Author name: oisinkelly

    Serious concern has been raised over how the Mercusor deal will affect border counties. In particular, there are fears that while the spotlight is mainly on the beef aspect of the deal, not enough attention is being paid to how the poultry industry will be impacted. While the Dail is due to debate […]

The partner of Lyra McKee says she is heartbroken that the person she wanted to marry isn’t here to see the Northern Ireland’s same sex marriage amendment passing in Westminster. MPs in the House of Commons also voted to decriminalise abortion if power sharing in Stormont isn’t restored by October 21st. Murdered journalist Lyra McKee

    A Donegal Senator says while Donegal County Council is making huge strides in road safety there can be no room for complacency. Senator Padraig MacLochlainn was reacting to recent figures which show the local authority spending up to 27 times more than other similar counties on road safety. Between 2014 and 2018, the

  The Tánaiste says there’s no evil plan hiding on a shelf that would solve the issue of the border with Northern Ireland. It’s after the Government admitted goods coming from the UK will need to be checked in order to protect the EU single market if there’s a no deal Brexit. However, it insists

  Hoteliers in Donegal are calling on the Government to take urgent action to address the spiralling cost of insurance. The Irish Hotels Federation is warning that the issue is posing a serious challenge for the local hospitality industry. It’s understood that hotels in the county have experienced enormous increases in insurance premiums in recent

  A South Donegal Deputy has urged the Taoiseach to reverse the HSE’s decision to scrap the rehabilitative training allowance. The allowance, worth €31.80 a week per student was granted to students with a disability who take up training programmes. The move comes as the HSE is struggling with a deficit of €116m. Deputy Eamon

More than 1-thousand farmers will protest outside the Dáil today against the Mercosur deal. The deal itself would see 99-thousand tonnes of beef enter the EU from South America every year. Sinn Féin will call for the deal to be rejected in the Dáil today, and the Beef Plan group will protest outside. The organisation’s

  A Glenties area councillor has questioned Donegal County Council’s commitment to the proposed Greenway between Letterkenny and Burtonport. Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher says the proposal has been on the agenda for five years with no progress, and people are asking whether it will ever progress. Officials told a municipal district meeting this week that

Succession planning has been found to remain a huge issue for farmers in Donegal. A farm survey carried out by Ifac has revealed that low incomes, with profits often relying on subsidies and farm families requiring off-farm income to support their households has led to farmers not having a plan. Ifac Donegal says this leaves

Customs checks will be needed somewhere in Ireland if there’s a no-deal Brexit. The government’s latest contingency plan concedes checks will be needed on goods and livestock coming from north to south if the UK crashes out without a deal. But the government insists that doesn’t have to happen at the border and it’s not

The Dáil was suspended this afternoon after a massive row over climate-change. It came during a debate on the government’s decision to block the Climate Emergency Measures Bill. If passed, it would mean no new licences would be granted for oil or gas exploration in Ireland. People Before Profit TD Brid Smith, who brought forward

The Gum Litter Taskforce’s gum litter education campaign has been officially launched in Buncrana. The Taskforce has been successful to date in changing the public’s behaviour by encouraging correct gum disposal through a targeted education and awareness campaign. The 2018 campaign maintained an all-time high of 93% of people stating that they regard chewing gum

  Gardai are hunting three young males in Letterkenny after a stabbing incident last week. It happened on Wednesday afternoon on the Port road area of the town. The man was approached by three youths and it was some time later before he realised that one of them allegedly stabbed him, with part of the

  Areas of south Inishowen are said to be still ‘under siege’ over a foul smelling odour in the area believed to be coming from the old An Grianan Estate, now owned by Glenmore Estates. Residents in Burt and Burnfoot say they are at their wits end over the issue which local people have been

  A Donegal Deputy says farmers will be disappointed to see Phil Hogan returned for a second term as EU Commissioner. It’s expected cabinet ministers will approve the re-appointment of Mr Hogan to the European job. He’s likely to seek a bigger portfolio like trade, having spent the last five years in Agriculture. Fianna Fáil’s

  A young male is recovering from injuries sustained during a violent assault in Letterkenny. The incident happened on the Market Square area of the town in the early hours of Friday morning last. It’s understood that a group of youths got into an altercation and a broken bottle was subsequently produced. A male received

  Some water supplies in Donegal, Wicklow and Kilkenny have a high level of an environmental pollutant. That’s according to the latest test-results carried out by Irish Water into Trihalomethanes. Seven supplies across Ireland had above the allowable limit with some areas in Letterkenny and Creeslough said to be affected. THMs have been linked to

  The Law Society of Ireland has commended Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty for exposing what it says is insurers’ soaring super-profits and deflection techniques. At a recent Joint Oireachtas Finance Committee Deputy Doherty called out the insurance industry for magnifying the scale of the issue of fraudulent claims in order to justify their high premiums