Author name: oisinkelly

The northern executive has agreed to increase penalties for breaches of Covid-19 rules from next week. Ministers have also decided to extend the places where wearing a face covering is mandatory. 923 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the North in the last 24 hours. It is understood the standard 60 pound fixed […]

923 new cases of the Covid 19 have been recorded in the North in the last 24 hours. There has been one additional death. It brings to 17,110 the total number of cases in Northern Ireland, while the death toll stands at 587. Minister Heather Humphreys says the situation in the north is concerning for

More than 200 community halls, libraries, and other public spaces are to be set up as high speed broadband connection points by the end of the year. 50 of these points are already up and running in remote parts of Offaly, Kerry, Cork and Dublin as well as islands off the coast of Donegal, Mayo,

  A Donegal Deputy says the winter plan is doomed to fail unless issues surrounding capacity in ICU beds are addressed. The steady rise in the number of people with Covid-19 are being treated in hospital is continuing today. There are 159 confirmed cases within Irish hospitals today – up from 156 yesterday. While there

  A Donegal Deputy says he has received hundreds of emails from people across the county who are involved in the arts and music industry, pleading for assistance. The sector is thought to be one of the hardest hit in the Covid crisis with many people saying they are facing a decline in their mental

  The Station Officer at Letterkenny Fire Station is warning that the fatal fires usually start at night time. National Fire Safety Week is underway in earnest with a big focus this year on smoke alarms. With people spending more time in their homes in the current climate, it’s thought the importance of fire safety

  The General Secretary of the Irish Postmasters Union says at this stage they simply don’t know where post office closures will be next year. There are renewed fears locally over potential post office closures in Donegal following news last week that An Post is facing losses of 17 million euro next year. A report

  Taoiseach Michael Martin has agreed to meet with a Tyrone councillor whose father was shot dead in front of her when she was four. Denise Mullan from Moy is an Aontu member of Mid Ulster District Council, and last week, the man convicted of killing her father was arrested after a death threat was

  There are five nursing homes across the country with 20 or more Covid-19 cases. Yesterday it emerged that there are 30 confirmed cases among residents and staff at Brindley Manor nursing home in Convoy, most displaying little to no symptoms. But concerns are being raised about the disease reentering the settings, after almost half

  Christmas can be saved if the right measures are taken, according to public health officials. NPHET is warning that cases of Covid-19 could exceed 1,000 a day in a matter of weeks and says we are now in a period of exponential growth. 611 cases were confirmed yesterday, along with 5 deaths. 60 of

New restrictions are expected to be introduced in the North today, after a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases. 828 infections were confirmed in the region yesterday, and over 4,400 in the past week. Stormont’s executive will meet today to discuss further restrictions, after local measures took effect in Strabane and Derry on Monday. Monaghan GP

  A former Education Minister says January 1st 2022 is a very realistic target for the official designation of the Technological University involving the Institutes of Technology in Letterkenny, Sligo and Galway/Mayo. Deputy Joe McHugh was speaking as Higher Education Minister Simon Harris confirmed the latest tranche of funding for the process, with the three

Mairead McGuinness says she will have to ‘hit the ground running’ in her new role as EU Commissioner. The European Parliament approved her appointment to the Financial Stability role by an overwhelming majority. The Fine Gael MEP is expected to be formally appointed in the coming days. Mairead McGuinness says it’s a challenging time to

  The Wild Atlantic Way has been named as one of the best places to visit in the world. The area, stretching from Donegal down to Cork, is Number 21 on Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travel List. Seven other destinations on the island make the cut, including Sliabh Liag in Donegal and the Giant’s Causeway, the

The Foreign Affairs Minister insists Ireland will not be forced to put a hard border in the North if there is no Brexit trade deal. Simon Coveney appeared before the Oireachtas European Affairs Committee this morning, where he said there were still some obstacles to achieving a deal between the EU and the UK. He

In the Dail this afternoon, Taoiseach Michael Martin said it’s clear that more testing and tracing is taking place, and the rise of cases in the community means there is a heightened risk in nursing homes. He said NPHET will advise the government’s Covid committee of any more measures necessary ahead of a committee meeting

  Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle has labelled Leo Varadkar ‘Trump-like’ for his response to NPHET’s request to move to level five restrictions. It’s after the Tánaiste told his Parliamentary Party that a move to level five couldn’t be ruled out in future. The government rejected NPHET’s advice with Leo Varadkar highly critical of their decision

  A Donegal Deputy believes low pay is a big factor for the extent of current outbreak of Covid-19. A motion, calling for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment to be restored to 350 a week, is currently being debated in the Dail this afternoon. It now ranges from 203 to 300 euro a week, after cuts

  A Garda Sergeant in Donegal is warning that Gardai’s efforts to encourage people to follow restrictions will only work if there’s a buy in from the general public and if those restrictions are mirrored in the North. Operation Fanacht is underway right across the country however checkpoints have already been ramped up across Donegal

  Brindley Manor Nursing home is actively ensuring that all appropriate measures are put in place to contain the outbreak of Covid-19 at the facility. 30 cases of the virus have been confirmed among residents and staff at the nursing home after a a planned testing process, however it’s understood that the majority are displaying

  The rest of the country is now under Level 3 Covid-19 restrictions along with Donegal and Dublin for three weeks. People are asked not to travel outside their county, and eating inside restaurants and cafes is banned. Last night, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar told the Fine Gael Parliamentary party that a short ‘circuit-break’ lockdown, like

  Traffic jams are to be used by Gardaí from this morning to discourage people making unnecessary journeys. Operation Fanacht came into force at midnight across the country with 132 checkpoints a day on main roads, while there will be thousands more in towns and villages. Gardaí will not have enforcement powers but if compliance

  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