Author name: oisinkelly

  It’s emerged that a young Donegal couple who are expecting a baby have been living in a caravan for some time because an electrician cannot come out to finish work on their new build due to the pandemic. The caravan, situated in a rural part of the county is said to be damp, and

  Students will have fewer questions to answer in the Leaving Cert this year, if they choose to sit the tests. But the Department of Education announced last night the duration of the exams will stay the same. The department is also advising schools not to run mock exams, as part of the calculated grades

  Ireland’s direct provision system will end in 2024, after being in operation for over 20 years. It comes the first residents of Letterkenny’s Direct Provision Centre are due to arrive in the days ahead. In a new report, the Department of Equality says all existing centres will close on a phased basis over the

  Professor Gabriel Scally says Ireland’s new mandatory hotel quarantine laws are only a ‘half-door measure’. The Dáil yesterday passed legislation that will force people arriving from 20 high-risk countries to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks. A Labour amendment to extend it to all countries was defeated. Professor Scally says he would also

  All elements of the Good Friday Agreement need to be implemented through institutions both North and South before a border poll can be considered. That’s according to Senator Niall Blaney who believes in the aftermath of the recent impasse at Stormont and the effects of Brexit being felt, the everyday needs of people and

  A Donegal Deputy says the Shared Equity Scheme is reckless and will do nothing but push up house prices further. The scheme would provide equity support to households seeking to purchase homes in the private market but unable to secure the full mortgage to do so. He told Green Party leader, Minister Eamon Ryan

Another new variant of Covid-19 has been detected in Ireland. It’s called the B1525 strain, which has been discovered in various countries around the world, including Australia, Denmark and the UK. Dr Cillian De Gascun, the director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, says there’s also now a case in Ireland:

The HSE has raised concerns about more people socialising – with a recent positive case having up to 38 close contacts. It says the positivity rate among close contacts in the community has risen to 27 per cent and 35 per cent for households. There are now 593 people with Covid-19 being treated in hospitals,

The Agriculture Minister has stressed the need for continued communication between Ulster Bank, its customers and staff in the coming weeks and months. The bank’s announcement that it is to leave the Irish market has been described as a major blow to rural communities with six branches currently serving the North West. Minister Charlie McConalogue

The Chairperson of Relay for Life in Donegal is urging people to become involved in this year’s virtual event, which is taking place online in June. Robert O’Connor says the Irish Cancer Society is continuing to spend money in the county, with the night nurse service continuing to operate throughout the pandemic, at a time

  The Transport Minister is being accused of locking the stable once the horses have bolted. The Dáil has been debating new laws that will require people coming into Ireland from high risk countries to quarantine in state-chosen hotels for two weeks. Opposition parties are trying to expand the remit to all passengers entering the

  Local Enterprise Week is going virtual this year with a full programme of online events designed to help Donegal businesses spring back into action. Kicking off on Monday, the week-long series of events is collaboration between Local Enterprise Office Donegal and its partners. Spring Back is the theme for the week, which runs until

  A Donegal Deputy believes all people coming to this island should have to quarantine. Further exchanges are currently underway in the Dáil on the government’s bill to introduce mandatory quarantine in hotels. The legislation was heavily criticised by opposition parties yesterday, who argued it doesn’t go far enough. If introduced, it’ll see arrivals from

  The Director of Public Health with HSE West says there are concerns over the North potentially emerging from lockdown sooner than Donegal and the rest of the Republic. Cross border travel has been sighted a contributing factor to rising Covid case numbers over the course of the pandemic. While both jurisdictions are currently under

  There’s disappointment over a decision to exclude the route from Letterkenny – Burtonport in this year’s Governments Greenway funding. The 50 mile proposed route leading into west Donegal has been long been flagged as having major tourism potential. A number of meetings between Letterkenny and Glenties Cllrs have already taken place in a bid

  It’s been confirmed that work on a youth centre for Strabane town is to start at the end of the year. In the interim, a mobile unit is to be deployed to the town which will cater for young people until a permanent facility is constructed. West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan says Strabane has

  The Vice Chair of the Regional Health Forum West has questioned if capacity in private hospitals was being utilised fully amid the ongoing pandemic. In line with restrictions many procedures at Letterkenny University Hospital have been cancelled or curtailed over the past months which has resulted in lengthy waiting lists. Figures show that since

  The number of patients with Covid-19 in public hospitals has fallen below 600 for the first time since January 1st. While, according to latest HSE figures 10 people in ICU died after contracting the virus – the largest number in a 24-hour period since the start of the pandemic. It comes as 574 new

  More than half of voters say the government is ‘not doing a good job’ in dealing with the pandemic. According to an Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll, the rate now stands at 51 per cent – up 15 per cent since last autumn. Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly also received poor ratings

  A Donegal Deputy has appealed to the Taoiseach and Tanaiste to ensure no stone is left unturned by Police in the North in the investigation into the death of Noah Donohoe. The 14 year old went missing in Belfast on 21st June 2020. His body was discovered in a storm drain 6 days later.

  A Stranorlar GP is warning that if vaccination targets are to be met, a lot the ‘red tape’ needs to be removed. A lot of the Covid-19 vaccines are set to be administered in mass vaccination centres, which in turn need to be adequately staffed. Those workers will need to be Garda vetted –

  Driver licences due to expire will be automatically extended due to the ongoing lockdown. Those whose licence is due to run out between March 1st and the end of May will have a new date of July, while licences which will expire between June and the end of August will have a new end

  A permanent ambulance base has been confirmed for Buncrana. After a long campaign, cover will be provided seven days a week from 10am – 7pm. The base will be located at the site of the current Buncrana Medical Centre on McCarter’s Road. Donegal Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn says it’s hoped that all will be up

    A new Primary Care Centre in Newtowncunningham is set to be complete by years end. The centre will house GP services augmented by other facilities, which will mean fewer people having to travel to the likes of Letterkenny or Derry. The aim is to have the facility fully functional at the beginning of

  The Donegal based Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation has been officially designated an EU Producer Organisation. The IIMRO is based on Arranmore Island and represents the interests of island fishers throughout the islands of Ireland The move is expected to be a significant boost to offshore communities. Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue says it will

  Less than half of people on the inpatient waiting list and day services at Letterkenny University Hospital opted to have their treatment in another location last year. Latest figures for 2020 show that out of 1,485 patients who were offered to have their treatment elsewhere, just 609 accepted the offer. Ann Cosgrove, Chief Operations

  The delivery of the City Deal will take a major step forward later as the Heads of Terms Agreement are due to be signed today. The move will pave the way to fund major projects for growth, investment and prosperity in the North West – the £250m deal is the single largest-ever Government investment

  Latest figures show 97 staff at Letterkenny University Hospital are currently off work because they have tested positive for Covid-19 or have been deemed a close contact. The highest proportion of staff affected is nursing staff with 47 currently absent from work. It’s been confirmed that since December last year, 17 extra nurses have