Author name: oisinkelly

  Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern says it’s ‘disingenuous’ to say the Northern Ireland protocol can be scrapped. First Minister Arlene Foster is calling for it to be abolished, ahead of talks between British and EU negotiators next week. Some customs checks at Larne and Belfast ports remain suspended due to threats made against staff. Bertie

  A constructive meeting has been held in relation to future progress for the Mica Redress Scheme. To date,188 applications for the scheme have been received by Donegal County Council, and the Housing Minister met with the Mica Action Group yesterday during which a number of key issues were discussed. Minister O’Brien confirmed during the

  Education stakeholders will meet today to discuss the fate of this summer’s Leaving Cert. The Government’s expected to make a decision on the options for the exams at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting. Unions, student and parent groups along with Department of Education officials are meeting. Teachers Union of Ireland General Secretary, Michael Gillespie says his

A new school build for Gaelscoil na gCeithre Maistiri in Donegal Town is a step closer. It follows confirmation that approval has been issued to the design team to now apply for planning for works at the school. Donegal Deputy Joe McHugh in welcoming the announcement, says it highlights the continued drive from the Department

A seriously ill Longford woman who settled a high court action over the CervicalCheck scandal yesterday, is to attend a specialised treatment centre in Mexico next week. 32 year old mother of two, Lynsey Bennett, will travel to the Hope for Cancer Treatment Centre to try to stall the cancer and strengthen her immune system.

The Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality and Integration has confirmed that work is ongoing to assist two Donegal facilities which are said to be under ‘harrowing pressure’ financially. Donegal Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn has in the Dail, raised the need for funding to be sanctioned as a matter of urgency for

  Some of the footpaths in Glenties are said to be posing a real danger to pedestrians in the town. It’s been claimed that a number of people have tripped and fallen and that many have suffered serious injuries as a result. The Minister for Transport and the Minister for Local Government are being urged

  Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle has supported a motion for Dr Niall Muldoon to be re-appointment as Ombudsman for Children. The Donegal Town native was first appointed Ombudsman for Children in 2015. Children’s Minister, Roderic O’Gorman has praised Dr Muldoon’s work of his six year term and acknowledged how he worked effectively to ensure children

  A Donegal County Councillor believes quality broadband is now a basic need and is just as important as electricity. The issue of poor connectivity, particularly in rural parts of Donegal is said to be more prevalent than ever with lockdown, a big increase in people now working from home and online learning for children.

  Regional airports are getting funding to help reduce emissions, and to keep some routes operating. 21 million euro was announced in November for Donegal, Kerry and Knock Airports through the Government’s Regional Airport Programme. The funding will also be put towards keeping services between Donegal and Dublin, as well as the capital and Kerry.

  Ireland’s in for the “long haul” in its fight to suppress Covid-19, according to the Taoiseach. Micheal Martin told his parliamentary party last night the UK variant is increasing the disease’s reproductive number by zero-point-five and is slowing the decline in case numbers. He also told members that reopening schools and construction will be

  A Donegal Doctor has welcomed confirmation from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee that all Covid-19 vaccines authorised for use in Ireland can be administered to all adults, including those aged 70 and over. The NIAC says those aged 70 and older should be given an mRNA vaccine which includes Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Dr

  Two Donegal facilities are facing what’s been described as ‘harrowing pressure’ with further calls on the Government to sanction the necessary funding as a matter of urgency. Both the Bluestacks Foundation in south Donegal and iCare in Inishowen have both been inexistence for nearly 20 years yet neither facility have received sufficient public funding

It’s been confirmed that the residents of St Columbcille’s Village in Clonmany will receive their Covid-19 vaccine next week. Minister Charlie McConalogue received confirmation this afternoon that the first dose of the vaccine will be administered at the centre next week and the second dose two weeks later. It comes following a campaign to ensure

  Fuel poverty has always been prevalent in Donegal and the pandemic has only worsened the issue further. That’s according to Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle who was speaking the Dail this afternoon, supporting a motion to extend fuel allowance to people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Deputy Pringle made reference to a study

  It’s hoped that residents in the St. Columbcille Village in Clonmany will get vaccinated against Covid-19 next week. The facility wasn’t as high on the priority list for vaccinations because it is not a nurse-led centre. Although no definitive date has been set for the rollout, it’s understood that senior management in the HSE

  The Foreign Affairs Minister says doing away with the Northern Ireland protocol is unrealistic. The North’s First and Deputy First Ministers will hold talks with the European Commission and the British Government today over it’s implementation, as the DUP has launched a campaign for the protocol to be scrapped. It follows Europe’s decision to

  Professor Gabriel Scally says conference centres and halls should be hired to enable schools to reopen safely. There’s no clear timeline for when mainstream schools will reopen, although the current restrictions do allow for it. Public health expert, Professor Scally, says some measures need to be taken for that to happen:

  A Donegal parent whose child has special needs says the talks over the return to school shouldn’t have been played out in public. Special needs education will resume later this month, after an agreement was reached between government and stakeholders. Local Parent Leonard Watson has a child attending the Little Angels School in Letterkenny

  The Cathaoirleach of the Stranorlar MD has insisted that gritters should operate throughout the night, particularly during an extreme weather alert. Currently, gritters here do not operate between the hours of midnight and 6am with concern locally among some motorists who have to use untreated routes during that time frame. The Council is being

A Donegal Deputy has accused the Public Expenditure Minister of being ‘tone deaf’ over the Government’s approval of an €81,000 pay hike for the next secretary general of the Department of Health. Minister Michael McGrath told the Finance Committee yesterday it was the “right decision” to increase the salary from €211,000 to €292,000. An open

  The recent surge in Covid deaths is directly due to restrictions being lifted before Christmas, according to Professor Gabriel Scally. A daily-record of 101 deaths were confirmed here yesterday, while one of those people was 19-years-old. However, the lowest number of cases since December 28th was also recorded, with 879 new infections. 15 of

  People on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment should be entitled to a Fuel Allowance, according to Sinn Féin. The party has put forward a motion on the issue which will be debated in the Dáil later. Earlier this week, People Before Profit called for the fuel allowance to be doubled with so many people staying