| Vol.2. No.2 April, 2000 (This page is archived as it initially appeared online - any broken links are subsequent to publication) See the New Selection of Books and CDs in the County Donegal.Net Store Cloughwilly Thatched Cottages, Lettermacaward, Donegal are offering a 10% Discount to Donegal on the Net subscribers - that means you! Check out what visitors have to say about these beautiful 300 year old 4* Star Bord Failte/ Irish Tourist Board Approved Cottages. County Donegal.Net is now No.1 on the Net for Donegal in AOL; Excite; Northern Light; Altavista and Hotbod Internet Search Engines so we must be doing somthing right! However we are always interested in hearing what you, our visitors, have to say about the Site. Comments on the new look - no-frames Site are welcome! Get your Donegal friends and friends of Donegal to subscribe and help the Network grow. Internationally renowned Scottish artist Janet Pierce has been living in Ireland for many years. Her exquisite watercolours, inspired by the Donegal landscape, will be showing at the Glebe Gallery, Donegal from May 19th for 6 weeks. Dana Rosemary Scanlon, MEP for Connaught Ulster, has criticised the Government over the Environmental Protection Agency's recent Report on Waste Management. The EU politician and former Eurovision winner said that the Report illustrated that the Government were ignoring the 3 Rs - Reducing, Recycling and Re-using and sought instead to push the responsibility onto poorly resourced local authorities and to build incinerators throughout the West of Ireland in spite of public health and safety fears. Northern Rhythms echo over Ireland - Fionn Chonallacha, a traditional music development company, have been offering Certificate and Higher National Diploma courses in Traditional Music in Ballyconnell House, Falcarragh for the past 2 years The Course, designed to enrich the musician's playing, equip them to work in the music business and to produce their own music CDs, is attracting students from Ireland, England, France and the US. The Tutors include Prionnsias O'Maonaigh; Ally O'Riada; Altan's manager Tom Shercock and Fiddler James Byrne. Prospective students should write for an application form to: Northern Rhythms, Ballyconnell House, Falcarragh, Donegal. The lack of resources in the Irish health system was evident locally when Letterkenny General Hospital was forced to bed nine newly admitted patients on trolleys in the coffee bar overnight, having already exhausted the corridors of the ER. While a North Western Health Board spokesperson described the situation as "highly unusual" it is indicative of the widespread underfunding of the Health Service at national level with overcrowded emergency rooms and people waiting years for surgery. The Irish Government, having the fastest growing economy in the world, is in an unprecidented position to put money into Health. The Celtic Fat Cat certainly isn't walking the corridors of Irish hospitals! The Prudential Insurance Company of America recently announced that they were opening an International call centre, Prumerica Systems Ireland LTD, in Letterkenny which will mean 150 Jobs for local graduates over the next 2 years. Prudential Vice-President, Bill Friel, whose ancestors came from Donegal, travelled to Letterkenny to announce the Company's new venture. Friel stated the communciations infastructure; the availability of technology graduates from Letterkenny Institute of Technology and the 'high quality environment' as factors in their locating in Donegal. New Revenue office opens in Bridgend - The Customs and Excise section of the Revenue Commissioners has decentralised from Dublin to Brigend with a staff of 24. Brigend was the location of a customs post between Eire and Northern Ireland from 1921 until the passing of the Single European Act. We have received Complaints from tourists who visited Dunfanaghy over the St. Patrick's Day Bank Holiday weekend. Alistair Johnston from Bangor, Co. Down emailed us: "How can you expect to cope with the needs of Tourists, allow the area to become totally spoilt with far too many holiday homes and apartments if you haven't got the basic infrastructure i.e. FOOD!! in place. Man cannot live by Guinness alone. It is difficult to believe just how wrong things are in that part of the world. All visitors and locals we spoke to were of the same opinion, they felt embarrassed at the lack of facilities". We at County Donegal on the Net have been warning about the perils of too many holidays homes and the resulting impact on the infastructure and environment (See previous Newsletters). This month we have also received complaints about the rubbish on Horn Head, one of the County's former beauty spots. The administrators in Dublin and in the County Council are at odds with popular opinion in Donegal over environmental and planning issues. Current tourism policies are not working and the recently published County Development Plan hasn't addressed these issues. What's in a name? Free Presbyterian Minister, the Rev. James Porter, recently protested at the staging of "Jesus Christ Superstar" in An Grianan Theatre, Letterkenny, describing the musical as "a blasphemous and distorted view of the Lord". On hearing this I was reminded of his namesake, the Rev. James Porter, a United Irishman and Presbyterian Minister, who was hanged outside his own meeting house in Strabane in 1798 for being the author of a popular anti-sectarian satire which was frequently performed in rural Ireland in the 19th century. Margaret Wilkie, a prolific fundraiser, has organised a Walk on Arranmore Island for June 25th, 2000 in aid of the Rehab Group. The Group is involved in activities at over 100 locations throughout Ireland and the UK, provides training for 10,000 people and employs 1,800 people, 20% of whom are people with disabilities. If you'd like to partake in the walk or sponsor a walker - email for details. The North West Health Board, on the recommendation of the Marine Institute, has issued a Ban on human consumption of shellfish from Lough Foyle until further notice due to the presence of a 'Red Tide'. The algae, when consumed by shellfish, becomes poisonous to humans. Further Information from the North West Health Board - Tel: (+353) 74 31391. Spring? What Spring? It was a relatively mild winter in Donegal but the weather is making up for it now with snow, hail, rain, thunder and sleet interspersed with the odd 'good' day. The temperature in April has been almost 10 degrees colder than usual for this time of the year. Patricia Sharkey, Administrator, County Donegal on the Net ADVERTISING: This Newsletter is free from Dún-na-nGall ar an Idirlíon If you have news to contribute to this Newsletter or are interested in advertising on the Web Site or in this Newsletter email Return to Newsletter Index |