Author name: oisinkelly

The Taoiseach says the end of the COVID crisis is within grasp if people still to restrictions over the next month. Micheál Martin has announced the easing of restrictions over the summer across a range of sectors. Hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses can open from June 2nd – with outdoor dining in bars are restaurants from

The family of John Hume have met with the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council to announce their intention to donate his three world peace prizes to the people of Derry. Bill Clinton once described John Hume, who dies last August as Ireland’s Martin Luther King. He is the only person in the

Donegal Senator Niall Blaney disagrees that a 100% Mica Redress Scheme should be sanctioned. He believes a fully funded scheme will not address all the issues emerging from the 90/ 10 scheme. He told today’s Nine til Noon Show that some people are playing on the anguish of affected homeowners in Donegal and says there

There are calls for an Air Ambulance to be trialled in Donegal. Councillor Michael McClafferty is urging Donegal County Council to ask the HSE to explore the initiative given the geographical makeup of the county. There have been numerous instances in Donegal where ambulances have taken over an hour to respond due to a lack

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly says every effort is being made to ensure that vulnerable people are offered vaccines as quickly as possible. In the Dail last evening, Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle asked for guarantees in relation to Cohort 7, which includes people aged 16 to 64 who have an underlying condition that puts them at

Temperatures are set to reach 21 degrees this weekend – the hottest of the year so far. Sunday will be best day, with mostly dry and sunny conditions throughout the country. Tomorrow won’t be quite as warm, with some showers in the west and northeast – but temperatures will still reach 16 to 20 degrees.

The family of John Hume is to donate three international peace prizes to the people of Derry. Pat Hume and other family members will meet with the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Brian Tierney this morning to formally announce their decision. John Hume was the only person in history to be

Irish Water has begun constructing a new Wastewater Treatment Plant in Lifford as part of a cross border project to improve water quality in Lough Foyle and Carlingford Lough. The Shared Waters Enhancement & Loughs Legacy project will see works done on both sides of the border, with work started this week in Donegal. Paul

The new DUP leader is claiming the Irish Government will cut Northern Ireland off from food. Edwin Poots was formally ratified as the new leader of the DUP last night. Its executive gave him the go-ahead to take over from Arlene Foster, with MLA Paula Bradley confirmed as the new deputy leader. Edwin Poots promised

International travel for holidays is set to return on July 19th, under plans going to cabinet this afternoon. On June 7th, restaurants and pubs can open for outdoor dining, while cinemas and gyms will also reopen. Outdoor gatherings of up to 100 people will be allowed in June, or up to 200 in very large

A public health expert says it’s only a matter of time before there’s significant spread of the Indian variant to Ireland. Up to three-quarters of new cases in the UK are of the Indian strain and it’s spreading. It comes as 436 cases of Covid 19 have been confirmed in the Republic and 39 people

A Cork TD claims young people in the City are being offered Driving Theory Tests slots in Donegal later this summer when they apply online. Tanaiste Leo Varadkar pledged to look at providing more slots after Cork South West Deputy Chris O’Sullivan outlined the situation facing young people applying for the test online………  

The General Manager of Letterkenny University Hospital says the hospital is recovering from the HSE cyber attack but says services are still restricted. Some of the hospital’s servers have been restarted and limited services have resumed in the radiology department. All outpatient clinics are still cancelled at the hospital as well as diagnostic and endoscopy

An Inishowen Councillor is urging Donegal County Council to write to the Health Minister as a matter of urgency to make life-saving Amyloidosis treatment available in Ireland. Councillor Terry Crossan will bring forward a motion at the Council’s next plenary meeting, on the non provision of the Amyloidosis treatment, Patisiran. Cllr Crossan says it is

Mica affected homeowners from Donegal will travel to Leinster House in the coming weeks in a bid to further highlight their calls for a 100% redress scheme. The decision to take their campaign to Dublin on June 15th has been sparked by comments made by Minister Malcolm Noonan in the Dail this week that the

A South Donegal Deputy believes it is time NPHET took a step back. The National Public Health Emergency Team has been to the forefront of advising and making many crucial decisions during the Covid 19 pandemic. Deputy Marc MacSharry feels the micromanaging from the group is no longer needed. He says with the rollout of

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has pledged to raise the issue of the Seaview respite centre in Mountcharles with the Health Minister. Minister Ryan was responding in the Dail to Donegal TD Thomas Pringle, who said while the centre is reopening, it hasn’t done so fully, and it’s vital a full seven day service is restored

The Taoiseach says half of the adult population will have their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by next week. It comes as 99 patients are in hospital with the virus – the lowest figure reported by the Department of Health since September 24th. It has fallen by 46 per cent in the past month,

Senior government ministers will meet this evening to finalise the plan to further ease Covid-19 restrictions. The cabinet sub-committee of Covid will consider advice issued by NPHET, which met yesterday morning. Tomorrow the Taoiseach will announce plans for the resumption of live entertainment, indoor dining and international travel. Former HSE director-general, Tony O’Brien, believes indoor

People in Donegal are being asked to respond to a Sinn Fein survey on waiting lists, which Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn says will be used to tell the real story of what is happening. Deputy MacLochlainn says there doesn’t appear to be an understanding at government level of the extent to which long healthcare waiting lists