Author name: oisinkelly

The Crime Prevention Officer in the Donegal Garda Division is urging business people to check their premises in the event of any early closures caused by bad weather. Sergeant Paul Wallace issued a statement today urging everyone in the community to make contact with people living alone in isolated areas to ensure they are safe

The HSE Management team for Community Healthcare Organisation covering Donegal, Cavan, Leitrim, and Monaghan and Sligo has met to discuss preparations for the severe cold weather expected later this week. The HSE assures the public that preparations are underway to ensure health services are prepared for the cold weather. A spokesperson has said efforts will

There were 11 people awaiting admission to Letterkenny University Hospital this morning. According to the INMO, 3 people were on trolleys in the hospitals Emergency Department with a further 8 on wards or in overflow areas. Nationally, 511 people were waiting on a bed at hospitals across the country today with Cork University Hospital the

  It’s been revealed that ‘Amelia’ and ‘James’ were the most popular baby names in the border region last year. According to the latest data just released from the Central Statistics Office, ‘James’ was also ranked most popular in 2016 with ‘Emily’ being the most popular baby girls name. The data also shows that ‘Conor’

Donegal is included in the latest Yellow Weather Warning published by Met Eireann. Scattered snow showers are predicted for today, tonight, and tomorrow, with the warning valid until 12 noon tomorrow. Meanwhile, a climatologist says it’s too early to say what will happen in Donegal, particularly when Storm Emma hits the East Coast tomorrow. NUI

The government has confirmed the fuel allowance will be doubled this week to take account of the freezing temperatures. Around 330,000 people will benefit from the extra €22.50 this week to heat their homes, according to Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty. Leas Ceann Comhairle Pat the Cope Gallagher was one of those who called for

Police in Derry are advising that the Waterside bound carriageway of the Foyle Bridge is closed following a road traffic collision and drivers should seek an alternative route. The Cityside bound carriageway remains open.

An Garda Síochana says the community in the wider Donegal Town area would be better served by more Garda patrols. A statement issued by the Garda Management yesterday said that a recent analysis showed that there were very few calls to the station during off-peak hours. The statement continues that Gardai working on station duty during

It’s been claimed that numerous water outages in Inishowen is resulting in residents having an unacceptable supply. There have been on-going concerns on the peninsula over the water supply, with regular reports of water bursts. Irish Water has confirmed that work is due to take place on pipes catering to Mindoran and Cloontagh – an

It’s going to remain bitterly cold in Donegal today with temperatures of just zero to 2 degrees throughout the day.  Some parts of the county are waking up to some snowfall this morning although the east of the country has experienced the worst of the overnight wintry showers. As a result, Met Eireann has issued

An update and renewal of community grit heaps across the Stranorlar Municipal District has been welcomed, particularly in light of the sub zero temperatures being experienced across the county. Donegal County Council has advsied that a Grit/ Salt mix will be available at a number of locations across the area to assist the community in

It’s been confirmed that speech and language therapy services provided at Falcarragh Community Hospital are currently operating just one day a week. In a statement, Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty has heavily criticised the move. The HSE has confirmed that the speech and language therapy services that had been available two days a week, has been

The legal text of a deal to avoid a hard border with Northern Ireland is due to be published later. It sets out how the political agreements reached before Christmas can actually be achieved. The Irish government are satisfied with the text agreed on in Brussels, and say it will avoid any return of a

The Department of Education has approved €43,000 in funding for emergency works to be carried out at Acres National School, Burtonport. The grant will cover the costs of the consturction of a new boundary wall and play area at the school as well as additional landscaping. Cathaoirleach of Glenties Municipal District Councillor Micheal Cholm Mac

A 27-year-old man is still being questioned by police this morning after a fire claimed the lives of 3 people in Fermanagh. The blaze broke out at a house in the Derrylin area near the Cavan border yesterday morning. Police believe the fire was started deliberately and arrested the man on suspicion of murder. The

