communities Gardaí need serious manpower and additional resources not unlike what is occurring in urban areas at present.

"But, rural drugs crime never seems to attract the same attention from Government as urban drug rates do and that is what is what happening here – rural drugs rates are up."

Deputy Gallagher called on the Gardaí authorities and the Minister for Justice to take action and immediately put in place a multi annual programme to reinstate Garda numbers with the Donegal Division.

NEWSBRIEFS Fall in house prices

House prices in Donegal, in the first three months of 2018, were 2% lower than a year previously, compared to a fall of 7% seen a year ago.

That's according to the latest House Price Report released by property website, Daft.ie.

The average house price is in Donegal is now €139,000 47% below peak levels.

House prices nationally rose by 2.5%.

The average price nationwide was €247,000, 7.3% higher than a year ago. Compared to their lowest point in 2013, prices nationwide have risen by an average of 50% or just over €82,500.

The number of properties available to buy on the market nationwide continues to fall.

There were just over 20,000 properties on the market in March.

TV presenter to give An Taisce talk The latest CSO figures show that there are 101 fewer serving guards in Donegal.

"Furthermore, I call on the Minister to restore Glenties District Station to its former position within Garda command and accordingly rebuild the number of Gardaí serving in that district.

"It is also evident that the proper resourcing of Gardaí needs to take priority in the forthcoming budget – in order the counter act the grow crime pressures rural areas are under at present, otherwise we will continue to fight a losing battle.

"Crime and the drugs menace effect all our communities and the consequences have devastating effects on everyone – the fight to make our homes and communities saver needs proper resources and above all a Government commitment to tackle the menace.

"I am challenging this Government to take action and to realise there is a growing crises in our rural communities," Deputy Gallagher concluded.

The Donegal Association of An Taisce is delighted to welcome Duncan Stewart to Letterkenny.

He is presenting a talk and discussion in the Station House Hotel at 8pm of Monday, April 9.

This will look at the good and the bad of how we treat our immediate surroundings and the wider world.

The talk will examine the challenges our world faces for future generations.

Everyone is welcome, to this free event.

4 NEWS NEWSBRIEFS Service of Remembrance

An interdenominational service of remembrance will be held in Letterkenny University Hospital next month.

The service will be held for those who have suffered miscarriages, still birth and neo-natal deaths in the hospital. The remembrance service will take place on Sunday, April 8 at 4pm in Conwal Parish Church of Ireland in Letterkenny.

The hospital management, staff and chaplains have extend a warm welcome to everyone who wish to attend.

LYIT agri-students Brussels delegation A group of agricultural students from LYIT were among a delegation to visit the European Parliament. The students were hosted by Sinn Féin MEP, Matt Carthy.

Aware Education Programmes

Education support group, Aware, has announced that its popular Life Skills Group Programme and Relatives & Friends Programme will both be available to the people of Donegal this month.

Both programmes are free of charge. The Life Skills Group Programme will begin on Tuesday, April 17, while the Relatives & Friends Programme will begin on Wednesday, April 18.

Both events will be held in the Radisson Blu Hitel, Letterkenny. Visit the Aware website for more details.

Bishop McGuckian ordains two seminarians as deacons Bishop of Raphoe, Alan McGuckian has ordained two seminarians to the diaconate in a ceremony in Rome.

The two new deacons - Reverend Anthony Briody, from the Diocese of Raphoe, and Reverend Declan McGeehan, from the Diocese of Derry are resident in the Pontifical

Irish College in Rome, from where they are perusing their studies for the priesthood.

Monsignor Ciarán O’Carroll, Rector of the Pontifical Irish College said: “It is with great joy that we celebrate the ordination to the diaconate today (Tuesday) of Anthony and Declan.

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

The new deacons with the ordaining Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ, Bishop Philip Boyce OCD, members of the formation staff of the Pontifical Irish College, Anthony's brother, Father Joseph Briody, and the acolytes who served the Mass of ordination.

“On behalf of everyone at the Pontifical Irish College I congratulate our two new deacons on their ordination.

“I wish them every happiness and blessing as they commence their diaconal ministries of service, of charity and of leadership in prayer and liturgy.”

Reverend Anthony Briody and Reverend Declan McGeehan are in their fifth year of formation for the priesthood.

In addition to their assignments as transitional deacons, Reverend Briody and Reverend McGeehan will spend the next year completing their priestly formation.

Transitional deacons exercise the very same ministry as permanent deacons, as such they are now ordinary Ministers of Baptism; are able to preside at weddings; assist the priest at Mass; proclaim the Gospel and preach, as well as preside at wakes and funeral services.

New restrictions could result in no new rural homes

By Catherine McGinty Reporter

Cllr Paul Canning.

Families in rural Donegal may be forced to move away from their homeplaces due to restrictions on house building contained in the Government’s “National Planning Framework.” Published in February, the “National Planning Framework” introduced new regulations, known as Housing Need Demand Assessments (HNDAs).

Donegal Co. Councillor Paul Canning described HNDAs as “getting slipped in the back door” and expressed concern they would “finish rural development.”

Cllr Canning said: “HNDAs will effectively finish rural development.

“The policy means, a person wanting to build in a rural area, say between Buncrana and Bridgend, or any of our towns, will be refused planning permission, if there happens to be a vacant

dwelling in one of the towns.

“Planning will not be granted under the ruling that the HNDA is not satisfied that there is a housing demand need within that area.

“Policies are being written up, which create an environment that does not allow building in a rural area.

“These policies are manipulated in such a way that the local rural people, looking to build on family lands will no longer be able to do so.”

Hurdles

He added: “At present, the hurdles a young couple looking to build a home have to go through include - vision lines of 320 metres; a site assessment; traffic surveys; habitat screening; and development plan rural policies, all of which make planning very difficult to obtain.

“However, we now have an added policy, a HDNA, which is getting slipped in the back door, with a view to using up

or the filling of vacant properties within our towns.”

Compiled by the Department of Housing Planning and Local Government, on behalf of the Government, the “National Planning Framework” is the overarching policy and planning framework for the social, economic and cultural development of Ireland.

According to Cllr Paul Canning, the document will guide national, regional and local planning and investment decisions over the next 25 years.

He said: “It is envisaged that Ireland will be home to an additional one million people and will require at least 600,000 jobs along with half a million additional homes by 2040.

“Taking all of this on board, along with the fact that people are living longer, this government is planning to locate people and services in a more urban location, as opposed to the rural setting with which we are more accustomed.”

Local shop scoops excellence award

Pictured at the MACE Excellence Awards for achieving exceptional standards in retailing, held at the Lyrath Estate Hotel, Kilkenny recently were: Kevin Logue, MACE Retail Operations Advisor; Damien McCormack, MACE Dry Arch; Daniel O'Connell, MACE Sales Director and Barry Flynn, MACE Retail Operations Advisor. PHOTO: Dylan Vaughan Photography.

NEWS 5

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Online campaigners target parking in disabled bays

By Sean Murphy sean.murphy@rivermedia.ie

The atrocious parking of motorists in disabled bays in Letterkenny is being targeted on Facebook.

Administrators of a Facebook page called ‘Parked Like A K**b’ are highlighting the issue by posting photos online of cars that are parked – often badly - in the disabled spots.

This coincides with the success of local campaigner Betty Holmes in getting Donegal Co. Council to crackdown on the rogue drivers by erecting signs to warn of €150 fines.

Another disability campaigner, Frank Larkin, told the Letterkenny Post: “These Facebook pages highlight the issue, but I have heard that Donegal Council are considering an app that allows people to report bad parking to its traffic wardens, although would they have the resources to act on this information?”

Frank, a disability awareness and equality activist

from Letterkenny, added: “Illegal parking in disabled bays needs to be addressed urgently.”

There is no claim made on the Facebook pages that the cars posted are parked illegally or are parked by motorists who do not own a blue badge permit.

Frank added: “I’m a driver and [generally] I see it being abused several times a day.

That’s no exaggeration. I just don’t know the reason why people do it.

“There are no acceptable excuses. We need these parking spaces; these are absolutely vital. Some might say, ‘But I was only going into the post office for a minute’.

“That’s not an excuse.

The next driver might come along and think the same thing. That’s why we need everyone to get rid of that attitude.”

Regulations

New regulations were introduced by the Department of Transport on March 1 past to increase the penalty for illegally parking in

a disabled bay from €80 to €150.

Betty Holmes, who is not associated with the Facebook campaign, said it confronts motorists online like she used to do face-to-face.

Betty told the Letterkenny Post: “I’m not involved with these Facebook pages, but I know that they highlight the issue by showing cars that could be parked across two disabled bays, for example.

“I used to stand and physically give out to people.”

The Parked Like A Kn*b Facebook pages were set up in different Donegal towns like Carndonagh, Dungloe, and Letterkenny two years ago and have recently posted images of cars which they claim are badly parked, particularly in disabled bays.

Illegal parking

Fines of up to €500 and five-month driving bans have been handed down by the courts for illegally parking in disabled spaces.

But there should be more prosecutions for bad parking, according to followers of the “Parked Like A Kn*b”

A vehicle parked in two disabled spaces in Letterkenny.

Facebook pages.

The creator of the Carn page, which went live in April 2016, said it was created for “posting pictures of bad driving and bad parking”.

One pic shows a red Volkswagen Polo parked diagonally across two bays – including a disabled parking spot.

A fed-up motorist commented: “Some individuals

should never be granted a driving licence. Taking up a disabled spot and the one beside it. Why?” Another wrote: “They should be ashamed.”

The Carndonagh page is followed by close to 3,00 users, while the Letterkenny page has attracted nearly 11,000 followers, and the “Parked like a knob in Dungloe” page has less than 800 followers.

NEWSBRIEFS Internationalisation conference

Donegal Local Enterprise Office is holding an internationalisation conference on April 12-13 in the Solis Lough Eske Hotel.

The Local Enterprise Office Donegal is organising this conference as their contribution to the Border and Western Region’s designation as European Entrepreneurial Region 2018 and thus the international focus both in theme and speakers.

This will be an interesting conference for anyone already exporting or those thinking of developing markets beyond our borders.

There is also a competition for the best export entry plan with a prize of up to €5,000 of consultancy for the winning business.

The form is in the booklet attached or can be accessed here http://bit.ly/€5000Beyon dLocalCompetition.

Attendance can be confirmed through the website www. localenterprise.ie/donegal/ training-events.

Anam Cara meeting Anam Cara Donegal, an organisation that supports bereaved parents, is hosting its monthly parent evening on this evening from 7.30pm9.00pm in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Letterkenny.

For more information see anamcara.ie or ring their Information Line on 085 2888 888.

April, May and June in Cara House New Courses for the Spring and Summer Come and Join Us! Monday’s

Pass your Driver Theory Test 10.30am (free) Irish Conversation Group (Library) 10.30 – 12 9th and 16th April CPR Training - Irish Heart Foundation approved 11am (free)

Tuesdays

Circle Dancing 11am (€3) Knit and Natter 11am (€3) iPad for Beginners 10am €30 for 5 sessions Facebook and Facebook Security for iPad 12.00 €30 for 5 sessions Book Club last Tuesday of the month @ 2.30 6.30pm Summer Crafts including rag wreaths and decoupage 17th April (4 sessions) €20 (part funded by ETB PPS Numbers will be required)

Wednesdays

Paverpol ( 5x3 hour sessions) €35 (part funded by ETB PPS Numbers will be required) 2 Hand Dancing in Regional Cultural Centre 11am €6 Mindfulness 1.30 €5 a session

Dressmaking 1pm in Regional Cultural Centre €30 for 5 weeks 6.30pm May 9th Summer Flowers (4 weeks) €20 (part funded by ETB PPS Numbers will be required)

Thursdays

Spanish for Beginners €30 every 5 weeks (part funded by ETB PPS Numbers will be required) Spanish for Improvers €30 every 5 weeks Art for Relaxation €5 a session Yoga for Beginners €30 every 5 weeks Yoga for Improvers €30 every 5 weeks

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Fridays

Irish for Beginners 10 am €30 every 5 weeks (part funded by ETB PPS Numbers will be required) Irish for Improvers 12.00 €30 every 5 weeks Computers for Beginners 10 €30 every 5 weeks Computers for Improvers 12 €30 every 5 weeks

Saturday

Ink art workshop May 19th 10 – 2pm

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6 NEWS

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Accidents / Accidents Accidents / / / Accidents Personal Injury?

Personal Injury?

Personal Injury?

Personal Injury?

Head of Enterprise in Donegal, Michael Tunney and Eve Anne McCarron, Business Advisor with Local Enterprise Office, Donegal, pictured promoting the 'Beyond Local' conference in Solis Lough Eske, Donegal Town on April 12-13.

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€5,000 opportunity for ambitious local businesses Businesses attending an International Conference in Donegal on April 12-13 are being urged to submit a short market entry plan that could see them win a massive €5,000 in consultancy to help them develop their plan.

The Beyond Local conference takes place in Solis Lough Eske and sets out to explain why taking business into the global marketplace makes perfect sense for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

A mixture of keynote talks, workshops and business to business meetings, the two day international conference organised by Local Enterprise Office, Donegal, draws on national and international experience so those attending will get the best possible insight into the benefits of looking beyond local markets for their business.

“Our Small and Medium Enterprises are much more likely to survive in the globally competitive business climate if they internationalise their business. We also know that those businesses

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that do internationalise and enter export markets, tend to be more innovative than their stay-at-home cousins and they are more resistant to local and national crises,” Michael Tunney, Head of Enterprise in Donegal said.

He explained that speakers from Denmark, Poland and Italy will join a host of speakers from Ireland and Northern Ireland to highlight how internationally active businesses are more innovative and perform better than those who have not embraced internationalisation.

“Now, more then ever – in a time of major political and market changes – it is time for businesses to adopt an international outlook, but it would appear that many don’t have the ambition, the information or the knowledge to do so.

This conference, aims to increase awareness of the benefits of internationalisation among SMEs and provide easier access to the information businesses need,” Mr Tunney said.

As an added incentive, businesses thinking about going

beyond local for their markets are also being offered the chance to win €5,000 worth of consultancy, simply by filling in a short form and attending the conference.

The market entry plan form, available to download from the Local Enterprise Website – www.localenterprise.ie/ donegal - is a short and simple document and businesses wishing to enter should simply complete the document, submit it to michael.tunney@ leo.donegalcoco.ie by midnight on Friday, April 6 and then be in attendance at the conference.

“Taking business into the global marketplace makes perfect sense for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – and it means they are much more likely to survive in the globally competitive business climate.

“The conference is a great opportunity for businesses to learn how they can do that and I really do hope they make the best of the opportunity and come along to listen and to learn,” Mr Tunney concluded.

NEWS 7

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Road chiefs told to sort out “unacceptable” driving test backlog

By Sean Murphy sean.murphy@rivermedia.ie

Learner drivers in Letterkenny are waiting 80 per cent longer for driving tests than the average wait time set by the Road Safety Authority.

This is because there has been a 60.6 per cent reduction in the number of permanent driving testers who are working in the county, according to figures.

A Donegal County councillor told the Letterkenny Post that learners in Letterkenny face an 18-week delay (over four months) compared to the RSA’s average aim of just 10 weeks (over two months).

He has challenged council chiefs to demand in writing that Transport Minister Shane Ross alleviates the backlog that has been caused in part because of that dramatic 60.6 per cent reduction in testers in the county.

He has also stated figures that there were six permanent testers in the county in 2006, but there are now just two for all of Donegal.

He argues that an allocation of two new testers for Donegal would double the county’s total and wipe out backlogs in Donegal’s three test centres – where the wait time is 23 weeks in Buncrana, 22 weeks in Donegal Town, and 18 in Letterkenny.

The average wait time is 37 days (over one month) across the border in the North.

Backlogs in the South mean there are 44,746 learner drivers waiting for a test date, according to the latest figures.

Independent Cllr Nicholas Crossan proposed at a full meeting of the council in Lifford last Monday to write to Minister Ross was supported by Independent Cllr Niamh Kennedy.

He has now told the Letterkenny Post: “I have since been told that a young girl, who has applied for her driving test, has been given a test date in December – that’s nine months away.

“A wait time of 23 weeks is bad enough, but that would be unbelievable. Buncrana, for example, has a 42 per cent failure rate, so if you were to apply for your test now and then fail it, it means that you would get a date in January 2019 for the re-sit.

Waiting times

“That’s just several weeks short of a full calendar year, which is totally unacceptable. People in Donegal need a car to drive to their job, for going away to college, for working at night.”

He added: “New testers are being trained up now in the six training centres across Ireland. Seven were trained last year and not one was posted to Donegal or the North West region.

“That’s why I want to make sure that we get some this year. Seven are to start work in May. If we got just two from this year, that would double our

Calls have been made to clear driving test backlog.

total of permanent testers.”

A spokesman for the RSA has confirmed that the driver testing service has experienced increased waiting times nationally over the past year.

He explained that over 4,000 driving test appointments were lost during Storms Ophelia and Emma and thousands more have been lost simply by people not turning up.

Up to 400 people a week have swerved scheduled dates this year, while nearly 19,000 candidates did not show up for their driving test in 2017.

He said: “This is due to a sustained level of applications being received, alongside a reduction in driver tester numbers due to retirements.

“The plan is to get back to a national average of 10 weeks in the year.”

NEWSBRIEFS Pioneer Association 100th anniversary The Letterkenny Pioneer Centre will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year and to mark the occasion, the Association is having a Mass at 6pm on Friday, May 11 in St. Eunan’s Cathedral, celebrated by Bishop McGuckian, followed by a dinner dance in the Station House hotel at 7.30pm.

This function is incorporating the North Region Pioneer Dinner Dance. Music will be provided by Tír Chonaill Country and tickets are €30.

For ticket info, please contact your local centre. Any members in the Letterkenny area can contact Michael on 0876774618, Joe on 0851269238 or Geraldine on 0877962045.

Meanwhile, the monthly meeting of the Assocation will take place on Friday, April 6 at 8.10pm in the Pastoral Centre.

There will be a member of the Association outside the sacristy after Mass on Saturday, April 7 and all the Masses on Sunday, April 8 to take the names of anyone interested in joining or finding out more about the Pioneers.

Bonagee Ceili

A Ceili will be held in Bonagee Community Centre on Sunday, April 8.

Dancing from 8-11pm.

Admission (including supper) is €7.

Everyone welcome.

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8 NEWS

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Successful launch of ‘Your Future Your Choice’ brochure Donegal Local Development CLG (DLDC) hosted a successful launch of its 'Your Future Your Choice' brochure in Letterkenny this week.

The brochure maps the wide range of opportunities available to young people aged between 15 years and 23 years to engage in further education and training within the County.

The brochure was devised

by DLDC in collaboration with the county branch of Guidance Counsellors as well as local education and training stakeholders.

The brochure was funded as part of DLDC’s role in the Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme (SICAP), a national programme, which aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality.

“Essentially the brochure maps the wide range of opportunities available to young people within the County to access training and education opportunities in a very user friendly way.

“Donegal Youth Service as-

sisted us in the initial design as we wanted to ensure that the information was presented in a clear but attractive way,” said Susan Kierce Marsh, SICAP Co-ordinator for Lifelong Learning DLDC. Susan noted that Donegal should be proud of both the variety and quality of supports to young people.

She noted that in her experience, both young people and their parents/guardians frequently found it difficult to access information on the plethora of services available.

Susan explained: “Our brochure will help guide individuals to make informed choices about the range of opportunities that are available to them.”

Chairman of DLDC, Mr Jim Slevin noted in his opening address that: “It is a strategic priority of DLDC to promote and support access to Lifelong educational, training and learning opportunities.

“Indeed, the concept of Lifelong learning is central to our work and we believe that students of all ages and abilities

should be able to participate in education and training appropriate to their needs and abilities.

“We know that learning new things makes people more competent and confident. It improves the chances of finding work that matches their interests and abilities. Research shows that learning new things makes people happier.

Social inclusion

“We support people to access appropriate learning opportunities that prepare them for life. Furthermore, he noted that ‘Lifelong Learning is the "ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated" pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons.

“Therefore, it not only enhances social inclusion, active citizenship, and personal development, but also self-sustainability, as well as competitiveness and employability.

“As a Local Development Company, these elements are very important to us in our

Picture at the launch, are, seated: Mr Jim Slevin, Chairman of DLDC and Susan Kierce Marsh, SICAP Coordinator for Lifelong Learning DLDC. Standing, back from left: Angela Ferry, DLDC, Colm Mac Giolla Easbuic, Muintearas Gaoth Dobhair, Anne Mc Hugh, Chief Executive of Donegal ETB, Padraic Fingleton, Chief Executive Officer DLDC, Louise Brogan, DLDC, Paul Hannigan, President LYIT and Noelle Blaney, DLDC. PHOTO: Clive Wasson.

day to day work with both individuals and communities.

“This brochure is a prime example of a Local Development Company using a bottom up approach i.e. developing local solutions to local issues.”

Anne Mc Hugh, Chief Executive of Donegal ETB and a member of DLDC Board, in her address noted the positive and collaborative nature of the relationship between DLDC and Donegal ETB. She endorsed the brochure as a valuable tool for young

people, parents and professionals working in the area.

