Author name: oisinkelly

    Health officials need to reconsider allowing the use of the AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson vaccines for younger people, according to the Taoiseach. Micheál Martin believes the Delta variant has changed the balance of risk when it comes to using those vaccines. The National Immunisation Advisory Committee is set to examine changing the

A Donegal restaurant owner says the reopening of indoor dining cannot continue to be kicked down the road. Cabinet is to decide on Thursday whether it will give the green light for the further opening of society in July, amid fears around the Delta variant. Jo Daly, President of Donegal Women in Business and co-owner

The proposals put forward by the Lifford Greyhound Racing Club to re-open the Lifford Greyhound Stadium have been described as “innovative” by the CEO of Greyhound Racing Ireland. The proposals, which state that the track and its operations will be fully self-funded, were approved by greyhound racing’s Irish governing body today, and will allow for

There has been condemnation of the potential return of mobile roaming charges between Northern Ireland and the Republic. At the moment, there are no additional roaming charges within the EU for anyone in the North – but some carriers have announced this will change, with o2 announcing that, from the 2nd of August, any data

The Donegal Rape Crisis Centre has received funding from the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal to provide therapeutic support for young people who are survivors of sexual violence. €6.6m was raised by the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal with €55,000 of that granted to the Donegal Rape Crisis Centre. The project will be a first of its

A Donegal Deputy says an anomaly in the SUSI grant application system means that siblings applying for grants could find their applications delayed. There is a facility for two siblings to link their applications, but this doesn’t happen, and instead, an internal review is initiated, because the system detects a problem. In the Dail, Deputy

Greyhound racing is to return to Lifford. Greyhound Racing Ireland yesterday, approved the granting of a licence to the Lifford Greyhound Racing Club following a lengthy process whereby the Board considered a range of submissions from the club along with a detailed business plan for a three-year period. Gerard Dollard, Chief Executive Officer, RCÉ has

There’s calls for the Garda Commissioner to appear before the Oireachtas Justice Committee over the handling of 999 calls from domestic violence victims. It’s after an inquiry found over 3,100 emergency calls made by victims between 2019 and last October were not followed up on by gardai. Over a third had a valid reason for

The Government shouldn’t rely on the number of hospitalisations associated with Covid-19 when making decisions about easing restrictions next week. That’s according to a Donegal doctor. Cabinet is to decide on Thursday whether it will give the green light for the further opening of society in July, amid fears around the Delta variant. The strain

The head of the HSE says the rising numbers of cases of the delta variant is a concerning trend. It now accounts for 20 per cent of call cases detected here and is responsible for slowing down the easing of restrictions in the UK. But Transport Minister Eamon Ryan says he’s ‘cautiously optimistic’ that indoor

A Sinn Féin councillor on Derry’s Waterside says the appearance of sinister posters in Newbuildings featuring a masked loyalist gunman are a deliberate attempt to stoke up tensions. The poster says “Our forefathers fought for our freedom and rights, no border in the sea or we continue the fight”. Cllr Christopher Jackson says this is

The Donegal Intercultural Platform is one of seven organisations across the country that have been selected to take part in a €1m pilot Community Development Programme. The programme announced by Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, Joe O’Brien, will trial community led interventions that address poverty, social exclusion and inequality,

The Minister for Agriculture and the Marine says anything and everything that can be done at European level is being done to find a resolution for the fishing industry. Minister Charlie McConalogue met with representatives of the sector yesterday following a protest in Dublin. He told today’s Nine til Noon Show, that over the next

Donegal County Council has launched a Remote Working for Business Strategy. It’s the first local local authority in Ireland to do so. The strategy which has been developed by the Council’s Economic Development Division will see the county making the most of the benefits that the growth in remote working is bringing to Donegal. It

The HSE’s appealing to people to turn up for their second vaccine doses. Vaccine centres are reporting a 6 per cent “do not attend” rate overall, while GPs are expressing concerns over some people not getting their second Astra Zeneca dose, in the hope of being offered a different vaccine. HSE Chief Clinical Officer, Dr.

A Donegal Deputy believes the Government should not have ‘carte blanche’ on the continuance of criminal justice provisions. Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle was speaking in the Dail last evening during a motion on the Offences Against the State Act and provisions of the Criminal Justice Act. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein TD’s staged a walk out during

The first meeting of the British-Irish inter-governmental conference in nearly two years will take place in Dublin Castle today. The tensions in Northern Ireland, Brexit and the protocol will be among the issues discussed. Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney, Justice Minister Heather Humphreys and Northern secretary, Brandon Lewis, will attend. Fine Gael’s spokesperson on European

The Tanaiste says NPHET’s advice next week will be crucial when it comes to reopening indoor hospitality. The restrictions are set to ease on July 5th, but that’s now in doubt due to a rise in cases of the more transmissible Delta variant. Leo Varadkar told his parliamentary party last night the strain’s a “big

An Inishowen councillor says the new Defective Blocks Working Group being established by Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien should include Cllr Martin McDermott, the Chair of Donegal County Council’s Mica Redress Committee. Cllr Martin Farren says the authority’s 37 members should be directly represented around the table at those discussions. He says it’s also important that

Agriculture and Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue says he held constructive talks with representatives of the fishing industry this afternoon following the flotilla and protest in Dublin today. It followed his commitment to tour fishing ports and harbours and have discussions with fishers and local communities. The meeting lasted two hours. Those in attendance included Killybegs

The EU is expected to extend a grace period under the Northern Ireland protocol on the sale of chilled meats between Britain and the North. The UK made the request for an extension until the end of September as a temporary measure, while efforts are made to find a permanent solution. Tension around the protocol

Over 1,000 people are demonstrating outside the Convention Centre in Dublin this afternoon, to protest against the lowered fish quotas introduced by the European Union following Brexit. Irish fishers are allowed to catch just 15 percent of the fish in Irish water – which they say will cost the industry about 4000 jobs in total.