Author name: oisinkelly

The no swim ban at Bundoran beach has now been lifted. The warning was issued by Donegal County Council yesterday after possible elevated levels of E.coli in the water due to recent heavy rainfall. However a test conducted last night resulted in the water being deemed safe to swim in earlier today. Local Cllr Michael

The Donegal spokesperson for the Beef Plan Movement has questioned Minister Michael Creed’s assertion that the outcome of this week’s round table talks was fantastic. Speaking on today’s Nine til Noon Show, Eimear mc Guinness said the transparency they achieved should always have been there. The bottom line she says is the issue of price

  Two years on from the unprecedented flooding of August 2017, some families in Donegal are still waiting to return to their homes. On the evening of August 22nd, much destruction was caused by the localised flooding across the whole North West region with the Inishowen peninsula worst hit. It was only the morning after

  There are fears that the Home Help crisis in Donegal has deepened considerably, with patients unable to return home from hospital due to a lack of packages available. The crisis is said to be also affecting capacity issues across the county, as many hospitals do not have a full complement of nursing staff due

It’s been claimed that both the Health Minister and senior management of the HSE are in denial over bed closures at Letterkenny University Hospital with calls for all 20 beds in its Short Stay Ward to reopen. Last year, the government announced that the beds would all reopen however; the HSE allocated funding to reopen

  The Chair of the Donegal Joint Policing Committee says they have not been consulted on the new Garda operating model. As announced yesterday, major reforms in the force are being introduced, including the amalgamation of the Donegal Garda division into a new division with Sligo and Leitrim. Councillor Gerry McMonagle says numerous conversations about

  Irish drivers won’t need a Green Card in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland says the UK Department of Transport has confirmed that discs will be accepted as proof of insurance. But drivers from the North will not be covered under the scheme in the EU. David Fitzgerald

  A West Donegal councillor has hit out at the government after it emerged that Rionn na Gaeltachta has not allocated any money for road maintenance and improvements on Donegal’s islands. Cllr Michael Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig says in previous years, money under the islands programme has been confirmed by early summer, but so far

    There’s further outrage as its emerged more bilingual signs in West Donegal have been defaced. The vandalism was discovered yesterday morning with one the signs targeted just a short distance from Donegal Airport. Local Councillor Michael McClafferty has condemned the defacement of the English language on the signs. Last week, fellow Councillor, Micheal

The #LoveDonegal day campaign has been hailed a huge success. Last Wednesday, the initiative reached worldwide audiences of over 33 million people, trended at No 1 in Ireland, and trended in the UK and the US. The total number of social media posts was over 190,000. The day was part of the Donegal Connect event

There are calls for the new Operating Model to be delayed to allow for a period of consultation. Donegal TD and Leas Ceann Comhairle Pat the Cope Gallagher says the experience of previous radical changes to public services has not always been successful, citing the example of the creation of the HSE. He believes the

1,800 more Gardaí are to be deployed to the front-line by 2021, as part of radical changes to the way the force operates. 800 additional members are being recruited, while 1,000 existing Gardaí are to be reassigned to frontline duties. The number of Garda divisions is being reduced from 28 to 19, while the number

  People are being warned not to swim at Bundoran beach due to possible health risks. The ‘No Swim’ warning has been issued by Donegal County Council and is expected to be in place for the next three days. It’s understood that there are possible elevated levels of E.coli in the water due to water

Green leader Eamon Ryan has said he believes an initiative to bring people to live around smaller towns and villages would so much to revitalise rural Ireland, particularly in Donegal. Mr Ryan was speaking on the Nine til Noon Show. He told Greg Hughes that the best way to combat the government’s perceived assault on

There are fears that a shakeup of An Garda Siochana may heavily impact policing in Donegal. The Donegal Garda Division is expected to merge with Sligo and Leitrim as part of major changes to the force. The new plans to be announced this morning are also expected to result in more sergeants and inspectors with

Britain’s Prime Minister will continue his efforts to persuade EU leaders to re-open the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement later. Boris Johnson’s heading to Paris to meet the French President. Emmanuel Macron has been very clear that talks to change the existing deal aren’t an option though. The meeting follows discussions between the German Chancellor Angela Merkel

  There are calls for urgent action to fill vacant business units in Donegal. It comes as the county has been deemed as having one of the highest commercial property vacancy rates in the country, according to the latest survey by GeoDirectory. The report revealed that the six counties with the highest vacancy rates were

  Donegal has one of the highest commercial property vacancy rates in the country.  A survey by GeoDirectory has found that there 28 thousand commercial properties across the country are empty and the number of vacant units has increased in 18 counties over the last year. Ballybofey has been cited as a particular blackspot in

  With exactly 10 weeks to go until Brexit, businesses and consumers here are being urged to up their preparations. The Government says it’s particularly concerned about companies in the construction, manufacturing, food production and retail sectors, given their high levels of trade with the UK. Minster for European Affairs Helen McEntee says there are

  A Donegal councillor is calling for government action to make the Warmer Homes initiative more accessible for older people. The scheme, which is coordinated by SEAI, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, is intended to help people insulate their homes and in some cases, install new heating systems. However, Cllr Ian Mc Garvey says

Donegal ISPCA is trying to locate the owners of two pet rabbits found on the loose in the vicinity of the Woods Estate near Buncrana. The ISPCA says the rabbits had been sighted by a number of people over a couple of weeks, but they were very nervous making it near impossible to catch them.

The Minister for European Affairs is urging Boris Johnson to “realistically engage” with the EU Commission and leaders this week. The British Prime Minister is traveling to both Berlin and Paris before this weekend’s G7 summit. In a letter, Mr. Johnson reiterated his opposition to the backstop, saying he will not support any withdrawal agreement