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Tuesday 27th February:

An application has been made to dig up a grave as part of an investigation into the disappearance of Castlederg teenager Arlene Arkinson. The 15 year old disappeared in 1994 after attending a disco in Bundoran. She had last been seen in the company of convicted child killer Robert Howard. Her body has never been

A man in his 60s suffered burns following a gas explosion at his home in Raphoe this morning. Just before 8:55am the alarm was raised following the explosion in the kitchen of the 2 storey semi-detached property in the Gartaquigley area of the town. At 8:53am the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service received a

A Donegal Deputy believes those responsible for the recent burglary of the Lettermacaward Post Office and shop are capitalising on the low number of Gardai serving the county. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher says the growing menace of rural robberies needs to be eliminated and this can only be done through vigilance from the public.

  Donegal members of the Irish Hotels Federation are expressing concern at the impact of Brexit on wedding business from Northern Ireland. The federation’s AGM is continuing in County Cavan, with the impact of Brexit high on the agenda. Eoghan Corry, the editor of Travel Extra, says the drop in value of sterling since the

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service is warning that clinics in Donegal this week are crucial in maintaining a healthy supply, as eastern clinics are set to be affected by the bad weather. There are a number of clinics happening in the county with the first getting underway in Abbey Hotel in Donegal Town this evening

Almost €900,000 in funding has been earmarked for Local Improvement Schemes in Donegal. It’s part of a national allocation of €10 million under LIS announced by Minister Michael Ring today. The funding will allow for the repair and improvement of small roads and laneways leading to local people’s homes and businesses that are not under

At least three people have died in a house fire in County Fermanagh. Police were called to an address in the Molly Road area of Derrylin at around 7.20am this morning. Emergency services remain at the scene and are trying to establish the cause of the blaze and determine if any one else has been

A working fire alarm has resulted in a Donegal family having a lucky escape after their tumble drier went on fire at the weekend. The incident happened in a house in Buncrana in the early hours of Saturday morning. The family of four were alerted to the fire downstairs after their smoke alarm went off

There were 13 people awaiting admission to Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the INMO. 10 people were on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 3 were waiting on wards. Cork University Hospital was the most overcrowded in Ireland today with 54 people waiting there. Nationally, there were 556 people waiting at

There are calls on the Council to make extra gritting resources available for areas in rural Donegal which are not on the current winter gritting routes. In a recent statement, the local authority have said that it’s not feasible to grit 100% of the road network with the resources available. As an alternative, Cllr Adrian

The country’s in the grip of a big freeze, with a Status Orange Snow-Ice warning coming into effect for many eastern counties this afternoon. Snowfall of up to 6 centimetres is expected in some areas. Drivers are being warned to take extra care on the roads due to the icy conditions. The arrival of the

  Plans to reduce the opening hours of the Donegal Town Garda Station has been heavily criticised. The station is currently open to the public on a 24 hour basis however, the Superintendent plans to reduce opening hours. If the proposed plans are sanctioned the station would open from 10am to 2pm and 8pm to

The IFA have called on Transport Minister Shane Ross to immediately commence consultations with farmers and landowners affected by greenways. The North West Green Way Network was officailly launched yesterday and will see the development of new cross-border greenway projects between Donegal, Derry and Strabane. IFA Environment Chairman, Thomas Cooney says the IFA recognises the

There’s growing concern over an increase in reports of residents in Strabane being tormented in their own homes over the past month. West Tyrone MLA Michaela Boyle has been speaking out following reports of young people pelting homes with eggs, muck and stones and hurling verbal abuse at local residents. As recently as Sunday night

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Monday 26th February:

The North West Greenway Network has officially been launched today by Transport Minister Shane Ross. The network is funded by the EU’s INTERREG VA Programme and has secured approximately €18.5 million in funding for new cross-border greenway projects between Donegal and Derry. The network will see the creation of 46.5km of new greenways for cyclists