Author name: oisinkelly

  Local contractors have been given the green light for building to start on major projects for two schools in Donegal – St Mary’s Stranorlar and Scoil Cholmcille Letterkenny. St. Mary’s is to become a new 24 classroom school and Scoil Cholmcille is to get eight new classrooms, a hall, ball courts, removal of prefabs

  Over 870 people in Donegal have been receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance for at least a decade, one of the highest figures in the country. Nationally the figure is almost 14,000 – Dublin accounts for a nearly third of those – and is followed by Cork, Donegal and Wexford. The Department of Social Protection says a

  The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of the new Leaving Certificate subject Computer Science, according to researchers at the University of Limerick. Computer Science was available to Leaving Certificate students in 40 schools, two of them in Donegal ; Abbey Vocational School in Donegal Town and St Eunan’s College in Letterkenny. The subject

  The architects who are looking at the creation of a Cultural District in Letterkenny say there is huge potential for growth in the area linking An Grianan Theatre, the Regional Cultural Centre and the Donegal County Museum. Almost 200 people responded to a recent online survey to outline their ideas of what should be

    Education Minister Joe McHugh is being urged to announce the winning tender for the new St Marys National School in Stranorlar today. With the three parties involved in government formation talks set to reveal results of internal ballots by this evening, this could be Minister Mc Hugh’s final day in the job. Cllr

The Mica Redress Scheme will open for applications on next Monday, June 29. Donegal County Council’s Redress Committee met this afternoon to discuss the scheme, with officials saying they are ready to accept applications from Monday. A special portal is being launched on the Donegal County Council website, and applications can be made online. Committee

  The Bluestack Special Needs Foundation says the children who use their service have been heavily impacted by the crisis and they need urgent guidance from Government as to how they can get back up and running. The voluntary organisation based in Donegal Town is run predominantly by parents of children with special needs and

  A private bus operator in Donegal is hoping for more clarity from Government later today over when they can get back on the road. It’s presumed only at this stage that face coverings will also compulsory on this mode of transport. Private bus companies are said to be one of the hardest hit by

  Universities have no plans to reduce fees for courses beginning later this year, even though some may be fully or partially moved online. The Irish Universities Association says they’d like to have all students on campus but that it may not be possible due to social distancing guidelines. Director General Jim Miley says the

  A Donegal Deputy has described a proposal to kick start the tourism and hospitality sectors as a crucial piece of the jigsaw in getting the Donegal economy back on its feet. Under this scheme, every adult would receive a voucher worth €200, while every child would be entitled to a voucher worth €100, to

    The newly elected Cathaoirleach of the Lifford Stranorlar Municipal District says there will undoubtedly be significant challenges to overcome in the year ahead. Castlefinn Councillor Gary Doherty takes over from Independent Cllr Frank McBrearty in the role while Cllr Gerry Crawford has been elected Leas Cathaoirleach. Cllr Doherty was elected at their AGM

  The new Cathaoirleach of the Inishowen Municipal District says he wants to see the North West City Region made a central part of policy in both Dublin and Stormont. Speaking after his election last evening, Cllr Albert Doherty said many pressing issues await the community as the Covid 19 lockdown eases. He says it’s

The Taoiseach is urging the EU Commission to change its guidelines for the distribution of Coronavirus support funds. Under current plans Ireland will get just 3 billion of the 750 billion euro COVID recovery fund announced last week. This calculation is largely based on the fact that Ireland is one of the wealthier member states.

  Gardai are investigating a report of criminal damage which happened overnight in Letterkenny. The door of a business premises on Lower Main Street was reported damaged at around midnight last night. Gardai say no arrests have yet been made with enquiries on-going. Anyone with information is being asked to contact Letterkenny Garda Station.

  The Licensed Vintners Association is urging pubs to make sure they re-open responsibly. Pubs that serve food can open their doors again on Monday as coronavirus restrictions are eased. But there are reports some owners are planning to break the 105-minute time limit for customers to stay. Donall O’Keeffe, CEO of the LVA, says

  The Donegal Rape Crisis centre is reporting a surge in calls over the last few weeks and has stated that a funding injection from Government is needed to cope with the demand. Yesterday alone saw four crisis referrals by the local centre. The Covid-19 lockdown has been cited as a catalyst for the spike

A leading chain of hair salons is going to charge customers more to undo the damage caused during lockdown. Peter Mark’s salons are due to re-open on Monday along with hairdressers and barbers across the country. It says customers may be charged an extra 60 euro for a “colour detox” if they dyed their hair

  The head of the HSE says nearly 1 in 10 people in the Republic have now been tested for Covid 19. Almost 405 thousand tests have been carried out so far – more than 28 thousand of them have been positive. Meanwhile, the HSE is finalising plans to release a new app aimed at

  It’s emerged public health patients are receiving treatment at private hospitals while 40 beds lie empty at Letterkenny University Hospital due to a lack of funding to staff them. The latest sitting of the Regional Health Forum West heard that funding to reopen these beds will be sought under the HSE’s Winter Plan. It

  Recruitment for the Acute Stroke Unit at Letterkenny University Hospital is underway with a view towards opening the facility in September. It was initially set to open early this summer, however the process was delayed due to Covid-19. The lack of a unit at the hospital was brought back into the spotlight in January

  A Donegal Deputy has met with Housing Minister Damien English and told him that when it comes to rolling out the Mica Redress Scheme, no family can be left behind. Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn has received assurances from Minister English that the 90% Government contribution under the scheme will be paid swiftly and in stage