Author name: oisinkelly

The Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service is to announce next month whether to bring charges over the 1972 Bloody Sunday killings. Decisions on whether 17 former British soldiers and two alleged former members of the Official IRA will be prosecuted will be announced on March 14th. The potential charges include murder, attempted murder and perjury. […]

The Tánaiste says he hopes new Brexit laws will be left sitting on the shelf. The government published a bill to prepare for the impacts of a no deal Brexit earlier – but they hope to never need it. The bill would allow buses to keep running across the border, Irish students in the UK

  The government has published legislation aimed at limiting the impact of a no-deal Brexit. The bill contains 15 changes to the law to make sure things stay as close to the status quo as possible when it comes to healthcare, taxation and social welfare payments. It will allow Enterprise Ireland to provide Brexit related

Two out of every five Irish workers are at risk of being replaced by robots. A new UCC report has looked at which towns are the most likely to be taken over by automation. Edgeworthstown in Longford, Tullow in Carlow and Lifford in Donegal are among the top ten most at risk. Report Author Dr.

  Fianna Fail and the SDLP have laid out five core principles to help offset the effects of a cliff-edge Brexit. They include standing firm on the backstop, the restoration of Stormont and voting down a ‘no-deal’ solution. The joint statement – their first since announcing their partnership last month – calls for all “pro-remain”

  The Taoiseach says he is committed to supporting a City Deal for the North West. Efforts are ongoing to secure a deal for the region as part of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s inclusive strategic growth plan. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald told Leo Varadkar in the Dail that the development of the border

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council is confident the city’s regional airport will now go from strength to strength following the announcement of Loganair as the new operator of the London Stansted route. Discussions were ongoing for most of the week to secure a new operator for the route after Flybmi went

Work on installing 50 new disabled parking signs across Donegal is said to be progressing well. The initiative was undertaken by Donegal County Council after a motion was brought before the local authority in March last. To date, 30 signs have been installed at disabled parking bays in the Donegal, Letterkenny and Stranorlar Municipal Districts.

  A West Tyrone MLA says the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service is being abused by those involved in anti-social behaviour. Its after a fire in the Old Trust area of Strabane yesterday which police believe was started deliberately. While the blaze caused damage to a number of properties in the estate there were

Farmers can’t have absolute certainty on Brexit until key decisions are made in Westminster. That’s according to the Tánaiste who says there will be EU money available to deal with the damage from a no-deal Brexit. It comes amid uncertainty about what tariffs the UK may put on goods – and beef in particular. Tánaiste

The Dail has been told that Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services services are not meeting the needs of an entire cohort of children and young people, many of whom are in very desperate need of immediate care Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty said real action is needed to ensure that CAMHS services are properly resourced.

Businesses in and around the Letterkenny area are being warned that a large batch of fake 50 euro notes are in circulation. Gardai are aware of the situation and are urging anyone who comes across the notes to contact them. President of the Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce, Leonard Watson says people need to be vigilant:

The Donegal Road Safety Working Group’s latest campaign is focusing on mobile phone use, with a particular emphasis on the risk of driver distraction. The group says if drivers take their eyes off the road for as little as two seconds, a car will have travelled 33 metres at 60kph, and 55 metres at 100kph.

  Fears over inadequate funding for iCare in Inishowen have now become a reality. The facility has been granted 36,000 euro for the year ahead but their initial application requested 100,000 euro. Concern had been raised yesterday after the HSE confirmed the same funding amount for the Bluestack Foundation in Donegal Town, despite that facility

  A decision to ban blue lights on Coast Guard vehicles has been described as a major step backwards. In a directive issued to staff, the Coast Guard told members the risks associated with driving blue light vehicles on public roads “need to be mitigated” for the safety of volunteers and the public. Local Cllr

An investigation is underway in Ramelton after a lifesaving defibrillator was vandalised. It’s understood that extensive damage has been caused to the casing surrounding the defibrillator to the extent that it can’t be accessed. A representative of the installers is due to examine the scene and it’s hoped that the damage can be repaired. The

  Simon Harris survived a motion of no confidence in the Dáil last night to keep his job as Health Minister. The Sinn Féin motion calling for his head was defeated by 58 votes to 53. It was called because of his handling of the overruns at the new National Children’s Hospital. There were 37

The Taoiseach has confirmed that works at Donegal’s community hospitals will not be delayed as a result of the cost overruns of the National Children’s Hospital. This is contrary to comments made by Minister Joe McHugh to Highland Radio last week when he said there may be delays in carrying out improvement works to the

  The Government is facing further criticism as it emerged the number of social houses built or purchased in Donegal last year only equates for 6% of the county’s housing needs. The Department of Housing has revealed that last year 74 social houses owned and managed by Donegal County Council and Approved Housing Bodies were

  There are calls on Letterkenny Councillors to halt a possible move to allow gambling machines in the town. Councillors in Letterkenny and Inishowen are considering adopting measures which would allow gaming machines operate legally in in both municipal districts. It follows the seizure of an extensive amount of gaming machines in the county last

The Dail is continuing a debate on a motion of no confidence in Simon Harris which he is likely to win. The Health Minister has said quitting is not in his DNA. Though Fianna Fáil TDs have said they don’t have confidence in the Minister – and are only abstaining because they don’t want to

A family aged in their 60s and 70s have been left badly shaken after three masked men armed with a pitchfork and metal poles broke into their home in the Corgary Road area of Castlederg last night. The men broke into the house shortly before 10pm, forcing two of the male occupants to lie on

Some of those who were put out of their homes as a result of the fire on Buncrana Main Street two weeks ago could return to their homes as soon as this evening. Local Councillor Rena Donaghey has confirmed that air pollution tests are now complete and clean ups have been carried out at a