Author name: oisinkelly

A Donegal TD says changes to the proposed budget for the Common Agricultural Policy are to be welcomed, but this is only the start of the process. Deputy Charlie McConalogue, the Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Agriculture, Food and the Marine says it’s positive that the proposal has moved from a proposed cut to a small […]

Donegal County Council and Water Safety Ireland are urging people to be careful when in and on the water this weekend. They urging people not to swim alone, to have all the safety and communications equipment they need, and to ensure they follow restrictions. Donal Kavanagh has more:  

  Glendowan National School has been sanctioned funding to build a long-awaited pre-school on site. A total of 185,000 euro has been awarded by the Department of the Gaeltacht – 95% of the money needed to complete the project. It’s part of the overall language plan for the Gaeltacht. Education Minister Joe McHugh says its

  The General Manager of Letterkenny University Hospital has said the downward trend in Covid-19 cases at the hospital is encouraging but warned against complacency. The latest HSE figures show two patients with suspected Covid-19 were admitted to the ICU at Letterkenny University Hospital in the past day while the number of confirmed cases has

  The funding and Advocacy Manager at Pieta House has given reassurances that their facility in the North West will not be closing. It ends weeks of speculation over the future of Pieta House North West with reports of staff put on notice and appointments not being scheduled beyond June. However Tom McEvoy has stated

  The Finance Minister has confirmed public sector workers will get a planned pay rise in October. Unions have been campaigning for the increase to go ahead despite the predicted 30 billion euro hole in the state’s finances due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the final stage of the pay deal, around 330,000 public sector

  It’s emerged that more than half of the residents from a Donegal nursing home have died from Covid-19 – the highest percentage of deaths in any nursing home nationwide. The Rock in Ballyshannon was closed a month ago following a suspected outbreak at the HSE-run facility and the 19 residents were moved to a

  A Donegal County Councillor has given a guarded welcome to the Stability fund for Irish Summer Colleges Sector. €4.7m was announced by Government yesterday but it’s understood that Mna an Tis will only see a fraction of this – €4.00 per night per student for which they were meant to accommodate this summer. There’s

  The Labour Party says the Minister for Education needs to start hiring staff and building prefabs to get schools ready to open if social distancing is still in force in September. A roadmap for reopening schools is due to be published next month, but Joe McHugh says it’s hard to see all students back

  A Lifford Stranorlar area Councillor says people in the Ballindrait are losing patience after yet another burst on the Tober Water Supply line yesterday. Cllr Gerry Crawford says it’s the third time in four weeks that the pipe has burst, and while Irish Water have included the line in its latest contract to repair

  A Donegal TD says the Irish government needs to take an interest in the archeological dig currently taking place at Valledolid in Spain at a site which may be the final resting place of Red Hugh O’Donnell, who died there in 1602. A quantity of skeletal remains has been uncovered, with no confirmation as

There are renewed calls on the Government to reinstate the cliff rescue element to the coastguard in Bunbeg as a matter of urgency. The service was withrawn from West Donegal some years ago, with local Coastguard sources saying they’ve been prevented from attending such rescues as they once did. Local Cllr Michael Cholm MacGiolla Easbuig

  The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation feels it’s not physically possible for children to return to schools in September under the two metre social distancing rule. The group says the Department of Education will publish a roadmap for the reopening of schools in two weeks time. It says teachers will have no difficulty returning to

  It’s been claimed that the misuse of prescription drugs in Strabane is a major problem. The use Benzodiazepine, Opioids and Amphetamines is said to be increasing at an alarming rate, particularly among young people. It’s further claimed that the new type of drug use is leading to youths being hospitalised. Community Activist Michael McLaughlin

  Almost 100 people in Donegal have been driving with only a learner permit over 20 years. According to freedom of information figures, 255 people in the county have been driving with a learner permit for 10-20 years. The figures also show that there’s currently a total of 7,055 learner driver in the county. Aisling

  Leaving Cert students have until 10 o’clock tonight to register for calculated grades. The system was brought in by the Department of Education to replace the written exam due to Covid-19. More than 50,000 students have registered so far. Ciara Fanning, president of the Irish Second Level Students’ Union, says it’s an easy process:

  The government is being urged to give a cast iron guarantee that local councils will be fully reimbursed for the rates income they are losing as a result of Covid-19. Deputy Marc Mc Sharry told the Dail last evening that the rates holidays given to SMEs need to be extended, but that cannot be

  The Dail has been told there should be no further delay with the Mica Redress Scheme, as Donegal County Council awaits the detail of the scheme, and the go ahead to publiash the criteria and invite applications. Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn urged the government to ensure there is no further delay, and also stressed

The decision on how long the COVID emergency payments will last may be made by the next government. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the pandemic payment will be extended beyond the current June expiry date. The Labour Party says it would be premature to end the payments before people are fully back to work. Meanwhile,

    60 people have died on Irish roads so far this year, that’s an increase of 9 percent compared to last year. 18 pedestrians have been killed in 2020 – double the amount in 2019. Gardai have launched their June Bank Holiday road safety appeal. Chief Superintendent Paul Cleary says there’s been an increase