Author name: oisinkelly

Irish Water is being urged to come up with a long term solution to probloems with the water infrastructure serving Gola Island. It’s after the main pipe from the mainland to Gola partially resurfaced in recent days, resulting in a small boat hitting it. Local Cllr Michael Cholm MacGiolla Easbuig says similar issues emerge every

  A Minister of State believes that the majority of people want to maintain a cautious approach to reopening despite calls for a plan in the Republic to mirror the North. Minister Colm Brophy says decisions made and the aftermath of the Christmas period has made people more wary of the dangers of Covid-19. Minister

    There are renewed calls for a proposal to install a sewage treatment plant near a national school to be scrapped. It’s after revised plans were submitted by Irish Water to Donegal County Council to construct the plant close to Browneknowe National School near Rathmullan. A significant number of local residents are opposed to

  Publicans believe it’s “inevitable” that people living in border counties will travel to the North when the pubs reopen there. From April 30th, pubs in Northern Ireland are allowed to reopen for outdoor service. The Licensed Vintners Association is calling on the Government to allow outdoor service here for all pubs by the end

  A Letterkenny businessman says people in retail and other sectors need a roadmap on reopening as a matter of urgency. It comes as Stormont Ministers announced a plan yesterday to relax Covid restrictions there which will see non-essential shops and gyms open on April 30th. From next Friday, hairdressers, barbers and outdoor sports can

A Councillor in Buncrana is urging Donegal County Council to buy the former Garda Station in the town for use as a community facility. The building has been vacant since 2007, when Gardai moved to a state of the art facility. Cllr Nicholas Crossan believes the state-owned building will be put on the market shortly.

  Ireland’s current Covid-19 numbers are ‘better than anything we could have hoped for a few weeks ago’, according to the National Public Health Emergency Team. New cases of the virus have steadily dropped with 309 confirmed yesterday – bringing the five-day moving average to 358, down 12 percent on last week. 25 of the

  A Donegal TD says the HSE at national level doesn’t seem to understand the geography of Donegal, and that’s impacting on services locally. Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn was speaking after he raised the issue of a vaccination centre for Inishowen with senior officials, in light of local newspaper reports that a site had been identified.

  Pub owners want a plan for reopening after the announcement in the North that outdoor hospitality can restart there on April 30th. The Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said yesterday the Government is working on a plan for reopening the economy over summer. Vintners Federation of Ireland Chief Executive, Padraig Cribben wants pubs to be allowed

  Donegal County Council’s Piers & Harbours Section is to assess Rathullan’s suitability for use as a deep water port. The issue was raised at Letterkenny and Milford Municipal District this week by Cllr Ian McGarvey, who told members he’s been advised that Rathmullan has the potential to be considered as a deep sea Port

The government’s has published its Agriculture Action Plan for 2021. The document, which was launched by Minister Charlie McConalogue, features 75 actions to further develop a sustainable and competitive agri-food, forestry and seafood sector. The measures include, developing Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan, implementing the country’s first over-arching Animal Welfare Strategy and policies to underpin and

  Retailers have called for a faster re-opening of non-essential shopping. It comes as the retail sector is set to open in Northern Ireland at the end of this month. Click and collect services here will likely re-open in early May, with the full sector following later in the month. Deputy Chair of Retail Excellence

  A Donegal Minister says while Donegal is above the national average in terms the Covid-19 rate, it’s by no means the worst. Despite the county having the third highest seven day case rate in Ireland there are ongoing concerns that no pop-up testing centre has been established. But Minister Charlie McConalogue says he has

  New changing and showering facilities are on the way to Downings and Bundoran beach. It’s part of a multi-million euro project from Failte Ireland, which says the facilities will be nothing like what they have already. They will be spread across 22 beaches in total in urban and rural areas across the country. Head

  Almost 30 new social housing units in Letterkenny will be ready in the coming weeks. ‘Ard ban’ has 29 homes, comprising of one, two and three bedroom dwellings have been completed in the Long Lane area of the town. An allocation list for the houses is currently being prepared with applicants expected to be

  The Data Protection Commissioner has written to Sinn Fein over concerns about a voter database. It’s understood the personal information of million of voters is being stored on an internal party database. The party claims that it’s in compliance with GDPR. But Fine Gael Junior Minister Peter Burke, says people have a right to

    Councillors in West Donegal are calling on the Fire Service to help establish a Rapid Response Initiative to deal with gorse fires in the future, with suggestions that local people receive training, and basic equipment be provided in strategic locations. This week’s meeting of Glenties Municipal District discussed the second anniversary of a

  Donegal County Council is being urged to prioritise South Donegal when its new Greenway Unit is up and running. The call is coming from the Donegal Municipal District, which says there are a number of proposals being discussed in the area, none of which have been progressed. Leas Cathaoirleach Barry Sweeney says one in

  People aged 69 will be able to register for a Covid-19 vaccine from today. A new portal goes live from 10am, with appointments bookable both online and by phone. It’ll initially be available to those aged 69, before opening to those aged 65-68 over the coming days. Meanwhile, government insists its target of offering

  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