Author name: oisinkelly

Warm, dry and sunny weather can be expected across the country for the week. Temperatures could go over 20 today and tomorrow, with the settled conditions expected to last into the weekend. Met Eireann’s Joanna Donnelly says these spells of high pressure tend to last for a few days:

  The Government is wary of a second wave of the coronavirus hitting Ireland. It’s monitoring countries that are experiencing an increase in cases after deciding to ease restrictions. Plans for an exit strategy will be published before May 5th, the day the current restrictions are set to expire. As things stand, it’s unlikely there

  A Donegal Councillor and hotelier is urging the Government to take action so small businesses and tourism can survive the Covid-19 pandemic. Cllr. Michael Naughton says there’s a very real risk that many small businesses will not be able to reopen after the pandemic, leading to permanent unemployment. He says there needs to be

  Business consultants are being sought to set up a panel to support Gaeltacht enterprises. The panel will then provide a mentoring service to companies to help them through the current crisis. Prospective business consultants/mentors should be skilled in planning, coordinating and executing successful strategic business programs. Mark de Faoite, Údarás na Gaeltachta’s Director of

  The Education Minister has reiterated comments that a minimum of two weeks class time will be needed before the Leaving Cert exams begin. Wednesday July 29th looks set to be the start date for the exams with Minister Joe McHugh indicating that he will be making a formal announcement shortly. The proposed two weeks

  An investigation is continuing into a fire at the former Model Bakery site in Letterkenny. The blaze broke out in a wooded area on the site, located in the heavily populated Oldtown area of the town. While emergency services were contacted, the fire was brought under control by a number of local people before

  The Chief Medical Officer is appealing to people to continue obeying the Covid-19 restrictions, despite the good weather. Temperatures could reach up to 20 degrees today, leading to fears people will start travelling to beauty spots like parks and beaches. A further 44 people with the virus have died, bringing the death toll to

  The Education Minister has told students to aim for the Leaving Cert starting on Wednesday, July 29th. The exams have been pushed back from its usual date of early June due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Minister Joe McHugh says he hopes to confirm the date in the next couple of weeks but gave students

  The Taoiseach says he hopes to be able to announce the lifting of some of the Covid-19 restrictions by May 5th. Leo Varadkar says a plan’s being prepared that’ll set out step-by-step how the economy and society will reopen. He says the aim is to focus on areas with the most benefit to society

  Agriculture and Marine Minister Michael Creed must do more to support fishing communities. That’s the message from Donegal Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, who wants the minister to clarify what financial supports he has sought from the European Commission to assist them through this global crisis. Deputy Mac Lochlainn says he’s received reports that the

A further 44 people are confirmed to have died from Covid19 in the Republic. 388 new cases have also been confirmed today. It now brings the death toll to 730 & the number of confirmed cases stands at 16,040, 392 of them in Donegal. That’s up nine on yesterday’s figure. North of the border, a

Testing for coronavirus is being rolled out to older people and people with disabilities across the country. A fleet of Irish Wheelchair Association buses will bring HSE testers to communities, particularly in rural areas to do the tests. The aim is to help those who can’t get to test centres themselves. Irish Wheelchair Association chief

Gardai in Donegal say there’s been a worrying increase in the number of arrests for drink driving and drug driving. Between Tuesday last and today, there were 8 arrests for drink driving and 5 arrests for drug driving in the county. On today’s Nine til Noon Show, Garda Niall Maguire warned checkpoints continue night and

A councillor has hit out at those responsible for illegal dumping at a North Inishowen beauty spot, just a few kilometres from the recycling centre in Carndonagh. Cllr Albert Doherty says he was contacted by a resident who told him that the dumping at Glengannon, on the road to Lough Inn, was the worst she

  The National Public Health Emergency Team meets this morning to consider how any Covid-19 restrictions MIGHT be eased from next month. Last night, 77 more people were confirmed to have died as a result of Covid-19 – the highest number in a single day. The death toll across the Republic now stands at 687.

Domestic abuse and rape crisis support services in Donegal have added their voices to a major new TV, Radio and Social Media advertising campaign to tackle the serious issue of domestic violence. The campaign seeks to reassure victims that services are ‘still here’, and that victims are being prioritised during the COVID-19 emergency. Mary McGuire

77 more people have died in the Republic of ireland after getting Covid-19 – the highest number in a single day. The death toll across the Republic now stands at 687. 401 new cases have been detected here, bringing the total number of positive tests to 15,652. In Donegal, seven more cases have been confirmed,

584 thousand people will receive the COVID-19 Unemployment Payment tomorrow. Meanwhile, the government’s Wage Subsidy Scheme has paid out 321 million euro to businesses. Some people who have applied for the unemployment scheme have had their payments withheld because they were deemed invalid. Liz Canavan from the Department of the Taoiseach says some are down

A solution has been found to support healthcare workers that are in need of childcare. However it needs to get the green light from the National Public Health Emergency Team before details can be announced. NPHET will discuss the proposal when it meets tomorrow. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says funding is available for the plan. ………

A group of independent TDs have agreed to a further meeting with negotiators from Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. They discussed the framework document published last week by the two parties on government formation. The three independent deputies at this morning’s meeting also presented proposals for discussion. Sligo-Leitrim-South Donegal TD Marian Harkin was one of

A Nursing Home owner in Letterkenny has written to Health Minister Simon Harris asking him to direct the HSE to stop poaching staff from Nursing Homes. Anne Gallagher, owner of Hillcrest Nursing Home says it’s a matter of deep frustration to her that at the same time the HSE is talking about the need to

The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland is welcoming confirmation from government that commercial rates will be suspended while pubs are closed during the Covid-19 crisis. However, the VFI is warning that more government supports will be needed when clearance is given to open pubs once again. If not, they say many pubs will be forced to

A Derry and Strabane District Councillor says action will be taken in respect of illegal dumping in areas of the city. Cllr Mickey Cooper says despite the council’s efforts to help people through the establishment of a special Covid-19 helpline, illegal dumping is an issue, and in some cases, the quantities suggest it is being

Primary schools may have to have a morning and an afternoon session when they reopen, according to the INTO. The Health Minister says he’s discussed the possibility of reopening primary schools, even for just one day a week. General secretary of the INTO John Boyle says the school day may have to be staggered because

There’s a call for guidelines to be introduced on the level of nursing staff and medical care needed for residents in nursing homes. Sage Advocacy says it’s very concerned over the recent spike in the number of deaths during the coronavirus pandemic. Its executive director, Mervyn Taylor, says the bulk of nursing home care is

A senior PSNI officer is appealing to people throughout Northern Ireland not to be duped by scammers,after more than three dozen reports of scams in recent days. Over the weekend there have been more that 40 reports to PSNI of cyber criminals threatening individuals across Northern Ireland, a number of them in Tyrone and Derry.