Author name: oisinkelly

    A Donegal TD is calling for an immediate review into the fleet tie-up scheme and supports to be delivered to the fishing sector. The voluntary fleet tie-up scheme, announced some weeks ago by the Minister, has been widely rejected by stakeholders in the fishing industry and has been described by some as not […]

  Work has officially begun on the long-awaited extension at Glenswilly National School. Contractors are on site today to start redeveloping the school and building five new classrooms. The extension was given the green light in September last year and will also include a new general purpose room and three special education rooms and other

  A Donegal dentist has hit out at both the HSE and the Government for failing to supply PPE equipment to them. Despite efforts to effectively be in a position to get back up and running, on-going delays has resulted in High Road Dental in Letterkenny securing PPE equipment from suppliers in Derry instead. Adrian

  Serious concern has been raised over a reported influx of people to beaches around the county over the weekend. Despite a decision taken by Donegal County Council to effectively close beaches to the public at the end of March; large crowds reportedly flocked to a number of beaches yesterday. There are further claims that

  Plans for the development of the green area at the Bernard McGlinchey Town Park in Letterkenny are due before Donegal County Council today. If given the green light, the plans include the development of an Urban Adventures Sports Project which will include an all-weather play area and an outdoor covered stage with tiered seating

  Glenveagh National Park is set to receive the first two electric buses in Ireland. A contract has been signed with commercial vehicle distributor Harris Group to supply two electric buses to the popular amenity. The project is co-funded by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Failte Ireland and the Department of Rural

The Irish Hairdressers Federation wants hairdressers to be able come back to work earlier than planned. It’s recommending the Government open salons on June 29th, instead of phase four when they’re due to open on July 20th. The organisation represents over 400 salon owners across the country, which employ over 5,00 stylists. Irish Hairdressers Federation

  Tenders are now being sought for new leisure centre in Buncrana. The previous facility has been closed for a number of years, but a project to refurbish and reopen the centre has been ongoing for some time. At a recent Inishowen Municipal District meeting, councillors were breifed on the progress of the Leisure Centre.

The joint leaders of Northern Ireland’s devolved government say their response to Covid-19 is proof unionists and nationalists can work together. After three years of deadlock, Sinn Féin and the DUP started collaborating again in January. It meant the administration at Stormont was only 10 weeks old when they found themselves dealing with the pandemic.

Reducing our social distancing rule from two metres to one could see the rate of transmission quadruple, according to a leading health expert. Some minister raised the issue at Cabinet on Friday and it’s expected to be brought up again when they meet the Chief Medical Officer next week. The World Health Organisation says one

Four major projects have been announced for Donegal under the Leader programme, including key tourism developments in Dunlewey and Arranmore Island. Donal Kavanagh has more:

The time travellers spend self-isolating here should be based on the country they came from, according to a health expert. New rules means it’s now an offence for people arriving here not to fill in a form detailing where they’ll spend two weeks self-isolating. Meanwhile the Chief Medical Officer says discussions are still ongoing about

It’s expected parents and children could have some Covid-19 restrictions lifted in June, months earlier than planned. Government departments are working with The National Public Health Emergency Team to try ease measures for under-18s from June 8th, when Phase 2 of the reopening of the country is due to happen. Over 24,500 people have now

Businesses in Donegal are being urged to apply for the Restart Grant for Small Businesses scheme. The scheme, which has no opened for applications, is being administered through local authorities. There is a link to the form on the Donegal County Council website. Councillor Michael McBride is hopeful a large number of firms in the

The Donegal animal rescue group ‘Animals In Need’ is calling for more people to come forward as animal fosterers after three kittens were found this week dumped down a drain in Falcarragh. The group says the kittens were found in a plastic bag, and by chance, a local woman heard them crying in the drain

11 more deaths have been reported related to Covid-19. The death toll in the Republic is now 1,592. 115 new cases have been detected in the past 24 hours, with the total now at 24,506. The number of confirmed cases in Donegal has been revised downwards by one, with the official figures now standing at

Irish soldiers on peacekeeping duty in Lebanon will be allowed to return home next month. They had been due to fly home in the middle of May before the UN suspended the rotation of troops due to the Coronavirus. The members of the Defence Forces have been there for more than six months. Defence Minister

Brexit is back as a risk that the country needs to plan for, according to the Finance Minister. Pascal Donohoe says it will have to be considered in day to day planning. He says it’ll add to the challenges faced by Irish companies this year. Speaking at the Institute of International and European Affairs, Minister

The General Manager of Letterkenny University Hospital says there has been a notable increase in the number of people presenting at the hospital with non-Covid related illnesses. Sean Murphy says after a drop in non-Covid patients attending the hospital at the start of the pandemic, Emergency Department attendances and admissions have returned to expected levels

Gardai in Donegal say worrying trends are continuing with motorists taking more chances on the roads. Inspector Michael Harrison says the number of drivers speeding is on the rise despite a lesser number of vehicles on the road due to Covid-19 restrictions. He was speaking as National Slow Down Day continues across the country. So

The Donegal IFA Chairman has issued an appeal to farmers to put safety first because not doing so, he says puts the lives of them, their children and neighbours at risk. There has been a total of 8 confirmed deaths on farms in Ireland this year. Brendan McLaughlin says during current times with more children

A senior Fianna Fáil TD’s ruling out the possibility of another general election, due to the Covid-19 crisis. Government formation talks will continue today between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens. They’ll discuss education this morning and a plenary session will be held in the afternoon. South Donegal Deputy, Marc MacSharry, is confident a

The Killybegs Fishermen’s organisation says Minister Michael Creed has effectively turned his back on the fishing industry in his decision to reject pleas for specific Covid supports for the sector. There’s been a reported drop of between 50% and 70% in some sales over the past few weeks. Earlier this month, the Minister announced a

Some Covid-19 restrictions could be eased sooner, specifically for children and their parents. The National Public Health Emergency Team meets this morning to examine how to lift some of the measures to reduce the burden on young families. Public health officials say they’re aware of the impact of the restrictions on those under-18 and their

A Donegal TD says it’s vital that income supports are maintained, and businesses are given every assistance possible to reopen their doors. Deputy Pearse Doherty was speaking after a survey this week found that disposable income collapsed by 25% in April, with a sharp drop in spending for 2020. Deputy Doherty says reducing or removing

Donegal County Council will meet on Monday for it’s first statutory meeting since the Coronavirus pandemic began. In order to ensure physical distancing, only 11 members will be able to attend. As well as the Chair, there will be four Fianna Fail representatives, three Sinn Fein, two independents and one Fine Gael councillor present. Cathaoirleach

Gardaí are warning drivers extra speed checks are in operation for National Slow Down day. So far this year, 56 people have been killed on our roads, up 10 per cent on the same period last year. Chief superintendent Paul Cleary says many drivers think they can take risks on roads that are emptier due

The ASTI says it has concerns the indemnity brought in around calculated grades doesn’t protect teachers enough. The union believe it covers schools and principals but has received legal advice and is requesting the Department of Education to provide full indemnity. Guidelines were issued yesterday which protects teachers from getting undue influence from students while

The Taoiseach claims the British government is using Northern Ireland as leverage in trade talks with the EU. It’s after the UK government revealed how it plans to implement the Irish protocol in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. It will see some additional checks on goods entering the North from Britain. However, the Taoiseach says there