Author name: oisinkelly

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Wednesday 31st January:

A senior radiologist at Letterkenny University Hospital says the government needs to consider paying consultants more to entice them to peripheral areas such as Donegal. Dr Conall Mac a Bhaird is a retired radiologist who has returned to the hospital on a part time basis. He says while the hospital should have seven full time

It’s claimed the Government’s National Planning Framework will ‘kill rural Ireland’. ‘Ireland 2040’ is expected to be published in the coming weeks, however a number of cross-party TD’s have come together to voice their opposition to it. They say the current plan will not pass through the Oireachtas. Labour’s Alan Kelly says the North West

The IFA is seeking clarification on elements of the transport scheme for fodder announced by the Department of Agriculture last week. Senior IFA officials say Minister Michael Creed needs to convene an immediate meeting of the Fodder Action Group so that all stakeholders can discuss how the scheme will work in practice. Donegal IFA Chair

Donegal Senator Padraig MacLochlainn has told the Health Minister in the Seanad today that he is outraged that a funding request submitted by the management of Letterkenny University Hospital was not approved. The request was submitted last summer under the Winter Initiative seeking €1.8 million to facilitate the reopening of the Short Stay Ward and

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that three Donegal water supplies have been removed from the Remedial Action List. The Pettigo, Portnoo-Narin and Rathmullan supplies, affecting almost 1000 customers, have all been approved by the EPA following extensive treatment and upgrade works by Irish Water, in partnership with Donegal County Council. Works are continuing on

A West Tyrone MLA is calling on those bringing forward a legal challenge against the A5 to withdraw it. The Permanent Secretary of the Department for Infrastructure has confirmed that the Western Transport Corridor Scheme has been delayed until September 2018 due to the court action taken by the Alternative A5 Alliance. This is only

There were 28 people awaiting admission at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning, five of them on Emergency Department trolleys. That’s eight down on yesterday’s figure of 36. Nationally, the INMO say there were 554 people waiting for in-patient beds, with the largest number, 45, recorded at University Hospital Limerick.

Serious concern has been raised over what’s been described as an alarming level of illegal dumping at Stragill River in Inishowen. A large number of electrical items including a microwave, vacuum cleaner and oven were discovered by locals in recent days. There have also been reports of bags of rubbish and loose litter strewn along

There are calls for additional gritting machinery to be dispatched to Donegal to allow for the expansion of the winter gritting programme. In its response, the local authority say that its gritting fleet is currently operating above normal capacity which presents a challenge during prolonged periods of bad weather. While the programme covers in excess

Donegal County Council is to consider setting up an emergency taskforce to examine and address deprivation in the Donegal Gaeltacht. The Glenties Municipal District has been classed as one of the most deprived rural areas in Ireland in the Pobal Deprivation Index. The Council say that given the concerning profile , such a taskforce may

  Donegal and parts of the country are on alert for more snow today. A status yellow warning for snow and ice is in place for Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Leitrim with accumulations of up to 3 centimetres possible on higher ground. There are reports of treacherous roads across the county this morning. In

Major road improvement works have begun on the Castlefin Road, Castlederg. Motorists travelling to and from Donegal are advised that it will be closed for some periods throughout the day with diversions in place to facilitate the work. Councillor Ruairi McHugh says a lot of motorists use this particular road and it has been in

A Donegal Deputy is calling on the Housing Minister to publish the report on the Tenant Purchase Scheme without any further delay. The scheme was reintroduced in 2016 but there have been issues with people being prevented from entering into the scheme, despite having the means to purchase their homes. Deputy Charlie McConalogue says the

It has been confirmed that the Full Capacity Protocol has remained in place at Letterkenny University Hospital for over a month now. The Full Capacity Protocol was implemented on 27th December last and Saolta say the hospital has experienced unprecedented numbers of patients attending the Emergency Department from late December and throughout this month. There

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Tuesday 30th January:

Just under €130,000 in funding has been announced for the Donegal Volunteer Centre to ensure it continues to enhance and expand its services in 2018. Confirming the allocation this afternoon, Government Chief Whip Minister Joe Mc Hugh said the Donegal Volunteer Centre plays a vital role in enabling volunteering locally, allowing people to give back

Donegal County Council has launched its 2018 Tourism Brochure, highlighting six recommended touring routes for different regions of the county, as well as promoting the Donegal leg of the Wild Atlantic Way, which remains hugely popular. Speaking on the 9 ’til Noon Show today, the council’s Head of Tourism Barney Mc Laughlin said the brochure

There were 36 people waiting for a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the INMO. 23 people were waiting on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 13 were waiting on wards. University Hospital Galway was the most overcrowded with 55 people waiting there. Nationally there were 544 people waiting at

Serious concern has been raised over the maintenance of water drainage on the county’s roads. Cllr Gerry Crawford has highlighted that a number of roads flood regularly during heavy rainfall and this he believes is down to water tables not being properly maintained. At the latest sitting of Donegal County Council, Director of Service, Roads

