Author name: oisinkelly

  The criteria for who can be tested for Covid-19 is likely to be broadened later. The National Public Health Emergency Team meets this morning to assess the country’s response to the pandemic, and to consider how any of the current restrictions could be lifted next month. The death toll from Covid-19 has risen to […]

A start date for the Leaving Cert has been confirmed by the Minister for Education – it’s Wednesday July 29th. Joe McHugh last night told the Dáil a schedule for the exams will be released in the first week of June. The confirmation of a start time for the exams been welcomed by teachers’ unions.

  It’s been claimed that some cancer patients are unable to access their cancer surgery at Letterkenny University Hospital. It’s understood that some patients have had their surgeries redirected to Galway, despite being told initially that their surgeries wouldn’t be affected despite the on-going pandemic. It has led to urgent calls of clarification from both

  The Cathaoirleach of the Inishowen MD has moved to reassure homeowners affected by Mica that Council Officials are still working on the scheme behind the scenes despite the ongoing crisis. Work is continuing on both the guidelines and terms of the scheme and once finalised, Donegal County Council will need a number of weeks

  A group of local people in the Lifford area have come together to organise a community response group to assist people within the community during the Covid 19 Pandemic. The Lifford Covid Community Response Group are commencing a Meals and Wheels Service and a Food Bank Service in the area from Monday to help

  28 more people with Covid-19 have died in the Republic. The death toll related to the disease now stands at 794. 936 new cases have been detected in the past 24 hours, with the total number of positive tests standing at 17,607. Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan has more detail on the 332

    Donegal County Council is urging groups participating in the Community Call initiative to submit their applications under the COVID-19 Emergency Fund before the deadline tomorrow. The COVID-19 Emergency Fund will provide immediate funding to support community and voluntary groups involved in the Local Authority led initiative in response to the current pandemic. The

Traffic volumes remain in line with previous weeks since travel restrictions were introduced. Transport Infrastructure Ireland carried out surveys of the roads this week and saw no ‘noticeable increase’. It had been reported this week that people had noticed more traffic on the roads. However Elizabeth Canavan from the Department of the Taoiseach says TII

  There are fears for the livelihood for many Donegal families who provide accommodation for children attending the Gaeltacht. This week saw summer language courses in the Gaeltacht cancelled, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Donegal families usually welcome students into their homes at locations around the country each summer. The Department is due

  Sinn Fein claims thousands of students whose families have had their incomes affected by Covid-19 could miss out on third-level next year unless the Education Minister acts. Applications for the SUSI grant open today, but the party says the eligibility criteria is unclear and isn’t fit for purpose in the current circumstances. Donnchadh O’Laoghaire,

  The INMOs North West Industrial Relations Officer is hopeful that new rules regarding the use of face masks in the healthcare setting will make a difference but it should have been initiated long ago. All nurses and doctors must have a mask on when they’re within two metres of a patient. The new move

  18 thousand staff and residents in long term residential care have been tested for Covid 19 since last Saturday. That’s according to the CEO of the HSE and comes as the latest figures show there are now 16,671 cases of coronavirus nationwide There’s been a jump of 61 per cent in cases in nursing

  A Donegal County Councillor is calling on both Bus Eireann and the Department of Transport to refund school bus tickets. If this isn’t possible, they are being asked to issue discounted tickets if schools are set to return this September. Students have been at home since early March with schools to remain closed until

  A Donegal group who have donated over 5000 faceshields to frontline staff is appealing for people to donate to help keep their efforts going. Front Line Face Shields have been working over the last couple of weeks making PPE equipment and transporting them to hospitals, covid test centres, doctors surgeries, care homes and our

  A Donegal TD is urging the EU Commission to deliver greater aid supports to protect farmers and the agri-food sector from the impact of the coronavirus. The EU Commissioner has this announced the deployment of private storage aid for dairy and beef and market support flexibilities but it’s thought more can be done. More

People in Donegal are being urged to be on the alert over what’s been described as a very enticing email scam doing the rounds. The email appears to be from Aer Lingus, offering exclusive access to a ten euro voucher that can purchase two tickets to any destination for the next year. The promotion has

  49 more deaths related to Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Republic. The death toll from the disease now stands at 769. 631 new cases have been detected today, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 16,671. Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan – he has more details on people who have been

  The chances of Electric Picnic happening this year are a “long shot”, according to MCD. The festival at Stradbally in Co Laois is due to take place at the start of September. But updated restrictions on mass gatherings are in place until the end of August. Managing Director of MCD, Denis Desmond, says the

  The Managing Director of the Mary from Dungloe Festival has confirmed that a ‘Plan B’ for the festival is currently being considered. The International event usually runs at the end of July and attracts thousands of visitors to Donegal each year. It’s just one of hundreds of festivals and gigs right across the country

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