Author name: oisinkelly

Around 150 people are currently taking part in a demonstration in Letterkenny, protesting against overcrowding and cutback at Letterkenny University Hospital and the impact it’s having on patients. On Friday 16th February, 56 people were waiting to be admitted at the hospital – the highest figure since records began. The protest began at the gates

Units of the Donegal Fire Brigade last night attended a fire at the Railway Tavern and Firebox Grill in Fahan. The extent of damage to the building is currenltly unknown as well as whether any one was injured in the blaze. The fire comes just days after the Inishowen restaurant was broken into, with a

Concern has been raised over rural parts of Inishowen continuing to suffer without adequate broadband. There are on-going fears that Eirs decision to pull out of the National Broadband Plan bid will lead to further delays in the roll-out. Cllr. Martin McDermott says what is a basic necessity for local businesses is a rare luxury

A protest is taking place today in Letterkenny, in a stand against hospital overcrowding. The Still Waiting Health Campaign has organised the protest which begins at 1 o’clock this afternoon and will make its way to Market Square where a number of speakers will address the crowd. National Coordinator of the Still Waiting Campaign Cyril

Main Evening News, Sport, Nuacht and Obituaries Friday 23rd February:

Gardaí in Milford are investigating all of the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the body of a 71-year-old man in a house at Garryharry, Letterkenny. Gardaí and emergency services attended the scene late last night with the man pronounced dead at the scene a short time later. The alarm was first raised when a car

Police in Strabane are appealing for information after a sum of money was taken from a vehicle in the Ballymagorry area last night. The incident is believed to have occurred sometime 7:45pm and 8:45pm last night. Sergeant Joni Beatty is appealing to anyone who has any information or who witnessed anything suspicious in the area to

The new Educate Together National School has officially been opened today in Letterkenny. The new 24 classroom building at Kiltoy will cater for over 200 students in the area. Education Minister Richard Bruton officiated the opening of the school and speaking earlier on the Nine til Noon Show he said the development of diversity within

Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty has been appointed Sinn Féin’s Deputy Leader in the Dáil. Mary Lou McDonald says Deputy Doherty will play an important role in advancing their work in Leinster House. She’s also appointed Jonathan O’Brien to the Public Accounts Committee to take her vacant spot. Deputy McDonald is expected to announce a further

Met Eireann is warning that ‘exceptionally cold weather’ is on the way for Donegal and the rest of the country next week. Temperatures are set to drop to -3 over the weekend with a widespread sharp to severe frost also possible. Met Éireann say the unseasonably cold conditions can be attributed to a high pressure

The North West Strategic Growth Partnership has today officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding between education providers on both sides of the border. In partnership with the Higher and Further Education and Training Institutions of the North West City Region, this new agreement in education and training is vital for the development of the region.

A leading Donegal property expert is warning that people buying homes in the county should beware of taking shortcuts. Garry Clarke, of Lanigan Clarke Solicitors in Letterkenny, said thorough checking by qualified professionals was essential for property buyers – especially in light of the blockwork damage reported in many homes in Donegal in recent years.

It’s been claimed that political uncertainty in the North is threatening the future of Omagh’s Strule Shared Education Campus. It’s after the bidder withdrew from the project which has forced officials to suspend the procurement process. West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan says this is a critical development for the North West and a further delay

Johnny McDaid says the real reward working in the music industry is seeing your work connect in the world. The Derry born producer, singer-songwriter and member of Snow Patrol has been honoured by IMRO. He received an outstanding achievement award at the Radio Days Conference in Dublin last night. Johnny says it’s always special to

The Education Minister has pledged that every option will be explored in a bid to progress plans for the three school campus in Buncrana. The plans been on the table now for over 10 years however, the Department of Education has not yet secured a site for the project. Minister Bruton is visiting Donegal today

Detectives are appealing for witnesses following the report of a street robbery on Foyle Street in Derry on Wednesday. It was reported that at around 10am a man, aged in his 40’s, was in the car park adjacent to the Foyle Street bus depot when he was approached by two unknown males carrying a knife

The Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton is visiting Letterkenny today to endorse a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Ulster University, North West Regional College and Donegal ETB. The new agreement is a commitment to establishing a strategic alliance between the education providers, with a view to increasing collaboration

A play area and outdoor gym in Plumbridge is due to reopen this week after it was damaged during the floods of August 22nd. Derry City and Strabane District Council say repair works are continuing across the district with the hope that the majority of facilities will be able to reopen to the public in