The National Lottery today confirmed that the holder of the €4.4 million Lotto Jackpot ticket sold in Co. Donegal has made contact. The winning Quick Pick ticket was sold at Daly’s Topaz on the Letterkenny Road in Lifford on Saturday January 13th. A National Lottery spokesperson this morning that they have been contacted by the

  A Donegal councillor says the local road network in the county is crumbling because too much money is being diverted to the maintenance of regional roads. Cllr Ciaran Brogan says the problem goes back to the abolition over five years ago of the Specific Roads Improvements Scheme for regional roads. Cllr Brogan says this

Donegal County Council is being urged to write to the Department of Transport to fast track the necessary funding to repair flood damage in Donegal. In its response, the local authority say that significant costs have already been recouped and are satisfied that more is available when required. However Cllr. Noel Andrew Jordon says this

The HSE is urging people in Carndonagh not to use the pedestrian access and bridge at the rear of the hospital campus, as they are still unsafe following last year’s floods. The HSE says people should only use the access point off the main road at the front of the hospital grounds when accessing Carndonagh

A group representing Irish business says it’s crucial the UK stays in the customs union after Brexit to protect our economy. IBEC will meet the House of Lords Brexit committee, who are visiting Dublin today to look at how the UK’s decision to leave the EU could affect Anglo-Irish relations. Yesterday, EU ministers agreed that

It’s been claimed that the on-going failure to provide funding to reopen the short-stay ward at Letterkenny University Hospital is down to a case of mismanagement. An initial funding application was submitted in the summer of 2017 but to date the request remains unanswered. It is long since anticipated that such a move would alleviate

A total investment programme of €33 million for regional and local roads in Co. Donegal has been confirmed this afternoon by Transport Minister Shane Ross. That Donegal allocation is up from just over 21 million last year, in line with a national increase of 29%. €10 million of the Donegal allocation is ringfenced for flood

Michelle O’Neill is set to become Sinn Fein’s new Deputy President. The party’s leader in the North received the necessary number of nominations after applications for the position closed this evening. There had been suggestions that Donegal Deputyy Pearse Doherty might cnotest the position, but he chose not to put his name forward. Ms O’Neill

Donegal County Council is being asked to work with Tidy Towns Committees, property owners and other groups to address “derelict site issues” in Donegal. A number of such sites have been identified across the county with concern raised over their general appearance ahead of the 2018 tourism season. Cllr. Albert Doherty says despite the great

  A total investment programme of €33 million for regional and local roads in Co. Donegal has been confirmed this afternoon by Transport Minister Shane Ross. That Donegal allocation is up from just over 21 million last year, in line with a national increase of 29% to €417 million. Leas Cheann Comhairle and Fianna Fail

A man has been found guilty of murdering the manager of a pub in Dublin’s north inner city 35 year old Michael Barr, a native of Strabane, was shot dead at the Sunset House pub on the evening of April the 25th 2016. 30 year old Eamonn Cumberton of Mountjoy Street, Dublin 7 had denied

Gardai are appealing for witnesses to last Friday’s fatal collision at Ards Beg in Gortahork. 43 year old Noel McDermott lost his life while out training at approximately 4pm when his bicycle collided with a car. The driver of the car was uninjured. Anyone with information is asked to contact Milford Garda Station on 074-9153060.

There were 25 people waiting for a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the latest trolley watch report. 12 people were on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 13 were waiting on wards. University Hospital Limerick was the most overcrowded this morning with 54 people waiting there. Nationally, there were

The HSE has moved to confirm that work is still ongoing in relation to Community X-ray facilities in Donegal Town Community Hospital and Dungloe Hospital. Work is to continue for another 6 weeks and a further 2/3 weeks trialling required after that. It was previously indicated that repairs would be completed by the end of

A total of 243 jobs were created in the Donegal Gaeltacht last year. According to the 2017 Udaras na Gaeltachta annual report more projects are also planned for the coming year with the hope of further employment. The publication comes just weeks after the shock closure of SLM Ceangal Eire Teo at the Gaoth Dobhair

There’s a warning that some roads in Stranorlar will deteriorate even further unless there’s a change in how funding is distributed. Currently, money is allocated based on the length of all roads in a municipal district as opposed to their condition. This has led to concern that roads in the Stranorlar area are losing out

Donegal is set to benefit from a €1.8M Government funding boost to the tourism sector, according to Minister Joe McHugh.  A €1.35m marketing campaign in Britain will be supported by a Fáilte Ireland €500,000 programme to support businesses along the Wild Atlantic Way. In a statement, Minister Joe McHugh said that the marketing campaign in

Police in Derry have urged vigilance following a spate of burglaries in the city over the weekend. Investigations are ongoing into seven burglaries which took place between Friday and Saturday evening. The PSNI believe that two of the burglaries are linked as enquiries continue. Chief Inspector Simon Ball has urged members of the public to