Author name: oisinkelly

Sinn Féin Councillors in Donegal and Tyrone have this afternoon called for urgent clarity from Irish Water and NI Water following reports of a pollution incident close a Windfarm near Barnesmore Gap. The incident involved a peat slippage, resulting in material polluting the Mournebeg River, which flows into the Derg River in Tyrone, and also

Exiting level 5 in December should be done on a county by county basis, according to one health expert. The national 14-day incident rate is 135 per 100 thousand, but some areas of country are experiencing much higher rates. Local figures show South Inishowen in Donegal has the highest local area rate, at 536 cases

  The Department of Transport is being urged to sanction funding to carry out extensive upgrade works to the main Glencar to Killylastin road in Letterkenny. The busy route is situated in a heavily populated area and fast becoming one of the main arteries into the town. While the Donegal County Council has stated that

  The impact of Brexit on the North may start the conversation about a united Ireland according to Mary McAleese. The former President believes there will be a border poll down the line and says the demographic in Northern Ireland is changing. The Government has previously said that a partition referendum would not be on

  Donegal County Council has committed to exploring the idea of a permanent one-way system for Kilmacrennan. Road improvement works in the village are on-going with a temporary one-way system in place to facilitate the works. Local Cllr John O’Donnell says it’s working well, improving safety for pedestrians and traffic flow in the area and

  Safety concerns have prompted calls for ramps to be installed on Church Street in Ramelton. The busy route is home to a number of schools and there have been reports from residents in the area of some motorists breaking the speed limit. Donegal County Council says that a continuous white line is to be

  Businesses in Northern Ireland have criticised an extension to the circuit breaker lockdown. The restrictions will be in place for another week after Stormont agreed after four days of discussions. However pubs and licenced restaurants will have to keep their doors shut for two weeks. The measures have already been in place for four

  The discussions in Stormont over the last couple of days have been overshadowed by disagreements between the political parties. The DUP rejected a number of proposals over the past couple of days using its veto. Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty is very critical of the party for not wanting to follow the advice of the

  It has not been ruled out that a planned Belfast-Dublin high speed rail link could connect to Letterkenny. The Good Friday Agreement Committee has been instructed to work with the Northern Ireland Executive with a view towards including the Derry-Belfast line in the cross border rail link as part of the recently launched Shared

  There are calls for the Irish Government and Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue to engage with EU counterparts in a bid to ban super trawlers from Irish waters. Yesterday, two Dutch registered super trawlers were spotted fishing off Donegal Bay. Donegal Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn says continuing to allow super trawlers hoover up fish in Irish

The ‘circuit-break’ lockdown in Northern Ireland is to be extended. Stormont Ministers have struck a deal that will see the current restrictions extended for two weeks, beyond Friday. Coffee shops, cafes and close contact services will be able to open a week earlier. The deal was supported by the DUP, Ulster Unionists and Alliance parties.

The HSE has called on people in Donegal to “double down” in their efforts to reduce the levels of Covid 19. It’s the only county with a 14 day incidence rate of more than 300 cases per 100 thousand. That’s over twice the national average – and the HSE’s described the situation in Donegal as

Irish Water says it wants to proceed with a wastewater scheme in Moville, but a High Court challenge brought by a land owner means it’s not possible to say when they will be able to proceed. The town is one of the eight areas of concern identified earlier by the Environmental Protection Agency. Colm Claffey

A TD has called for the army to be placed on the border to stop people from Northern Ireland coming into the Republic. Peter Fitzpatrick says something needs to be done to stop cross border travel if Northern Ireland decides to end its lockdown this week. Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said the government has no

  The Dail has heard that there are new cases of delayed cancer diagnosis at Letterkenny University Hospital. There are now three additional cases, involving women diagnosed with cancer of the endometrium. If follows 38 women having already identified as being impacted by issues at the hospital’s Gynaecology Department, waiting over 100 days for either

  A Donegal GP has warned parts of the county have become a hotspot for Covid conspiracy theories. Donegal is now the only county with a 14 day incidence rate of more than 300 per 100 thousand. That’s over twice the national average. Lifford-based GP, Dr Martin Coyne, says people peddling conspiracy theories is part

  The ownership of Pramerica is changing hands with assurances given that all jobs are to be retained. India’s Tata Consultancy has agreed to acquire Pramerica from insurance giant Prudential Financial Inc. Prudential Financial Inc. will retain the Pramerica Ireland brand, which will continue to operate in Letterkenny. No cash will change hands and TCS

  Small rural schools need to be protected if student numbers decline, according to the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation. The number of children attending primary school is set to drop by 20 per cent over the next 15 years according to projections by the Department of Education. This is because women are having fewer children.

  Donegal International Airport could become involved in a new tourism initiative to link the Western Seaboard by air. The idea was floated by the CEO of Kerry Airport last evening at a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Transport Committee, which was considering the plight of regional airports in the face of Covid-19. John Mulhern

    A new seating idea for Letterkenny is progressing with a number of businesses already expressing an interest. A motion, previously brought forward to the Letterkenny Milford District, called on Donegal County Council to invite businesses in the town to sponsor extra seating. The move would also allow benches be dedicated to members of

  Staff at Clonmany Post Office have been praised for their swift response in an attempted armed robbery. At around 5pm yesterday evening, a masked man armed with a weapon entered the premises and demanded money however it’s understood that staff let off the alarms and the man fled the scene empty handed. It’s understood

  Raw sewage is flowing into the environment from eight towns and villages in Donegal every day. Falcarragh, Kerrykeel, Kilcar, Moville, Ramelton, Rathmullan, Coolatee and Burtonport are the areas affected. A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency has highlighted 113 locations where Irish Water needs to prioritise wastewater treatment to protect public health and

  Ireland’s food and drink sector says it needs urgent financial support to avoid serious economic hardship after the end of the Brexit transition period in 50 days time. It’s one of the findings of a new report from Food Drink Ireland, the IBEC group which represents the industry. It says funding of 125 million,

  The TII is to be made aware of traffic concerns at the Mountain Top in Letterkenny with hopes that changes to two roundabouts in the area may be considered. It’s thought that the layout of both the Mountain Top and Pramerica roundabouts could be altered slightly in a bid to alleviate major congestion on

  The Taoiseach has come under pressure from members of his own party to move the country to Level 2 Covid-19 restrictions for Christmas. Yesterday, Micheal Martin said the aim was Level 3 from the 1st of December to allow businesses to re-open. However, at a meeting of the Fianna Fail parliamentary party last night,