Jim O’Callaghan visits Donegal Town and 'committed' to courthouse service return

Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan TD, said he was committed to the return of Donegal Town Court House during a visit to Donegal Town.

The Fianna Fáil Minister met with local Fianna Fáil elected representatives from Dáil Éireann, Seanad Éireann, and Donegal County Council at the Abbey Hotel, before visiting the recently refurbished Donegal Town Garda Station. 

Minister O’Callaghan also told Donegal Live that he would raise the issue of Carndonagh Courthouse with Minister Kevin Boxer Moran of the Office of Public Works. 

Regarding the recent temporary closure of Donegal Town Courthouse, Minister O’Callaghan said: “This is an issue that has been raised with me by Pat The Cope Gallagher. It is an issue that I want to see resolved. I know that the Office for Public Works were down here in November.

“Works will have to be done on it. I am speaking to Minister Kevin Boxer Moran, and I am committed to seeing the courthouse in Donegal Town reopening.

“It is important that we have courthouses that are active and operating, not just for the sake of the administration of justice, but particularly for the people who need access to justice. I am also aware of the importance that a courthouse can have for local towns like Donegal Town.”

Donegal Town Courthouse has been closed since September, with court attendees from as far out as Glencolmcille needing to now travel to Ballyshannon Courthouse should they need to attend a District Court hearing. 

When asked what could be done for those needing to travel to Ballyshannon when there is no current court service in Donegal Town, Minister O’Callaghan responded: “It is one of the challenges of Donegal that it is such a beautiful county, but it is such a large county as well.

“I can’t have court services in every village or locality, but I am committed to getting the courthouse in Donegal Town. That will improve and help people to get access to the courts and be in court. 

“In the interim, I will discuss with the courts service what could be done so that the system can operate efficiently.” 

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The question of reopening Carndonagh Courthouse was raised, and Minister O’Callaghan admitted he was “primarily focused” on getting Donegal Town courthouse reopened. 

Carndonagh Courthouse has been closed since 2019, in what was meant to be a temporary closure due to infrastructure issues with the roof. It has yet to be reopened.

Inishowen-based councillor, Albert Doherty, had previously raised a council motion on Carndonagh Courthouse, in November’s Donegal County Council Meeting, with Cllr Doherty stating that it wasn’t correct to have to drag people from areas like Malin Head and Moville all the way to Buncrana for Carndonagh sittings.

Minister O’Callaghan stated: “Obviously, when it comes to works being done in courthouses, that is something that I have to discuss with the OPW and Minister Boxer Moran. 

“I suppose the issue I am primarily focused on is getting Donegal Town Courthouse reopened and getting the refurbishment works that need to be done, done on that. 

“In terms of Carndonagh Courthouse, that is something I will raise with Minister Moran, but I am conscious that it has been closed for a period of time.

“I will come back to Pat The Cope Gallagher and Charlie McConalogue in respect to that when I have spoken to the Minister.”

Regarding Gardaí numbers in Donegal and the Northwest, Minister O’Callaghan commented that he wanted “high-visibility policing” in Donegal like that seen in Dublin and Cork.

He said: “Everywhere I go, people want to see more Gardaí, and that is a very good sign. It shows the level of respect that Gardaí have and how people are dependent on Gardaí. 

“I am pleased to say that the people and numbers going into Templemore are increasing very significantly. In November, 225 went in, and that is the biggest number we have seen since 2018. It is very significant that we are getting big numbers in there.

“It is my objective that we have high-visibility policing throughout the county. I have seen it rolled out in Dublin and Cork. I want to see it in other places like Donegal and Sligo.

“If I can get more numbers to come in, and I can get 200 coming out of each allocation, we will see the number of Gardaí increasing.”