She was happy to see that the brochure is available in both Irish and English.

Padraic Fingleton, Chief Executive Officer DLDC noted that the brochure will help young people to access information on education and training opportunities available within the County and in turn, they will be able to create a positive and fulfilling life for themselves.

He reiterated DLDC’s com-

Clar Road, Donegal Town

mitment to continued collaborative work with organisations and agencies.

Having launched the brochure, Susan Kierce Marsh noted that DLDC will now focus on the distribution of it to across the County to ensure that all schools, Youth Clubs, sports clubs, Community Centres have copies of it available.

The brochure will shortly be available to download form DLDC website (www.dldc. org).

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Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

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10 NEWS

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Donegal schools preparing new child safeguarding risk assessments

New Moderator for Presbytery of Derry and Donegal appointed Rev Paul Linkens, Minister of Ebrington Congregation, has been elected Moderator of the Presbytery of Derry and Donegal for 2018/19.

Welcoming him to the chair the outgoing Moderator, Rev Mark Russell said: “I have had an interesting year, experiencing all aspects of Church life.”

He thanked the Clerk, Rev Robert Buick for his support and encouragement and wished Mr Linkens God’s richest blessing in his year.

Mr. Linkens thanked members of Pres-

bytery for their confidence in electing him and said he looked forward to his year as Moderator.

In other Presbytery of Derry and Donegal news, Rev Dr Brian Brown reported that he had received accounts from Ayrhill National School and that schools in Donegal were preparing new Child Safeguarding Risk Assessments and Statements.

Dr Brown also brought the work of the Donegal Protestant Board of Education to the attention of Presbytery.

The Board is Patron of The Royal and

Newly appointed Moderator of the Presbytery of Derry and Donegal, Rev Paul Linkens.

Prior Comprehensive School in Raphoe and provides boarding accommodation in The Royal School House.

He invited anyone who might be interested in joining the Board or in finding out more about the work of the RSH to contact him.

Presbyterian Women Link Report

Mrs Sandra Galbraith, Presbyterian Women Link Secretary told the meeting that the different branches have around 670 ladies attending meetings in 40 congregations.

She said: “The number of groups within the presbytery has been maintained and we have forwarded a total of £3,850 towards this years’ project, funding for our Deaconess training and many of our groups also made donations to local charities.

“Valerie Stewart, Convener of the council for Social Witness was guest speaker at the Spring Get together dinner.

“Our theme for the year was ‘Grow and bear Fruit’ and each lady received a little potted sunflower and was challenged to grow this over the summer.”

Mrs Galbraith cknowledged the support they received from the PW office in Belfast, their Inspiration pack helping greatly in meetings.

“We ask God to guide us through another PW year and look deeper into the beauty of His love and grace under the new theme of ‘Beautiful,” she said.

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Rathmullan is set to benefit from the funding.

Local harbours to receive funding Harbours across Donegal are to benefit from new safety measures and enhanced mooring facilities.

Donegal TD Joe McHugh has welcomed €219,750 funding for the works which are part of a €2.2 million package to assist coastal local authorities around the country to undertake and complete development and repair projects on harbours and slipways owned by them.

The package provides funding for maintenance and repair works in addition to supporting the ongoing development and enhancement of harbour facilities including some marine leisure developments.

The locations in Donegal to benefit from the funding for improved safety measures are Greencastle; Bunagee; Portaleen; Portmore; Buncrana; Rathmul-

lan; Portsalon; Downings; Magheraroarty; Bunbeg; Burtonport (pictured) Teelin; Bundoran.

Elsewhere, visitor moorings will also be improved at Teeling, Arranmore, Rathmullan and Meevagh.

Deputy McHugh said: “I am delighted to welcome this funding for the repair and development of fishery and aquaculture linked marine infrastructures under local authority ownership.

“Maintaining and improving standards and facilities at all of these locations is essential to protect and preserve coastal communities.

“It is also vital from a tourism perspective, in increasing participation in marine leisure, and for the development of fishing and aquaculture related activities, all of which help to sustain the local economy and employment.”

by Connie McGranaghan

Eleanor Oliphant Author: Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine or, so she says anyway, but is she fine?

She works in an office job during the week, employee of the kind hearted and understanding Bob and a figure of mockery to her co-workers due to her inappropriate social skills and the scar on her face.

Routinely on a Friday evening, she shops in Tesco for a margherita pizza and two bottles of vodka which she drinks alone in her flat over the weekend.

Eleanor has no friends, her only visitors are service professionals and a biyearly visit from her social worker.

She also has mysterious and uncomfortable phone conversations with her Mummy ever y Wednesday and the reader is left wondering where exactly Mummy is.

She cuts a lonely fi gure and often wonders is she in fact a figment of her own imagination.

Eleanor feels her life takes a new turn when she meets

and falls for who she decides is the ‘love of her life’ and this forces her into trying to integrate into society by having amongst other things a hilarious bikini wax.

However, it is when she meets the IT guy, Raymond who works in her company that her life really does take a turn for the better.

Together Eleanor and Raymond perform an unexpected act of kindness

on elderly gentleman Samuel and this act leads to Eleanor and Raymond becoming friends.

This is the first time Eleanor has had a friend and she slowly opens up to Raymond and we find out what happened to Eleanor and why she is not really completely fine.

This is the debut novel of Scottish author Gail Honeyman, a funny yet sad tale of a twenty-nine-year-old socially- inept woman.

Eleanor would very much remind me of Don in the Rosie Project and I would dare to say that Eleanor may be on the autism spectrum.

She is an endearing, quirky character with hidden childhood secrets, secrets even hidden from herself.

I found this to be a beautifully written novel. Eleanor captured me from the beginning and I really was not ready for the story to end.

There is also a quite a twist at the end that you will not see coming!

This book is a real treat.

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

NEWS 11

12 NEWS

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

More than 100% increase in children attending Wainfest 2017 Donegal Co. Council has revealed that the number of children and young people attending Wainfest in 2017 increased by more than 100% to just over 7,100.

Wainfest is Donegal’s Arts and Book Festival for Children and is one of the leading festivals for children in the country.

“This increase is phenomenal,” said Sinead McLaughlin, Chairperson of the organising committee within the Council’s Cultural Services.

“We had 90 school events and 31 family events in public libraries, Taobh Tire Centres, the County Museum, the Regional Cultural Centre and Partner locations and to see this increase in the number of participants is just so rewarding for everyone

involved in organising this wonderful festival.

“Last year saw the extension of events being hosted by partner organisations also and this certainly contributed to the increase as did the programme itself. We were delighted to have the opportunity to work with local businesses as well as organisations such as Glenveagh National Park, Inch Wildfowl Reserve, Donegal Junior String Orchestra, Inishowen Development Partnership, Letterkenny Family Resource Centre, the Abbey Centre, the Balor Theatre and Cinemas across the county.

“We are committed to ensuring that we deliver a high quality cultural experience for children and young people in

Donegal.”

The 2018 Wainfest will take place from October 6-14 and work is well underway in planning for this year’s festival.

Ms McLaughlin said: “We have already started planning for the 2018 festival and indeed we have plans in place for 2019.

“This year’s festival promises to be even bigger and better and we are continuing to work with our partner organisations as well as corporate sponsors.

“Donegal has a strong reputation as a leader in culture and the Council’s Cultural Services Division has set out a comprehensive strategic plan that seeks to maintain high quality sustainable services and a collaborative partnership approach is key for the delivery of

these shared cultural goals.

“Promoting an interest in children’s reading and creating an awareness of the value of reading is an important part of Wainfest.”

She added: “Books, reading and literacy are highly profiled in Wainfest and to be able to bring authors such as Jim Smith, author of the Barry Loser series to Donegal as part of the Wainfest programme is brilliant.

“To see the children of Donegal having an opportunity to meet and be inspired by these authors makes all the hard work worthwhil.”

To keep up to date on Wainfest 2018 visit www.wainfest. ie or follow Donegal County Library on Facebook or Twitter.

Wainfest fan Eden Conlon from Letterkenny announcing dates for the 2018 festival.

Over 1,000 Donegal farmers availing of farm assist ssupport scheme More than 1,000 farmers a year across Donegal have benefited in a multimillion euro scheme for low-income farms since 2010, it has been revealed.

Figures released by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection show that every year an average of 1,306 farmers in the county are getting access to the special Farm Assist means tested financial support.

Donegal TD Joe McHugh, Minister for Irish, the Gaeltacht and the Islands, said the payments were a lifeline to some parts of rural Donegal.

“The Farm Assist scheme is a vitally important support which is benefitting more than 1,000 farmers in Donegal every year and helping them to keep a farm going and protect rural communities,” Minister McHugh said.

“It shows the Government’s ongoing

commitment to supporting and sustaining rural Ireland.”

Nationwide about €74million is budgeted for the Farm Assist scheme this year.

The flexible means test also allows for significant income fluctuations from one year to the next.

Budget 2017 fully reversed the previous cuts to the Farm Assist means test. The changes included that 70%

of farm income is now assessed as means, down from 100% being assessed as means.

On top of that there is an additional annual means disregard of €254 for each of the first two children and €381 for the third and subsequent children.

Under the Farm Assist programme applicants are assessed differently than other self-employed persons as payments received under the Agri-

Environment Options Scheme (AEOS), Green Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS) or Special Area of Conservation (SAC) schemes are assessed separately from other farm income.

With regard to this income, the first €2,540 is disregarded, and then 50% of the balance and related expenses are disregarded - with the balance being assessed as means.

FAITHmatters

2 Pairs of General Admission Tuesday Tickets

To enter, please send your name and address to competitions@rivermedia.ie Subject: Punchestown

Next Sunday’s gospel from St John recounts Jesus visiting the disciples locked behind closed doors through fear. It is Sunday, the first day of the week after his crucifixion.

“Peace be with you” he said and showed them the wounds in his hand and his side.

Thomas was not with them. Let St John take up the account:“Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord’. But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands, the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

“Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, ‘Peace be with you.’

Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand and

place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘You believe because you see me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.’”

Surely we are eternally grateful to Thomas.

His questioning attitude elicited from Jesus the reassuring words of blessing for all believers.

Thomas’ own declaration of faith ‘My Lord and My God’ is outstanding. It seems somewhat unfair that he is referred to as ‘doubting Thomas’.

It is worth recalling a previous reference to Thomas in Chapter 10 of St John when Jesus is about to go to Bethany where Lazarus had died. The disciples are afraid to return to Judea because of the hostility there to Jesus.

St John writes:“Thomas called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’”

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

NEWS 13

Seven-year-old to undergo major surgery

NEWSBRIEFS

'Garda Jack' hoping to take his first steps

By Catherine McGinty Reporter

A courageous seven-year-old Donegal boy, born with brittle bones, is hoping to take his first ever steps in the not too distant future.

The irrepressible, Jack Beattie, whose maternal grandparents, the Buchanans, are from Burt, was diagnosed with the condition, Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) at birth.

According to his mum, Ruth, Jack is currently waiting on an appointment from Temple Street Children’s University Hospital for a major operation on his legs.

“Jack’s operation will involve him getting rods in his legs to lengthen and straighten them,” Ruth said. “Maybe, through time he might be able to walk but we do not know yet.

“Jack can’t wait and he says he is going to try his hardest to walk.

“At the minute, we are just taking each day as it comes. The original operation had to be cancelled just before Christmas past when Jack broke his arm.

“Jack’s GP reckons he definitely has the determination needed to take his first steps.”

Jack celebrated his seventh birthday on March 24, with a party in Arena 7 in Letterkenny.

As well as Lego, play dough and a radio-controlled lorry, Jack got two goldfish called Pat and Marcus.

Recalling his birth, Ruth said: “When Jack was born, Kenneth (Jack’s dad) and I were really thrown in at the deep end and we just had to get on with it!

“Because of the OI, Jack’s bones fracture very easily. He was actually born with multiple fractures. His chest, arms and legs were broken.

"If it had not been for the fact that I had a caesarean section, he might not have survived at all.

“Four days after he was born, Jack was taken by ambulance to Temple Street Children’s University Hospital in Dublin for a definitive diagnosis.

“He spent a week there, then another week in Letterkenny General Hospital,

before we finally got him home. He was fed through a tube. From there, we just carried on.”

Jack had to lie completely flat for the first year of his life, so that his thin, delicate leg bones did not fracture.

Ruth recalled: “We bought a special lieflat car seat and carried him everywhere in a foam pad covered by a pillowcase.

"We just got used to the fact that this was how we had to do things.

“OI means that Jack has no collagen in his bones.

“Since he was born he has had two

He has a great personality. He is always smiling and laughing - Jack's mother Ruth. arm and two leg fractures, which, given his condition, is quite good.

“His bones can fracture spontaneously.

“He is using the wheelchair, for the time being, so that he is not putting any weight on his legs.

“Part of the treatment for OI means that Jack has to go up to Temple Street once every three months, for an infusion of Pamidronic.

“He has the treatment for five hours per day, over two days and it never seems to get him down. He has a great personality. He is always smiling and laughing.

“Jack also has hydrocephalus. Once he had to go to theatre to have a shunt inserted to drain off some fluid. Kenneth and I were worried sick but he just came back to the ward grinning from ear to ear.”

Ruth revealed Jack’s Pamidronic treatment has worked so well, he will be going

'Garda Jack' on patrol in Letterkenny Shopping Centre.

to Temple Street every four months.

The bubbly young man, who recently went on patrol with An Garda Síochána in Letterkenny Shopping Centre, is now a pupil at Raphoe Central National School, in Mrs Falls’ class and his favourite subject Maths.

Ruth said: “Jack is up at 5.30am every morning and is at school for 9am.

“There are two SNAs in Jack’s classroom and they support him until 2pm.

He always does his homework as soon as he comes home. The school is brilliant with Jack.

“We also have a new occupational therapist (OT) and physiotherapist.

Jack normally gets physiotherapy once a month but we are holding off at the minute, as we wait for his leg operation.

“At the minute, Jack is in a wheelchair all of the time but he is well able to get out and about.

“Just recently he got the opportunity to join An Garda Síochána, complete with a uniform and numbers provided

by the Little Blue Heroes charity.

“He had a fantastic time thanks to everyone involved, especially Garda Tina Fowley and Garda McGrath."

“I have to thank Ivan Furey, then president of Letterkenny Golf Club, for arranging that brilliant adventure.

“Ivan was presenting a fundraising cheque to Letterkenny University Hospital Paediatric Link Nurse Mary Murray for BUMBLEance, the world’s first interactive ambulance specifically designed for children.

“Mary had nominated Jack to receive the cheque on BUMBLEance’s behalf and when he heard Jack was interested in joining the Garda, he organised the whole thing,” smiled Ruth.

Jack’s granny, Lorna Buchanan, is hosting a fundraising table quiz for BUMBLEance. It will take place Coyle’s Lounge, Newtowncunningham, on June 1.

There will also be three quilts, made

by Florence Rolston, as raffle prizes on the night.

Parenting programmes

Three Parents Plus parenting programmes will be starting after Easter.

Parents Plus Early Years - for parents of children aged 1-6 in The Pastoral Centre, Letterkenny beginning Wednesday, April 11 from 10am to 12 noon for six weeks.

Parents Plus Children's programme - for parents of children aged 6 - 11 years in Termon National School starting Monday, April 16 from 7.30-9.30pm for six weeks.

Parents Plus Children's programme - for parents of children aged 6 - 11 years in Ionad Naomh Pádraig starting Monday, April 16 from 10am-12 noon for six weeks.

These programmes are open to any parent/guardian who would like to do them.

Booking is essential.

For more information or to request a booking form please contact Bairbre on 0871736667 or email bairbre. parenthub@gmail.com.

These Parents Plus programmes are about parents and children growing in confidence, learning and thriving, supporting children's self-esteem, encouraging learning and social skills, establishing daily routines, managing difficult behaviour and understanding the importance of play are all vital aspects and can be of benefit to any family.

Irish classes

Preparing for your Leaving Cert Irish? Need some help with your oral and grammar?

Gaeil Leitir Ceanainn together with Líonra Leitir Ceanainn are putting on Irish classes in Gaelscoil Adhamhnáin, Glencar, Letterkenny every Tuesday evening 6.30-8.30pm for five weeks starting Tuesday, April 10.

Total cost €20.

Places are limited so to book your place phone Bairbre on 0894218215.

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HAVE YOU A STORY? Letterkenny Post

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14 NEWS

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Sammy the Caterpillar helps parents with the birds and the bees talk!

An exciting, innovative project developed by Donegal Youth Service and the Donegal Library Service, and supported by HSE Health Promotion & Improvement was launched in Moyle National School in Newtowncunningham.

The project aims to encourage and support parents and guardians to have healthy conversations with their children about their bodies, sexuality and relationships, by providing a range of age-appropriate books in each of the Donegal Libraries and Taobh Tíre points.

Project Lead and Regional Director for Donegal Youth Service - Lorraine Thompson said: “This project will encourage parents to have conversations with their children on a topic that may be difficult for them.

“We hope that parents will use the resources in their local library and feel more confident talking to their children about bodies, relationships and sexuality.”

Speaking at the launch, Maureen Kerr from Donegal County Library Service said that they were delighted to have worked in partnership with Donegal Youth Service and HSE Health Promotion and Improvement, to bring the Sammy the Caterpillar Guide to parents in Donegal.

She highlighted that all books listed in the guide are now available through the library network and the

5th and 6th class students from Moyle NS.

service looks forward to them being well used to support parents.

To accompany the library books, a ‘Sammy the Caterpillar - Guide for Parents and Guardians’ has also been produced, which explains why it is important to start these conversations with children at an earlier age and build on the information as children grow.

The guide lists the books available to borrow for a variety of stages up to the age of 19, and gives suggestions for what children need to know and tips to get these conversations started.

The guide emphasises that each

parent or guardian knows their child best and acknowledges that this topic can be challenging for parents for a variety of reasons.

However, it also points out that research indicates that ‘parents who discussed relationships and sex openly with their pre-teen children found it easier to communicate with them as they grow’.

It also highlights that ‘good sex education at home and in school can increase the likelihood that teenagers will wait until they are 17 or older before they have sex and that they will use contraception when they do’.

Age-appropriate Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) is mandated for delivery by the Department of Education and Skills (DES) from Infants to sixth class in Primary School and throughout Secondary School.

RSE aims to teach children about relationships, sexuality and their own growth and development.

This project will support parents and guardians, the primary educators of their children, to have parallel conversations about these topics at home, in a way that can reflect their own family values.

Left to right: Lisa O’ Hagan HSE Health Promotion Officer, Parent as part of the consultation process Michelle Sweeney, Maureen Kerr Donegal County Library, Lorraine Thompson DYS Regional Director, Sheena Boyle-Laverty School Completion Officer.

others. It’s about respect, having respect for ourselves and others.

“It’s about responsibility, making decisions and knowing that there are consequences. Most of all it’s about changing and growing.

“This is not a subject that can ever be the sole responsibility of the teacher or a school to manage.

There is a vital role that can only be played by parents.

“Parents can share their belief system with their child and give them answers to questions that go

beyond a teacher’s remit.”

All Donegal Primary Schools have received information about the project and can order ‘Sammy’s Guide’ to give to parents when they are linking in with them as part of the School’s RSE programme.

Copies of the guide are also available at each of the Donegal Libraries and Taobh Tíre points.

This project was funded by a National Lottery grant administered by the HSE, and Donegal Library Service.

Launch

Back left: Maureen Kerr Donegal County Library, Lisa O’Hagan HSE Health Promotion Officer, Moyle 6th Class Student, Lorraine Thompson DYS Regional Director.

In welcoming the launch of the initiative, Pauline Edwards – Principal of Moyle highlighted that “that RSE is about a lot more than the nitty gritty “sex” stuff.

“It’s about our feelings, our relationships with ourselves and

Left to right: Lorraine Thompson DYS Regional Director, Maureen Kerr Donegal County Library, Moyle NS Principal Pauline Edwards, Anne McAteer HSE Health Promotion and Improvement, Elsie Smyth Board of management Moyle NS, Melanie Keaveney Moyle NS teacher and Lisa O’Hagan HSE Health Promotion Officer.

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Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

FIX

FASHION

FASHION 15

New Womenswear Drops From Magee 1866 The SS18 womenswear collections in store now at Magee of Donegal, Magee of South Anne Street and online at www.magee1866.com are guaranteed to become wardrobe staples for discerning women. Here are some new pieces making our fashion radar.

We adore these ultra-flattering, wearwith-everything Willow trousers, €99, featuring a wide leg and front pleat. Team with this black Liberty print Alana camisole, €125, worn under a black Alicia suit jacket, €279, for a stunning look that will take your look effortlessly from boardroom to bar.

The stunning boyfriend style Moyne Jacket, €475, in intricately designed green, gold and blue fabric woven in the Magee mill in Donegal, also comes in red, Florida orange and denim blue. Pair with denim or the Sandy chino, €129, crafted from lightweight cotton with a flat front that sits smoothly at the hips, and also features a crease front and back.

Add a pop of colour to your spring wardrobe with the pink herringbone Alicia jacket, €385, made from luxurious 100% pure new wool cloth designed and woven in the Magee 1866 mill in Donegal. The raw fabric washed in the River Eske, resulting in a luxuriously soft handle. Pair with the Dana skirt, €175, or for a casual chic spin, team it with denim or chinos.

