Author name: oisinkelly

  The Dáil will today hear renewed calls for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment to be restored to its previous rate. People now get between 203 and 300 euro a week if they lose their job due to the Covid crisis. This week alone saw an extra 2,000 Donegal people get the payment after being put […]

  A West Tyrone MLA is calling on for the location of a mobile Covid-19 Testing Unit is located in Omagh. Catherine Kelly says apart from a brief period at the end of May, there has been no testing facility located in Tyrone’s main population centre. She says Omagh has a disproportionately high number of

  Agriculture and Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue says a no-deal Brexit will have consequences for Irish agri food businesses which export to or import from Great Britain. In a presentation to the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and the Marine, Minister McConalogue said the Department has been working for several years to prepare for all contingencies.

  With Donegal Connect 2020 taking place tomorrow, Donegal County Council says there’s been a huge interest from virtual audiences across the globe. Last year’s inaugural event saw a concerted effort to bring members of the diaspora home on holiday, with a view towards possible relocation. Tomorrow’s online event will focus on key themes including

  The shocking events which unfolded in Donegal on Sunday prove once again the very real need for a dedicated armed response unit for the North West region. That’s the view of GRA Donegal representative Brendan O’Connor. He was reacting to a series of incidents in the county on Sunday which included a car chase,

  An appeal has been re-issued for information in relation to missing man Cian Langelaan. The 27 year old who has been reported missing from the Falcarragh area was last seen on Sunday September 27th in the Hornhead area where searches are being conducted. Cian is 5 ft 8 inches tall and of medium build.

  A Donegal GP says he knows a “tsunami” of Covid-19 infections in his practice will result in people dying. Dr Martin Coyne is based in Lifford which has the highest 14-day incidence rate than any local electoral area in the country. There have been 87 cases in Lifford in the space of three weeks.

    Donegal still remains the county with the highest incidence rate nationwide. The latest stats today show that the county has an incidence rate of 273.3 per 100,000 population. That’s almost two and half times the national average. Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue says the only way to get the number of cases is down

  Gardai in Donegal are reminding people to increase safety measures in a bid to prevent burglaries. Operation Thor is underway in earnest with the initiative successfully reducing the rate of winter burglaries since its introduction in 2015. Due to Covid-19, there has been a big reduction in burglaries in the county due to people

  The general manager of McElhinney’s department store in Ballybofey says it’s a ‘sigh of relief’ that the government didn’t proceed to level 5. The government has rejected proposals to put the country in a second lockdown but all counties will move to level three restrictions from midnight along with Donegal and Dublin. Martin McElhinney

  The Health Minister has played down any rift between NPHET and the government over implementing Covid restrictions. That’s despite Tánaiste Leo Varadkar saying the proposals from Dr Tony Holohan were “not thought through”. Every county in Ireland will enter level three restrictions along with Donegal and Dublin from midnight tonight. However, they rejected the

    Údarás na Gaeltachta has launched a video campaign to highlight the quality of life and the opportunities offered in the Donegal Gaeltacht, with an emphasis on the gteic business hub in Gaoth Dobhair. The unit, which is currently being substantially expanded, offers hot desk and shared space facilities for remote workers, as well

  A Foyle MLA is calling for a major focus on air quality in Derry and Strabane ahead of International Clean Air Day later this week. Sinead Mclaughlin has launched a campaign to improve air quality in the district, which has been shown to have the worst air pollution in Northern Ireland. Ms McLaughlin says

A group of Independent Oireachtas members has said it’s vital that if there is to be a Level 5 lockdown, it must be on an All-Island bases. Deputies Thomas Pringle, Joan Collins and Catherine Connolly, along with Donegal Senator Eileen Flynn argue such a measure is necessary to prevent recurring lockdowns in the future. They

    It’s been confirmed that three incidents in separate areas of Donegal were connected and ultimately led to the abduction of a man in Convoy yesterday. A number of people have been arrested in Castlederg in connection with the incidents following a cross border operation between the Gardai and the PSNI. Gardai first encountered

  The Clinical Lead of the Covid hub in Letterkenny says Donegal is creeping into a danger area of Covid-19. Doctor Paul Armstrong who is also a GP in Lifford, the area which has seen the biggest spike in the virus nationwide, says early trends show that the rate of Covid-19 is coming down slightly.

  The Government’s considering whether the country should go back into lockdown after over 900 covid cases were recorded over the weekend. The National Public Health Emergency Team has recommended the entire country moves to level 5 restrictions. If adopted it would mean all social visits would be banned, travel would be restricted to 5

    New figures show the number of people in Donegal screened for cancer is down 70% on last year. Cancer screening programmes across the country had been temporarily suspended due to Covid-19 and while some services have resumed, Brest Check has yet to get back up and running. Cervical Check screenings in the county

  More than 3,500 cases of Covid-19 were reported on either side of the border over the past three days. Donegal continues to have the highest 14 day incidence rate in per 100,000 for Covid-19 in the country, rising to a rate of 257.6 per 100,000. Yesterday officials here reported 364 more positive tests, with

  Businesses are calling on the Government to publish the medical evidence to justify a move to Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions. Ibec says after six months people are still getting vague and changing criteria in the fight against the spread of the virus. It comes as the group is predicting a smaller than expected decline

  206 new jobs are being created across the country by start-up companies. The Tanaiste Leo Varadkar’s announced they’re being spread over Dublin, Kildare, Cork and Sligo. The high-tech roles are coming on stream at new companies through IDA Ireland. Leo Varadkar says it comes at the right time for the economy: