Author name: oisinkelly

A senior EU official has apologised to Ireland after an attempt to trigger article 16 of the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol. Triggering the article could have meant checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and the Republic. The EU attempted the measure to ensure vaccines were not leaving the EU through Northern Ireland, but quickly

There’s been yet another discovery of deceased animals dumped in East Donegal. Two sheep have been found by a local landowner discarded in the Meenreagh area of Killygordon, close to the border. Local farmers and landowners are said to be enraged by the latest discovery as it comes following the dumping of seven dead sheep

The Education Minister has told the cabinet she’s planning for a phased return to school for all students next month. March 1st has been set as a target date, but talks with unions and other stakeholders are still ongoing. Cabinet also heard that the negotiations on the Leaving Cert are continuing with the Minister hopeful

  Numerous bags of rubbish have been dumped outside a local charity shop. Under level 5 restrictions, charity shops remain closed yet in some cases; people are continuing to leave items at the door for collection. However, in recent days, the Good and New shop in Letterkenny has had to dispose of household waste which

  Gardai say there’s been a huge increase in the amount of older vehicles discovered abandoned or burnt out across Inishowen. Enquiries to date show that young motorists are buying older cars for maybe one or two hundred euro, driving them around for a time and then leaving them abandoned at the side of the

  An investigation is continuing in to a suspected attempted burglary in south Inishowen. It happened at house in the Bonnemaine area of Bridgend in the early hours of yesterday morning. The resident of the house was awoken by the noise and observed a male in a dark hoodie attempting to gain entry to his

  Ark Medical Centre in Letterkenny is one of the first GP practices in Donegal to begin vaccinating those over the age of 85 today. Local people in this age cohort who attend the practice are to be given their first dose of the vaccine in the days and weeks ahead. Dr Finian Bannon, GP

  The Taoiseach is defending the locations of the new vaccination centres. Yesterday, it was confirmed that Letterkenny Institute of Technology will be a such a centre but the move to allocate only one to Donegal has been described as ‘offensive’. Concerns have been raised over the need for two more centres locally, given the

  Legislation which would introduce a cap on interest rates charged by moneylenders is to be considered by the Finance Committee today. Currently, moneylenders are permitted to charge interest rates with APR of up to 187% with borrowers often finding themselves in a cycle of unsustainable debt. A report was commissioned back in 2018 for

Cabinet is to be updated this morning on the future of this summer’s traditional state exams. Talks between unions and the Department of Education have been taking place over the last couple of weeks with students calling for choice in sitting the exam or getting predictive grades, while teachers want the written tests to go

  A Donegal Deputy says its offensive that just one mass vaccination centre has been announced for Donegal. Yesterday, it was confirmed that Letterkenny Institute of Technology will be a designated vaccination centre. However, concerns have been raised over the need for more centres in Donegal, given the geographical makeup of the county. Deputy Padraig

  People will have to avoid crowded areas for at least the next six months according to the Deputy Chief Medical Officer. No new deaths were reported last night – the first time that’s happened since December 21st, while 821 new cases were detected – 29 of the new cases were in Donegal. 23 people

  The Cathaoirleach of the Inishowen Municipal District is calling for a comprehensive visitor management plan for Malin Head to be executed ahead of this summer season. Last year, Malin Head proved to be one of the most popular sites for locals and stanycationers alike. This is turn however, led to concerns over a lack

Minister Simon Harris has said Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has the right to due process over the leaking of a confidential document. Gardaí are investigating complaints about the incident which saw Leo Varadkar share a confidential GP contract with a friend of his in a doctors union. The Tánaiste has offered to give a statement to

  A former Education Minister says it’s clear that the Leaving Cert in its traditional format cannot go ahead this year. Talks on holding the leaving cert will continue today between the Department of Education and teacher unions. The ASTI pulled out of discussions last week over the calculated grades system but it has since

  The Donegal Chair of the Irish Hotel’s Federation believes there’s every reason to be optimistic that Donegal will have a good tourism season in the latter half of the summer. Last summer saw a big draw towards staycations with the county reaping the benefits of people holidaying at home. Donegal Chair of IHF Paul

  Donegal is to receive 34.5 million euro for road improvements and maintenance in the year ahead. It’s the third highest allocation nationwide. The money will see improvements to a large number of local and regional roads throughout the county after a comprehensive application was put forward by Donegal County Council. Minister Charlie McConalogue says

  There are fears that a new conservation management plan for Grianan of Aileach may impact the overall visitor experience. Under the plans being put forward, the car park will not be extended and there will be restrictions on the number of visitor numbers at any given time. Local Cllr Paul Canning says while he

    It’s hoped that an existing car park at a popular walking trail on the outskirts of Letterkenny can be extended. Serious concern has been expressed over the high volume of cars parked along the narrow route leading to Corravaddy Woods with some residents in the area said to be finding it difficult to

  The number of Covid patients at Letterkenny University Hospital has dropped significantly. The latest data shows 23 people with the virus are being treated on site with 4 ICU. There’s currently 899 people in hospital nationally with Covid-19 while 160 patients are in ICU. Infectious disease expert, Professor McConkey, believes Level 5 restrictions need

A Donegal Deputy will bring his insurance Bill to second stage in the Dáil this Wednesday. The Bill aims to reduce insurance prices by banning the practice of ‘dual pricing’, used by some insurance companies to identify loyal customers and charge them high premiums. The practice is said to affect millions of policyholders, costing customers