 Scéal Dún-na-nGall ar an Idirlíon Vol.10 No.8 August, 2009 Holiday In Donegal! |
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Pharmacy Closures The Irish Pharmacy Union claims the Health Service Executive’s contingency plan for Donegal has completely broken down and patients' lives are being put at risk. The IPU says large crowds attended the HSE’s emergency dispensary in Carndonagh but medicine supplies were only delivered to the dispensary after 11pm. At 1am several patients had still not received their medicines. Despite waiting for long periods many patients left empty handed and a local pharmacy had to open from 11pm to 2am to cater for those in emergency situations. Donegal's HSE boss, John Hayes, says that efforts are continuing to recruit staff to the dispensary in Carndonagh. Senator Pearse Doherty has called on the Health Minister, Mary Harney, to intervene in the HSE dispute with pharmacies before somebody becomes seriously ill or dies. Senator Doherty said in spite of claims to the contrary, the reality is that this dispute is badly affecting people on prescriptions. He said the HSE’s contingency plan is not catering for patients and a disaster was only avoided in Donegal by late night interventions from pharmacists. Senator Doherty said, “Minister Harney must ensure that the HSE enters into direct dialogue with the Irish Pharmacies Union (IPU) to negotiate a deal that will ensure that the delivery of medication is restored throughout the state. “This dispute has reached crisis level and is now directly affecting patients. There are also countless reports of patients having to pay for medication as they have no means of travelling to pharmacists that are still accepting the medical card. “Rather than indulging in a high profile, and most likely expensive, media campaign the HSE should sit down with the IPU and negotiate a deal to bring this dispute to an end. The pharmacies have put forward an idea for the saving of €85 million. This is a good starting point for negotiations.” Donegal Schools' Buildings Inadequate There is anger after it emerged that Donegal schools which were due for extensions or renovations have not progressed to the build stage after five years on the Dept. of Education's waiting list. The schools include, St Patrick's Primary School in Lurgybrack, Holy Family National School in Ballyshannon, Pobailscoil Gaoth Dobhair, SN Chonaill, Bunbeg, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal, St. Eunan's College and Gaelscoil Adhamhnain in Letterkenny. Following the publication of the Department's school building plan for 2009, it emerged that the schools had not progressed since they entered the list in 2004. The Irish National Teacher's Organisation (INTO) General Secretary, John Carr, said the schools' building plan "fails to explain why dozens of schools are stuck for five years or more at certain stages in the building programme". In the plan, the Department stated that, in light of current demands on the department's budget, "it is not possible to give an indicative time frame for the progression of individual projects which are currently in architectural planning." Breast Cancer Services Transferred to Galway On August 6th the breast cancer services at Sligo General Hospital were transferred to Galway University Hospital. Professor Tim O'Hanrahan of the Oncology Unit at Sligo General Hospital, said that 50% of his patients come from the south Donegal region and the removal of the service is causing them 'severe distress'. "They are in an even worse situation than the people here in Sligo because they have no trains, a limited bus service and not the best road network in the world. They are going to be worst hit by this badly thought out move. This is all about patients, not politicians or consultants - its about people. Why should the people of Donegal pay the same taxes as the people of Dublin or Galway and not get the same service? This is only the beginning of the removal of many services from Sligo General Hospital. The argument of geography doesn't matter anymore to this Government. I will not be leaving Sligo. To me, patient care is paramount. The implications of this transfer will only be fully realised after it's gone". The HSE has said that "GPs in the Sligo catchment area have been reminded in recent days that the option of referring patients to Letterkenny remains and is available so that patients in south Donegal are provided with alternative referral options." However facilities at Letterkenny General Hospital are already overstretched. Dr. Jimmy Devins, TD and Deputy Eamonn Scanlon have resigned the party whip over the failure of the Taoiseach, to address the Cancer issue at Sligo General Hospital and the North West in general. There is still no breast screening programme in Donegal, nine years after it was rolled out in other parts of the country. Women who want a mammogram have to be referred by their GP and then wait for an appointment with a consultant at Letterkenny General Hospital. The Action Breast Cancer information telephone no. is 1800 309 040.  