Author name: oisinkelly

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Wednesday October 10th:

After a boat sank on Lough Foyle yesterday, it’s been claimed that Oyster Fishermen on the lough are being put in danger because restrictions to their operations are forcing them out in bad weather. Liam O’Brien, one of the fishermen who operate on the lough, says an eight month fishery has now been squeezed into

The Government Chief Whip says Letterkenny University Hospital will be given the go-ahead to recruit staff for the 19 bed short stay ward which is currently inactive. The space is currently being used for administration, but Saolta says it can be quickly cleared if the funding to open the ward is forthcoming. It’s estimated it

Further progress is being made on the new Fintra Bridge with three design options presented at a workshop this week. When completed, it will link the South Donegal area to the Glencolmcille area and has been described as another vital infrastructural link for both residents and tourists alike. The proposed designs are currently being discussed

  The Justice Minister insists the increase in VAT in the hospitality sector will not ‘see the sky falling in’. Just after midnight, the Dail approved the measure announced in the budget yesterday. The rate will increase from 9 to 13.5 per cent on January 1st. A number of TD’s argued strongly against the move

  Members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association in the National Ambulance Service in Donegal are to commence industrial action today. Members of the PNA’s NASRA branch were balloted in August on the back off the HSE’s refusal to engage in negotiations with the union when representing the interests of their ambulance personnel members, and the

  Independent Deputy Thomas Pringle says Budget 2019 is evidence of how Donegal is disconnected from the rest of the country and has led to chronic underinvestment in the county. Speaking in the Dail last evening after the budget was delivered by the Finance Minister, Deputy Pringle criticised the Government for failing to tackle a number

  A Letterkenny councillor is urging officials to investigate a reported land dispute which may compromise a significant Social Housing project in the town. At this week’s Municipal District meeting, a 46 unit development at Kiltoy which is being built by Cluid was referenced. The development is reported to be at pre-construction stage, but Councillor

  A Letterkenny councillor is suggesting that an annual Jane Austen Festival might be a way of marking the author’s associations with the town in an imaginative and appropriate way. Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh successfully moved a motion calling for promotional literature to include reference to the fact that three of Jane Austen’s nieces are buried

  Councillors in Letterkenny have again expressed concern at the treatment of people in receipt of Housing Assistance Payments on the council’s Social Housing Waiting List. Figures presented this week showed a gross approved waiting list in the Municipal District of 1,504, but when 639 recipients of HAP are excluded, the nett list is 363.

The Government says it has included measures in this Budget to ensure Ireland is Brexit ready. This includes a two billion euro Rainy Day Fund and 300 million in funding for a future growth loan scheme for small businesses and the agri food sector. It also plans to increase staff across state agencies and key

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Tuesday October 9th:

Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty has labelled Budget 2019, a ‘Budget for booming banks and vulture funds.’ Speaking in the Dail this afternoon, Deputy Doherty said the budget is a shameful attempt to tackle the homeless crisis and has failed to address the issues at the core of society, such as; the overcrowding crisis in the

The Finance Minister has confirmed in Budget 2019 that the 9% VAT rate is to increase to 13.5%. In Donegal in particular, there was concern Paschal Donohoe’s announcement would impact greatly on the hospitality sector with fears the increased VAT rate would have a knock-on effect on prices and employment. Local hotel manager, Councillor Micheal

The Government has announced that a redress scheme for Mica affected homes in Donegal has been approved today. The Government Chief Whip Minister Joe McHugh confirmed work on the design of a scheme to assess and repair homes affected by the defective block issue is due to start immediately. Minister McHugh says further details of

The DUP leader says she’s seen no new documents from the British government on how to solve the issue of the Irish border after Brexit. Arlene Foster’s been speaking after a meeting with the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels today. She says talks are entering a critical phase and re-iterated that the North

Priest in Charge Reverend Judi Mc Gaffin says over the course of the past week, leaflets were set alight and stuffed into a donations box, cigarettes were stubbed out on to the carpet, harvest fair displays were damaged and eggs were smashed on the church floor. Rev Mc Gaffin says they have no choice but

  The Donegal Road Safety Working Group is predicting that over 3,000 second level students will attend its ‘Road Safe’ show over the next two days, 800 of them from Derry and Tyrone. The show is based around a number of real incidents in the county, with graphic descriptions of the scenes from gardai and

  Sinn Féin Finance Spokesperson Deputy Pearse Doherty and Senator Pádraig MacLochlainn will this morning deliver a petition to the Department of Health calling on the Government to immediately approve funding for the reopening of the 19 bed Short Stay Ward at Letterkenny University Hospital. The petition, which was initiated as part of the party’s

Investigations are continuing after significant damage was caused to Lifford Old Courthouse over the weekend. A number of windows were smashed and a window pane broken on Saturday night in what Gardai are investigating as criminal damage. Staff were met with the scenes of destruction upon returning to work yesterday morning. Lifford Old Courthouse board

Donegal County Council has confirmed it’s to create and erect 50 disabled parking bay signs across the county before the end of the year. Concern had been raised previously over inadequate signage highlighting disabled parking bays. The new signage is to be erected on 10 disabled parking bays in each Municipal District to further highlight

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Monday October 8th: