Author name: oisinkelly

Letterkenny University Hospital was among the country’s most overcrowded hospitals this November. New figures from the INMO have shown 2018 has seen the worst November on record for hospital overcrowding, with 9,679 admitted patients forced to wait on trolleys and chairs for beds country wide. Five hospitals saw over 500 patients on trolleys in November,

Christmas shoppers are being urged to shop local at towns and villages across the country today. The Small Firms Association is holding ‘Small Business Saturday’ to drum up support for local companies. It says consumers should use this weekend as a chance to focus on buying Irish and backing businesses in their area. SFA Director

A group of community activists from Gweedore are calling on the people of Donegal to join a protest outside the Main Post Office in Letterkenny planned for Saturday week, the 8th of December. The group is protesting the closure of rural post offices across the country. A number of Post Offices have closed already in

2,600 new hospital beds are to be introduced over the next 12 months. The Minister for Health has made the promise, after claims the overcrowding crisis is getting worse. This year has broken the record for the largest number of people on trolleys, with 100,000 patients waiting on beds, according to the INMO. The nursing

The Director of An Grianan Theatre says the decision to hold a review into the theatre’s operations is a sign of the theatre’s strength, and in no way an indication of potential problems. Patricia Mc Bride was speaking after it emerged a consultant is being brought in to examine every aspect of the theatre, and

A Donegal councillor says the government must respond positively to a council decision to increase the amount of money being provided to applicants for the Disabled Persons Grant. At present, applicants in private houses have to pay up to 50%. The council intends increasing its contribution, with Cllr Patrick Mc Gowan saying he would like

An initiative to target the unauthorised use of disabled parking bays and parking permits has been launched in Donegal. Operation Enable will run until December 8th with a focus also on targeting other forms of illegal parking across the county. Chair of the Donegal Joint Policing Committee Councillor Gerry McMonagle says the roll-out of the

Oireachtas members and councillors from Inishowen and Letterkenny are to meet with Irish Water to discuss services from the Fullerton Dam, and in particular, problems with the network in South Inishowen. It comes as people in the Inch Island area face disruption because of a burst water pipe for the second day in a row.

€5.3 million has been spent on agency staff at Letterkenny University Hospital so far this year. In figures released by the HSE it shows that €114 million has been spent on agency staff and locums to fill vacant posts at hospitals across the country. Donegal Senator Padraig MacLochlainn has accused the Government and the HSE

Donegal County Council is being asked to review it’s policy and procedures in relation to major roads programmes. Cllr Gerry Crawford says in light of the volume of road works in parts of the county at the moment, such a review is necessary to see how the process can be improved. In a reply, council

The Joint Oireachtas Committee of the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement has heard calls for continued investment and growth in the North West region. A delegation from Donegal and Derry City and Strabane District Councils along with Foyle MP Elisha McCallion and members of the North West Regional Development Group attended the meeting. The

The water quality in Irish rivers has deteriorated in the last two years according to the Environmental Protection Agency. 197 rivers improved – but 269 underwent a loss of quality up to the end of last year, representing a decline of 3 per cent. However the incidents of serious pollution have fallen sharply. Only two

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Thursday November 29th:

There has been a slight rise in the number of people homeless in the North West. The latest figures from the Department of Housing show that nationally 9,724 people were officially homeless in October, just under 6 thousand of those who accessed emergency accommodation over the course of the month were adults, while 3,725 were

The cost of childcare has been described as like a second mortgage for many families. It’s after a new report shows the average cost of full-time childcare is just under 180 euro a week. In Donegal, full-time fees have increased by up to €15 a week from last year. The government says progress is being

Letterkenny has been named the most enterprising town in Ireland. The town was the overall winner of the 2018 Bank of Ireland National Enterprise Town Awards in Kilkenny as Donegal Town was announced as a regional runner up. Letterkenny will now receive a cash prize of €33,000 CEO of Letterkenny Chamber Toni Forrestor says the

The Manager of Letterkenny University Hospital says the hospital had not been been allocated any new beds for five years until approval was received at the weekend for 10 new beds at the hospital’s Short Stay Ward. Speaking on the Nine til Noon Show today(full interview HERE), Sean Murphy confirmed that he had sought the