Author name: oisinkelly

Sinn Fein have moved their Island Fisheries (Heritage Licence) Bill, which they describe as an attempt to address the depopulation of Ireland’s offshore islands by giving local fishermen and women back the ability to make a living as they have traditionally done. Representatives from island comunities were in the Public Gallery for the debate. Proposing […]

Gardai have confirmed a search is currently underway after a man escaped from Garda custody on Monday The man was appearing at Letterkenny District Court on assault and related charges when he escaped.

A nationwide lunchtime Teachers Union of Ireland protest has ended. The Teachers Union of Ireland protested today against pay inequality and said it is impossible to attract and retain young teachers. Greg Hughes spoke to some participating teachers outside Finn Valley College who say it is important action is taken to allow future generations who

A Donegal councillor has again called for the restoration of a Health Board system which brings decision making back to the regions. Following a motion from Cllr Ian Mc Garvey, Health Minister Simon Harris has been asked to attend a meeting of Donegal County Council to discuss a number of issues of concern. Cllr Mc

The Education Minister has been told that St Mary’s National School in Stranorlar cannot afford any more delays in its campaign for a new school building. Speaking in the Dail, Donegal Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher said one planning permission has already run out for the school because of a delay in agreeing plans to

The health watchdog has published an overview report of its medication safety monitoring programme. During the course of the inspections which were conducted at 34 hospitals nationwide, HIQA identified specific high risks in six hospitals which include Letterkenny University Hospital. Risks were primarily identified in relation to the governance of medication safety and were brought

Latest figures released by the Government have revealed that the number of community Gardai in Donegal is down from 35 to just 2. Donegal Senator Padriag MacLochlainn says this is a shocking revelation given community Gardai are a vital part of policing in the county. Since 2011, community Gardai in Donegal has decreased by 33

Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of a 56 year old man in Derry. The man was admitted to hospital on the evening of Monday 29 January after he was discovered injured in the communal stairway of an Apartment block in Inniscarn Crescent shortly after 8pm. The man did not recover from

Two searches of properties have been carried out in the Tallaght area of Dublin this morning in connection with the attempted murder of an elderly woman in Co. Tyrone. Gardai are helping the PSNI with their investigation after an 83 year old sustained serious injuries in Aughnacloy during a burglary on the 23rd of January.

There’s a call for a new law imposing a legal duty on doctors and other health professionals to admit mistakes. It follows the inquiry into the hypnotraemia related deaths of five children in Northern Ireland’s hospitals, which found that four of them were avoidable, including that of 9-year-old Derry schoolgirl, Raychel Ferguson, who died at

There were 31 people waiting for a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the latest trolley watch report. Six people were on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 25 people were waiting on wards. Cork University Hospital was the most overcrowded today with 45 people waiting there. Nationally, there were

It has been confirmed that Minister Jim Daly will be hosting a public information evening on community hospital provisions on February 20th in the Twin Towns. Members of the public and the Save Our St Joseph’s Hospital Action Group are being urged to attend. The future of services at the hospital as well as Ramelton

Donegal County Council is to write to Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe asking him to consider the implementation of a preferential tax rate for medical consultants. It’s anticipated that such a move would make vacant posts more attractive to suitable personnel as opposed to other ventures overseas. Cllr Michael McBride believes the idea would go some

A man has been taken to Letterkenny University Hospital following an early morning crash on the N13 Letterkenny to Derry road.  The single car collision happened at 5.30 am in the townland of Ballylawn. The man who is in his 30s and who was the sole occupant of the car sustained minor injuries. Gardai say

  The Teachers Union of Ireland says it may have to consider industrial action, unless the government deals with pay inequality. Schools in Donegal will be taking part in a nationwide protest this lunchtime. It says there are real difficulties recruiting new teachers for second level subjects like languages, maths and science. TUI President Joanne

A Donegal Deputy says Eirs decision to withdraw from the National Broadband Plan bid has left a scheme that was already in a state of crisis facing serious delays to the roll-out for rural Ireland and counties like Donegal. Deputy Thomas Pringle says the announcement is disappointing but not surprising. He believes the provider has

The Taoiseach has been accused of fudging the issue of providing additional funding for Letterkenny University Hospital to reopen the Short Stay Ward. A funding request of €1.8 million was submitted by management at the hospital last summer which would reopen the ward, increase bed capacity by 19 and employ extra staff. The Taoiseach told

Primark is to close its 30 year old Waterside store in Derry on April 7th. The 61 staff based at the store in Lisnagelvin shopping centre will be offered employment at the other store on Newmarket Street. Derry MLA Gary Middleton has welcomed confirmation that the staff will be given the opportunity to relocate but

Police investigating a road traffic collision, that claimed the life of a 72 year old pedestrian, have issued a renewed appeal for information. The crash happened on Saturday 13th January around 5pm on the A5 Omagh Road, between Garvaghy and Ballygawley, close to licensed premises. Inspector Keir Kitt is appealing to anyone who was in

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