Author name: oisinkelly

  The current rate of growth in the Irish economy won’t continue next year. The ESRI says our finances are growing strongly – despite the risks caused by Brexit and the US-China trade relationship. It predicts growth of 4 percent this year, but only 3.2 percent in 2020. Sinn Féin’s finance spokesman and Donegal Deputy

  A decision not to proceed with a €1.5 million Sea Survival Training Centre at Greencastle has been described as outrageous. While funding for the centre was announced in 2016, it was confirmed this week that there is no current provisions to proceed with the project. The issue is to be raised in the Seanad

  A Disability Officer is to be appointed to Donegal County Council. At the Glenties Municipal District’s AGM the issue of disability access was raised. Councillor Michael Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig believes it is something that needs to be looked at on a county-wide basis. He says while the local authority is making strides, a

A Donegal Deputy has raised serious concern over new figures which show the outpatient waiting list has hit a new record high. 56,411 people were waiting for an outpatient appointment with a consultant at the end of May 2019 – up over 40,000 since the end of last year. As of last month, there were

The government has been accused of contravening the constitution by not bringing the terms of a 2013 agreement recognising a British Exclusive Economic Zone in the vicinity of Rockall before the houses of the Oireachtas. Senator Padraig Mc Lochlainn raised the issue of fishing right around Rockall as a commencement matter in the Seanad this

  Plans for the Sea Survival Training Centre at Greencastle’s National Fisheries College have been shelved indefinitely. The 1.5 million euro centre had been announced in February 2016 however it was confirmed yesterday that there is no current provision or plans to proceed with the project. The news has been described as a major blow

Minister Michael Creed will be pressed today to make a statement in the Seanad on the disputed fishing rights around Rockall. Donegal Senator Padraig MacLochlainn will debate the issue with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine this morning. He says the Government have serious questions to answer over Rockall and their defence of

Minister Joe McHugh claims Fianna Fail’s climate and environmental policy threatens major road projects in the North West. The Education Minister hit out after Fianna Fail Deputy Timmy Dooley said that the national roads programme should be prioritised. It follows Fianna Fail’s support of a Green Party/ Social Democrats motion to delay or cancel key

The Donegal Road Safety Working Group is appealing to those attending the Joule Donegal International Rally this weekend to slow down and respect all road users. Rally organisers have joined forces with the JPC and Gardai to encourage people to ‘Respect the Rally’. With a huge volume of people expected to travel to the county

Funding for a new fire engine for Gweedore has been approved. The new Class B fire engine which is under construction is due to come into use in around 3 weeks and will replace the current 15 year old vehicle. Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty has been welcoming the news, however he says it is vital

The 2019 Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Award recipients have been unveiled today. The four notable members of the diaspora set to receive this prestigious award in September are author and playwright Frank McGuinness; Dublin based businessman Pat Doherty; US based attorney Patrick C. Dunican Jr, and; US based businessman Daniel J. Hilferty. Cathaoirleach of Donegal

A date is to be set for Soldier F to appear before Derry Magistrates Court in August. The former British paratrooper is charged with the murder of William McKinney and Jim Wray as well as the attempted murder of four others on Bloody Sunday. It has been confirmed that Committal Papers for Soldier F’s Preliminary

  Further tests are being carried out on potentially affected areas of Letterkenny University Hospital to eliminate the possible spread of the CPE bug. Some beds remain closed at the hospital as an infection control measure, resulting in delays for admitted patients. Speaking on today’s Nine Till Noon Show, Consultant Michael Mulhern says while some

  Gardai are renewing their appeal for information on two burglaries. A house in Killygordon was broken into between 8am and 9.30pm on Friday last with a substantial amount of cash stolen. While in Convoy, thieves targeted an elderly woman’s home between 9pm Thursday night and 9am on Friday morning last, making off with money

  Investigations are continuing after two cars were targeted by criminals in Letterkenny. Both incidents happened in the early hours of Friday morning last in the Meadow Bank park area of the town. The windscreen of one car smashed while expensive accessories were stolen from another vehicle and subsequently set alight. Sgt. Charlene Anderson has

  There are calls on the Health Minister and the HSE to approve a request for additional resources for the Cross-Border Directive team. Figures released to Donegal Deputy Charlie Mc Conalogue reveal that there are currently 3,500 applications for reimbursement & prior authorisation waiting to be processed. It has also been confirmed that it is

  The Minister for Health and the Minister for Finance have both been urged to intervene ahead of a planned strike by up to 10,000 health workers at hospitals nationwide, including at Letterkenny University Hospital. Up to 700 HSE staff in both Letterkenny and Sligo are due to strike on Thursday in a row over

    The HSE is being urged to confirm that contracts have been signed for the long awaited upgrade works at Carndonagh Community Hospital. The contracts were scheduled to be signed in May with works expected to commence in the third quarter of this year and the project completed by 2021. The works will involve

A West Donegal Councillor has hit out at the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht over her decision not to reintroduce elections for appointments to the board of Udaras na Gaeltachta. A question was put to Minister Josepha Madigan by Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle on behalf of Councillor Michael Cholm MacGiolla Easbuig asking when the

  Public nursing homes in Donegal are being paid 81% more than private or voluntary homes. That’s according to latest figures from the HSE which revealed that the average fee payable to 11 nursing homes in the county under the Fair Deal scheme is €1,553 per person, per week as of January 2019 while during