by Sean Hillen After five years as CEO of Údarás na Gaeltachta – the leading economic development group in lrish-speaking areas – co-ordinating around 300 million euro in publicly funded projects, Donegal-based Mícheál Ó hÉanaigh has completed his contract, leaving some people in the county worried about future local projects. Having remained in close contact […]
Seems as if Donegal’s leading newspaper and Údarás na Gaeltachta are on a head-on collision over truth following publication by the ‘Donegal News’ recently of sensitive, confidential correspondence indicating the Irish language group has been planning wind-farms on many sites throughout the county and an immediate rebuttal of the article in a press release issued […]
For a well-paid state official to sit down in a childlike huff in an open public meeting and refuse to speak because someone is recording information on a key issue – funding under the EU LEADER scheme for community and entrepreneurial projects for Donegal – borders on ‘Coronation Street’ soap-opera style farce. That’s exactly what […]
At a time when controversial ‘cash for favors’ Donegal councillor John O’Donnell was refusing to pay more than 33,000 euro compensation to a Creeslough woman he injured in a car accident 16 years ago, Údarás na Gaeltachta granted him and fellow councillor Michael McBride more than 122,000 euro in public money (see document here Udaras grant), I can reveal exclusively […]
Minister of Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, has rapped Údarás na Gaeltachta on the knuckles for failing to release vital information on spending of public money affecting Donegal and other Gaeltacht areas. Following a refusal by Údarás to provide details on hefty pension payments to former executives that accounts for more than half its […]
‘People have no right to ask how we spend their money.’ That’s the attitude of Údarás na Gaeltachta, which has once again refused to release key information about how it spends public funds. A Senate committee revealed that Údarás pays millions of euro every year in pensions to former executives, some of whom were local […]
Ireland’s biggest fault is lack of accountability – the main reason we’re in the humiliating position of doffing our caps and begging for mercy from the IMF. Instead of fairness and transparency in public affairs, we get cronyism and cover-ups. The Central Remedial Clinic, The Financial Regulator, FAS, the Rehab Group, the John McNulty scandal […]
Fueled by community concerns about lack of transparency and a concerted campaign by Udaras na Gaeltachta to squash attempts to extract information on its spending of public money (see related posts Udaras na Gaeltachta a secret society? and Catholic church-linked addiction clinic in Falcaragh, is this the best use of tax payers job creation money?) […]
Fresh from her first meeting recently as board chairperson of a revamped Udaras na Gaeltachta, Anna Ni Ghallchoir faces discouraging news – the number of fluent Irish speakers in Gaeltacht areas is falling and urgent measures are needed to reverse the trend. “Without doubt, Irish is in decline, we must realise that and put in […]
Meeting for the first time this morning (Friday), members of the new board of Udaras na Gaeltachta face the challenging tasks of analysing the organisation’s performance and brainstorming on ways to accomplish the goals for which the Irish-language body was established. One priority is employment in Gaeltacht areas. “Job creation and language promotion go hand-in-hand,” […]
Sean Hillen 