Author name: oisinkelly

  The Donegal hospitality sector will be the worst hit if the Government don’t match moves by the UK to lower the VAT rate as a matter of urgency. That the view of IHF Donegal Chair Paul Diver who says the county will suffer the most in the coming weeks due to its close proximity

  Guidance for schools on how to re-open safely will be issued by the end of July. The government intends to open schools as fully as possible by the end of August and September. The Department of Education has acknowledged there will be increased staff required in some cases to allow schools to follow the

  Serious concern has been raised once again over controversial plans by Irish Water to construct a sewerage treatment plant near a local national school. Irish Water has confirmed that it intends to lodge a planning application to Donegal County Council in the coming weeks to begin construction on the Ramelton – Rathmullan Sewerage Scheme

  The emergency services are being praised for their swift response to a rescue off Malin Head yesterday evening. The alarm was raised after reports of a small boat in difficulty at around 7pm with both the Greencastle Coastguard and the Rescue 118 helicopter attending the scene. A man was airlifted to Altnagelvin Hospital after

  The alcohol groups wants the VAT rate on drinks to be cut from 23 percent to nine percent for six months. Drinks Industry Ireland and pub trade groups say it would be a “targeted measure” – badly needed by the 60 per cent of pubs outside Dublin it says still haven’t opened up again.

  The Stormont Executive has confirmed money now been ring fenced to allow the Magee Medical School project in Derry to move to the next stage. Foyle MLA Karen Mullan says the delivery of the graduate entry medical school will not only enable us to produce doctors to serve our local communities, it will be

  There are major fears over how new measures to help the tourism industry in Northern Ireland will impact on trade here in Donegal and the rest of the country. The VAT rate for the hospitality sector in the North is to be cut from 20% to 5% to assist businesses through the crisis. Meanwhile,

  There are further calls on the Infrastructure Minister in the North to explore extending the rail line in the North West. It’s thought that extending the network into places like Letterkenny and Strabane would tackle regional inequality and address what’s been described as significant gaps in rail network in the region. Passenger numbers on

  A Donegal Deputy says there remains a lot of unanswered questions’ surrounding a vacant permanent Senior Palliative Care Consultant post at the Donegal Hospice. It emerged last week that the post has been effectively vacant since early 2018, raising concern over how the facility can operate in a sufficient manner. It’s understood that the

  Serious concern has been raised over what’s been described as an extremely low uptake on Microenterprises Loans. Figures show that there’s only been a 0.012% uptake of the loans with interest rates seen as major barrier. Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle says this coupled with the amount of paperwork required in order to obtain a

  The country’s top health officials will consider whether pubs should be allowed to fully reopen at a meeting this morning. The National Public Health Emergency Team will also discuss a ‘green list’ of countries for foreign travel. They’ll also speak about the Covid Tracker App, which 1 million people have now downloaded. Pubs are

  Donegal County Council’s Heritage Officer is urging towns and villages to consider submitting applications for funding from Heritage Ireland. Joseph Gallagher says there is a growing recognition of the importance of both the survival and regeneration of towns and villages. Speaking following confirmation of a €200,000 investment in Ramelton, Mr Gallagher urged other communities

  Work has recommenced on the Joe Bonner Road in Letterkenny, with Irish Water relaying a length of sewer there. The new road will link Port Road and Neil T Blaney Road. In February, it emerged work on a the project had stalled because of issues with a newly laid sewer . At the time,

  Today is the deadline for students to apply for grants to go to college – if they want to be prioritised. 77,000 people have already submitted an application for a SUSI grant. The Higher Education Minister believes applications will be up this year because of Covid-19. Simon Harris says there will be enough funding

  A government TD has said he feels the towel is already being thrown in for the tourism sector. Marc MacSharry has complained the brief has been rolled into a Department with a number of other briefs and will suffer for attention as a result. The Fianna Fáil TD feels there’s already a negativity about

  An appeal has been made from the owner of a mobile zoo in Kilmacrennan after four of their llama were discovered missing this morning. Extensive searches are underway in the area for two adult and two younger llamas that are estimated to be worth around four thousand euro collectively. Anyone with information or sightings

  A Donegal Deputy has described the Taoiseachs comments on the Good Friday Agreement as contradictory and ridiculous. Michael Martin has stated that Sinn Féin have an over-focus on a border poll and favours a more cautious approach to the issue. Under the programme for government a new unit is to be set up in

  A Donegal Sergeant is calling for urgent clarity from the Justice Minister over law enforcement concerns among Gardai as we emerge from the pandemic. It comes as Gardai are said to be confused about how to police the re-opening of pubs, according to a new survey. The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors says

  Shops across the country are losing up to 25 percent of their floor space due to Covid-19. The parent group of Mace, Spar, Londis and XL says 98 percent of retailers have had to invest in upgrades. Measures such as extra spacing and perspex dividers have been introduced to ensure social distancing. Group CEO

  The Wage Subsidy Scheme will be ‘amended and extended’, according to the Minister of State for Business. 382,000 people are still availing of the scheme, after their businesses ran into difficulty during the pandemic. It’s due to end in late August, but the cabinet sub-committee on economic recovery will discuss plans to extend it

  A Donegal Deputy is urging the Taoiseach to act over revelations from the Central Bank that banks were not required to charge additional interest on payment breaks during the pandemic. It’s after a meeting between the heads of Ireland’s banks and the previous Government suggested there was a requirement by the financial regulator to

  House prices in Donegal have dropped slightly in the second quarter of 2020 when compared to the same period last year. According to the latest report from Daft.ie the average house price in the county was €145,113 in quarter 2 of this year – 0.1% lower than a year previously. Sale prices fell by