Donegal courthouse that requires 'significant expenditure' to remain closed

Sittings of Carndonagh District Court are to continue in Buncrana for the foreseeable future after the Courts Service said the town’s courthouse requires “significant expenditure”.

The courthouse closed over a year ago on health and safety grounds and the district court sittings were moved to Buncrana.

It had been hoped that court sittings would be returned to Carndonagh when a suitable building was identified.

A survey of the building was carried out last year.

The Courts Service said it is examining the report of the survey of the building “in light of budgetary constraints with a view of determining how best to proceed”.

In a letter to Carndonagh Sinn Féin councillor Albert Doherty, Courts Service Chief Executive Angela Denning said the once a month sitting of Cardnongah District Court will in the meantime continue to sit in Buncrana “which is just under 20km distance”.

The letter from the Courts Service followed a motion by Cllr Doherty in November calling for the courthouse to be refurbished to allow court sittings to return to the town.

Responding to the letter at the March meeting of the Inishowen Municipal District, Cllr Doherty thanked the Courts Service for prioritising Carndonagh courthouse but said local businesses want the court sittings to return to the town.

“It is imperative that the sittings in Carndonagh are returned at the earliest possible time and the refurbishments are carried out no matter what the cost,” he said.

Councillors agreed to write to the Courts Service calling for the courthouse to reopen as soon as possible.