Author name: oisinkelly

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Finance has said that cutting unemployment supports for those who have lost their jobs would present a massive blow to workers and families who have seen their incomes collapse as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. With more than 600,000 people having lost their jobs, Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty has said

Parents are being urged to monitor their children for symptoms, as concerns grow over a new rare inflammatory syndrome, thought to be linked to Covid-19. 7 children here have already been investigated for the condition, called PIMS, while there are 230 suspected cases across Europe associated with the virus. The inflammatory condition can cause fever,

The Donegal County Library Service is encouraging people to take part in the ‘Get Caught Reading’ initiative. Running throughout the month of May, the library is looking for creative images of parents, children, pets and even toys, capturing the love of reading. While libraries remain closed, library staff say that they really missing interacting with

Residents in an area of Letterkenny are said to be frustrated over their local post box being temporarily sealed off by a fence. The post box at New Line Road is now said to be inaccessible because of works being undertaken by Irish Water with the section of footpath cordoned off. It’s understood that many

  Phase one of the easing of Coronavirus restrictions will begin next week. Cabinet has signed off on the move which will see construction sites, DIY and hardware stores open from Monday. People will also be allowed to play golf or tennis and meet in groups of up to 4 people outdoors. The government has

  The General Manager of Letterkenny University Hospital says a plan is underway to ensure surgeries resume. However, Sean Murphy says safety for patients is critical in the current climate and services must be reinstated accordingly. Letterkenny University Hospital now boasts two new wards – the short stay ward and the new stroke unit –

A County Derry woman has welcomed a move by the Home Office to change how its immigration rules affect people in Northern Ireland. Emma De Souza took a legal case when an application for a residence card for her US-born husband was rejected. Now, British and Irish citizens born in the North will be treated

  A Gaoth Dobhair based company has secured a multi-million euro package of work from Jaguar Land Rover. Irish Pressings, located at the Udaras na Gaeltactha business park, is expected to start the work in 2021. The company has grown by an average of 20% a year since established in 2005 with plans to employ

  Senior Management at Letterkenny University Hospital has assured Donegal TDs and Cllrs that they will engage with consultants further to establish a green pathway which would allow cancer surgeries resume. There are major fears locally and within the hospital itself over the huge backlog of surgeries which lie ahead for Letterkenny and the welfare

  A Donegal Deputy has suggested extending appointment availability in a bid to ease imminent waiting lists. Speaking in the Dail last evening, Deputy Thomas Pringle urged the Health Minister to consider introducing weekend and late evening outpatient appointments as a way alleviating the backlog. Deputy Pringle warning Minister Simon Harris, that another crisis looms

  Donegal County Council has advised that priority will be given to both senior citizens and vulnerable people in the Bernard Mc Glinchey Town Park, Letterkenny on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9-11am. An Garda Siochana will also have member(s) of the community policing unit in the park during these times. Local Cllr Jimmy

  The Northern Executive says first steps of lifting the pandemic lockdown can start as soon as Monday. Garden centres and recycling facilities will be allowed open up again. Outdoor retail is to reopen in phase one of the North’s roadmap for easing restrictions and a further announcement’s planned at the start of next week.

  The Education Minister is being urged to clarify the status of the July Education Programme, also known as the ‘July Provision’. The July Provision provides funding for an extended school year for children with a severe or profound general learning disability or children with autism. But with the curtailing of the school year Donegal

  The ISPCA admitted six donkeys and two ponies into its care recently, the second large rescue in Donegal in a matter of weeks. The animals were discovered living in sheds with conditions inside said to be so bad that the animals had nowhere clean to lay down and had no feed available to them.

  The Assistant General Secretary with Forsa says health workers locally feel let down by the Government over efforts to provide childcare for them. The scheme, which was due to be rolled out from Monday, was due to help nurses and doctors go to work and have their children minded. But it’s been cancelled because

  The HSE is hoping turnaround times for a Covid test will be three days from Monday. The Health Executive says it’s been working to update its technology to automate results. Latest figures show there are 23,400 confirmed cases here and 1,497 people have lost their lives. CEO of the HSE, Paul Reid, says it

  People in Donegal who have applied for planning permission are being told to expect delays in decisions. It’s because the timeframe for statutory planning has been extended until May 23rd with a possibility that it could be extended further. There’s also a reminder that Donegal County Council is currently only receiving applications by post.

  Fianna Fail is calling for independent statisticians to ensure that the new leaving cert process is fair. It comes after a row in the Dail yesterday between Labour’s Aodhan Ó Ríordáin and the Minister for Education Joe McHugh. Deputy O Ríordáin argued that the algorithms used by the Department of Education to standardise results

  Investigations are continuing into the circumstances surrounding the death of a female child following a farm accident in Inishowen. The incident happened in the Malin area at approximately 5.20pm yesterday afternoon. The child was pronounced dead at the scene and her body removed to Altnagelvin Hospital. Two separate investigations by An Garda Siochana and

  The childcare plan for healthcare workers has been scrapped due to a lack of providers. The scheme, which was due to be rolled out from Monday, would see childminders go into the homes of healthcare staff at a cost of 90 euro a week per family. However, Minister Katherine Zappone announced last night it

  A contractor has been appointed to carry out a multimillion euro infrastructure project in west Donegal. Work on the N56 Dungloe to Cloghbolie Road project is expected to get underway shortly. The new 7.1km long road and cycleway project is estimated to cost €22 million and is the fourth phase of the overall 26

  A Donegal TD has issued a stark warning to the Government that without the recovery of SMEs there will be no economic recovery. Deputy Pearse Doherty has written to both the Finance and Business Minister requesting additional liquidity supports for small and medium sized businesses. Measures proposed include an extension of the commercial rates

  There’s been a stand-up row in the Dáil over the new system for the Leaving Cert. Labour’s Aodhan O’Riordain says the algorithms used by the Department to standardise results will impact unfairly on disadvantaged schools as the results will be partly compared to previous years. Minister Joe McHugh claims the system will be fair

  IT problems are being blamed for a delay in turnaround time for Covid 19 testing. Over 44 thousand tests have been carried out in the past week with a positivity rate of 3.3 per cent. The Director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory is hoping it will soon take 3 days from people reporting