Author name: oisinkelly

The British Prime Minister’s planning to bring his EU withdrawal agreement back before Parliament next week. Boris Johnson insists once passed, the UK will leave by the end of next month. Meanwhile, the SNP’s election success has increased the likelihood of a second Scottish independence referendum. Party leader Nicola Sturgeon says the “mandate to give

A leading health expert says it’s only the third time in 20 years that the flu season started in November. Yesterday the HSE’s Health Protection Centre confirmed 3 flu-related deaths while 324 people have been admitted to hospital. 12 of those were admitted to intensive care units. Also, some children with cancer have had their

The Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council says fines should be considered for pedestrians who walk on rural roads without wearing hi-vis clothing. Cllr Nicholas Crossan says all road users, be they drivers, cyclists, or pedestrians, have responsibilities, and they should face consequences if they don’t live up to them. Cllr Crossan also highlighted the problems

There’s been another small dip in the tens of thousands of people waiting for treatment in hospitals across the country. Figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund show 66,594 patients waiting for inpatient treatments last month, down almost a thousand on October. At Letterkenny University Hospital inpatient waiting lists are down 8%. Michaela Clarke has

Sleet and snow can be expected in parts of the country as the weather gets colder this weekend. The west and north-west are expected to see most of the wintry showers with temperatures dropping as low as minus three degrees. In addition, Met Eireann says we can expect some strong winds. Meteorologist Joanna Donnelly hasn’t

For the first time, there were more nationalists from Northern Ireland elected to the House of Commons than unionists. Sinn Féin keeps its seven MPs, the SDLP won two with SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood taking the Foyle seat from Sinn Fein’s Elisha McCallion while the DUP dropped two to eight. Martin Kenny, Sinn Féin’s TD

A public meeting has been called for next Thursday night in Lifford to discuss the future of the local community hospital. The Friends of Lifford Hospital say the decision to transfer the remaining two long stay patients next month is a worrying one. Chairperson John Quinn believes this signals another step in a process which

A Donegal councillor has warned that farmers, developers, and even sports clubs could find themselves facing serious planning enforcement orders because they are contravening a law they don’t know is there. Cllr Paul Canning says some time ago, new laws on the removal of soil, stones and other materials came into effect, based on EU

In the UK General Election, the final seat in Northern Ireland has been declared, with Sinn Fein’s Michelle Gildernew holding Fermanagh South Tyrone by a handful of votes following a strong challenge from the Ulster UNionists Tom Elliot. SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood has taken Foyle from Sinn Fein’s Elisha Mc Callion, while in North Belfast,

The owners of a not for profit accessible holiday cabin in Culdaff have told councillors in Inishowen that with financial support, they could build a second facility and double their capacity. The Hoist Away cabin was developed Una McGinley and her wife Patricia Strain, who has MS. They developed a cabin which has a hoist,

The Government has been challenged over what’s been described as its failure to regulate the insurance industry. Speaking in the Dail this week, Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle welcomed the Perjury and Related Offences Bill 2018, which aims to define perjury for the first time in Irish law and treat it as a specific criminal offence.

A Donegal Deputy has called on the Tanaiste to ensure all efforts are being made to address the issue of the undocumented in America. Deputy Charlie McConalogue says the issue is particular acute when someone in Ireland passes away and a close family member cannot return. In response to Deputy McConalogue Simon Coveney said while

A Donegal Deputy has told the Dail that behind the figures being put forward by the Government for Supplementary Estimates is the dysfunctionality of how the Government deals with funding the HSE and the health service. Sinn Fein Finance Spokesperson Deputy Pearse Doherty was speaking in the Dail this afternoon on a motion for the

The number of reported incidents of violence and aggression against staff at Letterkenny University Hospital trebled between 2016 and 2018, according to Freedom of Information figures obtained by the Donegal Democrat. There were 14 incidents in 2016, 24 in 2017 and 42 in 2018. Of the 42 incidents reported last year, 18 involved physical harassment

The domestic violence service Lifeline has told members of the Inishowen Municipal District that they are in dire straits financially, and need help to secure government funding. All state funding for domestic violence services goes to the Letterkenny based Donegal Domestic Violence Service, but Lifeline say they are dealing with up to three times as

The cost of living for households could rise by more that 1,300 euro a year in the event of a hard Brexit, according to a cross border social justice charity. Extern provides supports to 20,000 vulnerable adults and young people on an all island basis. It says they’ll be seriously impacted by Brexit, yet the

The Cathaoirleach of the Inishowen Municipal District says the draft plan which has been presented for Malin Head is an exciting one which shows the huge potential for the area. The plans were presented at a series of consultation meetings this week at Malin Head, Malin Town, Carndonagh and Culdaff. Cllr Martin Mc Dermott said

A resident of Covehill, Letterkenny has written the Donegal’s Chief Fire Officer in an attempt to once and for all address serious parking issues in the area. Concerns over illegal parking on roads in the vicinity of An Grianan Theatre and the Regional Cultural Centre, resulting a road leading to residential properties being blocked has

The Minister for Disabilities has agreed to meet with Donegal Oireachtas members next week to discuss funding for iCare in Inishowen and the Bluestacks Special Needs Foundation, Donegal Town. The HSE has estimated that €150,000 in funding is needed for Bluestacks per annum and €100,000 for iCare. However, both organisations have received just €36,000 in