Author name: oisinkelly

Main Evening News, Sport, Nuacht and Obituaries Friday 16th February:

The Cabinet’s 116 billion euro plan for the country’s development over the next two decades has been unveiled. In includes formal recognition of the North West City Region linking Letterkenny with Derry City and Strabane, as well as a focus on infrastructure with plans for a new N14 route connecting Letterkenny to the A5, bypassing

More details are emerging from the National Planning Framework cabinet meeting taking place in Sligo today. Government Chief Whip Minister Joe McHugh confirms investments for Donegal and the whole North West region. Minister McHugh says; “Donegal and the North West has been put at the heart of National public policy for the first time today

A West Tyrone MLA is warning that the current level of Out of Hours services in Strabane will ultimately lead to unnecessary deaths. The Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health in the North has confirmed no provision will be made for extra out of hours services in the town, despite the dwindling of services

The National Ambulance Service has moved to refute claims that the service in Donegal is in a state of disarray. It follows reports yesterday that an ambulance took over an hour to get a house situated just five minutes from Letterkenny University Hospital because the nearest available vehicle was in Dungloe. By the time the

  Letterkenny University Hospital was the most overcrowded in Ireland today with 56 people waiting for a bed there this morning.  43 people were waiting on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 13 people were waiting on wards. According to the latest trolley watch report, there were a total of 457 people waiting

A Donegal Lotto player has pledged that a €4.4 million win will not change them in any way, and they are back at work today. No details have been released about the winner, who collected their winnings yesterday after keeping the ticket in the glove compartment of their car for a month. The jackpot was

Serious concern has been raised over the impact poor broadband is having on Fanad Lighthouse and the wider Peninsula with only 17% of residents having access to high speed broadband. A Letterkenny Municipal meeting was told this week that management at the lighthouse have to update their website from home while there’s no broadband access

Former Taioseach Bertie Ahern will be in Donegal next week to address a public meeting on the Prospect of a Hard Brexit. The event is being organised by former Dail Deputy Niall Blaney, and will also feature Deputy Darragh O’Brien, Fianna Fail’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson. Mr Blaney is stressing that while the event is being

A Donegal Deputy says it is essential a funding package is put in place to bring Donegal’s community hospitals up to required standards, to secure their long term future. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher received a reply from the Minister for Health this week which stated that the decision to build a new 130 bed

The government is to launch it’s 115 billion euro ‘Ireland 2040’ plan later. The document will outline how Ireland should develop over the next 20 years and where big capital spending will be done. It will be launched in Sligo after a special cabinet meeting. There’s two plans being launched today The National Planning Framework,

While a number of organisations have already expressed an interest in locating to the now old courthouse building in Letterkenny, it’s understood that the local authority intend to use it going forward.  The future use of the council-owned building was brought to the fore at the latest of Letterkenny municipal district. However, the Council has

The quick actions of the occupants of a house in Meenanillar, Derrybeg that caught fire after lightning struck the property last night, have been praised. The Gweedore fire brigade were at the scene last night within 10 minutes after the alarm was raised at about 11:55pm. Some damage was caused to the detached dormer after

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Thursday 15th February:

The Taoiseach has again refused to engage in the debate over the reopening of the Short Stay Ward at Letterkenny University Hospital. Leo Varadkar was responding to a question tabled by Donegal Deputy Charlie McConalogue who has continued to challenge the Governments failure to approve the €1.8 million funding request to reopen the short stay

A Government Minister’s described illegal dumping as a national scandal. Drones, CCTV and undercover surveillance are to be used to clamp down on litter black-spots across the country. €2 million is to be spent this year targeting those responsible, up from €1.25 million last year. In 2017, Donegal County Council received almost €69,000 for 21

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland says a pilot programme involving the use of hybrid and electric vehicles to transport renal dialysis patients to Letterkenny University Hospital has the capacity to be very significant. Currently, renal dialysis patients from Letterkenny University Hospital are transported on a daily basis to attend their essential appointments by hackney

It’s been claimed that the Donegal ambulance service has been thrown into disarray over severe staff shortages with current ambulance crews said to be at breaking point. In one case, it’s reported that an ambulance was called to a house just five minutes from Letterkenny University Hospital and took over an hour to get there

  Derry Councillor Sandra Duffy says a recent spate of break-ins and attempted burglaries in the Galliagh area is a cause of concern. She says she has met with police in recent days regarding the issue of burglaries, and said police have assured her that action is being taken and arrests have been made. Cllr

There were 39 people waiting for a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the INMO. 26 people were waiting on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 13 were waiting on wards. University Hospital Limerick was the most overcrowded today with 55 people waiting there. Nationally, there were 528 people waiting

There are renewed calls for Government intervention in the on-going controversy over the proposed new Tory Island ferry service. The calls come after yesterday’s protest outside the gates of Leinster House which was organised by members of the Tory island co-operative in opposition to the plans. Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty says there’s growing anger over

  The Housing Minister envisages that the Government will be in a position to clarify whether or not there will be a redress scheme for Mica affected homeowners by next month. Minister Damien English was quizzed in the Dail this week by Donegal Deputy Charlie Mc Conalogue who requested an update on the matter. It’s

Fianna Fáil’s claiming there are still serious doubts about whether the National Broadband Plan can be delivered. The tendering process for the massive project has been left with just one bidder, after Eir pulled out. Officials from the Department of Communications will face questions on the tendering process at an Oireachtas committee hearing later. Fianna

A Midlands North West MEP says commitments, not words are needed from a Cabinet meeting in Sligo on Friday where the National Planning Framework will be published. MEP Marian Harkin says, successive Governments have failed to provide a safe route from Dublin to the North West which has had grave human outcomes as well as

Serious concern has been expressed over the absence of a Community Intervention Team in Donegal. Senator Padraig MacLochlainn has revealed that no such service has been implemented in the county since the initiative was announced almost 8 years ago as a Government intervention. The service is a vital resource in freeing hospital beds, facilitating early discharge

A new pilot project has been launched to transport renal dialysis patients to and from Letterkenny University Hospital. Taxi drivers in Letterkenny will be taking part in the project in conjunction with the HSE and Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland which will involve the use of hybrid and electric cars to transfer the patients to

The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has issued a statement following a protest held outside the Dail today as part of a campaign for a new purpose built ferry to serve Tory island. The Department says it has long recognised that Tory Island is unique among the country’s offshore islands. The contract for

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Wednesday 14th February:

The senior Garda officer in Cork has said an investigation into a 40% rise in house burglaries in Cork shows that on one occasion, a car involved in burglaries in Cork was tracked to both Dublin and Donegal on the same day. Chief Superintendent Barry Mc Polin was speaking to the Evening Echo newspaper. The