The Community Involvement Scheme is to be reintroduced by Donegal County Council after its withdrawal four years ago. The Council will work with local community groups and landowners to avail of CIS funding from the Department of Transport Tourism and Sport for the restoration of local roads and cul de sacs, subject to approval and

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Thursday 22nd February:

The Communications Minister has confirmed he will be signing off on legislation to reduce a levy fee by 50 percent for Independent Radio Stations next week. The move is seen in the industry as a major breakthrough in reforming Irish Broadcasting. The savings will allow stations to invest in more resources and training to evolve

The Cathaoirleach of the Inishowen Municipal District has made a submission to the bounbdaries commission aeeking to have Inishowen split into two, one North and one South, thereby keeping its nine councillors. It follows a ruling that no district should have more than seven councillors. At present, Inishowen has nine and Letterkenny has ten. There

The Dáil has backed a campaign for an extra payment of €200 per suckler cow to be made to beef farmers. The motion was moved by Donegal Deputy and Fianna Fail Agriculture Spopkesperson Charlie McConalogue, in support of the ongoing “Save Our Sucklers” campaign, with more than 30,000 farmers signing an open letter backed by

The Department for Infrastructure in the North has confirmed that work is due to begin on the Derry to Dungiven stretch of the A6 this coming Spring. The new 25.5km stretch of dual carriageway road will start at Drumahoe, bypassing Dungiven to connect to the M2 to Belfast. Government Chief Whip Minister Joe McHugh says

There are growing fears within Letterkenny University Hospital that if the overcrowding crisis is not addressed waiting lists for planned surgeries will continue to rise. A spokesperson for Saolta has confirmed that once the full capacity protocol is implemented, some measures taken include the admission of patients to extra beds on wards or the cancellation

There has been a slight rise in the number of people waiting on a bed this morning at Letterkenny University Hospital. According to the INMOs latest Trolley and Ward Watch Report there were 24 patients awaiting admission to the hospital, 14 of those were on trolleys in the hospital’s Emergency Department with a further 10

Police in Strabane are appealing for information following two separate burglaries of a commercial premises in the Longland Road area of Donemana. It is believed that sometime between midnight and 9:00am on Tuesday morning, entry was gained to the premises with a large sum of cash taken. Exactly one week before, entry was gained to

Irish Water says it remains committed to a €5.8 million upgrade of the Inishowen Regional Water Supply, as it is vital to ensure a secure water supply for the people of Greencastle. It follows the appointment of administrators to the Northern Irish company Lagan Construction, which was appointed maion contractor of the project last year. Irish

Gardai in Donegal are warning people to be vigilant after burglars from Cork were apprehended in the county. It’s understood that the gang were caught driving a stolen car in Donegal after carrying out two burglaries in the Fermoy area of Co. Cork earlier that day. Crime Prevention Officer Sgt Paul Wallace says this is

There are reports that the worst impacts of Brexit could be delayed for up to two years. A draft legal text seen by the Irish Independent shows that the UK will continue to operate under EU laws during a transition period from March 2019 to December 2020. It could mean more time to work out

It’s been claimed that the National Planning Framework published last Friday shows chronic under investment and imbalanced regional growth for Donegal. Speaking last evening in the Dail in delivering statements on Ireland 2040 Framework Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle said Donegal can expect to be forgotten for another generation as the Government is excluding the county

It’s believed that funding for the Local Improvement Scheme could increase to €10 million with an extra €2 million being made available by Government. Cathaoirleach of the Glenties Municipal Distrcit says during talks with Minister Sean Kyne he acknowledged the need for further investment in LIS and indicated more funding would be allocated. This follows concern

Higher Education institutions in the North West are being invited to submit revised proposals as part of a new €5.7m “Higher Education Access Fund”. The fund, announced by Ministers Richard Bruton and Mary Mitchell O’Connor will support students from underrepresented groups to access higher education and will be allocated to regional clusters of institutions to

The HSE has confirmed that the full capacity protocol was implemented a total of 242 times at Letterkenny University Hospital last year. Senator Padraig MacLochlainn says when the protocol was implemented it remained in place for a number of days, meaning for more or less the entirety of 2017, Letterkenny University Hospital was under immense

Detectives from the PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch are appealing for information on the first anniversary of the attempted murder of an off duty police officer in Derry. On 22nd February last year, an improvised explosive device was placed under the car of the police officers car outside his home in the Ardnalee area of Culmore.