The Magee 1866 SS18 womenswear collection is in store now with new pieces arriving weekly at Magee of Donegal, Magee at South Anne Street, and online at www.magee1866.com.

16 CARTOON

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Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

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AS THE NEWS HAPPENS

NEWS 17

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Colourful Pan Celtic Festival opening The 47th International Pan Celtic Festival got off to a colourful start in Letterkenny with a special Opening Night Concert where representatives from each of the six Celtic nations entertained the large audience with music, song and dance from each of their own nations.

Internationally acclaimed Gaoth Dobhair singer, musician, broadcaster and former Donegal Person of the Year, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, performed the Official Opening while the large congregation of fellow Celts were welcomed to Donegal and Letterkenny by the Cathaoirleach of Donegal Co. Council Cllr Gerry McMonagle and Mayor of Letterkenny MD, Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh.

The evening featured performers from each of the participating Celtic nations – Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany - as well as a special performance by top Donegal traditional ensemble, Coirm.

The Festival runs from Tuesday to Sunday, April 3 to 8 and boasts a packed programme of themed concerts, music, song and dance workshops and competitions, talks, storytelling sessions, Celtic language workshops, street pageantry, spectacle and drama.

Pan Celtic Nights at the Festival Club

The Pan Celtic Nights at the Festival Club are among the highlight events of the Festival, as each of the visiting nations pull out all the stops to put on the most impressive show.

Breton Céilí First off, at the Mount Errigal Hotel on Wednesday night (7.00pm), are the Bretons.

Ticket Office, will host some of the Festival’s most highly anticipated competitive events and concert performances.

These include the prestigious Pan Celtic International Song Contest on Thursday night, April 5 and the spectacular Pan Celtic Choral Concert on Friday night, April 6, as well as the Traditional Singing competitions on Wednesday afternoon, April 4.

Street Pageantry and Spectacle

The Breton delegation making a presentation to the Mayor of Letterkenny MD Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh and Cathaoirleach Cllr Gerry McMonagle marking the hosting of the 47th International Pan Celtic Festival in Letterkenny.

Their Breton Céilí will feature performances by the 20 member An Drouz Vor (‘Glór na Farraige /The Sound of the Sea’) community performance group from the town Port Louis in South Brittany, as well as the 17 singers and four musicians of the Mat’lots du Vent ensemble from Lorient, who will perform a programme of traditional sea songs and shanties, in French, English and Breton.

The audience on the night will also be treated to a special Pan Celtic Festival collaboration between the Kervignac pipe band from Brittany and the Letterkenny and District

Pipe Band.

Welsh and Scottish Nights

On Friday night, April 6 the Festival Club at the Mount Errigal will feature performances from visiting Welsh choirs, including the 60 strong Cordydd from Cardiff.

This mixed choir has won many competitions in Wales including the National Eisteddfod many times and the Cor Cymru.

Also performing will be Cor Dre from Caernarfon and Eryrod Meirion from the Bala area of North Wales.

Participating Scottish choirs at the Festival Club in the Mount Errigal on

Saturday night, April 7 will include the Dingwall Gaelic Choir, the Glasgow Islay Gaelic Choir (founded by Islay migrants to Glasgow in 1944) and the Burach Gaelic Choir.

Admission to each of the Celtic Nation Nights is €10 and tickets may be Purchased or Booked in Advance at the An Grianán Theatre Box Office, or purchased at the Door, on the night.

Pan Celtic Song Contest and Choral Concert

An Grianán Theatre, as well as hosting the Festival Office and Festival

The Festival will take to the streets on Friday afternoon, April 6, with a special Pan Celtic Busking Competition from 12 noon followed by the Pan Celtic Parade, from An Grianán Theatre to the Market Square at 2.00pm.

The Parade will feature marching bands, dancers and musicians from the Celtic nations, as well as a special appearance by Inishowen Carnival Group, who will bring their spectacular pageant, The Ancients – featuring the Celtic gods Daghda and Morrigan – to town for the event.

Further Events and Programme Information Details of further Pan Celtic Festival events, such as the Celtic language classes and workshops series at the Central Library, the lecture on Druids and Bards at the County Museum, the hugely popular Scottish Céilí event, the Inter-Celtic Dance Competition, special religious services and walking tours of Letterkenny, are all to be found in the Festival Programme, which may be downloaded from the Donegal Co. Council website www. donegalcoco.ie and on www.panceltic.ie/programme.

‘A Fresh Start for Women’ is a WISE move The ‘A Fresh Start for Women’ conference was held in Letterkenny recently by the WISE project, which has dedicated employment advisors and offices in three locations across the county.

WISE employment advisors Gemma Duffy (Buncrana), Helen Donoghue (Dungloe) and Grainne Boyle (Letterkenny) showed women how, with their support and guidance, they could explore and access the opportunities available in Donegal for employment, self-employment and education.

The WISE Project is a free programme open to women of all ages who have the potential, and the desire, to play a more active role in the labour force.

It is for women who are neither employed or unemployed - in that they are not in direct receipt of Jobseeker’s Benefit.

Women who are claiming One Parents Allowance, Carers Allowance, Disability Allowance, Widow’s Pension or not claiming anything at all are eligible for the programme.

There were four keynote speakers from the business, education and voluntary sector, who spoke about their work and how they achieved their goals and dreams through employment and education.

One guest speaker, Jackie Ferry, told how, with the support of WISE, she was guided back to employment and is now a Key Youth Worker with Youthscape at the Donegal Youth Service.

She spoke of how her employment advisor Helen worked closely alongside her to prepare her for inter-

views, identify her skills and build her confidence.

Rachel Wasson, Enterprise Officer at Donegal Local Development Company, also gave advice and a motivational talk to all those gathered.

Mary Maguire MC on the day from the Donegal Women’s Centre also gave an informative talk on the psychological, emotional, health, social and educational needs that are covered at the centre.

Tara McGuire of the Donegal ETB spoke of the many courses they run in 14 Further Education Training Centres across Donegal.

The women were also entertained

by Barbara Edwards of Rhythmic Noise.

Guests were also treated to pop-up stands where they discovered great information about local businesses and how they can access avenues of employment and personal development.

The event ended with a raffle, where guests won top spot prizes from companies across Donegal.

The WISE project itself has supported over 150 clients since its inception in May last year, with a large proportion of these women returning to employment, self-employment and education.

If you would like to see what the WISE women can do for you, contact your nearest adviser at the numbers below.

Gemma Duffy (Buncrana) 086 145 2252 Helen Donoghue (Dungloe) 086 145 2249 Grainne Boyle (Letterkenny) 086 145 2250.

Keynote speakers at the WISE 'A Fresh Start For Women' conference, 22nd March 2018: Front L-R: Rachel Wasson - DLDC, Mary Maguire - Donegal Women's Centre, Tara McGuire - Donegal ETB. Back Row L-R: Grainne Boyle - WISE Adviser Letterkenny, Helen Donoghue - WISE Dungloe, Gemma Duffy - WISE Buncrana. PHOTO: Rachel McLaughlin, Donegal Women.

18 NEWS

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

St. Eunan's College students Another voice compete for a place in national calf-rearing competition “My body, my choice”

by Mark Loughridge, pastor of Letterkenny New Life Fellowship.

He can be contacted on 074 9123961 or mark@newlifefellowship.ie

St Eunans College pupils Daniel McMullan and Scott Thompson. PHOTO: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography.

Daniel McMullan and Scott Thompson from St. Eunan's College were among 28 groups who exhibited their project ideas for the Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools Competition to a panel of judges in Croke Park.

Organised by Irish Angus Producer Group, ABP and Kepak, the initiative challenges students to rear a number of Irish Angus Cross calves for 18 months until their slaughter as part of their Leaving Certificate Agricul-

tural Science project.

The five schools who have demonstrated the best understanding of the project will be announced in April and will be presented with their calves at the National Ploughing Championships in September.

! !

!

Picture the scene. You’re in a crowded A & E waiting area and as you look around you see a sorry sight.

A teenage boy, still wearing his sports gear, sits glumly as he contemplates his recently acquired injury.

Exhausted parents desperately console their feverish infant daughter who is now too worn out to even cry.

An elderly lady descends into fits of coughing, every fresh croak sees her bent double as she gasps and pants for breath.

There are others there too: some gaunt; others flushed. Some pace anxiously; others lack the strength to even leave their seats.

Some have the resigned look of having been here before; others are terrified as they contemplate potential diagnoses.

Yet ultimately they’re all in the same boat. They have to wait. Until the staff or bed comes available, they must remain exactly where they are.

Now, imagine a man sits down. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a cigarette, and starts to puff.

The smoke wafts across the room towards the other patients.

The exhausted parents shuffle uncomfortably as they shield their feverish daughter.

The lady with respiratory problems crumples into a violent bout of wheezing.

So, you get up and walk towards the man with the cigarette.

You explain how other patients, being unable to leave, are compelled to breathe in these toxins they want no part of.

You explain how harmful second hand

smoke is to those who are already weakened by illness. You plead with him to stop for the sake of others. Yet he refuses.

He knows all about the toxins. He understands the risks of lung cancer, coronary disease and stroke. But that’s not enough to make him stop.

He defends himself vigorously: “It’s up to me whether I want to take the risk or not. You have no right to tell me what toxins I can and cannot inhale. My body, my choice.”

A catchy slogan perhaps, yet not a particularly accurate one. It’s not just his body; it’s the bodies of everyone else in the room that are affected.

His choice has profound implications for the wellbeing of other people in the room.

Thankfully that’s a made up scenario and not a very likely one.

We should be thankful for the laws we have in Ireland which protect us from the dangers of second hand smoke.

Our law recognises that we have a right to do what we want with our bodies, yet is not an absolute right because the rights of others must also be protected.

Imagine that public smoking was not illegal in this country.

Imagine we adopted “My body, my choice” as our official national policy. It would be an inhumane, backward step. It would put vulnerable people at risk and trample on their rights. Yet, isn’t that the decision we face in a few weeks time?

“My body, my choice” is an empty slogan when more than one person is affected. If we accept it, we’re swallowing a lie.

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*That every child be equally valued; *That every child feel the rain, wind and sun; *That every child may play in the snow and the sea *That every child gets to sing and to dance; *That no child's life be a mere matter of choice; *That no precious child be destroyed in the womb; *That no child should bear the awful knowledge - "They spared me but not my brother."

Organisations who can offer help and support

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NEWS 19

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Promoting sustainable access to Errigal Mountain through ASCENT Promoting sustainable access to uplands and natural environments is what the ASCENT project is looking to achieve and this three year environmental project is now reaching its midway point.

The project which links seven areas of natural beauty in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Finland, Iceland and Norway is focusing on sites that are facing challenges with increased visitor numbers and unregulated access including Errigal Mountain in Donegal.

Rosita Mahony is the Project Co-ordinator in Donegal Co. Council and explains that in Donegal this project is working closely with a range of stakeholders including the local community to see how best to achieve sustainable access to this increasingly popular mountain.

“To date work at Errigal has included the installation of visitor monitoring equipment to quantify usage and to monitor changes over time and a phased approach has been agreed in consultation with the Errigal Stakeholders Committee for repair and restoration works to be undertaken through the ASCENT project.

“Agreement was reached late last year on a single route and the next step is to proceed with an environmental assessment in line with current conservation objectives for Errigal”.

The ASCENT project which is led by Donegal Co. Council has an ambitious work plan

which centres on achieving sustainable access to upland areas through many measures including site specific management plans and the implementation of innovative measures to restore habitats and limit further damage, occurring with increased footfall on those sensitive and vulnerable environments.

An important part of the project is about partners sharing their experiences and insights into the impacts of unregulated access in upland areas which will help inform and guide upland path management policy.

The ‘Managing Upland Paths – are Good Principles Enough?’ workshop was held at the Tollymore Centre in the shadows of the Mourne Mountains recently with stakeholders from Ireland, the UK and Iceland participating.

Key issues were shared, common challenges discussed and recommendations for Guiding Principles for managing erosion in environmentally sensitive landscapes were offered.

ASCENT is funded by the Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme (2014 – 2020) under Interreg VB and the European Regional Development Fund under Programme Axis 4, Objective 4, which seeks to increase the capacity of remote and sparsely populated communities for sustainable environmental management.

For more on this project visit @AscentProjectNPA on Facebook.

Rosita Mahony (centre) with speakers at the recent ASCENT Guiding Principles Workshop in Tollymore Centre.

Large attendance at the ‘Managing Upland Paths – are Good Principles Enough’ ASCENT workshop recently in Tollymore Centre.

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20 PICTURE SPECIAL LOCAL

EVENTS

Photos: Gary Foy

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Drumboe Easter Commemoration

Cllr Liam Doherty leads the Colour Party at the Drimboe Martyrs Commemoration Parade which took place in Stranorlar on Easter Sunday.

Wreath Bearers, including Cllr Jack Murray, among the Parade participants at Drumboe.

West Tyrone MLA Michaela Boyle addresses the gathering at the annual Drumboe Easter Commemoration. Also pictured is Cllr Liam Doherty.

Senator Rose Conway Walsh taking part in the annual Drumboe martyrs Commemoration.

Flag bearer at the Drumboe Martyrs annual Commemoration parade.

Dessie Mc Nulty cumann banner pictured at the Commemoration Parade for the Drumboe Martyrs.

A wreath bearer makes her way to the Drumboe Martyrs monument.

The PJ Branley cumann banner pictured at the Drumboe Martyrs Commemoration.

Sinn FĂŠin West Tyrone MLA Michaela Boyle marching through Stranorlar during the annual Drumboe Martyrs parade.

PICTURE SPECIAL 21

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

LOCAL

EVENTS

Photos: Gary Foy

Drumboe Easter Commemoration

The Colour Party leading the Drumboe Commemoration Parade on Easter Sunday in Stranorlar.

A wreath bearer ahead of the Seamus Harvey Sinn Fein Cumann Banner.

Standing proudly alongside the Seamus Harvey Banner at the Drumboe Martyrs Commemoration Parade.

A Bagpiper accompanied the Drumboe Commemoration Parade on Easter Sunday

22 PICTURE SPECIAL LOCAL

EVENTS

Photos: Brian McDaid

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Peadar McDaid wins Derek Hill award at the Glebe Gallery

Winner of the 2018 Derek Hill award Peadar McDaid pictured with the judges of the competition: Michael McGee and Una Campbell. Also pictured is Curator Adrian Kelly.

Nessa and Mary Kerrane with Eileen McDaid at the Glebe Gallery.

Seamus and Mary with artist Karol Mac Gairbheith at the Glebe.

Maura and Anthony Mc Glynn at the Glebe Gallery on Friday night.

Bahiyyih and Declan Devine.

Peadar McDaid with Eileen McDaid as they celebrate in the Glebe on Friday night.

Jacqui Deveney Reid with her select piece for the Glebe Gallery exhibition.

Seamus Quinn and Paul Rooney.

One of the four pieces that were excepted by artist Peadar McDaid who was the outright winner of the 2018 Derek Hill Award at the Glebe.

PICTURE SPECIAL 23

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

LOCAL

EVENTS

Photos: Brian McDaid

Peadar McDaid wins Derek Hill award at the Glebe Gallery

Artists Mary Ellen Bell and Geraldine Timlin at the Glebe.

Peadar McDaid and Martin Holmes at the Glebe on Friday night.

Geraldine Durning ,Nuala Friel Wright, Rosin Mc Bride Margaret Jackson and Caroline Mackey at the Glebe Gallery.

Artist Maria Noonan Mc Dermott with her husband Derek at the Glebe Gallery.

Artist Johnny Mc Came at the Glebe Gallery with one of his two pieces that were selected

Artists in arms. Former winner Philip Mackey congratulates Peadar McDaid at the Glebe Gallery on Good Friday.

Carol O'Callaghen, Bridge Gallagher and Mary Gamble at the Glebe.

Artist Bridget Birney and her husband Colin at the Glebe Gallery.

24 PICTURE SPECIAL LOCAL

EVENTS

Photos: Tom Heaney (nwpresspics)

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Build18 Event a huge success

Christy Lynch and Jonathan Doherty, EHP Efficient Renewables.

Pictured from left: Daniel Gallagher, Barry Doherty and Anthony Gallagher, North West Aluminium, with (on right), Brendan McGowan and Lisha Mhlanga (McDaid's Bathrooms).

Main sponsor for the event AIB staff, from left, Amanda McNulty, Maggie O'Donnell, Paula Doherty and Sally Anne Mullholland.

Sinead Maughen and Rosemary Sweeney, Lanigan Clarke (solicitors).

Bert Galbraith (Galbraith Construction), organiser of the "Build 18" event held in Newtowncunningham, with staff, from left, Neil McBride, Danny Sweeney and Kelvin Harkin.

TFS team Rebecca Neely andLiuda Semenciuc.

Barry Kearney (Kearney & Associates), with Peter Cullinane and Bill Steele (architects).

Darren Donaghy (Safety Training) with Gareth McLarnon, Glen Estates.

Paul Rodgers, Letterkenny Glass.

ENTERTAINMENT 25

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

ALL STAR LINE-UP FOR 'OPRY LE DANIEL' AT THE FORUM Country star’s only Irish concert to be at the Forum with Daniel

The artist’s artist: Rita Coolidge Much more than a song stylist, Rita Coolidge is an artist’s artist.

Born in Nashville, and regarded by many publicists as a survivor, her first group was The Coolidge Sisters, which included siblings Priscilla and Linda, winning local state fairs and talent contests before eventually going their separate ways.

In ’69 Rita accepted a featured soloist position with Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen.

Her moving solo performance of “Superstar” (captured in the celebrated Mad Dogs and Englishmen film) was a regular showstopper. Coolidge found herself the premier female voice in Los Angeles, singing on albums by Stephen Stills, Eric Clapton and Dave Mason among others.

Rita Coolidge, her first album, featured the able support of many of the same musicians she had worked with previously. Then, with acceptance of three top five singles – “Higher and Higher”, “We’re All Alone”, and “The Way You Do The Things You Do”, Coolidge is among the most well-deserved success stories in music.

Concentrating on her solo career, she found her strength lay in ballads, songs. Her next, well-crafted albums, ‘Nice Feelin’, ‘The Lady’s Not For Sale’ and ‘Fall Into Spring’ were all marked by her continued artistic refinement and selective choice of material.

Having met and married her husband, singer-songwriter-actor Kris Kristofferson in 1970, they were soon to combine

both their touring bands into one extremely versatile outfit, perhaps the best performing backing band on the road at that time. The unlikely blend of Kristofferson’s raw phrasing and Rita’s clear and strong harmonizing has worked magic for thousands upon thousands along their sell-out tours.

As a duo, Kris and Rita have recorded two albums: Full Moon and Breakaway.

With material like Boz Scaggs’ “We’re All Alone”, The Bee Gees “Words”, the old Temptations hit “The Way You Do The Things You Do”, and Jackie Wilson’s “Higher and Higher”,’Anytime…Anywhere’ was released in September ’76. The response was immediate. “Higher and Higher”, the first single, was an international hit, as were the

follow-ups “We’re All Alone” and “The Way You Do The Things You Do.” The album, now double platinum, turned Rita into an artist of the first magnitude. Rita Coolidge continues to keep it all in perspective, devoting most of her on-and-off road time caring for daughter Casey Coolidge Kristofferson.

“I love to sing, I want to be singing when I’m 80. The best part of this success is that I might just get that chance…”

Rita Coolidge, making her one and only appearance in Ireland, will appear on Opry le Daniel at Derry’s Millennium Forum on Saturday May 19.

Contact Millennium Forum box office, Tel: 04871 26445 [R.O.I]; 02871 26445 [N. Ire].

Check out Opry le Daniel on www.millenniumforum.co.uk.

Rita Coolidge recorded two albums with her then husband Kris Kristofferson.

GEORGE JONES TRIBUTE SHOW

‘PRINCESS OF AMERICAN COUNTRY MUSIC’ TO APPEAR ON OPRY le DANIEL Georgette Jones

As the only child from the fiveyear marriage between country superstars Tammy Wynette and George Jones, often billed as the ‘King and Queen of Country Music’, Georgette Jones was always destined to carve out a career in music.

She has the pedigree genes and, when it comes to writing and singing, she sure looks and sounds every bit the ‘Princess of Country Music’ although many who know Georgette will remark just how down to earth and really together she is as a person!

Tammy Wynette, the ‘First Lady’ of Country Music

was an iconic figure and songs like ‘Stand By Your Man’ and ‘D.I.V.O.R.C.E.’ ensured a special place for her in the “cross-over” stakes but Georgette, whilst pursuing her own solo career in country music, took some time to find her true path in the musical genre. Now, she states that traditional country music is what she loves to sing and what means the most to her.

Married to an Irishman from Kilkenny, and having previously toured with John McNicholl, Philomena Begley, Gloria, Ray Lynam, Brendan Quinn, Mick Flavin and Robert Mizzell, Georgette recorded

‘Forty Shades of Green’ on her last record and spoke a few words ‘as Gaelige’.

It will indeed be a momentous occasion for Opry le Daniel fans to see Georgette Jones on stage at Millennium Forum in her only visit to Ireland in 2018.

