Author name: oisinkelly

A Donegal teenager is urging Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to ensure that politics and global studies are taught in every school in the country. 18 year old Charles John Gallagher, a sixth year student, is shadowing the Taoiseach today in a “take over” organised as part of UNICEF’s World Children’s Day celebrations today. After winning an

The government’s been told it’s “embarrassing the country” on climate action. The first ever Youth Assembly on Climate has been meeting at Leinster House to put forward their ideas. 157 members from across the country are demanding more action from politicians on the issue. 17 year old Conal O’Boyle from Donegal has told the Dail

  Donegal County Council has stated that the extent of last night’s freezing conditions was not forecast and therefore gritting vehicles were not deployed until earlier this morning. Localised areas which were subject to overnight showers followed by dipping temperatures created black ice pockets at a number of locations across the county. This resulted in

  Progress is reportedly being made on bringing more facilities to the Corn and Flax Mill in New Mills. Currently, the attraction does not have a shop or café on site with tourist numbers said to be dwindling compared to other places in the county. It’s understood that the OPW is to give an update

  A Sinn Fein TD believes there is enough time before the next general election for the party to recover from it’s poor showing in the local elections. The Party’s Ardfheis is taking place this weekend in Derry. A range of issues will be discussed at the gathering which will also see a challenge to

  The Department of Education has confirmed Scoil Chroine, Dungloe has been approved for two new SEN Classrooms. The additional accommodation is said to be urgently required at the school. It’s anticipated that the two new classrooms and ancillary facilities will help in providing for the extra capacity requirement. Donegal Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher

  41 clubs in Donegal are to share €1.4 million in funding under the Sports Capital programme. Among the highlights include almost €86,000 for Rasheney Football Club, just over €75,000 for Inishowen Rugby Club, Glenfinn GAA club is to receive almost €72,000 and the Kilmacrennan Community Development is get just over €70,000 Donegal Minister Joe

  There’s been criticism of the HSE’s Service Plan which was announced yesterday, with claims that without a commitment to extra staff, the aim of reducing the number of people awaiting hospital beds will not be achieved. In a statement last night, the INMO said while extra funding for the health service is welcome, the

  Donegal County Council has confirmed that the acquisition of unfinished properties in Ramelton is now at an advanced stage and it’s hoped to have contracts signed in the coming weeks. The next stage is to prepare a schedule of works for each of the 18 properties and to subsequently tender the works. It’s anticipated

    Donegal County Council is being urged to take the lead in promoting and developing Changing Places toilet facilities, as there are currently none in the West and North West region. As well as allowing wheelchair access, such facilities allow another person into the room to offer assistance where it’s required, and also allow

A Donegal TD says the public wants to see “less spin and more action” from the government on the health service. Deputy Pearse Doherty was responding to a warning babies will die if overcrowding at the country’s busiest maternity hospital is not addressed. The Master of the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin says overcrowding and infection

The Taoiseach has been told there is a need for a seven day a week respite service in the North West. After a year without any service, Seaview House in Mountcharles is set to reopen in January after a new contract was negotiated, but it will only operate on a five day a week basis.

    Piers Morgan has suggested that Michaela McCollum should donate the profits of her new book to charity. The broadcaster grilled the Co. Tyrone woman on Good Morning Britain yesterday over her attempt to smuggle cocaine in 2013. He said there is nothing glamorous about her part in the ‘Peru 2s’ drug trafficking:

    An urgent meeting is being sought by Councillors from the Letterkenny Municipal District with the OPW to get an update on work taking place around the town. There’s said to be concern surrounding a range of issues facing Letterkenny, most notably with areas along the River Swilly. It’s thought that there are opportunities

  Sinn Féin’s Consumer Insurance Contracts Bill has passed the final stage in the Dáil. The legislation which would reform insurance contracts, increase transparency and tilt the balance in favour of the consumer was brought to the Dail by the party’s Finance Spokesperson and Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty. The Bill is now due to come

  A Donegal Councillor says progress on Coastal Erosion works in West Donegal is moving much too slowly, and it’s likely to be two years before any progress is made. Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher was speaking after the Glenties Municipal District was briefed on progress in the Inishfree Bay and Gweebarra Bay Coastal Flooding and

  A Donegal Senator claims Community Employment Supervisors are being treated like second class citizens by Government. Senator Padraig MacLochlainn has also hit out at the Government over their decision to walk away from trade union talks on pensions for CE Supervisors, branding is ‘unacceptable’. In 2008 the Labour Court recommended that an agreed pension scheme

  Concerns over the progress of returning court services to Carndonagh have been relayed to the Justice Minister. Carndonagh Courthouse closed in March on the grounds of health and safety and a structural report carried out by the Courts Service was completed last week. Donegal Deputy Charlie McConalogue pressed Minister Charlie Flanagan for an update

  Donegal County Council has moved to confirm that all the Local Improvement Scheme funding for the Letterkenny MD for 2019 has been spent. However there’s concern that this year’s tranche of funding falls far short of what’s required and is in sharp contrast to last year’s allocation. This year’s allocation of 661,000 equates to

Irish Water has contacted gardai following an incident on Lough Foyle this morning. In a statement to Highland Radio News this afternoon, Irish Water say a company working on their behalf carrying out non-invasive survey works in Lough Foyle were unable to complete their work this morning, after an interaction with two local boats. The

It’s anticipated that a new building for a number of services in Letterkenny will meet the needs of all to be housed there. There had been concerns that the proposed building may not be fully adequate for the range of services to be situated there , including Cara House which currently operates out of a

Three new PEACE IV projects have been launched in Donegal this week. The first project, Living in Donegal will examine what being born in Donegal means and Northwest Border Stories will feature 40 primary school aged children and their grandparents from both sides of the border while Echoes from the Decades Commemoration Programme will see

Fishermen on Lough Foyle have hit out at Irish Water and the Loughs Agency after a vessel arrived on the lough this morning to do survey work in the area where Irish Water plan to locate a discharge pipe from the proposed treatment plant at Carnagarve. Fishermen claim they were effectively being obstructed, and when

The Seanad has been told that all processes laid down in relation to aquaculture licences have been adhered to in the application for a major project aquaculture project on Ballyness Bay. Representatives of the Save Ballyness Bay campaign argue that the Department of Agriculture and the Marine has not followed its own guidelines in seeking

  A Donegal County Councillor is confident that the majority of works relating to the Four Lanes Scheme in Letterkenny will take place at night time. The work is to take place between the Polestar and Dry Arch roundabouts, the main thoroughfare into the town and the only gateway to the entire west of the

  There are urgent calls for round table discussions to take place on improving and extending the Letterkenny Town Bus service. With the ever growing population of the town combined with on-going major traffic congestion, it’s thought that now is the time to talk about the possible challenges facing the service. There’s also concern that