| Vol.1 No.10 November, 1999 (This page is archived as it initially appeared online - any broken links are subsequent to publication) Dún-na-nGall ar an Idirlíon /Donegal on the Net Cultural Tour 2000 takes place from July 1st - 8th, 2000 in County Donegal. Places are limited so Book now! Check out this action packed week Cultural Tour 2000 Donegal on the Net Bookshop You don't need to go through time-consuming searches to find the Donegal books and music you want because we've done the work for you. We are pleased to bring you a select collection of Donegal related books and CDs in association with Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, the Earth's largest bookstore. Check back with the Donegal on the Net Bookshop regularly for new selections of Donegal interest. Click here - Donegal on the Net Bookshop Cloughwilly Thatched Cottages, Lettermacaward are offering a 10% Discount to Donegal on the Net subscribers - that means you! Check out these beautifully restored 300 year old 4**** Bord Failte/ Irish Tourist Board Approved Cottages at: Cloughwilly Thatched Cottages Donegal Brain of the Year goes Live Online The Letterkenny Lions Club is hosting a live internet broadcast of the Donegal Brain of the Year which is going to be broadcast from the Harcourt Hotel, Dublin on Tuesday 23rd of November at 9.00 pm local time. The function is supported by the Donegal Association of Dublin and Donegal Associations from throughout the world are going to participate. The 'Brain of the Year' raises thousands of pounds annually for charity. If you're in Dublin come along on the night or check out this unique Donegal diaspora event at Highland Radio on 23/11/99 @ 9.00pm GMT. Plan to fluoridate Carndonagh's water supply Concerns are being raised in Cardonagh over plans to fluoridate the water supply in the Fullerton-Pollan Dam. Colr. Doherty has written to the North-Western Health Board asking them to inform local people of the full implications of fluoridation and why they are going to impliment the plan when most European countries and many US States are stopping fluoridation. BBC Programme criticises Seaside Planning A BBC 'Home Truths' documentary broadcast in October criticised local planning in Donegal which was causing picturesque Donegal villages, namely Portsalon, Portnablagh, Downings and Dunfanaghy to be turned into holiday home towns - packed to capacity in Summer and ghost-like in Winter. It is beyond most people's comprehension why Donegal County Council is intent on destroying the very thing which brings tourists to Donegal in the first place - the scenery. Apparently the cost of buying a site or a house in Dunfanaghy is so high that young couples cannot afford to do so and instead try to buy a piece of land and offset costs by actually building each others homes, much like in the pioneering days in America. Outstanding Donegal Athelete Once again St. Johnston's outstanding athelete Bridie Lynch has made Donegal proud by winning the Pentathlon in the European Championship for the Blind and Partially Blind in Lisbon, Portugal. Bridie is now concentrating on her training schedule for the Paralympics next October in Sydney. Fruit of the Loom on 3 day week Workers at Fruit of the Loom in Donegal (1,400 at 3 factories in Buncrana) and Derry (500) are now on a 3 day week and fears have been expressed of further job losses in spite of the company's committment to retaining a fabric production facility in Donegal until 2006. The announcement of a 3 day week comes after 700 job losses in the Company this year, the most recent closure being that of their factory at Raphoe with the loss of 200 jobs in September. Killybegs nets Award Swan Net Ltd, Killybegs took the overall award in the Marketing and the Catching Equipment section at the Icelandic Fisheries Awards in Reykajavik recently. This international award should bring even more contracts to the 25 year old family run firm which already exports to China; South America; Saudi Arabia and Scandanavia. Unemployment in Donegal @ 26% It's official, unemployment in the County is now at 26% per cent - a far cry from the national 8% per cent. Infastructure development and investment are needed now to bring down unemployment rates in Donegal. For instance, outside of Letterkenny, Donegl Town and Derrybeg there are no ISDN lines in the County and there is no railway system in Donegal to make transportation viable. We have to impliment plans to keep the County's technology graduates at home, not just talk about it. The national and County planners seem to think that tourism is the answer to the County's umemployment but tourism means low paid service jobs and unless we bring some of the technology jobs which fuel the Irish economy to the County the youth will leave. 40% of Donegal's monuments destroyed A survey of 1400 archaeological monuments in Donegal has revealed that 40% of the County's monuments have been destroyed at a rate of 10% per decade. The main causes of the destruction is land 'improvement' whereby ring forts, fulachta fiadh (Bronze Age cooking sites) and medieval burial grounds have been levelled. The survey has been published by the Heritage Council and recommends an education programme to bring the importance of archaelogical sites to the attention of farmers and landowners. Rossnowlagh Fish Restaurant is the Best in Ireland The Smuggler's Creek Restaurant in Rossnawlagh has won the prestigious Bord Iascaigh Mhara Award -for the All Ireland Seafood Pub of the Year. Congratualtions to owner Conor Britton. Patricia Sharkey, Administrator, Dún-na-nGall ar an Idirlíon ADVERTISING: This Newsletter is free from Donegal on the Net. If you are interested in advertising in this Newsletter email for rates. Return to Newsletter Index |