Author name: oisinkelly

  Donegal County Council is to contact the Department of Health seeking more funding for psychiatric and counselling services in the county. The issue was raised in the chamber by Cllr Frank McBrearty, who told members that Donegal has gone from having the best services in the country to having waiting lists of up to […]

  A councillor in Derry has slammed those responsible for setting fire to a Council Dog Warden van in Creggan on Friday night. No one was injured in the attack but the Dog Warden in question was left shaken by the incident. Hundreds of local families were gathered for a festive event streets away from where

  Social Justice Ireland says the Government’s policies are failing to tackle issues like broadband and the homeless crisis. Its National Social Monitor for Winter 2018 claims 500 thousand homes are without broadband across the country because of it. While 11 thousand people are homeless and there are 700 thousand people on waiting lists for

Local authorities are getting a helping hand from today, to prepare for the impact of climate change. The minister in charge of Natural Resources is launching new guidelines to create a consistent approach to the problem across the country. Sean Canney says the Government wants to make Ireland a leader in the field:

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