Author name: oisinkelly

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

The North’s First Minister Arlene Foster and other unionists are threatening legal action over the Northern Ireland Protocol. They argue the Brexit settlement agreed for Northern Ireland is not compatible with the Act of Union of 1801, which set up a customs union between Britain and Ireland. Tomorrow the House of Commons will debate a

Due to the overwhelming number of responses to their recruitment drive, Donegal Mountain Rescue have closed their expression in interest link. The Donegal Mountain Rescue Team provides an emergency response, remote environment and extreme terrain, search and rescue service for Donegal. The team is comprised completely of volunteers who are on 24 hour call. The

Gardai in Co Monaghan are questioning a man over the discovery of a cannabis growhouse. It was found after officers searched a property in Carrickmacross last night. 300 cannabis plants worth 250,000 euro were seized. A man in his 30s was arrested – he’s being held at Carrickmacross Garda Station.

Catholic church leaders have requested that public worship be allowed to take place through Lent. At a meeting with the Taoiseach yesterday, Archbishops Eamon Martin, Dermot Farrell, Kieran O’Reilly and Michael Neary emphasised its spiritual importance, particularly through Holy Week and Easter. They also requested the number of people allowed to attend funerals be increased.

A South Donegal Deputy has hit out at what she says is the Government’s cynical disregard of its ‘commitment’ to a policy of Balanced Regional Development. It’s after a fund to support the development of outdoor dining infrastructure was announced for eight cities and towns across the country. Deputy Marian Harkin however, has described the

Over 250 families in Derry and Strabane are rolling up their sleeves and getting ready to embark on the journey towards self-sustainability. The ‘I Can Grow’ Project is a new environmental project encouraging more people to grow their own produce. The initiative, led by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland supported by the National Lottery

The Skeoge Link Road in Derry has reopened following a search operation in the area. A search operation was initiated following a report that a device has been left in the Racecourse Road area of the city earlier today. Police however, have confirmed that nothing untoward was found during the searches.

286 fines have been handed out by Gardai in Donegal to people in breach of Covid regulations, that’s up 65 on last week’s figure. A total of 6,297 fines have been handed out nationwide for non-essential travel. Gardai have issued 638 fines for non-essential journeys to the airport, which is in breach of Covid regulations.

An additional 28 Covid related deaths have been confirmed this evening. 763 new cases have also been reported, 26 of them in Donegal. 754 people are currently being treated in hospital for the virus, 151 of which are in ICU.

A further 5 covid related deaths have been recorded in the North. 313 people tested positive for the coronavirus in the last 24 hours in Northern Ireland. 403 patients are being treated for the virus in hospitals, while there are 49 people in ICU.

  Ireland Reads is a new campaign to get the whole country reading this month in the lead up to a national day of reading next Thursday. Donegal Libraries have teamed up with libraries nationwide, publishers, booksellers, authors and others for the campaign, which is part of the government’s Keep Well initiative and aims to

  A search operation is underway this morning in Derry following a report that a device has been left in the Racecourse Road area of Derry. To facilitate the search, Skeoge Link Road will be closed for several hours. Diversions are in place via Culmore Road and the city centre. In a statement, Superintendent Catherine

  Ulster Bank has announced a phased withdrawal from the Irish market. It will take place over a number of years, with no immediate change for customers. Staff have been told there will be no additional compulsory redundancies this year. There are six Ulster Bank branches across the North West – Letterkenny, Buncrana, Ballybofey, Donegal

  The Covid incidence rate continues to fall in all local electoral areas in Donegal. The latest data covers the 14 days up to last Monday and shows further improvements in all areas however the rate in Lifford/ Stranorlar is still above the national average. 25 cases were recorded in North Inishowen with the areas