Author name: oisinkelly

  Ministers at Stormont will meet later to discuss the easing of lockdown measures in Northern Ireland. It is expected to include dates for when things like hairdressers, non-essential retail and other businesses can reopen. Deputy First Minister, Michelle O’Neill, has suggested it will span “months”. Virologist at Queens University in Belfast, Lindsay Broadbent, believes […]

  The Cathaoirleach of the Inishowen MD is confident there’s a big funding announcement on the horizon for Carndonagh. It’s understood that the multi-million euro Carndonagh Tus Nua Regeneration Project has been successfully submitted to the Department of Rural The project has a value of around 9.5 million euro and funding support of around 8.3

  Donegal County Council is being urged to examine derelict buildings in Manorcunningham with a view towards promoting the area as a location for a digital hub. The issue was raised at this week’s Letterkenny and Milford Municipal District meeting by Cathaoirleach Donal Coyle. Responding, officials said need must be the driving force behind the

Donegal Local Development Company is urging communities and individuals to examine what can be done at community level with support from programmers such as Leader. One scheme being highlighted this week is the Farm Diversification Programme, which DLDC says has been used to great effect in Donegal in recent times. One recent example they say

The health watchdog says mandatory vaccination could be used as a last resort to boost uptake among healthcare workers. Advice given to NPHET says redeployment to lower-risk areas may also be an option for staff who refuse to get the jab. But HIQA says the “intervention ladder” should start with providing evidence-based information and then

Northern Ireland’s first minister has told a court an unfounded allegation that she was having an affair with a close protection officer was “very distressing”. Arlene Foster’s been giving evidence in a High Court libel hearing about a tweet from Christian Jessen – best known for his role on the ‘Embarrassing Bodies’ TV show. Sky’s

  People are being encouraged to have their say in re-imagining the Market Square in Letterkenny. Last summer, Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce and Donegal County Council launched an architectural competition, and following the receipt of 31 proposals, six designs have been shortlisted. People are now being asked to vote on which of the designs they

  The CEO of the Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce says there needs to be a plan for the reopening of the non-essential retail and hospitality sector in Donegal. Toni Forrester who works in Letterkenny but lives in Derry says she has concerns over sectors in the North reopening quicker than the Republic and how that

It’s thought Milford is an ideal candidate for the Rural Regional Development Fund. There are big concerns locally over the future of the town centre with retail moving to the outskirts of Milford while dereliction on the Main Street is said to be major issue. A motion calling on Donegal County Council to prioritise the

  The Taoiseach’s to meet the HSE and the vaccine taskforce this morning to discuss altering the country’s Covid-19 vaccine programme. The roll-out of injections has been hit with a delay to the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and changes to the use of AstraZeneca. Johnson and Johnson is to pause deliveries of its single-shot vaccine

  Donegal County Council is being urged to employ wardens to monitor the two town parks in Letterkenny during the summer months. The issue was raised at Letterkenny and Milford Municipal District this week by Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh. He was told by officials that the parks currently have a complement of maintenance staff during normal

  Members of the Inishowen Municipal District are demanding that a water tanker to back up the fire service be located permanently on the peninsula. Cllr Martin McDermott told a meeting this week that he had moved a motion seeking such a tanker two years ago after attending a house fire in a rural area

  A Letterkenny GP has described some of the decisions made surrounding the AstraZeneca vaccine as ‘ludicrous and absolutely crazy’. People aged between 60-69 will now mainly receive the AstraZeneca vaccine. There are around 400,000 people in this age cohort. Speaking on today’s Nine Til Noon Show, Dr James McDaid says the decision has cartinaly

  A Donegal woman who is currently in mandatory hotel quarantine in Dublin says she’s anxious being left alone for two weeks over serious health grounds. Charlene Heyns who lives in Letterkenny but originally from South Africa has long Covid and travelled abroad for medical consultation and is now pleading for an exemption from quarantine

  Gardaí are investigating a series of weekend incidents in Buncrana. Damage was caused to a number of vehicles, a break-in occurred at a warehouse and also vandalism carried out at the iCare centre. All three crimes happened on Saturday night and in the area of the Looking Glass Brae, Buncrana. Garda Grainne Doherty has

  A Stranorlar GP says the on-going controversy with the AstraZenena vaccine has probably affected people’s confidence in the jab but has given reassurances that the vaccine is safe. All AstraZeneca vaccination clinics due to take place today have been cancelled following concerns over potential links between the vaccine and very rare blood clots. The

  The Tanaiste says he believes public health officials made the right call in limiting the AstraZeneca vaccine to the over 60 age group. Thousands of vaccines planned for today have been cancelled as a result. Leo Varadkar says we’ll know in a few days if the country can still vaccinate 80 per cent of

Parents are being reminded that the deadline for applications for the School Transport scheme is looming. Applications for the scheme are currently open and can be accessed online while existing applications will automatically roll over into the new school year. Details are also available on Bus Éireann’s website with the closing date for applications is

  Employers are being warned of the high risk of new Covid-19 outbreaks if workers return to the office too soon. The government’s reminding employers and employees they should continue to work from home whenever possible. Despite the slight easing of Level 5 yesterday, only essential workers are currently permitted to be physically present at

  The National Public Health Emergency Team will warn TDs and Senators later that the risk of a fourth wave of Covid-19 remains ‘considerable’ if restrictions are eased too quickly. Members of the group will be before the Oireachtas Health Committee to provide an update on the country’s fight against the virus. Acting Chief Medical

    All AstraZeneca vaccination clinics due to take place today have been cancelled. The Acting Chief Medical Officer says limiting the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to over 60s “will likely have an impact” on the country’s vaccine programme. However Dr. Ronan Glynn says its extent “remains to be seen”. The recommendation from the

  The Manager of iCare in Inishowen says they are deeply saddened and disappointed over weekend vandalism at the facility. An investigation is underway after children’s toys were damaged outside the Buncrana centre at some stage on Saturday evening/night. iCare provides support for local children with autism with the centre continuously struggling financially to provide

  There are calls for improved facilities at Donegal’s lakes. While current caravan and camping sites in the county have been deemed an invaluable asset to coastal parts, it’s thought more can be done around lakes closer inland. Kayaking and other water activities on lakes have increased dramatically in popularity but in many cases there

  There are fears that an EU proposal on the management of peat soils could have a serious impact on Donegal farmers. The proposal will mean that farmers would be required to carry out actions on these peat soils that would effectively make farming activity impossible. The lands affected would be ineligible for CAP payments.