Author name: oisinkelly

  The government has refused to rule out a cut to the pandemic unemployment payment. The current 350 euro payment is due to expire on August 10th. However, Ministers have said they don’t want a cliff edge situation for people where it ceases to exist. But Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath wouldn’t say whether the

  The full reopening of pubs, and how to limit the number of tourists travelling into this country, will be discussed by public health officials later. The National Public Health Emergency Team meets this morning, with all licensed premises due to be allowed reopen next Monday, under Phase 4. No new Covid-19 deaths have been

It’s been confirmed that a Bluefin Tuna tagging scheme which operated on a pilot basis last year is to operate again in 2020. There is no provision for the sporting or commercial catching of Bluefin tuna in Ireland, but 22 charter angling vessels are being licenced to participate in the special Catch and Release tagging

The number of people claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment in Donegal has fallen by 50% in just over two months, according to figures published by the government. 11,400 people will receive the payment in Donegal today, compared to 22,700 in the first week of May. 14,700 people receive the payment in Donegal today, 3,300 fewer

The Travelling community is still trying to find its place in Irish society, but will continue striving to find its voice. That’s according to Senator Eileen Flynn, the first Traveller Woman to take a seat in the Seanad. The Ardara based senator has launched this years Traveller Pride Week, celebrating the community’s diversity and pride.

A Donegal Inspector says it is very worrying that driving under the influence detections have increased rather than decreased as was expected as a result of less traffic on the roads over the past number of months. 9 people across the county were arrested for driving under the influence over the weekend, 6 for drink

Former Mayor of Buncrana, Lee Tedstone who travelled from America on Friday believes concerns around tourists arriving into Ireland over the weekend are justified. Lee had been living in Texas for a number of years but has relocated back home. Speaking on the Nine til Noon Show this morning, he says efforts to contain the

Animals in Need Donegal say they are bracing themselves for an increase in demand for their service. Due to Covid-19 restrictions a number of veterinary services were temporarily suspended including neutering which its feared will lead to an increase in the number of unwanted animals. On Friday, four kittens were found abandoned in a cardboard

The government should consider jailing tourists who don’t quarantine for two weeks, according to an infectious disease expert. It follows reports over the weekend some US visitors were failing to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival. Direct flights to Ireland resumed from several US cities in recent days, despite the country continuing to record high

The first Irish Traveller elected to the Seanad will launch Traveller Pride Week today. Donegal Senator Eileen Flynn says she has spent her whole life fighting “racism and inequality” People are being invited to take part in today’s events online, which is aimed at building solidarity and celebrating the role of travellers in Irish life.

The Health Minister wants travel companies and airlines to make it clear to tourists there’s an expectation they isolate for 14 days when they arrive to Ireland. There have been reports over the weekend of visitors not quarantining when they come on holiday. There’s a mandatory self-locator form for visitors to tell officials where they

The Cathaoirleach of the Inishowen Municipal District has hit out as its emerged Carndonagh Garda station has been omitted from the Garda Building and Refurbishment Programme. The station was deemed not fit for purpose by Chief Superintendent Terry McGinn in 2018 with concerns over health and safety and station security raised in the past. Donegal

The Health Minister says everyone coming into the country must self-isolate, with no exceptions. It comes following reports on social media of tourists entering the country and not staying in quarantine for two weeks. It is mandatory for people to fill in a self-locator form at airports letting officials know where they plan to stay

The HSE’s new Contact Tracing App has detected its first cases on Covid-19. As of today, the app has been downloaded by over 1 million 180 thousand people. The HSE say a number of patients that have tested positive for coronavirus uploaded their details to the app. Its contact tracing team have spoken to people

A Donegal TD has called on the new Government to provide the necessary funding to complete the breakwater for Greencastle Harbour. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has been informed that the Department of the Marine provided almost €9 million in funding from 2006 to 2011 for the rock breakwater, which is not yet complete. Combined with

The reopening of pubs on July 20th could be delayed over fears of a second wave of Covid-19. It follows scenes of large crowds drinking in Dublin last weekend, coupled with a recent rise in cases among young people. Discussions on Phase 4 of the country’s reopening, which includes pubs that don’t serve food, are

A Donegal TD has written to Higher Education Minister Simon Harris, urging him to address the challenges faced by many Donegal students when the new academic year begins later this year. Deputy Pearse Doherty says the issue of poor access to broadband for participating in online lectures is a very serious one to be raised,

One more death and 25 more cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in the Republic. One of the new cases was in Donegal, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the county to 468. Nationally, the total number of cases is now 25,589, while the death toll has risen to at 1,744. Infectious diseases

A Government TD is urging Tanaiste and Enterprise Minister Leo Varadkar to ensure there’s a new emphasis on the potential of remote working in Donegal as the IDA seeks to attract new investment. Deputy Joe McHugh says that there has to be a real change of how IDA approaches client companies, saying there’s a real

A number of key members of the Mica Action Group have stepped down with immediate, saying it’s now time for Donegal County Council’s steering committee to move centre stage, while they get on with repairing their homes. Their final statement repeats their call for a public enquiry into what happened. Chairperson Ann Owens, PRO Eileen