Author name: oisinkelly

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

  The public are being invited to have their say on the Proposed Variation to the County Donegal Development Plan in respect of the TEN-T Priority Route Improvement Project. The Proposed Variation specifically identifies and protects the new preferred route corridors for the TEN-T project. The TEN-T Project is a proposed major strategic roads project

Level 5 restrictions could be in place until May with Ministers expecting almost no measures to ease next month. The phased re-opening of schools is likely to be the only major easing of the current lockdown amid fears around the new COVID variants. Public Health Officials were described as incredibly cautious last night by senior

  The Seanad will debate a Labour Bill today, which would ensure student nurses get paid. The party wants them to get the same wage as healthcare assistants for the hours they work during placement. Labour Senator Annie Hoey claims student nurses and midwives are being exploited, as the Government’s refused to pay them during

47 additional covid deaths and 901 new cases have been confirmed. 29 cases have been identified in Donegal. 771 covid patients are hospitalised, of which 151 are in ICU. The 14 day incidence rate is 252.9 per 100,000 of the population.

The Leaving Cert exams will get underway on Wednesday June 9th. English paper one is the first exam to take place and will be held at 9:30 that morning. Physical Education will be the last subject to be examined on Tuesday June 29th. No additional time has been allocated for students to complete their tests

A Donegal man who “sneaked” into an apartment through an unlocked door and raped a sleeping woman has been jailed for four years. Justice Alex Owens said that Desmond Leitch’s incorrect insistence that the victim was a prostitute demonstrated a lack of remorse. He said Leitch had no business entering into the woman’s apartment block

Investigations are continuing after a man was assaulted in Ramelton on Saturday night last. At around 8:30pm on Saturday, Gardaí attended the scene of an incident at a premises in Ramelton. A man in his 30s suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital. Gardai have confirmed that no arrests have been

The North will keep current lockdown restrictions until the 1st of April. The Stormont Executive says exam pupils will return to school on the 22nd of March. Before that – on the 8th of March – children at pre-school and primary year groups P1 to P3 will go back.

There has been an additional 6 covid related deaths reported in the North. 342 people tested positive for Coronavirus in the last 24 hours. There are now 418 people being treated for the virus in hospitals, with 51 patients in ICU in Northern Ireland.

18 arrests have been made by Gardai and the PSNI following a joint operation to tackle rural crime along the border. High visibility patrols took place throughout all border counties yesterday, as part of a planned Cross Border Joint Agency Task Force Operation concentrating specifically on routes being used by burglars and gangs. This Joint

  Donegal County Council is to receive over €1.2m for the retrofitting of 45 social homes. It’s part of the Government’s Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme for Social Housing. With approximately 40% of Ireland’s energy-related carbon emissions coming from buildings alone, one of the key objectives of the Programme is the target of retrofitting reaching over

  Motorists travelling on the main Lifford to Letterkenny road are being urged to take care following reports of a major oil spill. Caution is particularly advised at the Manor roundabout where the spill is said to be at its worst. Separately, people are being urged to drive with caution at Oatfields roundabout in Letterkenny