Author name: oisinkelly

Large crowds are travelling from Donegal to Dublin today to take part in a National Demonstration seeking 100% redress for people whose homes are affected by Mica. The Donegal participants will be joined by people from Mayo and Clare. They will gather outside the Convention Centre where the Dail is meeting at 1.30, and then […]

Cabinet will consider extra restrictions on people traveling into Ireland from Britain this morning. It follows a surge in cases of the more transmissible Delta variant in England, with the strain fast becoming dominant there. Under plans to be considered by ministers, unvaccinated people will need to isolate for 10 days – with negative tests

A full return to college campuses is on course for the autumn. Higher Education Minister Simon Harris will brief his colleagues today on the plan to re-open third level education. Numbers are likely to be managed and staggered – but smaller lectures, workshops, libraries and tutorials will return at minimum. Minister Harris will tell his

  The DUP and Sinn Fein have until 1pm next Monday to nominate a new First Minister and Deputy First Minister for the North. It’s after the resignation of Arlene Foster as First Minister – effectively dissolving the Executive. If both parties can’t agree to a power-sharing deal by next week, then it will trigger

One local resident started to notice the effects on mica in 2006 when he noticed a gable in his house starting to become damp. When he reroofed his house thinking there was loose glass in his conservatory, eventually he found it was mica causing the damage all along. Henry O’Donnell now has mica in his

As people from Donegal prepare to travel to Dublin to take part in a protest tomorrow over the Mica scandal affecting thousands of homeowners in Donegal, Sinn Féin Group leader on Derry City and Strabane District Council, Sandra Duffy, said it was important that everyone locally supports the campaign. Councillor Duffy said: “As someone whose

Arlene Foster has resigned as Northern Ireland’s First Minister. The Fermanagh-South Tyrone MLA stepped down after being ousted as leader of the DUP. Ms Foster’s resignation effectively dissolves the current executive, with the DUP and Sinn Fein now having seven days to successfully nominate a new First Minister and Deputy First Minister. If both parties

The Housing Minister says Mica is an absolute scourge. Darragh O’Brien says the issue poses a matter of justice and fairness to the exchequer. He strongly believes those responsible for the manufacturing of the defective blocks must be held to account and echoes the Taoiseach’s view that insurance companies have a role to play. On

Donegal Airport is said to be worth an estimated €50m to the North West region per annum. The airport’s future has been placed in jeopardy following Stobart Air’s termination of their contract with Aer Lingus to deliver regional flights. Steve O’ Caláin says if any county needs air connectivity it’s Donegal He told today’s Nine

Significant numbers of Leaving Cert students have been marked down in their oral exams through no fault of their own. It’s after some examiners told The Irish Times that key sections of oral interviews were left out completely, while it was clear that many instructions had not been followed. This year, oral exams were conducted

The announcement that Stobart Air has ceased trading has come as a major blow for cancer patients in Donegal. The news emerged over the weekend, resulting in the cancellation of PSO routes including the Donegal to Dublin route. Many people from the county travel to Dublin regularly for treatment with the journey by car or

Deliveries of Covid-19 vaccines to pharmacies will begin today. It’s part of the next phase in the vaccination programme, with people aged over 50 will be able to get the one-shot Johnson and Johnson jab in the coming days. Pharmacists are also expected to get a delivery of the Pfizer vaccine in the next few

Donegal County Council continues to work with Donegal Airport in identifying a replacement carrier for the Donegal Dublin route. It follows the announcement on Saturday that Stobart Air has ceased trading resulting in the cancellation of PSO routes. Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Councillor Rena Donaghey says Donegal Airport is a critical access point for

Donegal County Council’s Bridge Engineer is to carry out an inspection at Carrygawley Bridge in the Lismonaghan area of Letterkenny, after the parapet was recently hit and dislodged. Cllr Donal Coyle told Letterkenny and Milford Municipal District this week that while the road is only 3 metres wide at the bridge, there is an increasing

The Government will continue to consider possible travel restrictions with Britain amid fears surrounding the Delta variant. Its said the strain, which first originated in India is making up around 90 percent of new Covid-19 cases in the UK. Ministers here are considering extending the quarantine period for unvaccinated passengers from Britain. They currently have

Pharmacists can start administering Covid-19 vaccines to people aged over 50 from tomorrow. Anyone in that age group who hasn’t received a dose can get the Johnson and Johnson jab in their local pharmacy. While the Pfizer jab will be delivered to a small number of pharmacies in the next few weeks. Darragh O’Loughlin from

The Department of Health has been notified of 315 new cases of covid-19 here. 62 people are currently in hospital with the disease, up 4 since yesterday. While there has been no change in the number of people in ICU, with 22 people receiving intensive care treatment today.   Unvaccinated people arriving in Ireland from

Donegal County Councillor Noreen McGarvey has called on the government to work to reinstate flights between Donegal Airport and the capital within the coming days, calling yesterday’s announcement of Stobart Air’s closure a “shocking blow”. She says that as talks begin next week between Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan’s office and airlines to try and

Aer Lingus is providing temporary services for passengers who have been left stranded due to the closure of Stobart Air. It’s operating five of the 12 affected regional routes for at least a week, while BA City Flyer will operate two more. The temporary schedule starts today. There are no plans yet in place to