Author name: oisinkelly

    The Minister for Education says he will address the issue of pay for new teachers next year. Unions are warning of a recruitment and retention crisis in schools as a TUI survey shows 75 percent of principals questioned have had no applications for teaching positions in the past 12 months. Pay scales for […]

  Tributes are being paid to former Donegal County Councillor J.J. Reid, who has passed away. The Stranorlar based Cllr and businessman was a member of the Fine Gael party and was a well-known figure right across the county. His funeral takes place on Sunday. Cllr Bernard McGuinness has described Mr.Reid’s passing as a huge

  Mounting workloads and a lack of resources are the main issues facing primary school principals. 1200 members of the Irish Primary Principals Network are attending a conference in Dublin, being addressed by the Education Minister, Joe McHugh this morning. Close to 2,000 primary school principals also teach pupils and the IPPN is calling for

  Problems with poor coverage at Glencolumbkille and surrounding areas may finally come to an end following confirmation that a mobile phone mast is to be erected at Malin Beg. The Minister for Rural Affairs has sanctioned 35,000 for the works under the Digital Innovation Programme. It’s understood that funds for the project have already

  The Central Bank is warning that Ireland’s economic growth will be “significantly” affected in the event of a ‘No Deal’ Brexit. In its first Quarterly Bulletin, the bank expects economic growth to slow this year from 5.5 percent to 4.4 percent. But it says that a disorderly Brexit at the end of March could

The installation of additional CCTV cameras in Strabane town centre has been widely welcomed. £60,000 in funding is being provided by Derry City and Strabane District Council along with a number of other agencies in a bid to improve safety and curb anti-social activity in the town. Local Councillor Patsy Kelly who has repeatedly called

  Work is said to be progressing on creating a footpath on one of Inishowen’s busiest routes. There had been ongoing calls on Donegal County Council to construct a safer walking route at Drumhaggart, on the main Burnfoot-Muff road for some time and now, initial works have begun. Local Cllr Jack Murray says this is

  Concern has been raised as its emerged, the Stranorlar Municipal District is still without a dedicated litter warden. The previous litter warden vacated the role over 5 months ago which has led to the Cathaoirleach of the Stranorlar Municipal District calling on Donegal County Council to expedite the process of filling the post. Councillor

The head of the Revenue Commissioners has dismissed speculation that old customs posts are being restored for use after Brexit. The question was posed to Niall Cody by Donegal TD Pearse Doherty at the Oireachtas Finance Committee this morning. It’s after a number of reports that building works were being carried out at three border

The Government is being accused of sleepwalking into Brexit in terms of not strengthening the Garda force in Donegal and other border counties. It’s been widely argued that the force here suffered the most cut backs over the years, and now it’s feared that current resources are inadequate to deal with the potential implications of

A Donegal nurse has made an impassioned plea to people in the county to support nurses and midwives if the the first of a series of one day strikes goes ahead next Wednesday. Speaking on the Nine til Noon Show, Claire said that nurses are not seeking pay increases, but rather the restoration of pay

The Revenue Commissioners is to rule out setting up border posts for customs checks along the border after Brexit. Its chairman will appear before the Oireachtas Finance Committee today to brief TDs on the work being done to prepare for the UK’s departure from the EU. According to the Irish Times, Niall Cody will say

  A motion has been put forward to the Stranorlar Municipal District calling for a meeting to be convened between Gardai and the PSNI to discuss cross border cooperation following a recent spate of criminal activity in the border region. PSNI in Strabane last week confirmed that they believe a cross border criminal gang is

The CEO of Udaras na Gaeltachta says there is an occupancy rate of over 80% in property controlled by the agency in Donegal, and he expects more investment to be announced in the near future. Michael Heaney was responding to Sinn Fein’s Business Spokesperson Maurice Quinlivan, who published figures he had received suggesting that there

  A public meeting is to take place over possible changes to the Muff – Buncrana bus route. Currently the service, provided by Local Link, only serves the area on a Friday however, several residents in Muff who need to regularly travel to Buncrana wish to see an increase this service. Local Link has also

The Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation has been welcoming the EU Commission’s contingency proposals adopted today to help mitigate the significant impact a “no-deal” Brexit would have on EU fisheries. The first proposal will allow fishermen and operators from EU Members States receive compensation under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund for the temporary cessation of fishing

A Donegal Deputy says it is simply unfair school secretaries in Donegal are still feeling the brunt of a two-tier pay structure. 10% of school secretaries across Ireland are employed by the Department of Education while the remainder are paid from school funding. The 90% not employed by the Department also lose out on benefits

Experts have warned Brexit will be profoundly troubling for human rights in Northern Ireland. An Oireachtas committee has been hearing about the risks to the rights of citizens North and South of the border. The committee was told when the UK leaves the EU anyone born in Northern Ireland will have British citizenship only from

There are calls for urgent progress to be made on the provision of social housing in the Lifford area. No social housing has been developed in the town for more than 10 years,with Donegal County Council officials saying while they have no definitive plan at the moment, they are examining a number of options for

The Chair of the Donegal Joint Policing Committee has welcomed confirmation that gardai are considering the establishment of a second Armed Response Unit in Donegal, to be based in the North of the county. At present, the only unit in the county is based in Ballyshannon, and the problems that causes were highlighted earlier this

The Health Minister is once again being urged to provide more funding for home help services in Donegal. It’s widely thought that sanctioning additional home help hours would alleviate overcrowding problems in Letterkenny University Hospital. Currently home help services provide 15 minutes in the morning and again in the evening due to funding constraints. Donegal

  The Government has sanctioned over €100,000 for four festivals in Donegal this year. The financial support is being provided by Fáilte Ireland to enhance and promote events across the county. Donegal International Rally is to receive €15,000; the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival get €37,000; the Earagail Arts Festival get €35,000; and Sea Sessions