The construction of a new footpath along one of the busiest approach roads into the city has been welcomed by Sinn Féin councillor Mickey Cooper.

Colr. Cooper visited the Letterkenny Road to see the construction at first hand at the weekend.

He said that people living in the border village of Killea and walkers from Derry who regularly use the road had been calling for a new footpath for a number of years.

“The Letterkenny Road is one of the busiest arterial routes into our city centre. There is a lot of heavy traffic on the sections between Killea Village and Derry,” he said.

The Northland colr. said the move is the latest development on the road in recent months and follows the installation of road safety measures in Killea which were carried out on a cross-border basis.

“I have been lobbying DRD Road Service for some time now for road safety measures along this stretch of road. We have seen a number of those initiatives happen out around the village of Killea over the past few months. The new footpath will go from the roundabout at the junction of Foyle Road and Lonemoor Road out as far Braehead Road. This is a very busy section of road and is popular with walkers so it has to be welcomed,” he explained.

Colr. Cooper also said he will continue to lobby for more road improvements in the area. “This is just one initiative of many which I will be pursuing to ensure that the area, which is one of the busiest in terms of road traffic in the border area, is safe for residents, pedestrians and motorists travelling through the area,” he said.

The BBC is reporting that a deal agreed between the Irish Football Association and Linfield for the use of Windsor Park could release millions for the re-development of Brandywell Stadium.

The report, posted at 6.15pm today (Wednesday), said it’s believed that a contract has already been signed which will see Linfield get an annual payment of £200,000 from the IFA as part of a new 41-year deal. This “will release a secondary pot of £31m” and millions of this will be re-directed towards Brandywell re-development and a new stadium for Glentoran, with a significant sum for a national academy, according to the BBC.

“These three projects will be the main beneficiaries of the financial windfall, but some money will be up for grabs for other developments,” the report continues.

“The Irish League clubs will meet with the IFA on Wednesday night to finalise a deal over the redevelopment of Windsor Park. The allocation of several millions of pounds towards the Brandywell project is expected to cause some controversy.”

The news will get a warm welcome in Derry, and not just in soccer circles. It’s accepted that there’s a pressing need for major work at Brandywell Stadium, where part of a wall collapsed recently and where a main stand still bears the name of its original owners Glentoran FC. It’s also hoped that the re-development of the stadium will be the catalyst for a rejuvenation of the surrounding area.

See the BBC report on - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17130404

]]> 1.3549626 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:06:56 +0000 http://www.derryjournal.com/the_anger_is_rising_claims_daaa_spokesperson_1_3544308

Muff based spokesperson for Donegal Action Against Austerity, Ryan Stewart, has stated that the major protest planned for tomorrow in Dublin has been delayed until the following week to accommodate the large numbers now wishing to join it.

According to Mr. Stewart the protest which was originally organised to coincide with a blockade of the capital by the Road Haulage Association, has taken on a life of its own, and the group have been inundated with messages of support, and pledges from groups country wide.

It will now take place on February 29th.

“We have had no option but to postpone the protest until the 29th, as so many people want to be part of what we have planned. However this has meant that we have to co-ordinate with different groups around the country, who are all in the same frame of mind as ourselves, and we want to ensure that this is done right,” said John McLaughlin, one of the organisers, from Donegal Action Against Austerity.

“While the hauliers have their own agenda, we wanted to make this about more than one group, about the people who are hurting more than anything, so this is something that people can really support and get involved in.

Focus groups and protestors from counties including Cork, Limerick, Donegal, Galway, Roscommon and Dublin are joining in with the protest, and while no confirmation has been forthcoming about the hauliers’ blockade of the capital, the groups are adamant that they will make the government listen, with or without the hauliers.

Ryan Stewart said: “There is a real willingness from people to be part of something here. We have held meetings in towns and villages around Donegal, and the response has been tremendous, with hundreds attending each meeting, thousands in total. There are also people coming out to voice their opinion, who may not have had the courage to do so before. With the number of cuts, levies and taxes being imposed, people really have had enough, and they just want to do something about it. The forgotten county wants to give the government something to remember this time.”

Páraic Ó Conghaola, from Connemara, who led a protest of over 5000 to the Dail only a month ago, added, “There is strength in numbers, and we have the numbers. We must stand together if we are to win and show this Government that the blood of the rural Ireland is boiling, and we will not stop until we get justice and equality for all.”

“Come to Dublin and stand proudly with your fellow Irish people and show them we will not lie down. County by county, people are committing to this, and we have to make a stand. Whatever your cause may be, get out and get your voice heard.”

The groups have announced that the Spire on O’Connell Street will be the rally point from 12 noon, on the 29th February, and that a march to the Dail will leave from 1:30pm. Anyone wishing to travel is being asked to contact the group by email or text. Text your name and town to 086 3383 090 to book your spot on a coach.

The Olympic task of finding a job after graduating has been made easier thanks to University of Ulster Work Experience Week.

Two events will be hosted at Magee this week, yesterday’s, ‘European Jobs Day’ and ‘Volunteering and Work Experience Day’ on Thursday 23.

Among the jobs on offer on Monday were a list of jobs at this summers Olympics and Paralympics, opportunities to teach English in China and Japan and the High Commission of Canada was also represented at the jobs fair with details on career opportunities also.

The chief draw however were the Olympic jobs which were billed as “summer jobs of a lifetime.” Opportunities to work in the Olympic Stadium, the Velodrome and the Aquatics Centre in transport, catering, security, cleaning, welcome team and/or response team “patrolling the field of play” were all on offer, even a post of guest list manager was up for grabs. Some jobs were paid at an hourly rate of £8.12 but some offered between £30-40, 000.

The jobs were secured as part of the European Employment Services (EURES) cross-border partnership scheme and in conjunction with Jobcentre Plus, UK.

“There is a full range of jobs on offer and students will most likely find accomodation in ‘tented villages’ which means there will be a festival feel to the whole experience for them,” said Joe Lavery, EURES Cross Border Co-ordinator. Professor Deirdre Heenan, Magee Provost, said: “These jobs offer a tremendous opportunity for our students to work at a world event, to enhance their CVs by learning new skills and bring them back to help develop our local economy. It is a very exciting prospect.”

Another exciting prospect was on offer from Dramatic English. Represented by Emma Copeland, she explained: “We target humanities graduates and offer them placements teaching english through drama productions. We employ people in both mainland China and Hong Kong. Those employed have 20 teaching hours per week so they’ll have lots of time to explore the country.”

Magee students where joined by their counterparts from the North West Academy of English, Letterkenny Institute of Technology and North West Regional College as well as fourteen schools from across Derry and Donegal.