Author name: oisinkelly

  Letterkenny businessman John Watson has said while coming to terms with losing his business has been difficult, the potential loss of life would have been so much worse. An investigation is continuing to determine the cause of the devastating fire at Watson Hire on Monday evening. The blaze broke out just as John and

  Fianna Fail members in Donegal are receiving their ballot papers this morning to cast their postal vote on the Programme for Government. There are just under 1,000 Fianna Fail members in the county eligible to cast their vote however there’s said to be a major split within the party locally over plans to enter

    It’s been confirmed that both the Swilly and Foyle ferry services will resume next month. Both ferries are to set sail for the summer season on July 20th and will run until the end of September however there are hopes locally that the date could be brought forward pending how the lifting of

  An infectious diseases expert says hairdressers and barbers should be allowed to reopen at the end of this month. It’s ahead of a meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team this morning. They’ll discuss the accelerated roadmap for reopening the country, which was reduced to just four phases recently. Hairdressers and barbers are

  There are calls for urgent clarity over the future of the medical rehabilitation unit in St. Conal’s Campus in Letterkenny. A number of families locally are said to be concerned over proposals to relocate to Letterkenny University Hospital and how this will impact on the care of their loved ones who are scheduled for

  A major social housing development in Strabane has been given the green light. A £20 million investment will see 158 new social houses and a play area constructed on the old Adria site in the town. It’s estimated that 160 construction jobs will also be created over the course of the project. West Tyrone

  Work has started on the Greenway link between Muff in Donegal and Culmore in Derry. There are three main Derry routes which will transcend the border between the Buncrana Road and Bridgend, between the Letterkenny Road and Killea, and between the Culmore Road and Muff, beginning at the Pennyburn Roundabout right through Muff and

  The Green Party will discuss whether or not to go into government at a special conference this afternoon. More than 2,600 party members registered to vote on whether or not to approve the programme for government. Members will have the chance to debate the issue over 9 hours today before voting next week. Green

  It would be a miracle if the EU managed to broker a full trade agreement with the UK within the next few months. That’s according to a Midlands North West MEP. The European Parliament will vote today on a resolution that calls on the UK to abide by the Brexit Withdrawal agreement. The President

Cllr Rena Donaghey has been officially installed as the new Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council. Cllr Donaghey replaces fellow Inishowen Cllr Nicholas Crossan in the role and is the first female Fianna Fáil member to do so. The Buncrana based Cllr was proposed by Cllr Ciaran Brogan and seconded by Cllr Paul Canning. Speaking at

A Donegal County Councillor has hit out over an increase in fly tipping across the county in recent weeks. Today a significant number of bags containing household rubbish was found dumped at Magheraroarty Pier in West Donegal. Councillor Michael McClafferty is appealing to people to ensure they dump their rubbish responsibly:

There are calls for a £500 bonus to be given to care workers in the North, in recognition of their work during the Covid-19 pandemic. A scheme has been introduced in Wales whereby care workers at all levels, despite how many hours they have worked will receive a payment of £500. West Tyrone MLA Daniel

  There are further calls on businesses in Donegal to apply for the Restart Grant for Small Businesses scheme. The Grant is available to businesses with a turnover of less than €5m and employing 50 people or less, which were closed or impacted by at least a 25% reduction in turnover out to 30th June

  There’s been a significant increase in the level of homelessness in the north west. Figures show that there was a 19% increase in those using emergency accommodation in the region over the last year while data since 2017 reflects a 30% increase. The General Manager of North West Simon Community Noel Daly while the

  A local businessman and Cllr says there are a lot of unanswered questions over new measures which will allow restaurants and pubs that serve food reopen at the end of the month. People may only be able to spend 90 minutes in a restaurant or pub to allow the two metre social distancing rule

  An Inishowen Councillor has hit out over what he termed the ‘same unacceptable solution to policing in Carndonagh’ being put forward. Councillor Albert Doherty has written to Chief Superintendent, Terry McGinn raising concerns over plans to centralise Gardai in the Clonmany area to service Carndonagh and surrounding areas. The Garda station in Carndonagh has

  There are calls for financial support for Community Centres in Gaeltacht areas which have been severely impacted by Covid-19. Such centres are significantly supported by revenue generated by Gaeltacht colleges throughout the summer months. However, due to the global Coronavirus pandemic, Gaeltacht courses have been cancelled this year. Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty, while welcoming

  People will have to spend at least nine euro when they buy a ‘substantial meal’ in pubs when they reopen at the end of the month. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre also says pubs, cafes and restaurants will only have to stick to one-metre social distance rules in certain circumstances. The new guidance has

There will be a political crisis if the programme for government doesn’t get passed, according to Leo Varadkar. The Taoiseach has said he believes there is plenty in there for his party to support it. Despite opposition from TD Eamon O Cuiv and some councillors, Fianna Fáil is also expected to back the programme for

  The community of Letterkenny will rally behind John Watson and his team. That’s according to Letterkenny Chamber President Jimmy Stafford who was reacting to yesterday’s devastating fire at Watson Hire. An investigation is continuing this afternoon to determine the cause of the blaze. Mr. Stafford says John has been a great community man throughout

  There’s been a staggering 70% increase in demand in services from the We Care LK Food Bank since the Covid-19 crisis began. The Community based Voluntary Organisation which is based in Letterkenny is reporting an unprecedented demand for food parcels with over 800 distributed to families over the last few months. The Food Bank