Author name: oisinkelly

A Midlands North West MEP has dismissed recent threats from dissident paramilitary figures in Northern Ireland. Matt Carthy was responding to questions about two recent reports in the Sunday Times and Channel Four. The Sunday Times piece quoted Loyalist sources threatening to cause trouble if Northern Ireland became aligned in a customs arrangement with the

  It’s been claimed that a damaged bridge in West Donegal prevented an ambulance from transporting an elderly man home today. The 80 year old had been attending Letterkenny University Hospital for treatment. The bridge is currently impassable to vehicles after flooding some months back and this resulted in paramedics having to navigate their way

    39 bodies have been found in a lorry container in Essex. Police have arrested a 25 year-old man from Northern Ireland on suspicion of murder. The truck is thought to have come from Bulgaria, travelling to the UK via Dublin. Emergency services arrived at the scene, and early indications suggest 38 of the

  Hundreds of paramedics are planning several more days of strike action. It’s over the HSE’s refusal to allow the ambulance branch of the Psychiatric Nurses Association to represent them. They’ll protest outside Leinster House this afternoon, to highlight their case to TDs and Senators. Ambulance staff have already had eight days of industrial action

  The Children’s Minister says every effort has been made by TUSLA to assist Parentstop in finding a sustainable funding model. The imminent closure of the Donegal organisation was brought before the Dail last night by Donegal Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher. Katherine Zappone indicated that TUSLA provided additional funding over the last three years

  The Derry and Strabane Rural Partnership says a £2.5m Leader investment is on track to create over 130 new jobs for rural businesses in the area. 73 of the jobs are already in place, with at least 57 more expected within six months. The funding supports 55 rural businesses with capital investment projects that

  The Health Minister is coming under pressure once again to lift the HSE recruitment embargo. Donegal Senator Padraig MacLochlainn says the recruitment embargo has prevented management at Letterkenny University Hospital from recruiting the nurses, doctors and support staff required to fully reopen the hospital’s Short Stay Ward. He says, he is aware of elective

The threatened withdrawal of funding from Parent Stop is to come before the Dail this evening. In a statement issued earlier this month the organisation said keeping the service running has been a constant struggle and announced that it is to close at the end of this year. Donegal Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher says

Mica Action Donegal is seeking Government intervention with banks to support Mica affected homeowners meet the required 10% contribution. Lenders have been lobbied to offer 0% interest loans for fixing homes, restructure existing mortgages to support zero increase in monthly repayments and in the case of homeowners who don’t have sufficient money to contribute towards

  A wildlife sanctuary is set to open to the public in South Inishowen later this week, featuring bears, wolves, lynx and other species previously native to Ireland but now extinct here. The Wild Ireland facility at Dundrain, Burnfoot is the creation of Killian Mc Laughlin, a Buncrana native who has worked in the legal

  There’s been an attempted weekend burglary in Manorcunningham. The incident happened in Raymoghy area on Friday evening between 7.30pm and 10pm. There was no attempt made at entry to the house itself but an attempt was made to enter a shed on the property. A lock was broken off the door but entry was

    It’s been confirmed that the Mica Scheme is currently with the Attorney General for final review and sign off before being handed to Donegal County Council for implementation. The Government has also approved a budget of 580m euro for the scheme, that should homeowners spend the 40 million euro allocated, they will be

  Serious concern has been raised over what’s been described as ‘abysmal conditions’ at Crana College in Buncrana. Overcrowding, overuse of prefabs and inadequate facilities are all said to be putting the well being of both pupils and staff at risk. Hopes of a long awaited three school campus have been completely dashed as the ideal

  It will be well into 2020 before the first abortions and same-sex marriages take place in Northern Ireland, according to Amnesty International. After the UK government’s intervention, it was confirmed at midnight last night that pregnancy terminations would be decriminalised and marriage equality would be introduced. Some politicians protested against the changes at Stormont

  A £27m North West Transport Hub has opened in Derry. The hub is located on the site of the city’s former Victorian railway station, a listed building which had been closed in 1980. It’s anticipated that state-of-the-art facility will increase connectivity across the north west and provide a huge economic boost to the city.

    Same sex marriage and abortion are set to become legal in Northern Ireland at midnight. MPs at Westminster voted to decriminalise both – unless a new power-sharing government is in place at Stormont by the end of today. MLAs will sit in the Assembly chamber there for the first time in almost three

A commercial rates revaluation is due to commence in Donegal in November. The county is one of a few remaining local authorities that has never carried out a review of commercial rates. Donegal Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher says revaluations in other counties have resulted in 45% of businesses experiencing a reduction in rates. Deputy