Just five years ago, Donegal goalkeeper Shaun Patton was playing in a MacLarnon Cup final in goal for St Eunan’s Letterkenny.

One of Jim McGuinness’s first tasks when he finally landed the role of Donegal senior manager heading into the Baltic winter of 2010 was to cobble together a backroom team.

From Best Takeaway Pizza to Best Spicebag, the ‘steaks’ are high.

The annual Irish Pubs Global Awards recognise every aspect of running a pub, from the food and drink experience, to entertainment and marketing.

The rapid establishment of technological universities (TU) is not guaranteed by last week’s passing of enabling legislation, the head of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) has cautioned.

A judge has warned he may change his approach to dealing with offending motorists in the wake of the latest Donegal International Rally.

Waterford IT and Dundalk IT (DKIT) will contest this afternoon’s Trench Cup decider after both teams enjoyed extremely comfortable semi-final wins.

Despite being sneered at by food critics, a carvery is still the first choice of many looking for a hot lunch. But all carveries are not the same, with quality and the menus on offer varying hugely.

UCD’s footballers congregated under the Belfield lights on Wednesday night, the finishing touches applied ahead of today’s sojourn north.

It is hoped the Emergency Department at Letterkenny General Hospital will be up and running within days.

Flood damage at Letterkenny General Hospital caused by torrential rain has been described as “very serious”.

Letterkenny General Hospital has been severely flooded this evening after the nearby River Swilley burst its banks.

A restructuring of its core business helped Donegal Creameries return to profit last year.

A woman drove almost 20 metres with a customs officer clinging to the bonnet of her car — and with her child in the back — after failing to stop at a checkpoint.

St Eunan’s 1-07 Naomh Conaill 0-09

Donegal Creameries fell into the red last year, showing a pre-tax loss of nearly €3.2 million, but boosted revenues by almost 14%.

The draws for the 2012 Higher Education GAA Championships, including the prestigious Sigerson and Fitzgibbon Cups, were made this afternoon in Croke Park.

EUROPE’S top cross-country runner, Fionnuala Britton will be one of the favourites for the gold medal when she leads the Irish women’s team into next month’s European cross-country championships in Slovenia.

FOUR brothers savagely beat up their younger brother in the back of a car after he refused to take part in an arranged marriage, but avoided jail with a payment to charity.

CONCERN has been expressed by the president of the Medical Council that the regulatory body cannot test the competence of doctors coming from other EU countries to work in Ireland.

THE 250 marine sector jobs earmarked for Killy-begs harbour, Co Donegal, could become a national model for how to drive collective employment.

WORLD SILVER medallist, Olive Loughnane, faces her first big assignment of the year when she lines up for the European Cup Race Walking in Olhão on the Algarve on Saturday.

MORE than half of patients attending emergency & departments (ED) who are not obviously drunk need to address their alcohol consumption, a study argues.

The 2011 Woodie's DIY Irish Indoor Championships got underway at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast today. The highlight was the women's 3,000 metres walk which was won by Laura Reynolds from Mohill AC.

An iconic building firm of the Celtic Tiger years has gone into receivership, it was confirmed today.

ROBERT Heffernan put weeks of frustration behind him when he retained his 10,000m walk title at the Woodies DIY National track and field championships at Morton Stadium yesterday where he beat his Olympic team mate, Jamie Costin, who claimed his 3,000m record in Cork a week earlier and, to cap it all, picked up the Athlete of the Meet Award and the €1,000 that went with it.

Drogheda United travel to the the Showgrounds to take on Sligo Rovers in tonight's Airtricity League Premier Division clash (kick-off 7.45pm).

Sligo Rovers 6 Letterkenny Rovers 0

A software company based in Letterkenny has announced the creation of 80 new jobs over the next 12 months.

SUPERLEAGUE clubs may opt to boycott the league play-offs, due to be held in Letterkenny on the weekend of March 28.

THE people of Letterkenny are demanding to know the source of the MRSA outbreak that has affected at least three babies — and led to the screening of babies born in the hospital in the past fortnight.

THE family of double-tragedy victims Triona and Caitlin Innes have spoken for the first time of their “nightmare” year since the deaths.

Two former gardaí who complained a murder suspect in Cork was secretly bugged will not be called to give evidence at the Morris Tribunal, it was revealed today.

Clement Cunniffe led the Leitrim scoring as the Wee county side opened their win account in NHL Division 3A - they edged out Monaghan 0-10 to 0-7 at Ballinamore this afternoon.

HIBERNIAN General Insurance announced it is offering the opportunity for GAA club members to get free equipment for their club.

GAA: TODAY'S RESULTS -

CHAMPIONS Limerick IT have been drawn against Galway IT in the first round of the Datapac Fitzgibbon Cup.

ALL BLACKS captain Tana Umaga thanked the people of Donegal yesterday for their warm welcome, saying he’d expected “rocks to be thrown at him” when he came to Ireland.

THIS autumn’s Grand Slam tour to Britain and Ireland by the All Blacks could also mark a red letter day for a Donegal rugby club, if the New Zealand Rugby Union gives its approval this week.

WESTMEATH are still coming to terms with the news that star forward Dessie Dolan will miss the rest of the season.

BADLY managed hospitals where patients’ health is not improved by high treatment costs have been fined €7.5 million.

ROCKMOUNT,Cork manager, Billy Cronin will wait for midfielder Philip Cunningham and centre-forward Kieran O'Shea to undergo fitness tests before finalising the team to play Bluebell United, Dublin in the Carlsberg FAI Intermediate Cup final at Richmond Park tomorrow (3pm).

DONEGAL Creameries yesterday reported a 16.6% rise in pre-tax profits on the back of higher dairy prices.