Author name: oisinkelly

A Donegal man has had a lucky escape after a shark capsized his kayak and dragged him under water. Graham Smith from Moville was out fishing for sharks off the coast of Inishowen when the porbeagle shark surfaced in pursuit of bait. He told today’s Nine til Noon Show that they are a very intelligent

Donegal based manufacturing firm, Houston Precision Engineering is to create 41 new jobs in Strabane with a £2m investment in the town. The company has purchased over three acres of land in Strabane Business Park to build a new factory, which will lead to the creation of the new engineering jobs. Martin Houston, Owner of Houston

The British Prime Minister says there won’t be a referendum on reuniting Ireland “for a very, very long time to come”. Boris Johnson made the comments in an interview with BBC’s Spotlight programme where he also said his Government is working on ‘sandpapering’ the Northern Ireland protocol. Speaking on his way into Cabinet, the Taoiseach

Investigations are continuing into a number of criminal damage incidents at Ballymacool Park in Letterkenny. Most recently, a fire which is believed to have been started deliberately broke out on Saturday evening at around 8:20pm, causing damage to fencing and surrounding vegetation. Meanwhile, between 4pm and 6pm on March 11th, damage was caused to the

A number of schools in Donegal have confirmed that they are currently dealing with cases of Covid-19 within the school community. The Royal and Prior School in Raphoe say they are dealing with cases of the virus in line with HSE guidelines. Meanwhile, a teacher has tested positive at Pobail Scoil Ghaoth Dobhair. As a

Funding has been ring fenced for the new Cleary Centre in Donegal Town but there are calls now for more progress on delivering the project. The HSE has confirmed that the capital budget for the project is €2.4m. The procurement of a design team will get underway this year with €100,000 of the €2.4m allocated

Additional resources are being sought to support cross border education in the North West region. The most recent meeting of the North West Regional Development Group received an update outlining the opportunities for mobility of students across Ulster University, North West Regional College, LYIT and Donegal ETB and the drive to ensure students continue their

A councillor in a Co Cavan border town says locals have always exercised common sense when the pandemic restrictions have differed between North and South. It follows reports of a surge in bookings for hair appointments from the Republic, with salons and barbers to reopen there on Friday. The Justice Minister’s confirmed there are no

The North’s Education Minister has acknowledged that students from a Post Primary School in Fermanagh which is closing may find their best option is to transfer across the border into schools in Donegal. St Mary’s School in Brollagh outside Belleek is to close, after numbers dropped to 67, a figure which Minister Peter Weir told

There’s been no advice on changing the interval period for the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines, according to the Acting Chief Medical Officer. The Government is believed to be considering extending the gap between the first and second doses from four weeks to between six and eight. Some experts claim it would give the country

Ireland faces repaying up to 37 million euro worth of EU grant aid for not enforcing the same fisheries rules as the rest of the bloc. Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue is set to tell the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee that a penalty points system for trawler captains is now nine years overdue. And he believes Brussels

The Justice Minister’s confirmed people living close to the border are entitled to travel 20 kilometres from home to the North. It comes as hairdressers and barbers get set to open in Northern Ireland from Friday. A number of businesses says clients from the Republic have made appointments. Minister Helen McEntee says while no one

Irish hospitals have recorded the lowest number of Covid-19 patients on wards since October 9th last year. 179 people with the virus are receiving treatment this morning, which is 21 percent lower than last week. Overnight, there were 47 patients with the infectious disease in ICU. There’s expected to be a decision later this week

A Strabane Councillor believes someone will be seriously injured or worse unless anti social behaviour in the town is brought under control. It comes after a 17 year old girl was assaulted in ‘The Meadows’ area of the town on Friday night. A video has been circulating on social media depicting the incident, and showing

A West Donegal Councillor however, believes different design options should have been explored for the project in Burtonport. Councillor Micheal MacGiolla Easbuig feels the development was rushed through and more public consultation should have been carried out. The €2 million funding for Burtonport will go towards the construction of two new buildings, including a new

Around 100,000 people aged 66 to 69 have so far registered to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. The online vaccination portal is now also opened for 65 year olds from today. Paul Houton, Chief Director of Nursing and Midwifery with Saolta Hospital Group West and North West confirmed that those in that age group will be

Donegal Airport is to receive a share of €11 million in funding allocated to regional airports. Almost €900,000 has been allocated to Donegal Airport under the Regional Airports Programme. The money will contribute towards capital investment in the areas of safety, security and sustainability. Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton says

The Cathaoirleach of the Letterkenny Milford Municipal District has issued an appeal for information following an incident of criminal damage at Ballymacool Park in Letterkenny over the weekend. An area of the park was set on fire at around 8:20pm on Saturday evening with damage caused to fencing and surrounding vegetation and hedges as a

The Bishop of Raphoe has confirmed that a retired priest of the diocese has been charged with assaulting two minors between 1972 and 1975. It is understood the 85-year-old retired priest has been released on bail after he was charged with 26 counts of indecent assault. In a statement, Bishop Alan McGuckian says the diocese

The five-day moving average of Covid-19 cases has dropped by 10 percent in the past week to 369. Figures from the HSE also show the number of patients in public hospitals with the virus has fallen by 16 percent in the last seven days to 186. 269 new cases of Covid-19 were announced by the

Recommendations will be made this week from experts on whether the gap between the first and second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines can be extended. The National Immunisation Advisory Committee is looking at the proposal with the Health Minister Stephen Donnelly saying it could result in more people getting a first dose

Donegal is to receive the largest allocation of funding under the Rural Regeneration Programme. €21.3 million has been allocated to three areas of the county. Carndonagh will receive just over €9.5 million with €9.7 million going to Ballybofey/Stranorlar. Meanwhile, Burtonport is to receive €2 million. It follows a previous tranche of funding to improve infrastructure

There are renewed calls for the government to set-up a recovery taskforce for the hospitality sector ahead of a potential summer reopening. It’s understood June’s being considered as a likely time when restaurants and hotels can resume trading. Further detail’s expected towards the end of the month. Meanwhile the Taoiseach has confirmed a major stimulus