Author name: oisinkelly

As the debate over potential post office closures continues, a Donegal Deputy says the retirement protocol agreed between An Post and the IPU must be changed. The agreement as it stands means that when a postmaster or postmistress seeks to leave, the contrasct for that post office will not be readvertised and it will cease

The Chair of the Donegal Municipal District says the opening of the new €5 million Supermac’s Complex in Donegal Town today will boost the economy of the whole area. The development has created over 70 new jobs. Cllr Michael Naughton says with almost 900 prospective jobs in the pipeline as a result of two announcements

A West Tyrone MLA says recent figures showing 1430 teachers and support staff received redundancies across the North over the past 3 years are further evidence of the financial pressures being caused by the continued suspension of Stormont. Daniel McCrossan says staff in local schools are increasingly concerned about their future, and the future of

Donegal Deputy and Leas Cheann Comhairle Pat the Cope Gallagher has rejected claims he has a selective memory, as discussions continue about the future of rural post offices. Yesterday, Deputy Gallagher criticised government Chief Whip Minister Joe Mc Hugh as it emerged 13 post offices in Donegal could be facing closure. Fine Gael Councillor Terence

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Thursday August 2nd:

    Donegal Fine Gael Cllr Terence Slowey says the government is committed to supporting the post office network, and Chief Whip Minister Joe Mc Hugh will be actively striving to services in Donegal. Earlier, Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher called on Minister Mc Hugh to “put on the Donegal jersey”. Cllr Slowey says Deputy Gallagher

The Ballybofey and Stranorlar Chamber of Commerce while welcoming the ongoing progress of traffic management in the Twin Towns as road works continue, are pressing for further improvements on the Donegal Road as the new school term fast approaches. The Chamber says there has been significant improvements to traffic management in the locality over recent

A homecoming will take place at Market Square in Letterkenny this evening at 6.30 for Jason Black, the mountaineer and athlete who last week became only the second Irishman to climb K2, and the forst to return home. 10 years ago today, Limerick mountaineer Ger O’Donnell died while descending the mountain, having successfully reached the

It’s emerged that so far, An Post has received 109 exit requests from postmasters and postmistresses across the country, 13 of them from Donegal. It follows the agreement of a protocol between An Post and the IPU earlier this year which offers packages to people running post offices to leave. However, the agreement means a

A senior Sinn Fein representative in Donegal says the party is looking forward to confidently arguing the case for Irish unity. However, Senator Padraig Mac Lochlainn denies that his party is prioritising a border poll over a return to Stormont. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood accused Sinn Fein this week of doing a handbrake turn on the

Main Evening, News, Sport and Obituaries Wednesday August 1st:

Presidential hopeful Kevin Sharkey has accused the national media of not taking him seriously as a potential candidate. The artist from Co Donegal, was not invited to address Waterford City and County Council yesterday evening. Senator Joan Freeman, businessman Gavin Duffy and retired Aer Lingus employee Patrick Feeney were invited to give their pitches though.

New car registrations in Donegal are down over 10% compared to figures from 2017. The Society of the Irish Motor Industry’s second quarterly motor industry review show there were 2399 new car registrations in the county so far this year. Nationally, new car registrations are down 4% while new car sales have dropped almost 3%

Work is beginning on the replacement of five kilometres of water pipe from Derrybeg to Brinaleck, with a local councillor urging Irish Water to consult with the local community about any road closures or cut offs to supply as part of the work. It follows comfirmation in June that replacement works are to be carried

Proposals for a one way system in Rathmullan have been officially rejected by residents and business owners in the town. It had been claimed that locals were given some incorrect information on the proposals during a recent public consultation so it has been agreed that further public consultations are to take place. Cllr Liam Blaney

Donegal County Council is considering applying for a grant under the Rural Regeneration and Development fund to cover the cost in repairing Swan Park in Buncrana. There’s one billion euro available nationally under the fund and is part of the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 Plan with 19 million euro to be distributed next year. The

A Donegal Deputy says the entire health care system is crumbling under the pressure of numbers and the lack of resources, staff and funding. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher says the ongoing delays in approving Home Care Packages is causing delayed discharges from Letterkenny University Hospital as those in Community Hospitals cannot be sent home

It’s claimed the HSE is “sleepwalking into another winter crisis” in emergency departments. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation say figures from the health service show a shortage of over 200 nurses in EDs. Figures also show that there’s been an increase of 89% in the number of people waiting on a bed at Letterkenny

Planning permission for a retirement village at the former site of Thornhill College in Culmore, Derry has been given the green light. The development will retain three existing buildings at the front of the site see the demolition and redevelopment of the remaining buildings to provide a 65 bed care home and 68 semi-independent living

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Tuesday July 31st:

Flood mitigation funding of over €157,000 which was announced for Ballybofey and Stranorlar last month has now been received by the county council, with works due to begin shortly. The money will be used to improve embankments and clear vegetation and trees along the River Finn. It’s also planned to build sumps and pumping areas.