Find your Holiday Accommodation in Donegal Farmers set to loose REPS The cuts to the finances of the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS) will affect 2,200 farmers in Donegal with the farmers losing grants worth an average of €6,200 if the government's proposals are implimented. Many Donegal farmers believe that they will no longer be able to keep farming if they loose the grants which are for environmental protection measures on farms, such as safe disposal of animal sewage and hill fencing to protect bogs from sheep damage. Irish Farmers' Association Deputy chairman, PJ McMonagle, stated, “We have tried the diplomatic route and it has not worked. I am not saying that we are going to get militant but we will change the style of the direction that we are going.” Farmers are also incensed about cut-back in Disadvantaged Area Payments. Members of the Irish Farmers' Association protested at the offices of Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith in Cavan and there were also protests outside the offices of three Fianna Fail Dail deputies in Donegal. The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) staged a protest outside the Department of Agriculture in Dublin where its President Malcolm Thompson said: “We are sick of farmers being seen as soft targets. Our message is that we will take this no more. This is likely to be the first shot back in a summer of discontent.” Donegal's Dangerous Bridges The bridges at Cockhill in Inishowen and at Kingarrow near Fintown have been described as 'accidents waiting to happen'. Both bridges are falling down and vehicles have to cross them in single file in spite of both bridges being on extremely busy roads. Buncrana councillor, Michelle Bradley, said she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the bridge falling to pieces after a lorry smashed into it when trying to get across the narrow road-way. Now she's urging Donegal County Council to do a u-turn on putting up traffic lights on the dilapidated bridge and instead invest in a new bridge that residents and drivers have been waiting 30 years on. These bridges were designed for horses and carriages, not the heavy volume of traffic they now carry every day. However Donegal County Council has said that there is no money left in their Roads Maintenance budget for 2009. Ballybofey & Stranorlar Festival Ballybofey and Stranorlar will host a new summer festival on the weekend of August 28th-30th. The festival will include funfairs, an obstacle course through the woods of Drumboe, street music, car boot sales and a murder mystery night. Local pubs and hotels will also host entertainment over the weekend, with a closing dance at Jacksons Hotel. The festival is being organised by BASICC (Ballybofey & Stranorlar Integrated Community Company) along with local businesses and hoteliers. Anyone interested in getting involved Contact BASICC at Lower Main Street, Ballybofey or telephone 074 9190909. RNLI Flag Days The annual RNLI Lifeboat Flag Days will take place on August 7th and 8th in Donegal. Volunteers are need to sell flags for 2 hours each. Contact 087 210 7732. It costs €2,300 euro to launch the Bundoran inshore lifeboat and €6,000 to launch the Arranmore all-weather lifeboat. Doochary Festival The 15th annual Doochary Festival takes place from 5th to the 10th of August with music each night in Teach Gleann Ceo and entertainment for children each day. There will be a Barbeque on Saturday, August 8th with a raft race on the River.  The Best Websites on Ireland & the Irish |
 A Typical Donegal Cottage 42nd Clonmany Festival This year's Clonmany Festival takes place from August 2nd to 10th. The Festival has something for everyone from raft races and cycling events to treasure hunts and talent competitions. This year's highlights include the Tug of War competition and open air concerts by Robert Mizell and Bagatelle. The committee would appreciate a subscription of €5 from adults for all open air concerts. Children under 12 have free admittance. All subscriptions are greatly appreciated. For a full Festival programme see Clonmany Festival Programme. Sunny Donegal? After the torrential floods in Gweedore at the end of June new figures released by Met Éireann show that Donegal enjoyed some of the best weather in the country in July. Malin Head observatory recorded both the highest amount of sunshine (191 hours) and least amount of rain (72mm) during July while in the rest of Ireland it was the wettest July for over 50 years. Apart from a short spell of dry weather between the 7th and 9th of July, rain or showers were recorded each day during July, resulting in record high monthly totals at some stations. The weather pattern of the previous two summers was repeated, with Atlantic depressions tracking over or close to Ireland, producing substantial falls of rain at times, with frequent thunderstorms. The highest level of rain was 256mm recorded in the Valentia Observatory in Co. Kerry.  Recreational Diving, Dive Training and Angling throughout the year in Donegal Donegal Girls win All Ireland Minor Championship Munster Champions Cork beat Donegal Senior Men's Football Team to a place in the All Ireland semi finals with a score of 1:27 to 2:10. However the Donegal Minor Girls Team were victorious in the All Ireland against Clare. The match was played in Tullamore where the Donegal girls received the county’s first ever All-Ireland ladies title. Moville girl Ciara Hegarty was awarded the Player of The Match for her performance in midfield. Jet Skis Banned in Donegal Donegal County Council has banned jet skiing from all but one of its main beaches in spite a petition of more than 1,400 signatures protesting the move. The machines are no longer permitted within 100 metres of the shoreline at Lisfannon, Rathmullan, Portnoo, Rossnowlagh, and a number of other beaches. They are still permitted within a designated zone at Downings. Donegal Home Help workers to meeting with HSE Senator Pearse Doherty led a delegation of home help workers to meet local HSE manager, John Hayes, to highlight the effects of the cuts to home help hours in the county. Speaking after the meeting Senator Doherty said the Government must intervene so that the HSE can restore home help support services in Donegal. Senator Doherty said “There is huge anger at the decision to cut this crucial support service at a time when the Government is pumping billions into the banking sector. We recognise that the HSE’s hands are tied by the Government’s insistence that they stay within budget but the needs of the elderly people in Donegal do not recognise Government budgets. The Government must intervene and ensure that the HSE restore home help support services to their necessary levels. The extra 27,000 hours should be incorporated into the HSE’s home help budget for Donegal.” More Redundancies in Donegal Almost 900 people were made redundant in Donegal during the first seven months of the year, according to figures released by the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment. The number unemployed in the County is now 20,000 out of a population of 140,000, representing almost 20% per cent of the workforce in Donegal. The figures have provoked the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association to call for a National Employment Task Force. ISME Chief Executive, Mark Fielding, says the task force should include industry representatives, the State Agencies, employee representatives and the opposition. The national Unemployment Rate now stands at 12.2% per cent. The last time it was 12.2% per cent was April, 1995 but at that stage there were only 277,700 people on the Live Register. At the end of July, 2009 there were 423,400 people on the Register. The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed is calling on the Government to treat the unemployment crisis as its no. 1 priority and calls for urgent and extensive action to address this issue before long-term unemployment becomes embedded once again.  The Donegal Woman by John Throne A 'Must Read' for everyone with an interest in Donegal and it's History Turf-Cutting DVD for Charity A Carndonagh charity DVD showing traditional turf-cutting skills in the hills of Inishowen has sold out twice and is now into its third edition with all the proceeds from sales going to the Alzheimer's Unit in Carndonagh Hospital. Members of the McFarland family - Larry, Gerry, Niall and Leo - joined forces with Joseph McElhinney and Harry McDaid to produce this authentic record of an ancient craft for future generations. The film follows the entire process of preparing turf, from 'paring', which is removing the sod above the bank, to cutting, footing and bringing the turf back to keep the home fires burning during the long winter months. Those who've braved the bog in fine weather and foul over the years will no doubt appreciate this tribute to the hard work of our ancestors and generations past. The DVD shows exactly, in every detail, how turf was cut in 1964, from the bikes the men rode out to the bog, to their peaked caps and wellington boots to the old kettle used to make tea on a turf fire in the bog. If you would like to purchase the DVD call Larry McFarland on (00353) 86 894 8241 or email The McFarlands. The DVD costs €12 euro plus €5 postage (Ireland and Europe) or $20 (including postage) to the United States. Shell to Sea Protester Imprisoned Shell to Sea protester Niall Harnett was sent to Castlerea prison on July 30th to serve two four month sentences consecutively. Niall will be appealing the sentences and he could be out now if he was willing to accept the bail conditions imposed by the judge. However the judge wanted Niall to give an undertaking that he'd stay away from the Shell sites in Mayo, which Niall is refusing to accept. See Indymedia article. Niall has been very active in calling a halt to Shell's Corrib Gas Project in Co. Mayo. He has also been instrumental in the running of the Rossport Solidarity Camp of which he has been the spokesperson, for a significant period of time. This sentence is potentially the longest anyone involved with the campaign, will have served. His address is: Niall Harnett, prisoner No: 59513, Castlerea Prison, Harristown, Co. Roscommon. DonegalCounty.com News 104 This is the 104th Donegal on the Net Newsletter, online for eleven years and one of the oldest blogs in Ireland with over a million hits a year. You can hear the Donegal news live in Pennslyvannia on Echoes of Erin radio show on Sundays from 1.00-2.30pm EST. Listeners in Brisbane, Australia can catch the Donegal on the Net News on Saturdays between 12.30 and 1.30pm on Caomhín O'Seoige's Irish show on 4EB 98.1 FM. If you are in Sydney you can listen to Sydney Irish Radio on 107.3FM on Sundays from 7.30 to 9.00am local time (see Sydney Irish Radio). 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