Author name: oisinkelly

The Pandemic Unemployment Payment will remain in place until the end of June. People will be able to apply for the payment until June 30th, with the current four rates of payment to remain unchanged. Over 6 billion euro has been spend on the scheme so far. The Enhanced Illness Benefit will also continue to

The Taoiseach will give an address to the nation at around 6pm on the updated Living with COVID plan. It’s expected to set out the timetable for re-opening schools alongside an extension of the Level Five restrictions. Micheal Martin will announce an extension of Level 5 lockdown until April 5th – saying it’s too early

Gardaí have confirmed that they attended a premises in Buncrana last week which was found to be in breach of Covid-19 regulations. Gardai engaged with those present at the premises which is believed to be a gym. They say where Gardaí identify potential breaches of public health regulations a file is prepared for the DPP

There have been a further 5 Covid related deaths in the North. 225 people tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours. 376 patients are being treated in hospital for the disease in Northern Ireland, with 48 in ICU. The North’s Department of Health has confirmed three cases of the South African variant

The Health Watchdog has published a report on infection prevention and control in Letterkenny University Hospital. Two wards were inspected in the hospital; one ward on the COVID-19 pathway and one on the non-COVID-19 pathway. Improvements were required around the hygiene of equipment in one ward area of the hospital. Overall the inspection identified that

Police in Derry City and Strabane are reminding people to stay safe online following recent reports from parents concerned about internet chat sites. Sergeant Adrian Brogan says while the internet can be great for allowing children to stay connected to friends, researching for school work or playing games, it is still important to ensure the

  An investigation is continuing into a weekend assault in Buncrana. The incident happened in the early hours of Sunday morning on the forecourt of a filling station at Ludden. A physical altercation is believed to have taken place between a number of males between 4am and 5am that morning. Two males received hospital treatment

  A car has been damaged during an incident of criminal damage in Ballybofey. The incident happened on Friday morning last at around 6am in the Blue Cedars estate. A resident heard a loud bang outside and when they exited the house they discovered that a flower pot had been smashed and damage had been

  There are calls for the beef taskforce to speed up its work, with farmers claiming they’ve been “left high and dry”. The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association says the group hasn’t met since December and say it is inexcusable they are being kept in the dark about the cut in beef prices in

  A water pump has been stolen from house in Castlefinn. The burglary happened at Gibbstown at some stage between Sunday the 14th of February and Saturday the 20th of February. The water pump was taken from a shed at a property in that area between those dates. Gardai say that they should obtain a

  Two men have been charged in connection with an aggravated burglary in Strabane. The incident happened on Sunday evening. The two aged 22 and 24 have been charged with a number of offences including grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary with intent to steal, aggravated vehicle taking and criminal damage. Both are due to appear

Level 5 restrictions will be extended until April 5th this afternoon with home building remaining shut for another month. While more than 300,000 students will return to the classroom next Monday. Last night the cabinet sub-committee on COVID agreed to extend Level 5 restrictions until at least April 5th when there will be a review.

Enterprise Ireland doubled its investment in start-ups in 2020. The state agency gave 48 million euro throughout the year with 125 companies supported. Agri-tect, cybersecurity and digital health were among the sectors which benefitted with funding, while 30 percent of the companies were ran by women. In 2019 around 24 million euro was given to

The Glenshane Road which had been closed due to an earlier two vehicle crash, has now reopened. A passenger in one of the vehicles was taken to hospital for treatment while the two drivers reported no injuries.

A man has been hospitalised following a crash between a cyclist and a car in the Glenswilly area this evening. Gardaí and emergency services are currently at the scene of the collision which occurred at around 5:40pm. The man has been taken to Letterkenny University Hospital for treatment to non-life threatening injuries.

The Glenshane Road in Derry is been closed following a serious road traffic collision. Police say the crash happened at 4.25pm this afternoon. The road was closed earlier also following an early morning fatal collision. Diversions are in place for Belfast bound traffic at the Glenshane Road junction with the Tirbracken Road while Derry bound

The total cost of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment to date has topped €6 billion. There is a slight decrease this week in the numbers in receipt of the payment, they are down by just over 4,200. 16,178 people in Donegal will receive the payment this week, down from 16,355 last week. In total more than

There have been a further 4 covid related deaths in the North. 187 people have tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours. There are 386 patients being treated in hospitals for the disease in Northern Ireland, with 51 in ICU.

A man has died following an early morning crash in Derry. The man in his 40s died after his motorcycle was struck by a vehicle on the Glenshane Road shortly after 5.30am. The road is closed in both directions at Altnagelvin hospital and will remain closed for some time. Local diversions are in place and

  The Irish National Teachers Organisation is calling for a review into fees currently being charged for online Gaeltacht courses. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, traditional courses cannot take place in the Gaeltacht. Concern has been expressed among some student teachers that the online versions are effectively costing the same as attending the traditional courses. Initially,

  Two men have been arrested following a report of an aggravated burglary in Strabane yesterday evening. Just before 7pm, two men forced their way into a house Ballycolman Estate and assaulted the two male occupants with a hammer before stealing their vehicle. Police located the stolen vehicle a short time later and arrested two

There’s been a serious collision in Derry this morning.  The Glenshane Road in Derry has been closed in both directions at Altnagelvin Hospital following the crash. Local diversions are in place but delays are expected in the area. Motorists are advised to seek an alternative route if possible.

A disqualified driver was detected at an Operation Fanacht checkpoint in south Donegal.  The motorist who had been disqualified for for an accumulation of penalty points was caught by Gardai in the Ballyshannon area yesterday with the help of the mobility app. The driver was arrested and a court appearance will follow.

  Health certs are now required for importing certain items from Britain to Northern Ireland. Sausages, mince and pate-type products made in Britain are currently only allowed in under the terms of a six-month grace period. The rule will expire at the end of June with a deal possible before then between the EU and

  TDs’ salaries are expected to rise above 100,000 euro a year with a pay increase in the next couple of months. The Irish Independent reports a pay rise is expected for top civil servant before July. Currently members of the Dáil are paid a basic salary of over 98,000 euro.

  A status yellow wind warning for 14 counties comes into effect from tonight. It will be in place for Munster, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Donegal from 9pm until 6am tomorrow morning. Winds could reach gusts of up to 110 kilometers per hour according to Met Eireann.

  The Agriculture Minister has issued a call for proposals for Food Waste Reduction Initiatives under the 2021 Rural Innovation and Development Fund. Minister Charlie McConalogue said the funding will enhance the work previously funded to identify, target and address the issue, while Ireland generates over 1 million tonnes of food waste each year. The

679 new cases of covid 19 have been confirmed and 1 more patient with the virus has died. 230 of the new infections are in Dublin, with 59 in Limerick, 48 in Galway, 47 in Kildare and 29 in Tipperary. 26 new cases were confirmed in Donegal this evening. The country’s 14 day incidence rate