Author name: oisinkelly

A statement from the Department of Education has said that, where possible, schools, colleges of further education and third level institutions will re-open on Monday. However, decisions will be made by schools, colleges of further education and third level institutions on an individual basis depending on the circumstances and conditions in their area. As always,

Fianna Fáil’s Agriculture Spokesperson has called on Minister Michael Creed to convene a meeting next week to discuss the best way to support farmers in the aftermath of the extreme weather conditions that have taken hold this week. Deputy Charlie McConalogue says every farmer in the country has been affected by Storm Emma. Deputy McConalogue

An Garda Síochána say there are no plans to reduce the number of Gardai in Donegal Town following the announcement of plans to reduce the stations opening hours. In a statement the force says despite recent retirements, the number of Gardai in Donegal Town and surrounding areas has been retained in recent years. An Garda

Power has now been fully restored to the entire county. Over 1,200 homes and businesses across Donegal were without power this morning with ESB crews working throughout the day. Donegal County Council say gritting trucks have returned to their normal winter maintenance schedule and will be deployed as per normal from 5pm this evening. However,

Main Evening News, Sport, Obituaries and Nuacht Friday 2nd March:

Irish Water are asking customers in Donegal to conserve water with supplies under pressure due to increased demand during the extremely cold weather of recent. Irish Water working in partnership with Donegal County Council is advising customers that due to the extremely cold weather conditions and exceptionally high usage, water treatment plants are struggling to

Met Eireann have downgraded the weather warning for Donegal to yellow. The snow-ice warning for Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo with scattered snow showers was issued this morning and will remain in place until 9am tomorrow morning.

It appears efforts to discharge patients from Letterkenny University Hospital were broadly successful yesterday, with just five people awaiting admission there this morning, none of them on Emergency Department trolleys. That contrasts with Sligo, where there were 20 people awaiting in-patient beds today, 15 of them in the Emergency Department. Nationally, the INMO says there

The sister of missing Castlederg teenager Arlene Arkinson has lost her claim for damages for the unlawful detention by the then RUC during a three day search operation of her home in April 1996. The 15 year old disappeared in 1994 after attending a disco in Bundoran. She was last seen in the company of

A Donegal Senator is seeking a meeting with senior Irish Water officials to seek assurances over the delivery of €5.8 million North East Inishowen water upgrade. It was announced last week that administrators had been appointed to Lagan Construction, who won the contract for €3.7 million worth of the overall project. Senator Padraig Mac Lochlainn

There have been a number of power outages in Donegal this morning. At arond 6 o’clock this morning, over a hundred homes and businesses were left without power in Gweedore. A number have had their power restored, but 128 customers are still waiting, with ESB Networks saying all should be back on line by 2.45pm.

The Ireland North West Trade Missions, a joint venture between Donegal County Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council have been launched today. The initiative is aimed at supporting enterprises in the Creative Digital Technologies, Life and Health Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering sectors, interested in tapping into new markets across the Atlantic. Local

There are fears that there not enough skilled tradespeople to meet the current demand in the Donegal construction industry. It follows reports that the crash has resulted in little interest in the job and that it’s now taking its toll on projects. Donegal’s Build 18 expo in association with AIB is taking place in Newtowncunningham

Donegal County Council has extended the deadline for receipt of applications for the Development Fund Initiative. The closing date for applications was 4 o’clock this afternoon, but because An Post operations have been suspended, the closing date has been pushed back to next Tuesday. Cllr Seamus O’Domhnaill says it is an important initiative……….

One person has been arrested in connection with a spate of burglaries in Donegal and Tyrone in recent weeks. The arrest is part of a cross-border operation between Donegal Gardai and the Police. In a statement police in Strabane have confirmed that they had received a number of reports of commercial burglaries in rural areas

Around 24 thousand homes across the country are without electricity this morning due to Storm Emma. Almost 1400 homes in Donegal are without power – 1224 in the Buncrana area and 173 in Gweedore. Dublin, Louth, Kildare and Offaly are the worst affected. The ESB has asked customers to check if their fault has already

Storm Emma has brought heavy snow and blizzard-like conditions to many parts of the country overnight. A status red warning remains in place for Leinster, Munster and Galway until 6pm with sub-zero temperatures and significant snow accumulations expected. Meanwhile an orange warning is in effect for Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo. Everyone’s

A Letterkenny Councillor says there is no point in returning to a single Letterkenny focused electoral district, unless it has budgetary independence. Cllr Dessie Shiels was speaking after Donegal County Council made a submission to the Local Area Boundary Commission. In its submission in relation to proposed changes to the current Municipal District System in

Donegal County Council says it will accept new Local Improvement Scheme applications until close of business on the 13th of March. Applications received after this date cannot be considered for funding in 2018. It follows confirmation that almost €900,000 has been earmarked for the county under the next round of funding. The council says applications

A Donegal Deputy says the Minister for Health must urgently deliver a replacement scheme for the Mobility Allowance & Motorised Transport Grant. Deputy Charlie Mc Conalogue says it’s now five years since both schemes were removed, but the promise of a swift replacement never materialised. He says an important support has been continually denied to

The water supply at Drumfires is has been restored following an earlier burst. Up to 100 residents in the area were affected. Cathaoirleach of the Inishowen Municipal District Cllr. Jack Murray says Irish Water must address this situation, but stressed the community had nothing but praise for the workers who responded today………….

A fourth body, believed to be that of a young child, has been found by police investigating a fire than killed three people in Co. Fermanagh earlier this week. The body of a woman and two children were discovered at a house in Derrylin on Tuesday. A 27 year man is being questioned on suspicion

Met Eireann’s Status Red Weather Warning covering Donegal and other counties in Ulster and Connaught has been updated. The initial warning, published last night at 11 o’clock, covered the period until 3pm on Friday afternoon. The revised notice is now valid until 6 in the morning. The Red Alert in Munster and Leinster remains in

There were 14 people awaiting admission to Letterkenny University Hospital this morning, three up on yesterday. According to the INMO, 3 people were on trolleys in the hospitals Emergency Department. Nationally, 352 people were waiting on in-patient beds at hospitals across the country today. Cork University Hospital was the most overcrowded with 48 waiting there.

The water supply at Drumfires is currently out following a suspected pipe burst. It’s understood that Irish Water has been contacted with an engineer being sent out to address the problem but no restoration time has yet been given. It’s thought that up to 100 residents in the area are affected. Cathaoirleach of the Inishowen

Anger is said to be growing among some residents on Tory Island after their protest outside the offices of the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht in Galway wasn’t recognised by officials. The protest took place yesterday, amid the wintry weather, over the suitability of the Queen of Aran Ferry which is due to

  Letterkenny University Hospital is now cancelling routine Day Surgery and outpatient appointments today and tomorrow (Friday 2nd). Patients for dialysis continue to be treated and it is anticipated will continue to be treated today and tomorrow. The hospital is contacting Renal patients directly to make arrangements for their dialysis and if any dialysis patients

Serious concern has been raised over the impact the persistent cold weather is having on mica affected homes in Donegal. Up to 5,000 properties in the county are thought to be affected by the defective block issue with people effectively living in fear of their homes crumbling around them. However, it’s now been claimed that

ROADS/SNOW ANNOUNCEMENTS Milford to Kerrykeel is closed. Gritter trying to clear the road due to bad weather. Really heavy snow in Fanad & Kerrykeel Very bad snow in Fanad Milford to Fanad unpassable Creeslough to Termon road treacherous Buncrana to Cockhill Milford to Kerrykeel impassable – gritters attempting to get it cleared Kilmacrennan to Creeslough