Author name: oisinkelly

    People are being urged not to light bonfires this Halloween weekend. While there has been a significant reduction in the number of bonfires over recent years, Donegal County Council is warning that bonfires can cause serious damage to the environment and to health. The Council is also encouraging householders, businesses and communities not

  South Inishowen is now the local electoral area with the highest Covid-19 14-day incidence rate in Donegal. While most areas in the county have recorded a fall this week, the incidence rate in both Letterkenny and South Inishowen has increased. The latest figures cover the 14 days up to last Monday. South Inishowen now

  A quantity of fireworks have been seized in Donegal ahead of Halloween weekend. Gardai attached to Milford made the discovery following a search operation in Ramelton yesterday. The use of fireworks is illegal in Ireland without a licence. Earlier this week, Gardai issued the following advice for Halloween: Fireworks and the associated noise can

A motorist has been caught drug driving after trying to evade a COVID checkpoint in the Letterkenny area overnight. Gardai stopped the vehicle after it turned away from the checkpoint. The driver was discovered to be driving under the influence of Cannabis and Cocaine after they failed a roadside oral fluid test. Gardai have confirmed

  A Donegal Deputy is calling on the Government to lift taxes from Pandemic Unemployment Payments in the run-up to Christmas, to keep more money in the local economy. Deputy Thomas Pringle said The Finance Bill next week includes a section on taxing the Covid payments. While these payments have been taxable since the crisis

  Some publicans are selling their licences for as much as 50,000 euro. The Irish Examiner reports they are selling them to supermarkets which need a licence to be able to sell alcohol in stores. They are also in demand with those wanting to open an off-licence with pubs closed under Level 5 and people

A teenager is due in court in Derry this morning charged with a number of offences.  The 17 year old has been charged with a number of offences including two counts of aggravated burglary with intent to steal, using a motor vehicle without insurance and aggravated vehicle taking causing damage to the vehicle. He is due

    Aldi Ireland has confirmed that it has postponed all non-essential product Specialbuy promotions. All non-essential products currently on sale in the ‘middle aisles’ of its 144 Irish stores have also been removed. Aldi have been fully supportive of the government’s actions to combat COVID-19, and have been at the forefront of the retail

There are fears oxygen at Altnagelvin hospital may have to be rationed. It comes as hospitals in Northern Ireland were operating at above-capacity due to the number of patients with Covid-19. Altnagelvin is using between 800 and 900 litres of oxygen every minute, which is three times higher than the normal level. A member of

  A new survey has revealed that 81% of Donegal and Derry businesses are not planning on hiring new staff in the next year. The joint survey of over 130 North West businesses between the Letterkenny and Londonderry Chambers of Commerce revealed serious challenges for companies in the region over key issues like Covid-19 and

    Police in Derry have seized suspected Class B drugs with an estimated street value of £15,000. Officers from the Ballyarnett Neighbourhood Policing Team also made three arrests in relation to the seizure of suspected cannabis in the Carraig Ard area of the city yesterday. Three men, aged 18, 30 and 38 years old,

  More than a quarter of Garda stations nationwide don’t have regular opening hours. Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said there are 551 stations nationwide, with 153 not having regular hours which they open. In a response to a parliamentary question by Fianna Fail TD Eamonn O’Cuiv she said they can’t open regularly due to

  There are a further six deaths and an additional 675 new confirmed cases recorded by the Department of Health this evening. 20 of the new cases are in Donegal. Donegal’s 14 day incidence rate is now 312.8 per 100,000. Of the cases notified today; 309 are men / 364 are women 65% are under

  Detectives investigating the report of a sexual assault on a woman in Derry yesterday have made a specific appeal. The assault is reported as having occurred in the Magazine Street area of the city. Police are working to establish what happened and, in particular, are appealing to a man who came to the aid

Secondary teachers with the ASTI have voted for industrial action over covid concerns. The union says the government has to address issues including the need for a comprehensive testing programme. They want a 24 hour test turnaround, a redefinition of close contacts for school settings and appropriate arrangements for teachers categorised as high risk. The

  A security alert in the Shantallow area of Derry has ended. The alert followed a report made to police yesterday evening that there were two viable devices in the Shantallow area; namely in the Racecourse Road and Carnhill areas. Following this, a public safety operation was implemented, which included closing a number of roads.

The bodies of a woman and two young children have been discovered at a house in South Dublin. They were found at a house in Ballinteer in the past few hours. Gardai had to force their way into the house, where they found the body of the woman and two children of primary school age.

  The HSE has admitted the contact tracing system has struggled to cope with the recent rise in Covid 19 cases. Over three days earlier this month, almost 2 thousand people who’d tested positive were asked to notify their own close contacts. 6 weeks ago, the HSE was making around 8,500 contact tracing calls a