Jimmy Buckley

Jimmy Buckley is without doubt one of Ireland’s best loved and most respected performers, having enjoyed many years at the top of his profession and received numerous awards including the prestigious Entertainer of the Year in The Sunday World Country Music Awards.

Jimmy possesses a very rare talent, not only as a phenomenal singer but also as a hilarious mimic of other major stars, while his shows contain a wide variety of material from country to ballads and tribute medleys to the greats of country music including George Jones, Hank Williams & Charlie Pride.

Jimmy Buckley is a showman who will entertain you superbly and all at Opry le Daniel look forward to seeing all his friends, old & new, at Millennium Forum.

Robert Mizzell

Robert Mizzell

Robert Mizzell has served his apprenticeship in Country Music since he first arrived here in Ireland over 20 years ago, making himself one of the top Country Music artists and enjoying huge success all around the country while recently being voted ‘Ireland’s Favourite Country Music Singer’ in a poll conducted by RSVP magazine.

‘Kick Ass Country’ was Robert’s first major hit, but it was the song ‘Say You Love Me’ that made him a household name in Ireland followed by ‘Mama Courtney’, ‘Day Job’, ‘John Deer Beer’, ‘Louisiana Saturday Night’ and ‘Wham Bam’ to name a few…

The late George Jones, whose daughter Georgette is appearing at the Forum as part of a tribute show on May 14.

In October 2011, Robert was inducted into Shreveport’s ‘Walk of Stars’ in recognition of his achievements in the world of Country Music.

Other inductees are; Elvis Presley (posthumously), Merle Kilgore and Hank Williams Snr. and Jnr. And Robert was also awarded the first ever RTE ‘Video of the Year’ Award at the 2016 ICMA’s in Dublin, All in all Robert Mizzell is proving to be a huge hit wherever he plays for he definitely puts his heart and soul into every song proving why he is one of Ireland’s top Country Music recording artists!

The George Jones Tribute Show is on Monday 14th May and tickets are available now at Millennium Forum box office tel: 02871 264455.

Georgette Jones

Jimmy Buckley

26 LIFESTYLE

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Home Away A

with Robert Walshe www.robertwalshe.com

Holiday Hotspot – Atlanta Georgia Atlanta may be known for its busy airport but there’s much more to it. Since hosting the 1996 Summer Olympics, the city has been on the radar for visitors. Of particular attraction is its arts and culture scene, flourishing with young crowds, museums, cafés and bars. Visit Buckhead in affluent uptown with tree-lined streets, mansions and luxury hotels drawing tourists to its upscale shops. Ponce City Market in the old fourth ward is one of the most talked about developments with many bars and restaurants. www.atlanta.net The High Museum of Art located in Midtown has an extensive collection of 19th and 20thcentury American art as well as a significant amount of European artwork on display.

There is a growing collection of African American art and increasing collections of modern and contemporary art. The High is also dedicated to supporting and collecting works by Southern artists. www.high.org. The historic Martin Luther King site commemorates the life, work and legacy of the Civil Rights leader. www.thekingcenter.org Piedmont Park is Atlanta’s Central Park while Centennial Olympic Park has transformed itself into a year-round venue, hosting everything from marathons to pop concerts while in winter, you can get your skates on at the ice rink. Nearby the “ World

of Coca-Cola” celebrates the history and culture of Coke and is especially fun for those visiting with children. Expect a vast collection of neon signs, fridges, advertising signs, cars and vintage posters on display. One of the best parts comes at the end of the tour where you can sample Coca-Cola products from all around the world. www.worldofcocacola.com CNN offers visitors a chance to see news in the making in its behind-the-scenes tour. Start off by stepping into a room that simulates CNN’s main control room and get a glimpse into what goes into creating a real news broadcast. Attendees will also get to learn about all of those special effects and how they work, like the weather map. Your tour also includes a glimpse of the newsroom, where you can potentially catch part of a live newscast. www.cnn.com/tour Atlanta offers plenty of variety in terms of lodgings. Travel & Leisure Magazine ranks the Four Seasons as one of its favourite hotels, saying it represents “old-school opulence with a southern flourish.”

The hotel occupies the first 19 floors of the 50-story high-rise, where earth tones and polished woods set a relaxed elegance in the 244 rooms and suites. All guest rooms boast city

Atlanta Skyline.

views and some have terraces. www.fourseasons.com The Delta Flight Museum traces the development of commercial aviation. It has displays and exhibits filled with hundreds of artefacts, many of which have never been on public display.

The collection has five historic aircraft, including a Travel Air 6B Sedan similar to the one that operated Delta’s first passenger flight in 1929, and The Spirit of Delta, a Boeing 767 bought for the company by employees in 1982. Also on display is a DC-3, Ship 41 that flew for Delta and was restored by Delta

employees and volunteers. The museum features a 117-seat theatre and a 30-seat conference room located inside the fuselage of an L-1011 TriStar aircraft. Visitors also can pilot a Boeing 737-200 full-motion simulator, the only one open to the public in the U.S., formerly used to train Delta pilots. www.deltamuseum.org Delta airlines also fly daily from Dublin to Atlanta.

For great fares visit www.delta.com My preferred car rental company on this trip was Hertz & pick up is available at the International airport. www.hertz.ie

Robert Walshe is a travel broadcaster with Q Radio in Northern Ireland.

He is also Travel Editor for River Media newspaper titles across the island of Ireland. www.robertwalshe.com

HomeCOOKING

by Barbara Collins

LAMB CURRY Easter is lamb time but if you don’t fancy a roast, try this curry instead.

Like all curries it tastes even better the next day and is a great freezer dish. Grow your own herbs if you can and buy spices regularly so they don’t go stale. Chicken works well with this recipe too.

INGREDIENTS 600g lamb leg steaks, thinly sliced ½ large onion, chopped A little olive oil for frying 1 clove of garlic, crushed 3 level teaspoons of Madras curry powder 400ml coconut milk ½ lamb stock cube 2 heaped teaspoons of tomato puree 1 teaspoon mango chutney 1 small handful of coriander leaves, chopped 1 small handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped 4 spring onions, chopped To Serve Cooked basmati rice Mango chutney Tandoori Naan bread

METHOD Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion until soft.

Add the garlic, curry powder, coconut milk with the crumbled ½ stock cube, tomato puree and mango chutney.

Let the sauce come to the boil, then reduce the temperature and let it simmer for 5 minutes until it thickens, keep stirring.

Add the chopped herbs and spring onions.

Finally drop the thinly sliced pieces of lamb into the hot sauce and continue to simmer for 2 – 3 minutes until the meat cooks – so it changes colour, but still remains tender.

Ladle into warm bowls and serve with rice, naan bread and mango chutney

Contact Barbara:- Twitter: @thegoodchinaset | Email: barbara@thegoodchinaset.com

CINEMA 27

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

MOVIE OF THE

BLOCKERS Julie, Kayla and Sam are three high school seniors who make a pact to lose their virginity on prom night.

Lisa, Mitchell and Hunter are three overprotective parents who flip out when they find out about their daughters’ plans.

They soon join forces for a wild and chaotic quest to stop the girls from sealing the deal - no matter what the cost.

WEEK Director: Kay Cannon Starring: John Cena, Leslie Mann, Kathyrn Newton Genre: Comedy Run Time: 102 minutes Release Date: April 6

• DOLBY DIGITAL SURROUND SOUND • WHEELCHAIR ACCESS • FREE PARKING • LOOP SYSTEM FOR HARD OF HEARING • VIP SCREEN HIRE

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KIDS CLUB COCO

PG 105MINS FRI/SAT/SUN 12 NOON

ADMISSION - €2.50

Friday 6 th april 2018 to Thursday 12 th april 2018 Love, Simon

CINEMA TICKETS

12A 110mins Daily 6pm, 8:30pm & Fri/Sat/Tue 11pm

A Quiet Place 15A 90mins Daily 4pm, 6:10pm, 8:40pm & Fri/Sat/Tue 10:50pm

GHOST STORIES 16 98mins Daily 6:10pm, 8:40pm & Fri/Sat/Tue 11pm

Blockers 16 102mins Daily 6pm, 8:45pm & Fri/Sat/Tue 11:05pm

Ready Player One 12A 140mins Daily 8:30pm & Daily except Wed 5:30pm & Fri/Sat/Sun 2:30pm

MUST BE

WON! To win a family pass simply answer the following question

What 2009 stop-motion film based on a Roald Dahl novel did Wes Anderson direct?

Send the answer along with your name, address, and contact number to: Century Cinema Competition, C/O The Editor, Letterkenny Post 26 Balliniska Road Springtown Industrial Estate Derry N. Ireland BT48 0NA

CONGRATULATIONS to the winner of last week’s competition

Katie Lynn and Kirstie McCrudden Ballybegley, Newtowncunningham

Last Week’s Answer: Peter Rabbit

Tomb Raider 12A 117mins Daily 6pm & Daily except Thu 8:35pm & Fri/Sat/Sun 12:45pm, 3:20pm & Fri/Sat/Tue 11:10pm

Isle of Dogs PG 101mins Daily 3:45pm & Fri/ Sat/Sun 1:30pm

Black Panther 12A 134mins Daily 5:30pm, 8:20pm & Fri/Sat/Sun 2:30pm & Fri/Sat/Tue 11:10pm

Pacific Rim: Uprising 12A 111mins Fri/Sat/Sun 1pm, 3:30pm & Mon/Tue 3:45pm

Game Night 15A 100mins Daily except Wed 8:45pm & Fri/Sat/Tue 11pm & Mon/Wed/ Thu 6pm

The Greatest Showman PG 105mins Fri/Sat/Sun 1:30pm

Peter Rabbit G 95mins Daily 3:45pm & Fri/ Sat/Sun 12 Noon, 1:30pm & Fri/Sat/ Sun/Tue 6:05pm

RSC LIVE:

Macbeth (Live) LIVE 210mins Wed 7pm

Duck Duck Goose PG 92mins Daily 4pm & Fri/Sat/ Sun 12 Noon, 2pm

RAMPAGE 12A 107mins Thu 8:35pm

28 LIFESTYLE Computer Guide

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

brought to you by Inishowen Computer Systems Ltd

Top tips for smarter, more efficient Internet searching (Part Two) 5: Capitalisation

Most search engines do not distinguish between uppercase and lowercase, even within quotation marks.

The following are all equivalent: • technology • Technology • TECHNOLOGY • "technology" • "Technology"

6: Drop the suffixes

It's usually best to enter the base word so that you don't exclude relevant pages.

For example, bird and not birds, walk and not walked.

One exception is if you are looking for sites that focus on the act of walking, enter the whole term walking.

7: Maximize AutoComplete

Ordering search terms from general to specific in the search box will display helpful results in a drop-down list and is the most efficient way to use AutoComplete.

Selecting the appropriate item as it appears will save time typing. You have several choices for how the AutoComplete feature works: Use Google AutoComplete. The standard HYPERLINK "http://www.google.com/" \t

"_blank" Google start page will display a drop-down list of suggestions supplied by the Google search engine.

This option can be a handy way to discover similar, related searches. For example, typing in Tucson fast will not only bring up the suggestion Tucson fast food but also Tucson fast food coupons.

Use browser AutoComplete. Use this HYPERLINK "http://www.google.com/ webhp?complete=0" \t "_blank" Google start page to disable the Google AutoComplete feature and display a list of your previous searches in a drop-down box.

I find this particularly useful when I've made dozens of searches in the past for a particular item.

The browser's AutoComplete feature must be turned on for this option to work.

Click one of these links for instructions detailing how to turn AutoComplete on or off in HYPERLINK "http://windows.microsoft. com/en-US/windows7/Fill-in-website-formsand-passwords-automatically" \t "_blank" I.E. and HYPERLINK "http://support.mozilla. com/en-US/kb/Form%20autocomplete" \l "w_prevent-firefox-from-storing-formentries" \t "_blank" Firefox.

Examples: Visual Basic statement case Visual Basic statement for Visual Basic call Inishowen Computer Systems Ltd, Riverside, Mindoran, Clonmany, Co. Donegal Tel: ++353 7493 76019 Website: www.ics-ltd.ie, Facebook: www.facebook.com/inishowencomputers

The

Other Side of the Coin Sharing the ancient wisdom that is Chinese medicine

Acupuncture for knee problems Knee problems occur most frequently in adolescents who participate in sports and those who are over weight; it is one of the most common diagnoses given at orthopaedic centres and sports medicine clinics worldwide.

Despite its prevalence, the contributing factors to chronic/acute knee problems are unclear.

Although several studies have linked knee pain to certain physical activities, there seems to be no direct correlation between the level of pain and the degree of cartilage damage to one's knee, or to the amount of flexion or extension a person's knee experiences.

Generally speaking and according to Chinese Medicine, sports injuries fall into two categories. In one, the

tendon is injured - the tendon and muscle are usually overstretched and hurt.

This kind of injury will cause motion problems: the body has limited motion and the person will experience pain.

The other category of injury involves injury to the bone, such as a broken bone.

If the injury involves damage or bruising to the bone but a broken bone is ruled out then acupuncture will definitely help enormously.

With knee injuries, in general, sometimes just five or six good treatments can bring about an immediate change, and prevent surgery.

Blood Stagnation

Any kind of injury, involves blood stagnation.

In order to help the blood flow you need to increase the flow of energy (called "Qi" in Chinese, and pronounced chee), so acupuncture and herbs are used for treatment.

Most important, don't use ice! In Chinese Medicine,

70 patients aged 18-45.

Their results, which appear in the December 1999 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, show that acupuncture "is a very effective treatment" for patients suffering from patella-femoral type knee problems.

Results

most of the time ice is not used; heat is used on sports injuries.

Ice will keep everything in the area frozen, making the circulation worse.

The use of ice can cause arthritis later on especially if used too much on bony areas. In the short term, using ice may be better than heat because you will feel immediate relief from the pain, but good treatment with acupuncture, is much more effective than ice because it treats the root cause of the problem and gets the blood flowing to the area without the cold.

Tests

In an effort to evaluate its effectiveness on knee problems a team of researchers from Jensen Fysikalske Institute in Bergen, Norway performed acupuncture on a group of

Based on the researchers' findings, acupuncture had a dramatic effect on reducing knee pain and symptoms, strengthening and improving knee function.

The effect of the study did produce the desired results both patients and researchers were looking for - namely, decreased knee pain and increased knee function and strength.

While no definitive studies have shown a specific treatment for patella-femoral pain, the scientists concluded that “our study is one of the largest treatment studies on the syndrome, and it shows the clear, durable effect of acupuncture treatment in reducing pain and improving function, mobility and strengthening of the joint leading to complete recovery in most cases”.

Personal Attention

If acupuncture can perform well in controlled studies and trials then

in a clinical environment with more attention to detail and individual attention paid to the particular problem the treatment will be even more effective.

In my own clinics, I find that almost all knee problems respond really well to acupuncture on its own or when it is used in combination with moxibustion (a special Chinese herb that is used to intensely warm up the needle and send heat deep inside the knee joint).

Six to seven treatments in total, once per week will usually take care of most knee problems, but of course the more chronic the problem, i.e. the longer you have it, the more treatment you will probably need.

But both acute and chronice knee problems usually respond quite well to acupuncture, and the effects are long lasting, once the knee is healed and movement is good, it should stay that way.

Once the pain has subsided and the knee is functioning well again, it would be worth doing some leg exercises like squats and also maybe leg extension exercises with weights or cycling for 6-8 weeeks to strengthen the quadriceps muscles.

A lot of my patients have actually cancelled up coming knee surgery once they had the acupuncture on their knee.

Kim-Dip.Ac. Lic.Ac. C.Ac. China MQP is a registered licensed practitioner of Chinese Medicine. Treatments are VHi, LAYA healthcare (formerly Quinn), Hibernian Health (Vivas) and HSF Healthplan approved.

E mail kim@naturalhealthireland.com or write to the Natural Health Centre, Millfield, Buncrana, Tel. 074/9362606, From North 00353749362606 or to the The Traditional Chinese Medical Practice, 5 Academy Court, Oliver Plunkett Rd., Letterkenny, Tel. 0863981882, from North 00353863981882. Visit the Website www.naturalhealthireland.com

ENTERTAINMENT 29

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Latest releases at Eclipse Cinema Blockers

Julie, Kayla and Sam are three high school seniors who make a pact to lose their virginity on prom night. Lisa,

Ready Player One

Mitchell and Hunter are three overprotective parents who flip out when they find out about their daughters' plans.

They soon join forces for a wild and chaotic quest to stop the girls from sealing the deal -- no matter what the cost.

Pacific Rim: Uprising

Ready Player One is set in 2045, with the world on the brink of chaos and collapse.

But the people have found salvation in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by the brilliant and eccentric James

Halliday.

When Halliday dies, he leaves his immense fortune to the first person to find a digital Easter egg he has hidden somewhere in the OASIS, sparking a contest that grips the entire world.

When an unlikely young hero named Wade Watts decides to join the contest, he is hurled into a breakneck, reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of mystery, discovery and danger.

Duck Duck Goose

Jake Pentecost is a oncepromising Jaeger pilot whose legendary father gave his life to secure humanity's victory against the monstrous Kaiju.

Jake has since abandoned

his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld.

But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through

cities and bring the world to its knees, Jake is given one last chance by his estranged sister, Mako Mori, to live up to his father's legacy.

Peter Rabbit A high-flying bachelor goose is saddled with two young ducklings after he's grounded by an injury.

Peter Rabbit and his three sisters -- Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-Tail -- enjoy spending their days in Mr. McGregor's vegetable garden. When one of

McGregor's relatives suddenly moves in, he's less than thrilled to discover a family of rabbits in his new home.

A battle of wills soon breaks

out as the new owner hatches scheme after scheme to get rid of Peter -- a resourceful rabbit who proves to be a worthy and wily opponent.

Lifford/Strabane

T: 00353 (0)74 914 1973 | W: www.eclipsecinemas.com

30 LIFESTYLE

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Website: www.animalsinneeddonegal.com

ANIMALS IN NEED

Easter bunnies are re-homed after busy week Jacqui Knox Animals In Need

Animals In Need (AIN) were faced with one of their more challenging rescues when they were called on to help two terrified young collies who had been living rough in Rathmullan for the past few weeks.

Since they were first spotted, this collie duo had evaded the Gardai and all attempts to catch them but finally they

Kelly is very ill and at the vets

were caught and brought to safety at AIN at the weekend.

Now called Dixie and Mo, the dogs were most likely deliberately abandoned and had been living a feral lifestyle, scavenging for food and harbouring a deep fear of humans.

Their road to rehabilitation may be a long one as they have obviously had little human contact and have known even less human kindness, but they are in good hands in the care of one of AIN's highly experienced fosterers who with patience and plenty of TLC will offer them the help they need to turn their lives around.

Dixie and Mo are already starting to show signs of progress and will now let their fosterer pet them gently.

Also this week, seven dogs were rescued from the Letterkenny Pound and three more dogs were surrendered by their owners.

Amongst the dogs rescued from the Letterkenny Pound was a Lurcher who is almost blind and it is thought that he can just about make out shadows but little else, plus there was a small Lurcher-cross named Kelly, who is currently at the vets as she is seriously ill, so please cross your fingers

Collies abandoned in Rathmullan

for her recovery as she is in a very bad way.

All AIN's dog foster homes are completely full, with 34 dogs rescued in the past fortnight, but hopefully some of the dogs will be transferred to the Dogs Trust's rehoming centre soon.

Cats

Over at the cattery, it has also been a busy week.

Amelia, a cat who was brought to the vets to be put to sleep when she was found with a crushed leg, was instead taken in by AIN. This young cat had a broken pelvis along with her crushed

Blaze is looking for a loving home

back leg and had to undergo surgery to have her damaged leg removed.

She had obviously been suffering for some time as her weight was down to 2kg when she was found when it should be nearer to 3.5kg.

Since surgery, Amelia has adjusted to getting around on 3 legs and has even been offered a forever home by a lady who adopts cats with special needs.

This lucky cat will be meeting her potential new owner this week and will hopefully be joining a household which includes two other 3-legged cats.

Four cats were adopted during the week, but were soon

replaced with new arrivals, amongst them Blaze, a lovable, very unusual black tabby boy who arrived with his brother.

Unfortunately his brother is in poor condition with broken teeth, an infected bite on his paw and abscesses around his mouth, for which he is receiving treatment at the moment.

AIN has a number of big, cuddly tom cats waiting for homes. They are all very clean cats and as they are neutered they are unlikely to stray. All they are looking for is a warm sofa to curl up on and a loving family home.

A stray cat called Belle was also brought in to the rescue

from Fahan plus 7 more cats were neutered.

Finally, two dwarf rabbits who had to be re-homed as their owner had became ill, moved into their new home this week. They quickly settled in with their new rabbit friends in spacious surroundings and so there were two very happy bunnies this Easter.

To help AIN’s animals, please donate €2 to AIN’s ‘Help Us To Help Them’ fundraising appeal via your phone by texting the word ‘KITTEN’ to 50300. Every last cent goes directly to the rescued animals for their food, bedding, vet bills, worming treatment and vaccinations.

