Author name: oisinkelly

A 31 year old man from Glen Hola, Gortahork will be sentenced in April after pleading guilty in connection with an arson attack that caused more than €500,000 of damage to an apartment block, several cars and shops in Letterkenny town centre. At Letterkenny Circuit Court today, Paul McGinley admitted two charges of arson and […]

There are renewed calls for the Government to open the purpose-built maternity theatre at Letterkenny University Hospital. The theatre was built 18 years ago and has been lying idle since its construction. Hospital management claim the absence of resources has lead to the facility remaining unused. Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty says the hospital has four

It’s emerged that nearly 40% of people over the age of 50 in Donegal have a long term health condition, many of which cause some degree of impairment, and require people to make changes in their lives. With this in mind , the HSE has launched a special website outlining supports and resources in Donegal,

There were 23 people awaiting admission at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning, 10 of them on Emergency Department trolleys. That’s a rise of four on yesterday’s figure. The INMO says that nationally, there were 592 people awaiting in-patient beds this morning, the largest number, 45, at Cork University Hospital.

An Emergency meeting is to be held tomorrow over what’s been described as a major rat infestation in Derry. According to residents, the infestation centres on the Bogside area of the city with sightings of rodents reported in peoples homes, gardens and laneways. Measures had been taken in the past to address the problem however

Donegal County Council is progressing plans for social housing in a number of towns across Donegal in 2018. The plans include the signing of contracts to purchase 21 housing units in Stranorlar while 19 projects in Inishowen are at construction stage to be completed this year. Under the House Acquisition Programme, it’s envisaged that a

A Donegal County Councillor is calling for a pilot scheme to be initiated to incentivise the owners of buildings on the main street of towns and villages in Donegal to reopen their premises for local businesses. The Council says that while its open to the idea, careful consideration must be given to a number of

It’s been confirmed that there will be no ban on the national flag at the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Strabane this year. It follows an announcement made by Derry City and Strabane District Council last week that all flags and emblems were banned from the official parade in order to make the celebrations “cross-community”

Donegal and other parts of the country are waking up to snow and ice this morning. A status yellow warning from Met Eireann is in place nationwide, with accumulations of up to 3 centimetres in some parts Road users are being advised to take extra care. Liz Walsh is from Met Eireann:

It’s been revealed that a total of 13 bridges in Donegal have been identified as ‘High Priority’ for repair work. Figures from the Department of Transport also show that 9 bridges have been classed as medium priority while a further 26 have been deemed as low. All of the bridges in question are located in

Derry City and Strabane District Council has agreed its budget for the 2018/19 financial year with a rates increase of 2.99%. In a statement, the Council say that the increase is needed to further invest in capital development and invest in growth and investment projects across the City and District. The increase will allow the

Motorists are being urged to be aware of “black ice” – particularly this evening. Drivers should look out for glossy surfaces, especially in sheltered or shaded areas as it could be black ice. Brian Farrell from the RSA says conditions could be treacherous: Meanwhile these Donegal routes will be gritted from 6am tomorrow morning: Assume

Some 177 schools in County Donegal will receive over €780,000 in funding for computers. The grant, which will be received by all schools built prior to 2014, is worth in excess of €4,100 for a 100 pupil school and almost €13,000 for a 500 pupil school at primary level. At post-primary level, the grant is

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Monday 5th February: 

The Council is being asked to carry out a survey of tier two storm drainage systems in Donegal. The objective of this work would work towards planning for fluvial flooding and applying for funding to address such issues. In its response, the local authority say that the pending CFRAMS report may include recommendations for such

An Bord Pleanala has reaffirmed a Donegal County Council decision to block the demolition of a listed building in Newtowncunningham. The HSE had applied for permission to demolish “The Castle”, and replasce it with a new Primary Care centre. The Bord Pleanala inspector recommended that permission be granted, but the board overruled her recommendation, saying

A man who escaped from Garda custody in Donegal a week ago remains at large The man escaped from custody having appeared at Letterkenny District Court last Monday on assault and related charges. Gardai have confirmed a number of searches have been carried out in connection with the incident and the man remains at large

There were 19 people waiting on a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning. 2 patients were on trolleys in the hospitals Emergency Department with a further 17 in wards or in overflow areas. There were 509 people awaiting admission to hospitals across the country this morning with Cork University Hospital the most overcrowded, with

  A campaigner for the provision of a new community hospital in Lifford says it will be 2021 before any announcement is made on the future of services in the town. The Friends of Lifford Hospital met with Minister of State and Government Chief Whip Joe Mc Hugh at the weekend to discuss their proposal

A new free Donegal County Council MapAlerter service has been launched for households and businesses in the county. Alerts will include weather alerts from Met Eireann, gritting alerts, information on road closures and weekly planning lists. Donegal County Council’s MapAlerter service will enable alerts to be sent directly by SMS text message, email, smartphone app

Talks aimed at restoring power sharing in the North are due to take place today. Secretary of State Karen Bradley and Foreign Minister Simon Coveney are expected to meet the five main political parties in Belfast. It comes as the SDLP warns that both governments need to ‘wake up to the political reality that they

A West Tyrone MLA has called on those who have submitted a legal challenge against the A5 to meet and publicly identify themselves in a bid to prevent any further delays of the project. The Alternative A5 Alliance have commenced a legal process to stop construction of the Western Transport Corridor in Co Tyrone, in

Senior Gardai are reviewing the report published by the Disclosures Tribunal which rejected claims made by Garda Whistleblower Keith Harrison, with a view to establishing whether he should continue as a member of the force. Mr Harrison is currently serving as a Garda in Donegal, after returning to work last November after three years’ stress-related

Police in Strabane are investigating the theft of a number of charity boxes from a business premises in the town during a weekend break in. Shortly after 4am yesterday morning, two men entered Dolan’s Restaurant and Takeaway on the Lifford Road, causing damage to the doors of the property before making off with two charity

It’s claimed there’s been an increase in Public Liability claims because of the condition of the country’s roads. A recent study showed two thirds of Ireland’s road network is in a state of disrepair. Fianna Fail’s calling on the government to increase investment to improve their condition. The Party’s Transport Spokesperson Robert Troy says the