Author name: oisinkelly

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,

A Donegal TD is urging the government to implement a proper stimulus package for regional airports in line with the recommendations of the Taskforce for Aviation Recovery. Deputy Thomas Pringle was speaking during a Dail debate on the level of support for regional airports. Deputy Pringle pointed out that Donegal is highly dependant on the

In Northern Ireland, Stormont ministers remain in deadlock over whether the current circuit breaker measures should be eased from Friday. In a meeting this afternoon, the DUP Economy Minister, Diane Dodds, proposed the hospitality sector should partially reopen – but the majority of the executive voted against that plan. In a bid to end the

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney says it wouldn’t shock him if Brexit talks fell apart, he still believes they can succeed. Intensive discussions are continuing in London in a bid to secure a trade deal between Britain and the EU in time for the end of the transition period on January 1st. Key stumbling blocks

The Chairman of Donegal International Airport has told the Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications Networks that a five year plan for the facility’s development will be crucial in recovering from the impact of Covid-19. Steve O’Culain said getting back to pre-Covid numbers will be a challenge………… Meanwhile, it’s been confirmed that it’s unlikely that

  The Green Party Leader is being urged to take decisive action to tackle the massive driving test backlog. It comes as recent figures show that there are over 1,800 Donegal people on the waiting list. Almost 700 people are waiting in Letterkenny, while there are over 360 waiting for a test in Donegal Town.

  The family solicitor of a woman who died at following what’s been described as a failure to properly diagnose and treat a blood clot at Letterkenny University Hospital has said that the HSE urgently need support teams to ensure that this never happens again. The High Court was told yesterday that 54 year old

  A travel expert says we’re a long way off air travel as we used to know it, despite the introduction of the EU traffic light system. It will come into effect on November 29th and will mean people won’t have to self isolate once they pass a covid test, five days after their arrival.

  There’s some confusion over proposed traffic calming measures for Manorcunningham. Residents have long campaigned for the safety measures to be installed on Main Street, including a pedestrian crossing and ramps. However Donegal County Council says that current plans only include a pedestrian crossing. An on-site meeting between engineers, local representatives and members of the

  There’s big concern that planned upgrade works to the road and improved facilities at Murder Hole Beach won’t be finished ahead of the 2021 tourism season. The road leading to the hugely popular attraction is said to be too narrow while there’s also no parking, with scenes of gridlock along route numerous times over

  The country’s 14-day incidence rate is estimated to be half of its peak on October 25th. It is now 151 – down from 309 after 270 new cases of the virus were reported yesterday – 21 of them in Donegal, as well as 16 additional deaths. Donegal, Limerick and Meath have the highest rates

  Stormont ministers have again failed to agree new Covid-19 restrictions for Northern Ireland. It was the second night in a row the Executive broke up without agreement and will meet later this afternoon. The current four-week lockdown ends at midnight tomorrow. Former UUP Leader Mike Nesbitt criticised the approach of the DUP and Sinn