For further information on adoption, fostering, volunteering etc, please contact the main helpline on 087 1356188. For cat/kitten enquiries please call 087 7644420.

Animals In Need Donegal is also on Facebook and has a website at http://www.animalsinneeddonegal.com.

LIFESTYLE 31

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

WIN TEABREAK TEASERS

Weekly Horoscopes

Aries (March 21-April 19)

This is a tricky week For starters, four planets are in your sign including retrograde Mercury. Silly mistakes, mixed-up communications, missed appointments, lost items, transportation delays and encounters with ex-partners are par for the course. Nevertheless, you will have opportunities to contemplate and reflect. Midweek something unusual, fun and exciting will occur - guaranteed!

Your ambition is aroused and will stay this way until almost June. (You’re raring to go!) By Friday, tension opposite your sign on Saturday might arise.

Cool your Jets. And remember this is a fabulous year to get a mortgage, loan or benefit from the wealth and resources of others including your partner. Kaching!

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

A gaggle of planets in Aries is hiding in your chart, which means you’re busy but you are busy behind the scenes. This will help you to wrap up old business and meet deadlines that you blew in the past. Some of you will encounter unexpected love, perhaps a secret romance. (I’ll never tell.) Meanwhile, Mars continues to urge you to travel and explore opportunities in higher education, publishing, the media, medicine and the law. In fact, legal battles are likely. Be patient and diplomatic at the end of the week because Saturday could trigger problems with employees and coworkers.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

You’re popular! Enjoy the company of friends, especially younger people. You will also hang out with artistic, creative types more than usual. Old faces from the past will also appear and amaze you. (“Cindy!”) New love or exciting flirtations might excite you midweek. You might also meet someone different and unusual. Meanwhile your sex drive is amped and will stay this way until June. Be aware that Saturday might introduce tension starting Friday with kids or romantic partners. Relax. Even though there are two of you, you can’t be all things to all people all of the time. (Just some of the time.) Continue to enjoy wonderful opportunities to improve your job and your health. Looking swell!

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

You continue to be high viz. and make a great impression on others, especially bosses, parents and VIPs. Something midweek, around Wednesday will delight you. It could be a raise, praise from someone you admire or a flirtation that leads to a romance with a boss. Whatever happens will please you and will surprise you as well. This is a sweet bonus because meanwhile, you might experience tension with partners or a close friend. Patience is your only recourse. In fact, you will also need patience at the end of the week, especially with a female family member. The ace you are holding now is the Sun is at the top of your chart making you look wonderful in the eyes of others. Yes!

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

Your urge to travel is strong! You’re hungry to expand your world, which is why you’re studying, reading, watching movies, travelling and visiting fascinating places while you talk to captivating people. You want to be stimulated! Despite your desire for these exciting diversions, you’re busting your buns and working hard. (Mars will guarantee this until June.)

However, be careful by the end of the week, slow down and pay attention to everything you say and do. Be prudent. Be safe. Continue to explore realestate opportunities and chances to improve your home.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

The celestial heavens demand your attention about inheritances, taxes, debt, insurance and the wealth and resources of someone else. You might have to deal with someone’s values that differ from yours.

This is where Mercury retrograde will help you.

You will be expedient and efficient in wrapping up loose ends that previously confounded you. (“It’s done!”) A surprise gift, goodie or favour will come your way midweek around Wednesday. This window of opportunity will be brief so act fast. Competitive sports, love affairs and physical activities with kids are in the picture. Be patient at the end of the week

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about financial matters and shared possessions.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Discussions with or about ex partners and old friends will occur this week. Something midweek will surprise you. Relations with current partners are warm. (This strong emphasis on partnerships is because four planets now oppose your sign.) Tread carefully at home dealing with family members because fiery Mars will create tension as well as chaos and increased activity. This could be due to visiting guests, renovations or differing opinions.

Use your Libran diplomacy to save the day.

Letterkenny

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Name.......................................................

You’re in hustle mode! You want to get things done!

This heavy Aries emphasis takes place in your House of Employment and Health and urges you to be efficient, effective and productive. You also want to be trim and healthy. This is great news! Everything in the world starts with a thought - a motivation.

Motivation is everything. Don’t be down on yourself if you don’t follow through. Just stay motivated because the results will come. Midweek something surprising will delight you that is work-related or something to do with your health or a pet.

It could mean money or a sweet gift. Mars gives you tons of energy until June to be active on a daily basis and to speak up. You identify with your beliefs and will sell your ideas!

Address...................................................

................................................................

................................................................

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

It’s still fun city for Sagittarius! (Mom always liked you best.) Grab every chance to party or slip away on a vacation. Enjoy sports events, the arts, films, movies, playful activities with children, entertaining diversions, fun time with pals, romance, love affairs and Sunday brunches. Do whatever pleases you and lifts your spirits. Midweek something will delight.

It could be an unexpected flirtation. A surprise invitation. Joy through a child. With this fun schedule, no wonder you’re hemorrhaging money - but you’re also working hard to make it. Be patient at the end of the week with friends, lovers or your kids. Patience is the antidote to anger.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Your focus on home and family continues. Relatives you haven’t seen for a while are back on the scene.

(Stock the fridge.) A spontaneous party or gettogether might occur on Wednesday or midweek.

You might also buy something high-tech or modern for your home. A family member will have pleasing news. Meanwhile, Mars is in your sign and will stay there till June pumping your energy, making you aggressive, forthright and proactive in everything you do. (Look out world!) Tread carefully at the end of the week. You can’t ignore home and family. You know that.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Your fast-paced is plagued with transportation delays and mixed-up communications. Aggh! Nevertheless, midweek around Wednesday, something delightful will please you. It might be a spontaneous short trip.

An exciting social occasion with a sibling or relative.

It might be money or good news about a writing project or something to do with school or a road trip.

Meanwhile, you need eyes in your back this week. If you think something fishy is going on, or someone does not have your best interests at heart - you’re right. Be aware and stay on top of things. Don’t be caught napping. The end of the week might bring financial disputes about shared property to a head.

Yikes!

Tel: ..........................................................

Send your entries to: The Editor, Letterkenny Post, 26 Balliniska Road, Springtown Industrial Estate, Derry, N. Ireland BT48 0NA

Across

Down

1. School farm implement (6) 4. Jockey’s advantage? (4,4) 9. Like a ship knocked down (6) 10. Calculating it is understandable (8) 12. Liquids emerging from soil (4) 13. Most important leader (5) 14. Negative sounding tie (4) 17. Lecture for wearing a t-shirt? (8,4) 20. Everything owed by country (8,4) 23. List made by baker (4) 24. Nearly feeling sorry for heron (5) 25. Look equal (4) 28. Thinker losing centre a judge (8) 29. Farm animals cat let out (6) 30. Others back at sanatorium (4-4) 31. Rope attached to police line (6)

1. Argued about part in play? (3,5) 2. Remembered being withdrawn (8) 3. Friendly start (4) 5. Cannot seen to be a risk (6,6) 6. Given money for flat I entered (4) 7. Vulgar gentleman carries silver (6) 8. Job to hold record for assistant (6) 11. What a sports team requires for decorating (8,4) 15. Nothing to mark award for actor (5) 16. We back measure associated with Epsom (5) 18. Accomplishment in action was lost (8) 19. Fish with party leader (8) 21. Prepare right reading book (6) 22. They are sharp young men (6) 26. Illegal drug mixture (4) 27. A good man’s circle (4)

Last weeks solution

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

This week you have a strong focus on money and earnings with a mixed message: Retrograde Mercury will delay money coming to you; nevertheless, midweek, a happy surprise will occur! It could be a raise. It might be a gift. It might even be a spontaneous purchase that pleases you. Yay! Something will light your fire. Physical activity and perhaps a competition will energize your dealings with friends and groups.

Continue to look for ways to travel and expand your world because this is what you want to do this year.

At the end of the week, Saturday might introduce money tensions or disputes about shared property.

(Not a big deal, really.) Relax.

Congratulations to: Stuart Morrison Carraig Ul Bhaoill Derrybeg

32 PETS

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Pet’s Corner

Doggy Do's & Don'ts International

by Kathleen Murray. Tel: 0863192247

Bow-wow’s Know How Brought to you by www.BwamPets.com

Extend your dog's life

Care for your puppy during teething Puppies begin teething at around three weeks, and by approximately six weeks, all of their baby teeth will have erupted.

The incisors (at the front of the mouth) and the canine teeth (the fangs) erupt first, followed by the premolars.

Dogs (and cats, for that matter) do not have any baby molars.

Because dogs tend to chew nearly everything, nearly everything has been found to cause problems.

This goes for rawhides, pigs’ ears or other parts of animals given to dogs to chew (some owners swear by the “bully stick,” which

80H x 264W:PUNCHESTOWN

is the dried or cooked amputated penis of a bull), bones, synthetic toys, tennis balls, etc.

Some of these objects have caused gastrointestinal blockages or intestinal punctures, which often require surgery and can be life-threatening; others have blocked the throat, causing dogs to asphyxiate.

Rewards

Do not reward behaviour you don’t want, and don’t let others reward it either.

If your puppy is chewing on your hands or any other body part, yelp a high pitched shriek like a puppy

21/02/2018

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makes, pull your hand away, and go play elsewhere.

Chewing

Excessive chewing behaviour seems to subside around one-and-a-half years of age but will continue to some degree, depending on the dog, for his or her whole life.

Remember that chewing, licking and mouthing are normal behaviours for dogs as a way of exploring and learning, and carrying objects from one place to the next. If chewing is excessive or aggressive, consult your local trainer for behaviour modification advice.

We all want to keep our pets with us as long as possible, which is why we need to give them a certain level of care.

Most dogs, depending on size, can live ten to fifteen years if they are in good shape mentally and physically.

Here are some things that you can do to extend and improve the quality of your dog’s life.

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Regular check-ups with your veterinarian can help detect diseases and health problems early on, while they can still be treated.

The same goes for vaccinations, which can save lives.

Experts recommend that dogs should visit the veterinarian at least once a year when they are fully grown and two to four times per year while they are puppies.

Tooth decay is a very common, yet dangerous health problem for dogs.

This is because tooth decay not only creates dental problems, but it can cause infections throughout the body, especially in the heart and kidneys.

Most dogs are not going to have picture perfect teeth or fresh breath like a person, but their teeth and gums should be reasonably clean.

You can buy a special kit to brush your dog’s teeth which includes a small brush and dog formulated toothpaste (never use human toothpaste, because it can be harmful to dogs).

You can also use special dental sticks and chews which are designed to reduce tartar and plaque build-up.

If your dog has a significant build-up of

plaque, then you should visit a veterinarian to have it examined and possibly removed.

Dogs can become overweight if they eat a lot of fatty human foods, or even if they eat too much pet food and don’t get enough exercise.

One way to extend your dogs life is to make an effort to keep them at a healthy weight at all times.

Keep track of how much you feed your dog on a daily basis and keep them on a consistent feeding schedule.

You should also eliminate scraps from the table and cut back on calorie-rich treats.

Treats are the silent saboteur of slimming down as those tiny treats are often hiding a significant amount of calories.

Instead try offering fresh vegetables such as baby carrots, string beans, broccoli or other crunchy vegetables.

Dogs need exercise in the same way that people do.

Ideally, your dog should get at least an hour of exercise every day to improve their health and regulate their weight.

Exercise (walking) is the most important part of your dog’s health routine.

It provides many benefits that include keeping your pet both physically and mentally healthy.

Regular walks can help to reduce or eliminate many of your dogs behaviour problems such as chewing, digging, scratching or barking.

Furthermore, walks can help to alleviate extra energy your dog may have, calming it down and reducing any hyperactivity and excitability.

A good walk helps your dog to feel more relaxed.

Compiled by Bow-wows & Meows. For further information on Dog Walking or other Pet Care Services, please call us on 086 156 3347 or visit our website at www.BwamPets.com or find Bow-wows & Meows on Facebook.

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FARMING 33

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

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Macra na Feirme’s land mobility service growing rapidly Over the past year the Macra na Feirme and FBD Trust Land Mobility Service has enjoyed considerable growth, supporting over 100 new Collaborative Farming Arrangements meaning that this initiative supported by Aurivo has now been involved in over 400 arrangements covering a staggering 35,000 acres since its inception in 2014.

Collaborative farming arrangements include share farming, partnerships, long-term leases and farm to farm arrangements such as contract rearing.

They are between two or more persons with the goal of being beneficial for all involved as well as helping deliver access to land.

The key innovative element of the Land Mobility Service has been its role as an expert independent fa-

cilitator in brokering such arrangements coupled with finding potential suitable collaborators.

Long-term leasing is the most popular arrangement in the Land Mobility Service, however share farming and partnership style arrangements have grown in popularity in the past year.

The service has found that many land owners like shared arrangements because it allows them to remain involved on the farm and retain their farmer status, while for young farmers it reduces the level of finance they may require to get their business up and running.

According to Austin Finn, Programme Manager for the Land Mobility Service, the reason why this initiative works for people is because it keeps the people involved at the heart of any arrangement.

He works with people to develop an arrangement that is fair, sustainable and an agreement that suits all parties.

Speaking about the growth of the initiative he said: “I can categorically say that we have been able to find an opportunity for any young person with the skills, flexibility and desire to make it happen, there are many great success stories out there for both land owners and young farmers.

“This is a unique time that is providing opportunities for young people.”

The Land Mobility Service has worked closely with its aligned Dairy Co-op, Aurivo and has been involved in many arrangements in their catchment area.

The service will continue to align

Austin Finn, Programme Manager for the Land Mobility Service.

with more industry partners as it moves to a full nationwide platform with continued support from the FBD Trust, the farm organisations and the Department of Agriculture.

If you would like to find out more about the Land Mobility Service please contact Austin Finn on 0862541425 or email: info@landmobility.ie.

Cross border cattle trading impacted by EU labelling manipulation

Matt Carthy MEP.

Sinn Féin MEP for Donegal, Matt Carthy has said he remains dissatisfied with the ongoing manipulation of EU ‘country of origin’ labelling rules that he says are affecting the traditional North South beef trading practises.

The manipulation employed by processors and retailers are being used to suggest that cattle brought from south to north for slaughter must have a ‘mixed’ label when they make it to the supermarket shelf.

Such cattle are therefore se-

curing a lower return despite the fact that the quality is equal to all other stock.

Mr Carthy said: “Figures released recently show that only 528 fit cattle have moved north for slaughter so far this year and the number of cattle moving north at any age halved from 54,562 in 2013 to just 26,073 last year.

“Of course the devaluation of sterling is a factor, but farmers I meet are convinced that the ongoing issue regarding labelling is playing a significant role

in the dismal figures.

“Farmers from the north are dissuaded from coming south to buy cattle because of the penalties imposed by supermarkets and processors. Any cattle that do cross the border are given the ridiculous label of “nomad cattle” despite the fact that the distances travelled can often be miniscule.”

He added: “The European commission have told me that they are open to finding a political solution to this problem.

When she was Minister for Ag-

riculture in the north, Michelle O’Neill repeatedly indicated that she was eager for an ‘Island of Ireland’ label to be introduced.

“Unfortunately her southern counterpart, Simon Coveney at that time did not show the same willingness and refused to meet me to even discuss the issue despite my repeated requests.

“Of course, Brexit has now complicated matters further.

But it may also provide an opportunity to reopen the issue.”

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FARMBRIEFS Additional rural social scheme places welcomed

Donegal IFA Rural Development Chairman Andrew McShea has welcomed the announcement that 250 additional places in the Rural Social Scheme have been allocated.

The additional places, secured by IFA in Budget 2018, increase the total number of places on the scheme from 3,100 to 3,350.

Mr McShea said the Rural Social Scheme is a vital support to low income farm families and to local communities where job opportunities are scarce.

“Social supports such as Farm Assist and RSS are vital to maintain farming and rural communities.

The Government must consider extending the Rural Social Scheme not just to recipients of social protection schemes, but also to farmers who are on low incomes.

"This is necessary as job opportunities in many rural areas are very limited,” Mr McShea said.

BDGP tags delays

The ongoing delays in issuing genotyping tags for the BDGP scheme by the Department of Agriculture and ICBF are unacceptable and causing problems for suckler farmers, IFA Livestock Chairman Angus Woods has said.

"Not having the tags on time, before the animals go to grass, is creating an extra and avoidable workload on farmers," Mr Woods said.

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IFA President Joe Healy met with Micheál Martin, Fianna Fáil leader; Charlie McConalogue TD and Jackie Cahill TD to discuss the IFA’s campaign for €200 per cow suckler support, as well as Brexit and CAP and other key agriculture issues.

34 PICTURE SPECIAL LOCAL ‘Stress + Rest = Growth’ AIB Financial EVENTS planning event Photos: Clive Wasson

Catherine Slevin, Helen McNellis and Josephine Wilson.

LYIT satff at the ‘Health & Well Being Event’.

Paul Hannigan, LYIT President, Barry Naighton, Head of AIB Donegal, Sandra McGettigan, AIB LYIT, Michael Murphy, Guest Speaker, Joe O'Connor, Guest Speaker and John Coleman, Regional Manager AIB.

Michael Murphy speaking at the ‘Health & Well Being Event’.

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

Joe O'Connor speaking at the event.

Richard Alcorn winner of a Fit Bit with Barry Naughton, Head of AIB Donegal and John Coleman, Regional Manager AIB.

Letterkennypost SPORT Thursday 5 April 2018

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SUPERBIKE

British Talent Cup debut for Donegal racer Donegal’s Rhys Irwin underwent a testing first weekend in the all new British Talent Cup at Donington Park as the championship joined the British Superbike Championship for its 2018 season opener.

Despite a tough weekend the fifteen-year-old left the Derbyshire venue feeling confident having been third quickest in free practice before mechanical issues upset his championship debut.

The Talent Cup season had started well for Irwin with testing in Valencia, at the start of March. Following a strong run at the unfamiliar Spanish track, he arrived at Donington Park circuit full of confidence and finished up fourth in the wet opening session, best of the riders with no previous Moto3 experience. The Kilmacrennan lad went one better in the second practice to finish in the

top three and once again best of the Moto3 rookies.

Heading into qualifying Rhys was confident he could at least match his practice result but things started to go astray almost immediately.

Having sat second in the opening laps he began to tumble down the order as a mechanical issue ruined his chance of a strong grid position, eventually finishing seventeenth.

With his problems rectified for the race, the only Republic of Ireland representative in the championship quickly moved through the field and was in the top ten and closing the gap to the leaders after just two laps. Picking off places on the wet but drying track was treacherous and when Irwin was pushed wide as he tried to move into ninth place he put a wheel onto one of the slippery Donington kerbs resulting in a fall

Rhys Irwin

and the end of his race.

With a strong showing in practice and the early laps of race one the Donegal teenager was looking forward to making amends in race two but this fell foul of Monday’s teeming rain, as it was canceled, leaving him no chance to take a positive race result from the weekend.

“This was my first weekend with the British Talent Cup Road to MotoGP programme and it was an absolutely fabulous experience despite the demanding schedule.” said Rhys. “During free practice I felt good and ended the session in P3 but qualifying didn’t go so well as I had technical issues which left me 17th on the grid for race 1. In the race I pushed through and was challenging for eighth when I ran

onto a kerb and crashed out.

Overall I am delighted with my pace, as I was one of least experienced riders there having never raced a Moto3 bike before. It’s a pity the weather spoiled it but with standing water on the track Dorna made the right decision to cancel Race 2. Now I can’t wait until the World Superbike Round where hopefully I can make the most of the pace I’ve shown.”

The Talent Cup returns to Donington Park on May 25th, 26th and 27th when it supports the World Superbike Championship. Rhys will be back in action before then however, as he will make his Moto3 Production class debut, on the Honda provided to him by Motorcycling Ireland, at the next British Superbike event at Brands Hatch in two weeks time.

TRIATHLON

Letterkenny 24/7 Triathlon Club 24/7 members competed in a range of events all and Sean Martin were 1st and 2nd male juniors in over the county over the Easter bank holiday the event finishing in 115:15 and 122:078 respecweekend. tively.

In Saturday’s scenic 10-miler in Ballyliffin Colin The annual Easter Sunday 5k hosted by LetDean was the first 24/7 member to finish in a time of 1:06:27. Nick Fowell was just seconds behind with terkenny AC. Sean McFadden was the first 24/7 member to fina massive 5minute PB in 1:06:30. Weather conditions were perfect for the grueling 10-mile course ish, 5th overall, in a time of 17:18. Gavin Crawford and the event had a huge crowd as always! Damian on his tail just seconds behind in 17:21. Paul CulMcGoohan crossed the finish line in 1:11:12, Keith len had a brilliant race finishing in 17:58.

Gordon in 1:19:10 with another PB, Philip Browne Paul McIntyre ran 18:37. Liam Tinney finished in in 1:19:23 and Tommy Hill in 1:27:03.

19:32, Alan O’Mahony just behind him in 19:36.

Cathy Harvey was the only 24/7 lady to take on Pat Brady crossed the line in 20:18. Fionnuala the 7-mile challenge and she finished in a brilliant time of 1:12:37.

