Author name: oisinkelly

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has congratulated Edwin Poots on his election as the new leader of the DUP. He says he wishes him well, and looks forward to engaging and working with him. Northern Ireland’s Agriculture Minister defeated MP Jeffrey Donaldson by a margin of 19 votes to 17 – to take over from […]

Donegal County Council is to consult with the principal of Ballyraine National School to discuss how to replace trees and shrubs that have been removed between the Mount Errigal Hotel and the roundabout at the school. The removal took place to facilitate safety works, and the provision of a new traffic lane. However, it’s emerged

Donegal is to receive just under €700,000 for repairs and improvement works on non-public roads in the county. Minister Charlie McConalogue says Donegal’s allocation is the third highest allocation nationally, and that’s to be welcomed. The Local Improvement Scheme is intended to improve access to rural homes and farms, as well as outdoor amenities such

Some services at Letterkenny University Hospital are being impacted by the shutdown of the HSE’s IT system following an overnight cyberattack. As of now, most outpatient appointments are going ahead, and unless people have been advised otherwise, they should attend. However, scheduled scans and x-rays are not going ahead, and non-emergency elective surgery has being

A Donegal restaurateur says the industry cannot take another lockdown, and she is prepared to wait a few weeks to assess the success of the reopening indoor dining in hotels, before restaurants are allowed reopen indoors. Today, the Restaurants Association of Ireland is calling for the two to reopen in tandem, and is launching a

A member of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority says despite the availability of better monitoring equipment and the willingness of most fishers and fish producers to cooperate with them, the actions of a small number have led to a new requirement that catches must be weighed at the pier. At a meeting this week of

A UCD Associate Professor says virus case numbers are at a ‘knife edge’. Professor Julien Mercille says ther situation could go either way after 456 new cases of covid 19 were confirmed, with no new deaths. 49 of the new cases were in Donegal. The number of people in hospital with the virus dropped to

A West Donegal councillor is urging Mna Tí to organise themselves ahead of a meeting next week at which their compensation package will be announced. It follows conformation that there will not be students coming to the Donegal Gaeltacht this summer. Cllr Michael Choln MacGiolla Easbuig is urging the Mna Tí to attend a meeting

Donegal County Council’s Mica Redress Committee is to reconvene in two weeks time to allow officials take legal advice on a number of issues. A number of members asked questions about the source of blocks and other materials in council led projects, and demanded that changes be made in where those materials are coming from.

The HSE has said there should be an easing of restrictions on maternity care. However, five of the nineteen maternity units in the country are not fully compliant with the measures. The units in Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny and Letterkenny have cited local safety issues that are limiting pregnant women having their partners with them.

A West Donegal Councillor says the launch of the new Donegal place brand failed to encompass the county as a whole. Councillor Noreen McGarvey says she feels the launch omitted some of the most iconic landmarks in the West of county such as Errigal Mountain and overlooked also Arranmore Island. She says more of an

There’s considerable anger as it’s emerged plans for a promenade in Downings have been stalled. Donegal County Council applied for a foreshore licence in 2016 to develop the promenade from Downings pier to Downings beach. In 2017, further information was requested from the Council. That information was submitted in 2019 by which stage the previous

A Donegal Deputy has called for serious failings in the management of what he says are ‘notorious’ orthodontic waiting lists in Donegal to be addressed. Figures show that as of December last year, 441 people in Donegal of Grade 4 or 5 in severity were waiting at least six months for treatment, 128 of Grade

An Inishowen Councillor says it’s time Buncrana take its rightful place as a tourist destination, and one way to start would be to expand the play park on the shore front. Cllr Jack Murray says many people don’t realise that Buncrana is the largest seaside town in Donegal, and it’s time that was recognised and

The Northern Ireland Executive will meet later to consider easing pandemic rules around hugging. It follows the announcement that people in England will be able to hug “with caution” from Monday. Stormont Ministers will also discuss new rules around international travel. More than 1.5 million vaccines have been administered so far in Northern Ireland. Chemical

Donegal County Council is examining a potential timeframe for moving all service cabling in the Letterkenny underground, but is stressing that such a plan would have to be progressed in stages. Responding to a motion from Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh, officials said the Letterkenny Roads Section is collaborating with the Urban Regeneration team on a number

Every person who wants a Covid-19 vaccine could be offered one by the end of June, according to the Tanaiste. Leo Varadkar told his parliamentary party last night it’s possible based on international evidence that 10 to 15 percent refuse the jab. However he said the official target is still to offer 82 percent a