Author name: oisinkelly

    A voucher scheme should be rolled out once the tourism industry has reopened in a bid to stimulate the sector, according to Sinn Fein. It’s proposing every adult should be given 200 euro, with 100 for every child which would be seen as an ‘investment’ into the tourism sector. The proposed scheme would […]

It’s anticipated that the number of home care hours to clients in Donegal will exceed one million this year. In 2020, a total of 784,040 home care hours were provided to clients in the county with the HSE confirming that additional funding has been allocated in 2021, which will allow for an increase in home

  The Health Minister says they’re examining easing restrictions on low-risk outdoor activities next month. NPHET will advise the government tomorrow on whether there can be any lifting of parts of the level 5 measures from April 5th. There’s been renewed question-marks over things like construction opening amid rising cases over the past few days.

  The North’s Infrastructure Minister has again stressed she is committed to the A5, and doesn’t believe she had any choice but to commission further enquiries which will delay the project even more. Nicola Mallon was speaking in the Assembly, after her SDLP colleague Daniel McCrossan defended her against Sinn Fein criticism, saying she had

  The HSE has acknowledged that there is a substantial waiting list for children needed to access Speech and Language services in Donegal, but says action is being taken to address it. Almost 500 children are currently awaiting assessment, 290 of them for over four months. Answering questions from Cllr Gerry McMonagle at a Regional

  The World Health Organisation says Ireland has been hit by the ‘serious surge’ of Covid-19 recently. The country’s five-day moving average has increased by 10 per cent over the past five days, and is now 538. There was a slight drop yesterday, with 371 new cases and 24 deaths announced – 27 of the

An Inishowen councillor has expressed disappointment after being told that there are no plans to develop a vaccination centre on the peninsula, particularly in light of its proximity to the border. Cllr Albert Doherty told a meeting of the HSE’s Regional Health Forum West that Inishowen should have a centre. Saolta CEO Tony Canavan said

Covid vaccine manufacturers are working to identify additional production sites in the EU, according to the European Medicines Agency. The EMA says if suitable sites are selected they can be approved for use in a matter of days. European leaders will consider an export ban on vaccines later this week, amid growing anger over the

  Gardai in Donegal will be clamping down on speeding motorists in the county later this week. National Slow Down day gets under from this Friday at 7am and will run for a 24 hour period until Saturday morning at 7am, The aim of “Slow Down day” is to remind drivers of the dangers of

  A residential area of Letterkenny has been the subject of a spate of vandalism in recent days. A number of properties sustained damage in Academy Court on the Oliver Plunkett Road in the town between the 15th of March and the 19th of March. In all incidents, numerous windows were smashed with investigations ongoing.

  There’s been a guarded welcome locally to a return of visiting in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. From yesterday, residents at long-term care facilities and nursing homes are now allowed two visits per week, on general compassionate grounds and once there’s a high level of vaccination in the facility. Since December, some visits

  The Health Minister Stephen Donnelly says the country’s fight against the spread of Covid-19 has “appeared to hit the floor”. The five day moving average of cases is now 580 – which is an increase of five percent in the past week. The Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn says people can have

  A booking portal for hotel quarantine is now available online. From 4am on Friday arrivals from 33 countries will have to pre-book into the system. A 12-night stay will cost 1,875 euro with meals to be provided. Taoiseach Micheál Martin says he expects more countries to be added to the list. Health Minister Stephen

  There are further calls on the Government to adequately resource home help support services in Donegal. New figures show that there are almost 120 people in the county who have been approved for home support but remain on a waiting list for the service. The Home Support Service costs approximately €165 a week per

  The Deputy Chief Medical Officer says people could be back living a largely normal day-to-day life by summer. Dr. Ronan Glynn says it can happen if vaccines are rolled out and a fourth wave is suppressed. 520 new cases were reported yesterday, while latest figures show 487,000 people have been given the first dose

  Half of Irish restaurants face permanent closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a group representing the sector. The Restaurants Association will be among the hospitality groups at today’s Oireachtas Tourism Committee, highlighting the need for more supports and a plan for reopening. The Hotels Federation will also outline how revenue across its

Bank of Ireland will today deny it’s using reduced footfall during the pandemic as an excuse to close branches. It will appear before the Oireachtas finance committee to explain why it’s shutting 103 branches across the island in September. Five branches in Donegal are set to go as part of the move. The bank will

  The number of Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes has passed 2,000. The Department of Health will tell an Oireachtas committee today the current figure is 2,009 – which is 44 per cent of all deaths here. But it will say the number of open outbreaks in these settings has dropped by 62 per cent

  Today marks one year since Northern Ireland entered its first full lockdown. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered people to stay at home for three weeks, except for very limited purposes. Nearly 750,000 Covid-19 vaccinations have now been administered in the North, which reported its lowest number of cases in six months yesterday, at

  The Saolta Hospital Group says the COVID 19 vaccination programme for health care workers and medically vulnerable people in Donegal is working well. The centre at Letterkenny Institute of Technology began operating earlier this month, with Saolta CEO Tony Canavan saying it will be ready to deliver vaccines to the wider community once that

The Deputy First Minister at Stormont says Northern Ireland is running the risk of sustaining the collateral damage from ongoing bad faith on the part of the British government in its dealings with the EU. Michelle O’Neill told the assembly that the British authorities have promised one thing and delivered another, and in the face

It’s emerged that Sinn Féin’s finances are being examined by the country’s ethics regulator. The Irish Independent reported at the weekend that the party’s alleged use of funds raised abroad is key to the probe. The purchase in cash of Sinn Fein’s Letterkenny office, for a six-figure sum is said to be the primary concern.

  It’s been revealed that the long awaited Acute stroke unit at Letterkenny University Hospital has officially opened. It opened last week following a number of delays due to Covid-19 with seven stroke patients currently receiving treatment at the new facility. The unit is the result of the major local campaign by hospital consultant Professor

  A Lifford GP believes that the current Covid outbreak in Donegal seems to stem within the county, resulting from some form of interaction about a week ago. It comes as the Covid-19 test centre in Letterkenny was described as ‘stretched’ yesterday with long tailbacks of people waiting in their cars to be tested. There’s

  An investigation is continuing into the discovery of a major tyre dump near Barnesmore Gap. The dump consists of a large number of used car and lorry tyres, dotted across the scenic area. It’s estimated that one pile alone contains around 1,000 tyres. Donegal County Council is carrying out an investigation into the large