Larkin was 2nd Female overall finishing in a superb 24/7 was also well represented at the Coole Cran- time of 20:33. Keith Fletcher had a good run finishford Duathlon that took place on Easter Saturday. ing in 20:57. Niamh Gibbons was 3rd female finishJunior Ciaran McGettigan was the cyclist for the ing with a brilliant PB of 21:58. Rachael Stilvern winning team finishing in 57:05, Siobhan Gallagher finished 1st female in a super finished in 24:13, Martina McDaid in 24:29, Anne Robinson in 24:43 and Martina O’Donnell knocking time of 106:09.

80H x 264W:PUNCHESTOWN 22/02/2018 14:28 Page 3 Shaun Logue finished in a time of 109:48. Neil over a minute off her PB finishing in 25:37.

Runners in the Ballyliffin Coastal Challenge.

36 SPORT

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

BOXING

Fourteen straight wins for Quigley as he resumes action after a year out

Quigley still climbing the boxing ladder Chris Ashmore reporter

Donegal boxing sensation Jason Quigley has chalked up his 14th successive win in the professional ranks.

And he is still on track to get a shot at a possible world title bid before the end of next year.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, he beat Puerto Rican Daniel Rosario as he continued to take steps towards his dream of becoming a world champion.

Once again Quigley secured victory by way of a knockout - his 11th in 14 fights. It was within hours of being a year to the day since he underwent surgery to a hand injury that had his career on the line. But the Twin Towns boxer has made a full recovery.

“I’m at the stage now of my career that I really want to push on,”he said.

“This is a massive year for me and I want to get in there and fi ght the best fi ghters out there.”

The Donegal middleweight (26) beat Rosario on a Golden Boy promoted bout at the Marina Bay SportsPlex, in Quincy, Boston.

Quigley, who spent his early childhood in Laghey, won the fi ght by knocking out Rosario two minutes and 26 seconds into the sixth of eight scheduled rounds.

Quigley had great support in the vocal crowd, with a large contingent over from Donegal.

Rosario had turned 30th

Jason Quigley salutes his fans in Boston

Jason Quigley lands a punch on Daniel Rosario

just hours before but it was not a happy birthday for him.

Looking back on the fight, Quigley noted how “he was a tough kid, he’d never been stopped and I knew coming into this fight that this was the perfect fi ght for me to get back to myself and see where I’m at.”

Reflecting on the fight, Quigley said: “I broke him down

early on, shook the ring rust off, and took him out when I had the ring rust off.”

“I hurt him to the body and I could see him wincing.

They call me ‘The Animal’, that name is kind of changing, but I think I proved I am an animal tonight again.”

This was the Donegal boxer’s fi rst under new trainer Dominic Ingle and Quigley credited the Wincobank Gym

Jason Quigley is announced as the winner - for the 14th time in his professional career.

for preparing him for a testing return. The 26-year-old described how “I work hard, I leave no stone unturned, and that’s why I won.”

“I want to thank my new coach Dominic Ingle for getting me into shape because that was a tough kid and I needed to be in shape.”

“My new team helped me break my opponent down. ”

Peter O'Donnell of the Donegal Boxing Board with Jason Quigley in Boston

Jason Quigley was at a Meet and Greet night in The Mean Fiddler in New York this week.

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

SPORT 37

BOXING

Double success for local club

Letterkenny boxers win national titles Chris Ashmore chris@letterkennypost.com

Letterkenny Amateur Boxing Club is on the up again – and this week two of its boxers are celebrating after winning national titles in Dublin.

Paddy McShane and Dylan Browne-McMonagle, who are both 15, emerged victorious at the National Championships held in the National Stadium.

For Dylan it was a first title on a national stage, and it was all the sweeter as in 2016 he had tasted the disappointment of losing in a final.

But this time he came up trumps with a fine display at he overcame Shane Stokes of the Dr. Horgan’s Boxing Club to land the Boys 4 39kg honours.

Meanwhile, Paddy won his fourth title as he defeated Aaron Kirwan-Doyle from the Ballagh Club in Wexford in the Junior 1 42kg division.

Coach Rory McShane was full of praise for the two Glenswilly lads.

“They have been training hard over the past eight weeks and have been training three and sometimes five nights a week,” he said, adding that as well as using the club’s fine facilities the lads have got in some outdoor training in the town park and at the community centre track.

The club has endured some up and down years in recent times, but still caters for around 50 boxers.

And with eight national finalists – and six winners – in the past few years, things are certainly heading in the right direction.

Champions Paddy McShane and Dylan Browne-McMonagle with Mandy The well appointed gym, located off the High Douglas, secretary of Letterkenny Boxing Club, and coaches Rory Road, is one of the best in the county.

McShane and Ryan Harkin.

Letterkenny Golf Club

Letterkenny Golf Club Captain Hugh McClafferty and John P. Clarke of a recent Wednesday competition.

Winners at Letterkenny Golf Club - Jamie Foley, Michael Nelis, Captain Hugh McClafferty and Kevin Kiely.

Paddy McShane and Dylan Browne-McMonagle with their medals after winning national titles in Dublin.

38 SPORT

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

GREYHOUND RACING

Tik Tok Bliss steals the show There were 13 races on the card for the Easter Sunday meeting at at Lifford Greyhound Stadium with seven of the races paying out €500 for the first place.

Tik Toc Bliss had one of the fastest times of the past two years at the venue for a 350, clocking a fine 18.71 to win by almost five lengths from Hollow Sapphire.

The Croarkins from Roslea in Co. Fermanagh certainly had a field day with three winners, Tahina Freddie, Tahina Fergal and Quezon Cian.

Racing this week is back to the normal Saturday routine.

Winners

Race 1: Ardnasool Jet, 18.96 Race 2: Brexit Can Go, 18.90 Race 3: Hazelwood Star, 19.29 Race 4: Drumsna Monarch, 29.38 Race 5: Void Race 6: Hather Susan, 30.53 Race 7: Tic Tok Bliss, 18.71 Race 8: Nice Vic, 29.35 Race 9: Tahina Freddie, 29.36 Race 10:Hather Queenie, 32.19 Race 11:Tahina Fergal, 19.30 Race 12: Quezon Cian, 28.80 Race 13: Burma Milly, 30.85

Race 8- THE EASTER SUNDAY LOTTO A4 525 was won by NICE VIC from trap 4 In a time of 29.35. Winning owner Paddy Boyce on the right is joined by Bobby Brown in the centre and Matthew Duffy on the left.

Race 10 - THE EASTER SUNDAYLOTTO A4/A5 575 BITCH STAKE, was won by HATHER QUEENIE from trap 3 in a time of 32.19. Pictured are Matthew Duffy, Siobhan Duff and Davy Sutton holding the winner.

Race 7- THE EASTER CARVERY S3/S4 350 SPRINT WAS WON IN THE FASTEST TIME OF THE MEETIN BYTIK-TOK-BLISS from trap 6 in 18.71. A real prospect here for winning order Hugh McGuire from Co Fermanagh pictured here with his wife Theresa and their grand daughter, Aoife Kiely.

Race 1 - THE EASTER SUNDAY OPEN NOVICE 350 SPRINT, was won by Ardnasool Jet from trap 1 in a time of 18.96. From left, Cathal and James Mc Ghee, and Stephen Tourish, all from Lifford.

Race 6 - THE EASTER SUNDAY LOTTO A5 550 was won by HATHER SUSAN from trap No 3 in a time of 30.53, pictured here with her son Matthew Duffy, Racing Manager, at Lifford Track.

RACE 13 – THE EASTER SUNDAY LOTTO A2/A3 550, was won by BURMA MILLY from trap 6 in a time of 30.85. A delighted owner/ trainer Mark Duffy from Letterkenny in is pictured here on the track with Racing Manager Matthew Duffy

Race 2 - THE EASTER SUNDAY S4/S5 350 SPRINT and Race 3 - THE EASTER EGG S4 350 SPRINT were both won by Mr Tony Maxwell from Lifford. BREXIT CAN GO won from trap 3 In a time of 18.90 in race 2. HAZELWOOD STAR won from trap 1 in a time of 19.29 in race 3. He is pictured with control steward Jimmy Arnold on the left after the meeting.

SPORT 39

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

BADMINTON

PHOTOS: Gabrielle Gallagher

Ballindrait Badminton Club presentation evening

Members of Ballindrait Badminton Club wearing their new tracksuits kindly sponsored by Supermix Concrete Ltd.

Alex McAuley wearing her new Ballindrait Badminton Club top sponsored bySupermix concrete.

Hoorah for our new Ballindrait Badminton club tracksuits kindly sponsored by Supermix Concrete Ltd.

Cousins Emma and William Meehan, Ballindrait Badminton club proudly modelling their new Supermix concrete shirts.

Ryan Meehan who designed the Ballindrait Club Crest presenting the club t-shirt to Mr Leslie Thompson,Supermix Concrete Ltd, along with Committee members ; Alan Macbeth,Ian Macbeth,Andrew McAuley, Claire Lowry, David Macbeth.

(Above) Junior members of Ballindrait Badminton Club along with their coaches L-R Ian Macbeth,David Macbeth and Alan Macbeth proudly wearing their new tracksuits, kindly sponsored by Supermix Concrete Ltd.The club and parents are very grateful to the coaches who give up their time freely to coach the children.

The children have all improved greatly this year in National Ulster and Tyrone competitions.

Also they competed in the Donegal Champonships winning the Mc Kinlay cup and doing well in their age category competitions.Some competed in Greenbank, Raphoe and Three rivers tournaments winning various sections.

Callum Macbeth,William Meehan,James Meehan,Ryan Meehan and Sam Macbeth-"Funny Faces".

Scott Macbeth and William Meehan listening to Mr Leslie Thompson Supermix Concrete Ltd.

Sarah Macbeth and Ava Meehan Ballindrait Badminton Club.

40 SPORT

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

ATHLETICS

Over 1,300 turn out for great event

Ballyliffin Coastal Challenge a big success Greg Roberts from City of Derry Spartans won the Ballyliffin Coastal Challenge in a time of 54.28 on Satruday ahead of Gerard Gillespie of Finn Valley while Aaron Doherty was third Ciara Roche won the ladies'

ten mile race in some style.

Sean Sweeney won the seven mile race with Grainne Brinkley first lady home not far behind.

Once again there was a mixture of elite runners, fun runners and walkers with an

option to do either seven or ten miles.

In total around 1,300 people took part over the scenic Inishowen route, and the organisers are now hoping that they can reach the 1,500 mark next year.

All smiles after a great run for these local runners.

Maria Bromley is still smiling.

Martin Gormley is staying cheerful.

Finn Valley Fit for Life participants in the Ballyliffin Coastal Challenge

THE MASTER: Event organiser and Donegal athletics suptrmo Patsy McGonagle on the mike.

Ciaran McGonagle digs deep in the home stretch.

Andrew McIntyre of Rosses AC.

Sean Sweeney, first in the seven mile event

Finn Valley's Catriona Devine

SPORT 41

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

ATHLETICS

Finn Valley AC athletes taking part in the Commonwealth Games Sommer Lecky will compete in the High Jump. Photo: Bob Given photography.

Two rising stars on the Donegal and Irish athletics scene will be representing Northern Ireland in the Commonwealth Games in Australia which begin this week.

Sommer Lecky and Dempsey McGuigan both compete with Finn Valley AC. Lecky (17) is a student at Strabane Acedemy and will compete in the high jump on Thursday, April 12th.

McGuigan, a student at Mississippi University, will be taking part in the hammer competition.

This is his second Games having competed in Glasgow 2016 where he qualified for the final.

Both athletes bring good form into the Games.

Sommer had a 1.86m personal best in the winter , winning Irish and Scottish titles, and has excelled under her coach Niall Dempsey Wilkinson.

McGuigan will Dempsey recently threw compete in the over 69 metres in a comhammer. petition in the States so again has realistic hopes of reaching the final.

The both set off last week for a training camp near Brisbane.

A common denominator for both is that there will be family support present.

Letterkenny AC round-up

McGonagle’s busy weekend of races Ciaran McGonagle had a busy and successful weekend. On Saturday, he finished in 6th place out of 694 runners in the scenic but tough Ballyliffin 10 mile race.

He ran an excellent time of 57.46. Less than 24 hours later, Ciaran was back in action. He took first place, after wheelchair athlete Karol Doherty, in the LAC Harte Insurance 5K. Ciaran clocked 17.07.

Sean McFadden, just back from a gruelling group training week in Spain, was the leading M40 runner in 17.18. The next M40 runner was Liam Doherty who, the previous day, had participated in the Coole/Cranford Duathlon in his own local area. Liam’s time in the 5K was 17.44. Kevin Kelly clocked 17.56, Darren Price 19.10 and Martin Devenney 19.12.

Barry Mackey, who had also been on the Spanish training week, showed the early benefits of the training when he took first place in the M50 category in 19.23. Other LAC runners coming home in times of sub 20 minutes were Ciaran O’Donnell in 19.32 and Michael Galvin in 19.40.

Steven Gibson finished in 20.00 and young Alexander Plumb in 20.01. John Hughes was the 2nd M50 runner in 20.11 and Monica McGranaghan was the first woman in 20.12. Paul Gibson’s time was 21.08 and Mary Sweeney was the 2nd woman in the Female Open category in 22.09.

Richard Raymond’s success in the M60 category continued when he took 1st prize in the category in a time of 22.19.

Karol Duggan followed up his success in the previous week’s Milford 5K when he won Sunday morning’s Harte Insurance 3K. In form Karol finished in 9.05 and was followed home by fellow LAC man, Eoghain McGinley in 9.14. Young John Hughes was the 1st Junior in 9.33 and David Smith was 2nd in

McBride was the leading M60 runner in 13.42.

Paul Toner and his daughter Lucy recorded a time of 14.42. Jack McDermott’s time was 16.20.

Letterkenny Athletic Club would like to thank Harte Insurance, Letterkenny, for their sponsorship of the event and Terence Diver of Diver Hyundai for the use of the premises for the race. The club is also grateful to the large number of volunteers who helped make the event a success.

Ballyliffin

Ciaran O'Donnell (149) pushing hard in the Letterkenny AC Harte Insurance 5K. Photo: Letterkenny AC (Geraldine Diver).

that category in 9.54. Raymond Birch’s good form continued and he finished in between the 2 young runners in 9.45.

Evan Keown clocked 10.50 and Kevin Ferry was the leading M40 runner in 11.01. Kevin’s brother, Brian, was the next M40 in 11.11,

Philip McGee in 11.25, Liam Ferry in 11.33, Ciaran Bannon in 11.47 and Christopher Murray in 11.49.

Niamh McDaid was the leading woman in 12.31. The second female across the line, Katie McGee, was also the first junior in 13.20. Brian

In Saturday’s Ballyliffin 10, the first LAC runner after Ciaran McGonagle was Martin Gormley in 67 minutes. Noel Lynch’s time was 1.23.26 and Maura O’Grady’s was 1.29.57. The race winner was Greg Roberts in a fast time of 54.26.

Liam Ferry recorded his fastest Letterkenny parkrun to date in 20.21. Cathal Roarty, in his 33rd outing, was the leading M50 runner in 23.17 and Paul Lee was the next M50 finisher in 23.27. Peter McLean, in his 72nd Letterkenny parkrun, finished in 26.05.

The Carney 10K (north Co Sligo) took place on Monday in very cold, windy conditions.

Ciaran Doherty, also just back from the group training in Spain, had an excellent run in the difficult conditions. He was 5th overall and 2nd in the M40 category in 33.46. Hugh Gallagher finished in 52.38. Ciaran’s wife, Teresa of Finn Valley AC, who was also in Spain, was an impressive winner of the women’s race. Her time was a very fast 35.08. The race winner was Dubliner John Travers, now based in Sligo, who didn’t let the conditions affect him, by crossing the line in a speedy 30.55.

42 SPORT

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

SOCCER

FAI Intermediate Cup semi-final

Rovers bid to reach final again It’s a massive Sunday for Letterkenny Rovers with the seniors travelling to play Firhouse Clover in the semi final replay of the FAI Intermediate Cup while the 15s are in SFAI Cup semi final action at St Kevins Boys.

The Ulster Senior League side’s game will take place at Tallaght I T with a 2pm start with the 15s kicking off at Shanowen Road at 230pm.

The Eamon McConigley managed side were held to a

draw by Firhouse when the sides met in Letterkenny a fortnight ago.

The Dubliners may feel that with home advantage they have the upper hand now but Rovers have recorded some of their best displays away from home and would dearly love to reach the final again and go one better than in 2016.

The Seniors had two games this week defeating Swilly Rovers 5-0 on Friday with goals from Chris Dillon, Dec-

SOCCER SCOREBOARD Donegal Junior League Fixtures

Saturday April 7 K.O. 2p.m. (Unless Stated) Glencar Inn Saturday Division One Arranmore United v Glenea United Reserves (K.O. 1 p.m.)

Donegal Town Res v Cappry Rovers Reserves Castlefin Celtic Resv Milford United Reserves Orchard F.C. v Keadue Rovers Reserves

lan Sharkey(2), Ryan McConnell and Garbhan Grant but lost out 1-0 at Cockhill Celtic on Monday night.

The Youths defeated Fanad Utd 1-0 with a Conor O’Donnell goal and they are home to Keadue Rovers on Saturday with a 2pm start at Leckview.

It’s a busy time in the schoolboys and last weekend saw our u14s Crusaders continue their unbeaten start with a comfortable win over Keadue Utd. Goals in that one for Caolan Plumb. Matthew Flanagan, Aaron Temple, Mark McGlynn and Kian McGrath and they travel to play Mulroy Celtic this Sunday at 1045am.

The u14s Rovers lost out 3-2 to Gweedore Celtic with Conor Gallagher and Danny McLaughlin netting and they are also away to Mulroy Academy when making the trip on Saturday for an 1145am start.

The u16s Crusaders defeated Gweedore Celtic 3-1

with goals from Brandon Ndlovu(2) and James Kernan while goalsfrom Gavin McGee and Nathan Plumb were not enough as Rovers lost 5-2 to table toppers Gweedore Utd. The 12s action saw Crusaders get a brilliant 7-2 win at Ballyraine Celtic with goals from Josh Geraghty(4), Patrick McCormick and Domhnall Lewis(2) and they face Mulroy Celtic at Aura on Thursday evening at 645pm. the 12s United lost 4-1 to Swilly Ramblers with Jack O’Toole scoring and they are away to Keadue Utd on Sunday morning at 1030am wile the 12s Rovers lost 2-0 to Mulroy. This Saturday sees Rovers host Gweedore Celtic at Aura junior pitch at 1030am.

This week’s mini lotto numbers drawn were 3-7-20 and 21.

Four people matched three numbers and receive twenty euros each with the lucky winners Lorraine McGinley,

Rovers manager Eamon McConigley

Seamus McGroarty, Fiona and Caroline Doherty and Noel c/o Car Boot sale.

Next weeks jackpot is €5000.

Club Bingo continues at

Old Orchard Saturday Division Two Drumkeen United Res v Drumoghill F.C. Reserves Raphoe Town Res v Lagan Harps Reserves Drumbar F.C. v St. Catherines Reserves Gweedore Celtic Resv Kildrum Tigers Reserves

Four Lanterns Ulster Senior League

Sunday, April 8 K.O. 2p.m. (Unless Stated) Brian Mc Cormick Cup Semi-Finals Drumkeen United v Kildrum Tigers Kilmacrennan Celtic v Cappry Rovers

Cockhill Celtic 1 Letterkenny Rovers 0

Brian Mc Cormick Sports Premier Division Milford United v Castlefin Celtic Glenea United v Rathmullan Celtic Drumoghill F.C. v Lagan Harps Temple Domestic Appliances Division One Convoy Arsenal v Keadue Rovers St. Catherines v Ballybofey United Lifford Celtic v Dunkineely Celtic Donegal Physiotherapy & Performance Centre Division Two Whitestrand United v Kerrykeel ’71 F.C. Letterbarrow Celtic v Deele Harps Curragh Athletic v Copany Rovers Cranford United v Gweedore United

RESULTS

Saturday Glencar Inn Saturday Division One Keadue Rovers Res4 v 1 Milford United Reserves Orchard F.C. P v P Castlefin Celtic Reserves Old Orchard Saturday Division Two Kildrum Tigers Res 0 v 4 Dunlewey Celtic Voodoo Venue Cup Quarter Finals Glencar Celtic 2 v 1 Strand Rovers Fintown Harps AFC 6 v 0 Gweedore Celtic Reserves Cappry Rovers Res 6 v 4 Drumbar F.C. Donegal Town Res 2 v 1 Glenea United Reserves Brian Mc Cormick Sports Premier Division Drumoghill F.C. 1 v 6 Castlefin Celtic Rathmullan Celtic 3 v 1 Kilmacrennan Celtic Cappry Rovers 6 v 2 Milford United Donegal Town 5 v 0 Lagan Harps Temple Domestic Appliances Division One Raphoe Town 0 v 1 St. Catherines Lifford Celtic 1 v 2 Bonagee United Keadue Rovers 0 v 1 Gweedore Celtic Donegal Physiotherapy & Performance Centre Division Two Deele Harps 0 v 2 Drumkeen United Cranford United 2 v 1 Kerrykeel ’71 F.C.

the Station House Hotel on Thursday evenings at 830pm sharp. Snowball is 3275 euro on 45 numbers or less and all support is very much appreciated.

