Author name: oisinkelly

The OPW has confirmed that it has no plans to extend the opening hours at An Grianan of Aileach despite calls on them to do so. A number of tourists were reportedly told to leave the historic site recently because it was closing at 8.30pm. This led to local Cllr Paul Canning contacting the OPW, […]

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has declined to give a specific commitment that money will be ringfenced in the forthcoming budget to cover a redress scheme for people in Donegal and Mayo whose homes were affected by MICA. It’s claimed that after missing several deadlines for the publication of an Expert Panel Report, the government is

There are reports of boiling tar on a number of roads across Donegal as the heatwave continues. Motorists have been advised to approach an affected road with caution as the tar can destroy tyres and damage the car itself. Donegal County Council is working to address the issue by applying grit to a number of

A senior engineer with Donegal County Council says it’s significant that the authority is playing a lead role in developing new waste management structures. Con Mc Laughlin was speaking to Highland Radio News after a special meeting to discuss last week’s Prime Time programme which revealed widespread illegal dumping, particularly in Inishowen. Mr McLaughlin says

A South Donegal councillor says it’s unfair that some members of the authority appear to be taking credit for the decision this week not to proceed with a proposal to amalgamate the fire stations in Ballyshannon and Bundoran. Cllr Noel Jordan believes all members of the Donegal Municipal District worked together to secure the breakthrough,

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Wednesday 27th June:

The Killybegs campus of the Letterkenny Institute of Technology has secured €1.4 million from the Higher Education Authority for four Springboard courses in the hospitality sector. The courses had previously been funded by Failte Ireland, and when that finished, the Killybegs campus led out on a project to secure the money from elsewhere. The courses

Irish Water is urging people across Donegal to conserve water as demand across the county continues to increase. The utility says, along with Donegal County Council they are monitoring all supplies across Donegal on a daily basis with the two at-risk schemes identified Lough Mourne and Milford public water supplies. Parts of the country have

A special meeting of Donegal County Council’s Environment Strategic Policy Committee has heard that more staff will soon be in place to boost the council’s waste management activity. Senior Engineer Con McLaughlin told the meeting that the council has been proactive since an RTE programme last week made a number of allegations in relation to

An Bord Pleanala has granted permission for a wind farm at Meenbog, Croaghonagh and Cashelnavean, in Donegal. The details of the application were published on the agency’s website today. The proposals had been strongly opposed by some residents in the area. Finn Valley Wind Action Group Spokesperson Marie Scanlon has been reflecting on today’s decision:

A special meeting of the Environment and Emergency Services Strategic Policy Committee is underway in Lifford to discuss the ongoing illegal waste controversy. The meeting has been told council helpline established last Thursday has taken 30 reports of unauthorised activity, relating to 22 different sites. 15 of them had already been under investigation. A number of

Management at Letterkenny University Hospital has confirmed that there are sufficient numbers of adults and children with diabetes types 1 and 2 in the county to merit a Diabetes Centre of Excellence to be based in Donegal. The Donegal branch of Diabetes Ireland has long campaigned for a centre to be based in the North

Temperatures are forecast to hit 30 degrees in many parts of the country today, as the heatwave continues. Irish Water is warning that supply may have to be restricted in the Greater Dublin area if demand remains high. The Drought Management Team is meeting this morning to assess the situation. Met Eireann’s Joan Blackburn says

The IFA says a hard border would have devastating consequences for Donegal. Donegal IFA Chair, Michael Chance recently visited to the Norway-Sweden border to see first-hand the impact on business trade when crossing a land border between a country inside the EU and one outside. Mr Chance say while there is excellent co-operation between the

A newly formed Donegal ICT and FinTech Working Group aims to address the struggle within the county to meet the demand for jobs within the sector. This Department of Educations and Skills initiative, facilitated by the North West Regional Skills Forum will encourage collaboration between industry, local education and training providers. With 81% of the

The Department of Education has confirmed that St Mary’s National School, Stranorlar is to move to the next stage of the new school project. The Department has requested the school move on to draw up a list of contractors for pre-qualification which will see the school then move to construction stage early next year. Donegal

People are being urged to be vigilant after the Department of Agriculture has issued its highest Red warning for forest fires. It says the dry conditions mean fire can spread rapidly, particularly in forestry, gorse and heather. Farmers are asked not to use machinery near hay meadows, and to refrain from using fires. Donegal County

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Tuesday 26th June:

Its been confirmed that Ranafast is to be included in Donegal County Council’s Winter Gritting Programme for the 2019/2020 season. The council has announced that Galdonagh Road, Rann Road, Ranafast and Ramelton Town is to be included in the Gritting Programme and a new gritting lorry to be purchased. There have been repeated calls for

An application for capital funding for the redevelopment of the Cleary Centre in Donegal Town is due to be formally appraised by the HSE’s Estates Department shortly. It’s understood that the group, which has overall responsibility for providing property services to the HSE, will examine the proposal for the Donegal Town project at its next

The General Secretary of the INMO says in the region of 1,100 nurses and midwives have been attacked in Saolta group hospitals over the past ten years. Specific local figures have not been published for the hospitals in Letterkenny, Sligo, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, but Phil Ni Hay says a total of 1,602 staff members

There’s been a sharp rise in anti-social activity in Newtownstewart, with the blame being put on an increase in temporary crisis housing in the area. There are reports that burglaries, robberies and abusive behaviour in the town have reached an alarming level with residents said to be living in fear. The housing executive in the North

A Public Consultation on the North West Greenway is taking place today in Fahan. €18.5 million in funding was secured earlier this year for new cross-border greenway projects between Donegal and Derry. Today’s consultation is focusing on the route from Buncrana to Derry with a number of proposals on the table for consideration. It’s being

A Donegal Deputy is urging interested groups to apply for funding from the Community Enhancement Programme. This funding is targeted towards enhancing community facilities for individuals and communities that are impacted by disadvantage. It includes funding for the likes of project resources, research facilities and energy efficiency equipment for voluntary groups. Deputy Thomas Pringle says

Met Eireann’s predicting top temperatures of 28 degrees today, as the country continues to feel the heat. The heatwave’s led to concerns that water supplies may begin to run low. Irish Water’s urging customers to conserve water. Kate Gannon of Irish Water says everyone needs to play their part:

Donegal County Councillors have unanimously voted to reject proposals to amalgamate both Ballyshannon and Bundoran Fire Stations. A proposal was put forward by Donegal’s Chief Fire Officer Joseph McTaggart that both stations would be merged into one, at a site near Bundoran, reducing cover for the area to just one base. At a special meeting

With just over a week until the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open tees off, Donegal County Council has praised the efforts being made in Inishowen to ensure the area is welcoming for the many thousands expected to descend on the Peninsula. As part of efforts the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open best Dressed Shopfront competition