Author name: oisinkelly

  Serious concern has been raised over what’s been described as a lack of guidance from the Government on how islands in Donegal can reopen. The offshore islands have been effectively shut off from the rest of the county since the Covid-19 outbreak began with no confirmed cases reported on any of the islands in […]

  Tanaiste Simon Coveney says he knows a lot of members of his party will find the programme for government difficult to support. The parliamentary parties of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens endorsed the deal late last night. It will now be put to their members to see if they will agree to

  A West Tyrone MLA has hit out at delays surrounding a funding package for farmers in the north impacted by Covid-19. £25 million funding is available however it’s understood that farmers will have to wait a considerable amount of time for both payments and also to see if they are eligible in the first

  Almost 1.7 million people are now reporting wearing face masks in public spaces. That’s based on latest data from the Department of Health, which shows an increase of six percent on last week. Wearing face coverings isn’t mandatory in Ireland, but it’s recommended in situations where a two-metre distance is hard to maintain. No

  Pubs, restaurants and hotels are to open in Northern Ireland at the start of July. Ministers in the Stormont Executive agreed to the move at a meeting earlier. From the 26th of June – caravan parks, camp sites and self-contained tourist accommodation will also be able to reopen. Colin Neill, Chief Executive at Hospitality

  Catholic confirmations will not be like those of the past when they resume later this year. That’s according to the Church’s most senior figure in Dublin. Ceremonies are expected to take place in August, however, rather than one large gathering, it’s expected a number of services will take place. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin says they

  Face masks are the next big step in the fight against Covid-19, according to the Minister for Health. The government has launched a new campaign to encourage people to wear face coverings where social distancing is difficult. Ads will be rolled out on TV, radio and outdoors advising people on how and where to

A public meeting is being held in Ramelton next week to discuss the erection of a mast in Drumonaghan Woods. It’s after An Bord Pleanála recently granted planning permission for the telecommunications mast despite grave opposition from locals. The meeting is being held on Wednesday June 24th at 8pm in Drumonaghan Woods, at the site

Gardai say an attack on an elderly couple in Letterkenny appears to have had some level of pre-planning. A woman in her 20s broke into the elderly couple’s house in the Coolboy area at around 7:30am yesterday morning. The woman who is in her 70s was knocked unconscious during the ordeal while the man, also

The new programme for Government is expected to address a number of headline issues in the agriculture sector. A new flagship environmental scheme is to be included. Donegal Deputy Charlie McConalogue who has been part of agriculture negotiations, is confident that farming will be protected into the future while also working towards meeting carbon emission

It’s expected a programme for government will be signed off on today by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party. Talks between the leaders of the three parties concluded late last night with most of the major issues resolved. Leo Varadkar, Micheál Martin and Eamon Ryan will meet again this morning hoping to sign

A status yellow weather warning has been issued for Donegal today ahead of expected further thunder and lightening storms. Yesterday Met Eireann announced a Status Yellow thunder warning for 19 counties. The warning is in place until 10pm tonight. Deirdre Lowe from the Met Office says the stormy weather will spread from the west, which

A number of homes and businesses are without power in and around Ballyshannon this afternoon. ESB networks estimate power to be restored to most by 6pm. The ESB are also urging people to charge mobile phones and check torch batteries incase of power cuts this evening. Lightning strikes knocked out supply to thousands of homes

A Donegal County Councillor has welcomed news that upgrade works will begin on a Glenties housing estate in July. Clos Naomh Conaill in Glenties has been facing ongoing flooding problems for a number of years, with parts of the estates roads sinking and footpaths falling. Councillor Michael Cholm Mac Goilla Easbuig claims the council and

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases at Letterkenny University Hospital has dropped to zero this weekend, while there are a number of suspected cases onsite. The number of confirmed cases in Donegal has risen by one to 470. Meanwhile, An infectious diseases expert says the health system’s extra Covid-19 testing capacity should be used to

New changes have been announced that’ll make it easier for victims of domestic violence to access Rent Supplement. They’ll now be given the support for three months based on referrals from Tusla services, Gardaí or the HSE. A further three month extension may also be provided subject to a means test. After six months, victims

A Donegal Councillor is calling on Minister McHugh to announce the winning tender for the new St Marys National School in Stranorlar. It comes as concerns grow that the planning permission will expire on the project with the risk of letting the planning expire for a second time. The new building will comprise of 24

The country’s largest teachers union says it would be “unacceptable” if any solution to reopen schools deviated from public health advice. A new report shows the current two-metre rule means primary school students only attending class one day a week, and secondary students twice a week. Yesterday the Education Minister said that would be a

A cross-border company with offices in Letterkenny and Derry has launched a COVID-19 ‘best practice’ kit. It includes optional antibody testing kits to help the public and private sectors in Ireland and the UK ‘Get Back to Work’ during the pandemic. The Conscia pack contains 50 surgical fluid repellent face masks, 100 pairs of disposable

The North’s Infrastructure Minister has confirmed her commitment to the delivery of a number of key road projects in the North West. Nichola Mallon says the delivery of the A2 Buncrana Road scheme and the A5 is part of her plan to aid economic recovery and community transformation. Michaela Clarke has more:

Primary school students may only return to school one day a week if the 2 metre social distancing rules are kept in place. It would also mean students in secondary could only attend school twice a week. If it was reduced to one metre primary school students could go to class 50 percent of the