It’s advantage Cockhill once again Cockhill took a big step to retaining their title by claiming all 3 points in a tense scrappy affair.

Cockhill started the match on the front foot and forced a succession of corners one of which fell to Malachy McDermott whose shot was well blocked by Ryan Gildea.

The game went through a scrappy phase with a lot of restarts, both teams being hampered by the blustery conditions.

On 23mins Letterkenny threatened for the first time when Luke Nelis’ pass found Darren McElwaine whose attempted chip drifted wide.

On 38mins, after a sustained period of pressure, Cockhill went close when McDermott’s cross was headed clear by Ryan McConnell. It dropped to Laurence Toland whose touch was heavy and he fired over.

On the stroke of half time Letterkenny had their best chance of the game. The ball was shifted from left to right in a good passage of play, the ball finding Kevin McGrath who blazed wide.

HT 0-0 Cockhill were awarded a penalty on 51mins when McDermott played in Marty Doherty who was upended giving the officials an easy decision. However the normally reliable Gerry Gill was denied by a fine save from Rory Kelly diving to his right to palm away.

Letterkenny were buoyed by this and had their best period of the game but failed to force Lee McCarron into a meaningful save. The closest they came was when substitute Garbhan Grant cut inside from the left but his shot was well blocked by Ryan Varma who was quietly having a big influence on the game.

Just as it looked like the game was destined to be scoreless, Cockhill made the breakthrough. Gill’s 83rd minute corner headed in at the back post by Malachy McDermott.

Cockhill held on with the minimum of fuss for a vital result.

Fanad United 4 Derry City Reserves 0 Fanad United kept up their good recent league form with a 4-0 victory over Derry City Reserves on Monday at Traigh-aLoch. Credit has to go to both teams for playing some very decent football in what were horrendous conditions.

Tony McNamee (twice), Davitt Walsh and Oisin McMenamin were on target.

Fanad United: Dane Dunworth, Keelin McElwaine, Conor Blaney, Shaun McElwaine, Oisin Langan, Caolan Kelly, Patrick Carr, Davitt Walsh, Marty McAteer, Tony McNamee, Oisin McMenamin.

Subs Used: Eoghan Jordan, James Kerr, Darragh Black.

Derry City Reserves: Jason McCallion, Rhys McDermott, Luke Campbell, Ethan Harkin, Lee McColgan, Conor Gormley, Kian McGarvey, Shane McNamee, Adrian Delap, Kieran Farren, Matt Doherty. Subs Used: Calum Boyce, Conor Porter, Ronan McKinley, Danny McGlynn Referee: Michael Connolly Swilly Rovers 0 Finn Harps Reserves 7 Finn Harps Reserves proved much too strong for Swilly Rovers on Bank Holiday Monday as Joe Boyle’s men roared into a five-goal lead by the break when they could comfortably remove their feet from the gas.

Finn Harps went ahead on seven minutes when Dean O’Donnell’s cross-cumshot sailed into the net.

Niall McGinley with a penalty made it two-nil on ten minutes following a foul in the box.

Daniel Stolarczyk with a superb free kick made it three on 15 minutes and Stephen Doherty made it four.

Daniel Stolarczyk hammered him to make it five in a very one-sided first half.

Keelan McGill headed home following a corner to make it six and Jamie Brown made it seven from close range Swilly: Ben Boyle, Ciaran McHugh, Shaun Crossan, Conor Duggan, Rory McCrossan, Matthew McLaughlin, Ryan McDaid,

Brad Patterson, Finnian O’Donnell, Marty McDiad, Oran Brogan. Subs: Duncan Patterson, Paul Clarke, Tony Gallagher, Jordan Nugent.

Finn Harps Reserves: Jamie Bell, Jamie Brown, Pat Loughrey, Keelen McGill, Keenan Diver, Stephen Doherty, Zak Brolly, Niall McGinley, James Carolyn, Daniel Stolarczyk, Dean O’Donnell. Subs: Michael Gallagher, Joe Boyle, Michael Doherty.

Referee: Benny Mc Daid.

RESULTS Four Lanterns Ulster Senior League Monday, April 2 Cockhill Celtic 0 Letterkenny Rovers 1 Fanad United 4 Derry City Reserves 0 Swilly Rovers 0 Finn Harps Reserves 7 FIXTURES Four Lanterns Ulster Senior League Sunday, April 8, 2pm Cockhill Celtic v Swilly Rovers Ulster Senior League

Cockhill Celtic

Fanad United

Letterkenny Rovers * Finn Harps Reserves * Derry City Reserves

Bonagee United

Swilly Rovers

P

W D L F

A

GD Pts

12 10 1 1 42 10 32 31 12 8 1 3 40 15 25 25 10 7 0 3 23 11 12 21 14 7 0 7 33 33 0 21 12 5 2 5 26 20 6 17 11 1 3 7 13 34 -21 6 13 0 1 12 7

62 -55 1

* Letterkenny Rovers awarded 3-0 win after Finn Harps didn’t field

SPORT 43

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

SOCCER - AIRTRICITY LEAGUE FIRST DIVISION

Harps held

by Athlone

Ciaran Coll fires Finn Harps into the lead against Derry City with this rocket from the edge of the Candystripes’ penalty area.

EA Sports League Cup

Super sub Patterson sinks Harps Finn Harps

1

Derry City

2

Stuart Connolly sports reporter

Derry City came from behind to beat Finn Harps in the EA Sports League Cup at Finn Park on Monday to progress to the third round.

The visitors clearly have ambitions to win this trophy and fielded a strong team whereas Ollie Horgan fielded without a number of first choice players.

Ciaran Coll put Finn Harps in the lead on the 11th minute with an effort in off the post but Derry drew level just shy of 30 minutes with Aaron McEneff scoring from the penalty spot. Rory Patterson came off the bench on the hour mark and scored within minutes to give Derry the lead. The striker had the ball in the net in stoppage time as well but it was ruled out.

Harps welcomed their great rivals to Ballybofey for the second round of the competition that Derry have won a record ten times.

While many games down the country fell victim to the weather the match between the two neighbours went ahead as planned.

Harps’ recent dip in form will

have been a concern prior to kick-off, whereas Derry came into the game on the back of some decent results.

The sides met three times last season, Derry won two of those games with Harps emerging victorious in the other. Those three meetings produced seven goals while during the previous five battles, the team to score the first goal has gone on to win the match.

Harps’record against Derry is poor, with only a handful of wins (including just three in the league) down through the years.

The rain never stopped during the first half as both teams looked to progress to the third round, a round that neither side reached last season, with Derry losing out to Galway and Harps suffering defeat against Sligo.

Goal

The Donegal side got off to the brighter start and looked keen after their draw against Athlone on Friday night. That good start was rewarded with a goal on 11 minutes. Mark Timlin was on set piece duty and whipped in a corner from the right side, it was cleared straight back to him and he forced his way into the penalty area and passed across goal, Ciaran Coll was on hand and took a touch before fir-

Athlone Town

1

Finn Harps

1

Finn Harps boss Ollie Horgan was far from pleased after his side were held to a 1-1draw by bottom club Athlone Town at Lissywoollen on Good Friday.

It was the midlanders’ first point of the season and while Horgan praised their battling qualities he felt that this was a game that Harps really should have won.

This result leaves them five points adrift of league leaders UCD. Mark Coyle, Michael O’Connor and Ciaran Coll all had chances for Harps in the fi rst half while the opposition offered little in attack.

Athlone scored on 54 minutes with a belter from Shane Stokes that Ciaran Gallagher was unable to stop.

The arrival of BJ Banda onto the pitch lifted Harps and on 77 minutes they drew level when Lee Toland sent in a cross for the in-form Michael O’Connor to meet and head past Nathan Murphy.

Athlone Town: Nathan Murphy, Ger Smith, Dan O’Donovan, Craig Short, Josh Hogan, Ian Fletcher, Jake O’Connor, Robbie O’Leary, Martin Walsh, Rory McCullough, Shane Stokes. Subs: Ollie Hamzat for McCullough (45 mins), Aaron Brilly for Stokes (68 mins), Cormac Rafferty for O’Leary (83 mins).

Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher, Aidan Friel, Sam Todd, Ciaran Coll, Lee Toland, Mark timlin, Paddy McCourt, Mark Coyle, Ciaran O’Connor, John O’Flynn, Michael O’Connor.

Subs: BJ Banda for O’Flynn, Adam Duffy for O’Connor (both 60 mins).

SOCCER SCOREBOARD

Finn Harps’ captain Ciaran Coll and central-defender Keith Cowan protest tat the awarding of a first half penalty which the Candystripes scored from to equalise with their hosts on Easter Monday. Photos by Gary Foy.

ing in off the post on the left side.

The goal kicked Derry into life as they pressed well and caused Harps a few problems and even a few tackles resulting in bookings for the home side.

Derry were back in the game just shy of the half hour mark via a disputed spot kick from Aaron McEneff. Derry’s attacking was dangerous and Mark Hannon was penalised for a clip on the heel of McEneff on the right side on the area, receiving a yellow in the process.

Derry’s number four stepped up and slotted home to the left of the goal, sending Peter Burke – making a rare appearance in the Harps nets - the wrong way.

The rest of the half was back and forth between the sides as the rain continued to pour down on Finn Park with the first period ending with nothing to separate the teams.

Derry City were on a run of three straight wins and that form began to show as the second half got a nice rhythm going.

Derry were controlling the play and took the lead shortly after the introduction of Rory Patterson. The forward was brought on in the 60th minute and fired home on the 64th.

Ronan Curtis played the ball in from the left hand side and Patterson took a first time

shot from the centre of the area to the right side of the goal.

Burke got a hand on it but it wasn’t enough to keep it out.

McEneff nearly made it 3-1 late in the second half, played through in the area by Ronan Hale, he took a touch before firing from a tight angle towards goal but Burke saved at his near post.

Derry did have the ball in the net in stoppage time but Patterson was judged to have fouled Burke in the build up.

Jamie McDonagh crossed the ball in from the right and Patterson had multiple stabs at the ball before poking it home but the referee had blown his whistle.

Finn Harps: Peter Burke; Aidan Friel, Ciaran Coll, Keith Cowan, Sam Todd; Jesse Devers, Mark Timlin, Tommy McBride, Mark Coyle, Mark Hannon; Michael O’Connor.

Subs: John O’Flynn for Michael O’Connor (ht), Lee Toland for Mark Timlin (57), Adam Duffy for Mark Coyle (69).

Derry City: Gerard Doherty; Conor McDermott, Eoin Toal, Darren Cole, David Hopkirk; Rory Hale, Ronan Hale, Aaron McEneff, Nicky Low, Jack Doyle; Eoin Toal, Ronan Curtis.

Subs: Rory Patterson for David Hopkirk(60), Ben Doherty for Jack Doyle (79), Jamie McDonagh for Ronan Hale (81).

Referee: John McLaughlin.

AIRTRICITY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION P W D Cork City 8 6 1 Dundalk 8 5 3 Waterford FC 8 6 0 Shamrock Rovs 9 5 1 DERRY CITY 7 4 0 St. Patrick’s Ath 8 3 1 Bohemians 9 2 2 Limerick 9 2 2 Sligo Rovers 8 2 1 Bray Wanderers 8 0 1

L 1 0 2 3 3 4 5 5 5 7

GD 13 15 5 10 4 -2 -6 -15 -6 -18

Pts 19 18 18 16 12 10 8 8 7 1

RESULTS. Friday, March 30: Bray Wanderers 0, Cork City 4; Derry City 2, St. Patrick’s Athletic 1; Dundalk 3, Bohemians 0; Limerick 0, Waterford 2; Shamrock Rovers 1, Sligo Rovers 0.

FIXTURES. Friday, April 6: Bohemians v. Limerick; Dundalk v. Shamrock Rovers; St. Patrick’s Athletic v. Bray Wanderers; Waterford v Cork City. Saturday, April 7: Sligo Rovers v. Derry City.

EA SPORTS LEAGUE CUP ROUND TWO Fixtures. Monday, April 2: Bohemians 2, UCD 2 (Bohs won 5-3 on pens) ; Finn Harps 1. Derry City 2; Galway United 0, Sligo Rovers 1; Limerick v. Cobh Ramblers; St. Mochta’s v. Drogheda United; St. Patrick’s Athletic v. Dundalk; Waterford v. Cork City (All postponed).

AIRTRICITY LEAGUE FIRST DIVISION P W D UCD 5 4 1 Drogheda Utd 5 3 1 Shelbourne 5 3 1 Galway United 5 2 3 Longford Town 5 2 2 Finn Harps 5 2 2 Cabinteely 6 2 0 Cobh Ramblers 5 1 1 Wexford FC 5 1 0 Athlone Town 6 0 1

L 0 1 1 0 1 1 4 3 4 5

GD 7 13 2 5 6 2 -4 -4 -11 -16

Pts 13 10 10 9 8 8 6 4 3 1

RESULTS. Friday, March 30: Athlone Town 1, Finn Harps 1; Cabinteely 3, Drogheda United 2; Cobh Ramblers 0, UCD 2; Galway United 0, Longford Town 0; Wexford 0, Shelbourne 1.

FIXTURES. Friday, April 6: Drogheda United v. UCD; Finn Harps v. Galway United; Shelbourne v. Athlone Town; Wexford v. Cobh Ramblers; Saturday, April 7: Longford Town v.

Cabinteely.

44 SPORT

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

GAA – ULSTER UNDER-17 LEAGUE

Armagh the opposition in the semi-finals

Unbeaten Donegal march on All eyes on the ball, as players from both sides converge on it, in midfield, in the league game in Celtic Park

Derry

1-13

Donegal

0-18

The Gary Duffy managed Donegal Under-17 side have booked their place in the semi-finals of the Ulster Under17 League thanks to an unbeaten run in their four group games.

They now face Armagh in Ballybofey this Saturday at 12 noon.

They had a two point victory over Derry at Celtic Park last Wednesday night and followed it up on Saturday with a 1-13 to 0-6 victory in a game really only of academic importance as their place in the last four was already assured.

The game against Derry swung from end to end and could have gone either way.

At the break, Donegal led by a single point.

Derry took an early lead through Enda Downey, but Donegal responded with points from Rory O’Donnell, Michael Coughlan, and Stephen McFadden.

However, Derry then lifted their game and slotted over three points in a row before the sides were level on 15 minutes after a fine score from Shane O’Donnell.

Eoin Hawe squandered a goal chance for Derry, but then made amends to come degree as he kicked a decent score.

Stephen McFadden scored for Donegal before Enda Downey replied swiftly at the other end of the park.

But Donegal came from ap-

point down to lead at the interval by 0-7 to 0-6 with Anthony Doherty from play and Shane O’Donnell, with a free, being on target.

Donegal then had a good spell early in the second half. While Conleith McGuckin and Senan Rooney traded points, Donegal then stretched their lead with Nathan Byrne scoring from play and Stephen McFadden fired over three points in a row.

John McErlean smashed home a 39th minute goal to give Paddy Campbell’s side fresh hope, and the game was very much in the melting pot.

Determined Donegal replied with points from the lively Rooney and Anthony Doherty and Derry were chasing the game.

Another O’Donnell free had Donegal four points ahead but Derry were then awarded a penalty.

Crucially, goalkeeper Corey Byrne got down well to save from Downey.

It was a real let-off for Donegal.

O’Donnell and Dylan Doogan added two more scores for Donegal while Shay Murray got a point for the Oak Leaf side.

Battling Derry never gave up and they managed to score three points in a row to reduce the deficit to just two.

Donegal: Corey Byrne: Aaron Gilhooley, Cillian Gildea, Caolan Gallagher; Eoin Doherty, Shane Gillespie, Jamie Grant; Michael Coughlan (0-1),

Rory O’Donnell (0-1); Shane O’Donnell (0-5, 3f), Anthony Doherty (0-2), Stephen McFadden (0-5, 2f); Josh Conlon, Nathan Byrne (0-1), Senan Rooney (0-2).

Subs: Leo Dunphy for Conlon (24 mins), Dylan Doogan (0-1) for Byrne (51 mins), Seamus Óg Byrne for E. Doherty (53 mins), Eric Carr for A. Doherty (54 mins), Ronan Frain for McFadden and Donal Higgins for Gallagher (both 59 mins).

Ulster GAA Football U17 League Section B Donegal Tyrone Derry Antrim Fermanagh

P 4 4 4 4 4

W 4 2 1 1 1

D 0 1 1 0 0

L 0 1 2 3 3

F 71 59 80 43 54

A 47 48 59 78 75

Pts 8 5 3 2 2

A Derry defender under pressure from Donegal's Nathan Byrne, and Michael Coughlan, in the league game in Celtic Park.

Leo Dunphy, Donegal, contesting the ball with the Derry defenders in the league game in Celtic Park.

Derry defenders contesting the ball with Donegal's Nathan Rooney and Leo Dunphy, in the league game in Celtic Park. Photos: Michael O'Donnell.

SPORT 45

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

FINAL AMBITIONS ALIVE Chris Ashmore reporter

The Donegal Ladies senior football team are hoping to go one better than they did last year in the National League – and that’s the motivation going into their final match this weekend.

Having reached the final last year – where they lost out to Cork by a single point in Dublin – they would dearly love to go on and lift the silverware.

Cork have already qualified for the semi-finals along with Dublin, and Donegal are locked into the battle for the two other places on offer along with Mayo and Galway.

Victory for Donegal will put them into the last four.

But they cannot afford to slip up in their encounter against Cork.

Joint manager Damien Devaney knows that all they can do is concentrate on their own game.

“Cork are coming up here having already got into the semi-finals.

It all depends on what emphasis they put on winning the league,” he points out.

Indeed, Cork may well take the foot off the gas and mindful of not picking up any injuries may not go at full tilt.

Donegal beat Cork in the Rebel County last year in a similar situation with their hosts having already got into the semi-finals.

There is also a real chance that the sides could end up meeting again in the decider.

As we went to press the time and day for the game against Cork had yet to be finalised.

Following a request from Cork,

Damian Devaney, the joint Donegal ladies manager, is hoping his side can book their place in the semi-finals this weekend.

Photo Michael O Donnell.

the game will now go ahead on Saturday. It will have a 6.00 throw-in at O'Donnell Park in Letterkenny.

Meanwhile, sharpshooter Gerardine McLaughlin is on the way back to full fitness. She scored twice in the defeat by Mayo last time out.

Captain Karen Guthrie and Niamh Hegarty will play key roles again for the Donegal ladies who should be near full-strength for the visit of the Leesiders.

Lidl Ladies NFL Division 1 P W D L F A Cork 6 5 0 1 121 74 Dublin 6 5 0 1 107 78 Mayo 6 3 1 2 91 82 Donegal 6 3 1 2 130 80 Galway 6 3 1 2 98 90 Monaghan 6 2 0 4 69 111 Westmeath 6 1 0 5 61 112 Kerry 6 0 1 5 61 111 * Mayo were awarded the points from their game against Kerry as the latter fielded an ineligible player.

GAA – LADIES NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 1

Mayo sparkle to leave Donegal still searching for semi-final spot

Donegal lose out in high scoring affair Mayo

5-14

Donegal

4-12

Donegal are still in with a chance of making it to the Lidl Ladies National League smei-finals despite the setback of losing to Mayo in an exciting encounter in Swinford on Saturday.

This defeat means that Mayo go above Donegal in the table with just one round of games to go.

Holders Cork and TG4 AllIreland senior champions Dublin booked their National Football League Division 1 semi-final spots, while Kerry were relegated to the second

tier on a busy weekend of action. Donegal, Galway and Mayo are now left battling for the two other semi-final berths.

In a thrilling first half, Mayo made a great start and led by 2-4 to 0-10 after just ten minutes with Fiona McHale scoring two goals.

But Donegal came storming back and Geraldine McLaughlin found the net twice while Ciara Grant also got a goal.

At half-time the sides were level at 3-7 apiece.

Donegal’s fourth goal came from Niamh Hegarty and they led by 4-8 to 3-8 early in the second half. However, Mayo lifted their game and Fiona Doherty was to the fore while

Lidl Ladies NFL Division One

Results: Kerry 1-6 Westmeath 1-12; Galway 1-11 Cork 3-12; Monaghan 0-11 Dublin 5-15; Mayo 5-14 Donegal 4-12.

Fixtures: Saturday, April 7: Dublin v. Kerry. Sunday, April 8: Westmeath v Galway; Donegal v. Cork; Mayo v. Monaghan.

Niamh Kelly and Sinead Cafferty both scored goals. They moved into a 5-13 to 4-12 lead with just three minutes to go.

Mayo: E Murphy; N O’Malley, S Ludden; O Conlon, E Lowther, D Hughes; C Mc-

Manamon, A Gilroy; F McHale, F Doherty, S Cafferky; N Kelly, S Rowe, G Kelly.

Subs Used: S Murphy for E Murphy (23 mins, inj), R Flynn for N O’Malley (ht), D Caldwell for E Lowther (39 mins), S Howley for F Doherty (44 mins), N Moran for C McManamon (52 mins).

Donegal: R McCafferty; T Doherty, N McLaughlin, E Gallagher; B McLaughlin, C Hegarty, A McDonnell; K Herron, G Houston; K Guthrie, N Hegarty, SJ McDonald; C Grant, E McCrory, G McLaughlin.

Subs Used: AM McGlynn for E Gallagher (ht), E Ward for AM McGlynn (54 mins).

Referee: J Gallagher (Galway)

Donegal's Treasa Doherty in action.

D 47 29 9 50 8 -42 -51 -50

Pts 15 15 12 10 10 6 3 0

46 SPORT

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

GAA – ALL-COUNTY LEAGUE DIVISION 1

GAA FIXTURES Division 1 Sun, 08 Apr, Glenswilly V Dungloe 15:00, Ref: Robert O Donnell Kilcar V Aodh Ruadh Ballyshannon 15:00, Ref: James Connors Gaoth Dobhair V Naomh Conaill 15:00, Ref: Enda Mc Feely St Eunan's V Cloughaneely 15:00, Ref: Jimmy White Milford V St Michael's 15:00, Ref: Connie Doherty Division 2 Fri, 06 Apr, Naomh Muire Lower Rosses V Glenfin 20:15, Ref: TBC Sun, 08 Apr, Four Masters V Termon 15:00, Ref: Seamus Mc Gonagle Sean Mac Cumhaill V St Naul's GAA Club 15:00, Ref: Eugene Mc Hale Ardara V Naomh Columba 15:00, Ref: Val Murray Bundoran V Malin 15:00, Ref: Marc Brown Division 3 Sun, 08 Apr, Moville V Convoy 15:00, Ref: Martin Mc Kinley Buncrana V Fanad Gaels 15:00, Ref: TBC Killybegs V Na Rossa 15:00, Ref: Shane Toolan Burt V Red Hughs 15:00, Ref: TBC Division 4 Sat, 07 Apr, Letterkenny Gaels V Downings 17:00, Ref: Siobhan Coyle Robert Emmets V Naomh Colmcille 18:00, Ref: Michael Mc Shane Naomh Pádraig Muff V Pettigo 18:00, Ref: TBC Urris V Carndonagh 18:00, Ref: Hugo Wallace Division 5 Sat, 07 Apr, Naomh Pádraig Lifford V St Eunan's 18:30, Ref: Gerard Mc Hugh Glenswilly V Naomh Conaill 18:30, Ref: Mark Mc Glinchey Naomh Columba V Glenfin 18:30, Ref: Declan Callaghan Division 1 Reserve Sun, 08 Apr, Milford V St Michael's 13:30, Ref: Owen Doherty Gaoth Dobhair V Naomh Conaill 13:30, Ref: Michael Mulhern Kilcar V Aodh Ruadh Ballyshannon 13:30, Ref: Greg Mc Groary Dungloe V Glenswilly 13:30, Ref: TBC St Eunan's V Cloughaneely 13:30, Ref: Pat Barrett Division 2 Reserve Sun, 08 Apr, Ardara V Naomh Columba 13:30, Ref: Niall Mc Cready Sean Mac Cumhaill V St Naul's GAA Club 13:30, Ref: Mark Dorrian Naomh Muire Lower Rosses V Glenfin 13:30, Ref: Mark Dorrian Four Masters V Termon 13:30, Ref: Pat Walsh Division 3 Reserve Sun, 08 Apr, Burt V Red Hughs 13:30, Ref: Paddy Mc Gonagle Buncrana V Fanad Gaels 13:30, Ref: TBC Division 4 Reserve Sat, 07 Apr, Letterkenny Gaels V Downings 18:30, Ref: Dermot Mc Colgan Minor Hurling A/County League Tue, 03 Apr, Letterkenny Gaels V Setanta 18:00, Ref: Leo Devenney Burt V Carndonagh 19:00, Ref: TBC Thu, 05 Apr, Letterkenny Gaels V Buncrana 18:30, Ref: TBC Dungloe V Carndonagh 19:00, Ref: TBC St Eunan's V Four Masters 19:00, Ref: TBC Setanta V Burt 19:00, Ref: TBC Mon, 09 Apr, St Eunan's V Burt 19:00, Ref: TBC SuperValu Dungloe SRB U16 Division 1 Wed, 04 Apr, Ardara V Aodh Ruadh Ballyshannon 18:00, Ref: TBC Ardara V Aodh Ruadh Ballyshannon 18:00, Ref: TBC Dungloe V Naomh Conaill 18:00, Ref: TBC Sat, 07 Apr, Aodh Ruadh Ballyshannon V Four Masters 12:00, Ref: TBC Wed, 11 Apr, Ardara V Naomh Conaill 19:00, Ref: TBC Dungloe V Four Masters 19:00, Ref: TBC U14 Hurling A/County League Thu, 05 Apr, Aodh Ruadh Ballyshannon V Dungloe 19:00, Ref: TBC Buncrana V Setanta 19:00, Ref: TBC Burt V St Eunan's 19:00, Ref: TBC Four Masters V Letterkenny Gaels 19:00, Ref: TBC U16 Division 2 League Wed, 04 Apr, Glenswilly V St Patrick's/Robert Emmett's 18:30, Ref: Michael Mulhern Cloughaneely V St Eunan's 18:30, Ref: TBC Red Hughs V St Michael's 18:30, Ref: James Connors Glenfin V Letterkenny Gaels 18:30, Ref: Gerard Mc Hugh

Conor Mc Shane, Kilcar, and Leo Mc Loone, Naomh Conaill, battle for possesssion in the league game in Davy Brennan Park.

Double winners start on a positive note

Kilcar victorious in Naomh Conaill

0-9

Kilcar

1-8

Gerry McLaughlin sports reporter

When some big stars are unavoidably absent it often gives the chance to emerging talent to emerge.

And thus it was for double county champions Kilcar in the match of the weekend against Naomh Conaill, the team they beat to take their first Dr Maguire Cup since 1993.

An opportunist goal from the youthful Gary Molloy was the springboard for a late smash and grab act from Kilcar to take both points after trailing for 20 minutes.

Kilcar were minus Ryan McHugh, Mark McHugh, Michael Hegarty, Andrew McClean and Barry McGinley.

But, in their absence, young stars like Brian O’Donnell, Matthew McClean, Oran Doogan and their young goal scoring hero Molloy walked

tall when it really mattered.

In fairness, Glenties were minus the multi talented Eoghan McGettigan, who is getting an operation on his hips and could be out for the rest of the year.

They were also minus Anthony Thompson and A J Gallagher.

But Kilcar’s outstanding midfielder Stephen McBrearty saluted these blue and gold budding stars after a typically hard fought victory over 14man Naomh Conaill at Davy Brennan Memorial Park.

It is hard to believe that the younger McBrearty is still only 21, as like Patrick the Elder he almost seems like a veteran.

“We were missing some lads all right but then the other young lads really stood up and for some of them this was their first senior game, so they did well,” told the Post.

“It is always competitive against Glenties and nice to get over the line. I suppose we were a bit lucky with the goal but they all count.

He explained: “It was a shot for a point from Aidan McGinley and Gary (Molloy)

did well to get on the end of it. So it is good to get the two points and it is the first two points.

He continued: “It is never easy to come to Glenties and win, but we will take it.”

So did he think that the match was slipping away as Kilcar trailed by 0-9 to 0-6 and had hit five wides on the trot playing into a tricky second half breeze.

“Those shots from distance just were not working out, but thankfully the goal went in,” he said.

And he saluted the superb point from his midfield partner Ciaran McGinley to put Kilcar a point up.

“Ciaran is showing well and is a powerful player and is very hard to stop in full flight.

“He was the right man to have the ball at that vital moment of the game.”

Big brother Paddy McBrearty was a key factor as well slotting 0-5 even though he is not fully fit.

“Patrick is going well even though he is not yet 100 per cent as he recovers from his knee injury,” he noted.

ultimately set the Letterkenny side on the road to victory with veteran Rory Kavanagh and rising star Niall O’Donnell both getting three points each.

(made up of a penalty, 45, and six frees) while big Neil Gallagher and Gary McFadden were among the other scorers.

But they had to come from behind as the Dunfanaghy visitors led by 2-3 to 0-7 at the interval with goals from Andrew Kelly and Colm McFadden (penalty).

Glenswilly’s Ruairi Crawford was sent off in the second half but his side were well on the way to victory by this stage.

Role

Stephen is normally a powerful penetrating presence for the blue and gold.

But, in this lively Good Friday battle, he was adopting more of a defensive role.

“Yes I was hanging back as Ciaran went forward, if the two of us go forward you are then more exposed at the back but it worked.”

And even though he is slotting in well at midfield, Stephen admits that he prefers the forwards.

“I prefer being in the attack,” he affirmed.

And he also admits that the loss of Ciaran Thompson to a red card was a factor in the outcome.

“Yes, I did not see what happened but Ciaran is always good for a score.”

More crucially for Kilcar, so too was young Gary Molloy as his late punched goal turned this feisty affair totally on its head in the 56th minute of a match where referee Jimmy White handed flashed seven yellow cards and a red before

AT A GLANCE Eunan’s bright start

St. Eunan’s followed up their 0-12 to 0-7 win over Glenswilly in their opening day derby clash by beating Milford by 1-14 to 1-9 on Easter Sunday at Moyle View Park.

Milford gave them a run for their money in the first half, and boosted by a Kyle Black goal they were only a point down at the change of ends.

However, Danny O’Donnell’s side did miss a 24th minute penalty through Cathal McGettigan.

Sean Havley’s goal

Murphy’s the man Donegal captain Michael Murphy was to the fore as Glenswilly chalked up their first win of the league on Sunday as they beat St Michael’s by 1-15 to 2-7.

It was a decent response by the Glenswilly side after their opening day set-back against St. Eunan’s.

Murphy chipped in with 1-7

Kilcar on song

Kilcar made it two wins on

the trot as they overcame Cloughaneely by 1-11 t 0-8 with the result never really in any doubt.

Indeed a goal straight from the throw-in which was despatched into the net by Ashley Carr set them on their way.

Kilcar led 1-3 to 0-3 at the break but were much the better team in the second half with Patrick McBrearty scoring three points in the final quarter.

Shaun Maguire scored 0-4 for the Falcarragh side but they were always up against it and |Kilcar have already shown that they mean business,

SPORT 47

Letterkennypost Thursday 5 April 2018

GAA – ALL-COUNTY LEAGUE DIVISION 1

GAA SCOREBOARD All County Leagues

Friday, March 30 Division One Cloich Cheann Fhaola 3-15 v 1-8 An Clochán Liath Naomh Conaill 0-9 v 1-8 CLG Chill Chartha St Michael’s 2-14 v 1-10 Aodh Ruadh B’Shn Gaoth Dobhair 3-14 v 0-4 Milford St Eunan’s 0-12 v 0-7 Glenswilly Division Two Malin 2-12 v 1-10 CLG An Tearmain St. Naul’s 1-15 v 0-11 Ardara Gleann Fhinne 1-9 v 0-8 Naomh Columba Sean Mac Cumhaill 3-9 v 1-9 Naomh Muire, Íochtar Na Rosann Realt na Mara 4-14 v 0-7 Four Masters

top billing a big crowd at Davy Brennan Memorial Park.

The normally frugal Naomh Conaill defence seemed to freeze as Aidan McGinley’s attempt at a point dropped short and the unmarked Molloy flicked the ball to the net.

Kilcar had an even better chance of a goal in the 32nd minute when corner forward Ashley Carr took a pass from Ciaran McGinley and seemed to have placed a left footed shot under the diving body of Glenties keeper Stephen McGrath.

But, from nowhere Leo McLoone performed a flying Lazarus act at top speed and somehow managed to hack the ball to safety.

Opportunism

However, Molloy’s timely opportunism tied matter at 1-6 to 0-9 and suddenly all the momentum was with Kilcar who had an extra man from the 25th minute when county star Ciaran Thompson was lined for striking Brian O’Donnell.

Twenty seconds after Molloy’s finish, the outstanding Ciaran McGinley bounded

Division Two Ardara bounce back

Having lost out by 1-15 to 0-11 against newly promoted St. Naul’s in their opening game, Ardara bounced back on Sunday as they notched up a fine 3-15 to 1-6 win over Malin.

The first half saw little between the sides with Gareth Concarr scoring Ardara’s goal (from a penalty) while Daniel Houghton netted at the other end. They were level at 1-5

down the right wing and hit a superb point almost from the sideline.

And Ashley Carr punched over an insurance point just before Jimmy White called time.

Shell-shocked Naomh Conaill were just not able to respond in a tie where they had a very good third quarter and edged into a 0-9 to 0-6 lead thanks to some great points from “Brick” Molloy and Eunan Doherty.

For long periods they made light of the numerical disadvantage and seemed to be heading for victory before Molloy’s late smash and grab act.

And Kilcar looked to have lost their chance after hitting five consecutive wides.

Naomh Conaill played into the breeze in the opening half but turned over with a 0-4 to 0-3 lead thanks to two late pointed frees from Leo McLoone in the 23rd and 24th minute.

Wind-assisted Kilcar were a bit slow to settle and it was Naomh Conaill who sprinted into an early lead thanks to

apiece at the interval.

But Ardara scored a sparkling 2-10 in whirlwind second period with Shane O’Donnell and CJ Molloy the goalscorers.

Division Four Pettigo beaten

After the joys of being promoted last year, Pettigo found the going tough on Saturday as they lost their first game in Division Three by 4-21 to 0-4 in Downings.

Admittedly, the border side was understrength, but they could hardly have expected

Division Three Na Rossa 0-4 v 2-12 Naomh Bríd Gaeil Fhánada 1-13 v 0-7 Moville Red Hughs 0-5 v 0-2 Naomh Mhuire Conmhaigh Bun Cranncha 0-8 v 0-3 Burt Na Cealla Beaga 0-18 v 2-4 Naomh Ultan

Aidan Mc Ginley, Kilcar, finds a team mate with a pass as Kevin Mc Gettigan attempts to block for Naomh Conaill.

the jinking beautifully balance Brendan McDyer, who struck the first of his two points in the 4th minute.

County panelist Ciaran McGinley was getting through a power of work in the early stages and he was fouled after a 40 metre run to give Paddy McBrearty a simply tap over from the right wing.

McGinley was fouled again to set up another easy score for McBrearty in the 6th minute.

Sixty seconds later Kilcar had the score of the half when the impressive Stephen McBrearty found big brother Paddy with a picture pass and the county star pushed Kilcar into a 0-3 to 0-1 lead.

Gap

It was left to McDyer again to narrow the gap with another well- struck effort in the 14th minute.

That set the pattern for a typical ding- dong struggle up to halftime.

Jimmy White handed out a few yellow cards and then Glenties suffered a heavy blow in the 25th minute when count star Ciaran Thompson

not to score at all in the first half. The game was over by the break with the home side coasting at 3-11 to no score.

Buncrana Cup Donegal advance

Donegal are through to the semi-finals of the Buncrana (under-16) Cup after a 1-10 to 0-3 drubbing of Armagh in O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny, on Saturday.

The Donegal youngsters, managed by former county star Rory Kavanagh, got the only goal on 21 minutes through

was given a straight red card.

Leo McLoone was withdrawn to a deeper role from his fullforward slot as Glenties appeared to have the extra man for long periods-until Molloy’s late sucker punch.

Naomh Conaill: Stephen McGrath, Aaron Thompson, Jason Campbell, Ultan Doherty; Marty Boyle, Kevin McGettigan, Eoin Waide (01); Ciaran Thompson, Ciaran Gallagher; Eunan Doherty (0-1), Leon Thompson, Ethan O’Donnell; Brendan McDyer (0-2), L McLoone (0-2f), D Molloy (0-31f). Subs; J O’Malley for L Thompson (48).

Kilcar: Eamon McGinley, Daniel Lyons, Conor McShane, Pauric Carr; Brian O’Donnell, Barry Shovlin, Oran Doogan; Stephen McBrearty, Ciaran McGinley, Matthew McClean (0-1), Eoin McHugh (0-1), Aidan McGinley; Ashley Carr, Paddy McBrearty (0-52f), Gary Molloy (1-0) Subs: Dermot McGinley for Daniel Lyons (h-time), Ryan O’Donnell for Ashley Carr (59).

Referee: Jimmy White (Killybegs).

Red Hugh’s Jack Bradley.

They led by six points at the break and really should have scored more. In their first outing they beat Down.

Donegal: Daithi Robets; Richard O’Rourkem Jamie Grant, Dylan Dorrian; Kieran Tobin, Jack Gallagher, Domhnall McBride (0-1); Eoin Dowling (0-2), Senan Rooney, Jack Bradley (1-0); Carlos O’Reilly, Eric Carr (0-3), Eoin Martin (0-1). Subs: Ciaran Moore for Bradley (half-time); Luke Doherty (0-1) for Martin (42 mins), Thomas White for McBride (52 mins), Michael Doherty for O’Rourke and Shane Monaghan (0-1) for O’Reilly (both 58 mins).

Saturday, March 30 Division Four Naomh Pádraig Uisce Chaoin 1-6 v 1-6 Urris Carndomhnaigh 1-20 v 2-8 oibeard Eimid/Robert Emmets Downings 4-20 v 0-4 Pettigo Sunday, April 1 Division One Glenswilly 1-15 V 2-07 St Michael’s Milford 1-09 V 1-14 St Eunan’s Aodh Ruadh BAllyshannon 1-12 V 0-16 Naomh Conaill Kilcar 1-11 V 0-08 Cloughaneely Dungloe 0-05 V 0-12 Gaoth Dobhair Division Two Four Masters 1-08 V 0-06 Glenfin Naomh Muire Lower Rosses 1-08 V 2-12 Bundoran Naomh Columba 3-10 V 1-09 St Naul’s Ardara 3-15 V 1-06 Malin Termon 0-09 V 2-08 MacCumhaill Division Three Naomh Ultan 1-08 V 0-08 Red Hughs Burt 0-06 V 1-08 Killybegs Convoy 0-08 V 0-05 Fanad Gaels Moville 4-18 V 0-05 Na Rossa Naomh Bríd 0-09 V 0-03 Buncrana Division 1

Gaoth Dobhair St. Eunan’s Chill Chartha Cloughaneely St Michael’s Glenswilly Naomh Conaill Aodh Ruadh Bs Dungloe Milford

P 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

W 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0

L 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 2 2

D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

F 35 29 25 32 33 25 25 28 16 16

A 9 19 17 25 31 25 26 36 36 40

Pts 4 4 4 2 2 2 2 0 0 0

Division 2

Realt na Mara MacCumhaill’s Ardara N. Columba Naomh Náille Gleann Fhinne Málainn Four Masters An Tearmainn N. Muire, ÍnaR

P 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

W 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0

L 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2

D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

F 44 32 35 27 30 18 27 18 22 23

A 18 21 27 24 30 19 37 32 32 36

Pts 4 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0

Division 3

Naomh Bríd Killybegs Moville Gaeil Fhánada Red Hughs Convoy Bun Cranncha Naomh Ultan Burt Na Rossa

P 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

W 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0

L 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2

D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

F 27 29 32 21 13 10 11 21 9 9

A 7 16 21 15 13 10 12 26 19 43

Pts 4 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0

Letterkennypost Athletics P40-41

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Soccer club backs Opt for Life campaign

A NEW LEASE OF LIFE Chris Ashmore chris@letterkennypost.com

Paddy McShane and Dylan Browne-McMonagle with their coach Rory McShane after winning their national boxing titles in Dublin.

Suit, Shirt & Tie from €229

A Rathmullan Celtic coach has given his dad a whole new lease of life – by donating a kidney to his father.

Cain Connolly (28), who coaches with the club’s academy, donated a kidney to his father Michael (61) back in 2013.

And now the Donegal League club is doing its bit to promote awareness about how being a donor can mean bringing the gift of life to others.

On Sunday, the club launched its new jersey with the “Opt for Life” logo on their jerseys alongside main sponsors, the Beachcomber Bar, before a match with Kilmacrennan Celtic.

Junior academy kids along with Cain and Michael were there along with club committee members as the new jerseys were launched.

And on Monday, former GAA star, pundit and barrister Joe Brolly paid a visit to the seaside resort to show his support and meet the Connolly’s and club officials.

Brolly is co-chairman of the “Opt for Life” campaign. In 2012, Brolly donated a kidney to his friend Shane Finnegan.

Brolly has been campaigning to

Michael Connolly has been given a new lease of life after being the recipient of a new kidney from his donor son Cain.

change the laws in Ireland so that people will be presumed to have given consent for their organs to be donated upon their death, unless they have opted out.

Several senior Gaelic football county teams, including Donegal, have worn the ‘Opt for Life’ logo in the past.

“The weekend was all about raising awareness around organ

donation and the life-saving difference it could make to someone in your life,” commented Rathmullan Celtic PRO, Maurice Kelly.

For Cain, life has gone full circle. He has fond memories of growing up, playing football and going on holidays. Now his dad, who had been seriously ill, is out walking up to ten kilometers a

day, and playing with Cain’s two children, who were born since the successful transplant operation.

All gate receipts from Sunday’s game were in aid of the Irish Kidney Association.

As things turned out, it was a great day for Rathmullan both on and off the pitch as they won 3-1.