Author name: oisinkelly

Rural businesses across the Derry City and Strabane District Council areas are being invited to apply for funding under the Rural Business Investment Scheme’s LEADER fund. The programme aims to support rural enterprises in areas such as job creation and enhancing export potential. To date, over £1.2 million has been awarded to 23 businesses, creating […]

Emergency services are currently at the scene of a road traffic collision on Lifford Bridge. The Lifford to Strabane Bridge is currently closed with diversions in place through Clady. Gardai say the incident is not believed to be serious and it is hoped the road will reopen this evening.

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Tuesday 23rd January:

The Social Protection Minister has announced pension changes that should see 30,000 retired people benefit from a rise in their pensions. It’s aimed at closing a loophole brought in back in 2012 which saw 40,000 pensioners losing out on around 1,500 euro a year, largely mothers who had been out of the workforce to raise

The Tanaiste Simon Coveney is welcoming the announcement of a ceasefire from dissident republican group, Oglaigh Na hEireann today. The group said it would take effect immediately and included a recognised code word. It’s made up largely of former IRA members, but has been responsible for a number of high profile bombings and shootings. The

Officials have granted full planning permission for an electricity line between Northern Ireland and the Republic at a cost of over €200 million. The North South Interconnector Project will see overhead cables connect the power grids between County Tyrone and County Meath. It’s designed to bring down energy costs and ensure demand is met. Natasha

Police in Strabane are currently investigating a burglary at Devines Bar, Longland Road , Donemana in which a substantial amount of money was taken. It is believed the burglary took place in the early hours of this morning, sometime after midnight. Police are appealing to any witnesses or anyone who has any information to come

A Fianna Fail meeting today will be a chance for pro-life members of the party to express their opinions. Around six to 10 TDs and senators will convene this evening at Leinster House to strategise how best to put their views forward. The Fianna Fáil leader, Michael Martin told the Dáil last week he supports

There were 39 people waiting for a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the latest trolley watch report. 16 people were waiting on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 23 were waiting on wards. University Hospital Limerick was the most overcrowded in Ireland today with 60 people waiting there. Nationally,

A committee is to be formed in Buncrana to coordinate a campaign for the restoration of Swan Park. Over 100 people attended a meeting in the town last night to call for funding to restore the park following last year’s devastating floods which caused over €2 million worth of damage to the facility. A petition

Work has begun on improving safety measures at a dangerous junction in Tyrone. The junction at Bellspark road just outside Sion Mills has been the scene of numerous collisions over the years leading to calls for improvement works to be carried out. The work includes improving site lines on the Bellspark Road at its crossroad

New measures are being introduced in a bid to curb a ‘notorious’ anti-social behaviour issue in Strabane. Lockable gates are to be installed between Castle Street and John Wesley Street – an area which is being used regularly by gangs of youths for under-age drinking. In some previous instances, surrounding businesses were vandalised as a

Government Chief Whip Minister Joe McHugh has welcomed his party colleague’s launch of a new Government mortgage scheme. Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has introduced three new means to support people and families who are not eligible for social housing but who also cannot afford to rent or buy their own home. The Rebuilding Ireland Home

    Hopes are fading that works can be carried out this year to counter potential coastal erosion at Ballyliffin Golf Club ahead of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open this summer. Ballyliffin is included in an OPW backed study of North Inishowen beaches under threat from coastal erosion, including Ballyliffin and Lagg Beach in

A new Youthscape project has been launched by the Donegal Youth Service in conjunction with South West College and TIDES Training. The project is aimed at young people between the ages of 16 and 24 to enhance their capacity to form positive and effective relationships on a cross-border and cross-community basis. The programme will operate

Main Evening News, Sport and Obituaries Monday 22nd January:

It’s been claimed that the controversy over the Tory Island ferry could reverse the trend of growth on the island, and return Tory to the depopulation of the 1980s. In a statement issued to Highland Radio today, the island’s co-op says if the issue isn’t resolved by the end of this week, then it will

Police and the family of missing man Derry man Michael McGinley are concerned for his safety. He was last spoken to by family yesterday afternoon at approximately 3:30 pm and has since been reported missing. Mr McGinley, from the Gobnascale area of the city, is described as approximately 5’5” in height of a skinny build,

There are calls for cross-party support to ensure the planned medical school for Derry remains on track. Local Councillor Mickey Cooper is to put forward a motion this week calling for Derry City and Strabane District Council to raise the matter with the head of the Department of Health. Concerns over the future of the

Sinn Fein’s Stormont Leader Michelle O’Neill has become the first person to declare as a candidate for the deputy leadership of the party. Nominations opened at 9am this morning, after it was confirmed at the weekend that Mary Lou McDonald will succeed Gerry Adams as party leader. Ms O’Neill and Donegal Pearse Doherty are the

Met Eireann has issued a status yellow wind warning for the entire country from tomorrow night. The forecaster says winds of between 55 and 65 kilometers per hour are expected, with gusts of up to 110 kilometers per hour. The warning is valid from 8 o clock tomorrow night until Wednesday morning.

The government has secured the funds for a €300 million loan scheme to help businesses hit by Brexit. Loans of between €25,000 and €1.5 million will be available to companies with less than 500 employees. A government commissioned study shows that just 16% of SMEs have a contingency plan for Brexit. Business Minister Heather Humphreys

The Donegal Education and Training Board says encouraging people to consider returning to education is a key theme of its Further Education and Training Fair which takes place on Wednesday in Letterkenny’s Mount Errigal Hotel. The annual event is one of the biggest on the ETB’s annual calendar. Deirdre McColgan is Acting Guidance Coordinator with

There were 35 people waiting for a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning – the third most overcrowded in Ireland today. 22 people were waiting on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 13 were waiting on wards. University Hospital Limerick was the most overcrowded this morning with 51 people waiting there. Nationally,

People are being reminded that a public meeting on the restoration of Swan Park in Buncrana is getting underway tonight. The park was extensively damaged during flash flooding five months ago, with repair costs estimated at €2 million but the local authority is not in a position to foot the bill. The meeting is taking

Investigations are continuing after a young Donegal woman died in a tragic accident in Thailand. 27 year old Louise Furey from Glenties had been living on the Channel Islands and was holidaying in Koh Samui when she died in a fall from a hotel balcony. Glenties Community Development Group has posted condolences on Facebook saying

Nominations for the role of Sinn Féin’s Deputy Leader open this morning. After Mary Lou McDonald was confirmed as the party’s president-elect over the weekend the focus will now turn to her second in command. It’s thought the party wants someone from the north to run in a similar style to the long-standing partnership of

Talks aimed at restoring the Stormont Executive in the North will re-start this week. A number of rounds of discussion between the DUP and Sinn Féin have passed without agreement. It’s more than a year since there was a government in the north, and those elected MLAs have still been drawing their salary in that

  SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood has revealed that he will meet the British and Irish Governments this week to present a case for the establishment of a North-South Structural fund using monies from the “Loans to Ireland” payments. The loans are estimated to be worth 3.2 billion pounds. The Foyle MLA said he believed from

A young Donegal woman has died in an accident while on holiday in Thailand. The 27-year-old woman from Glenties – was living on the Channel Islands – and had only arrived in the country on Wednesday. It’s understood she died after a fall from a balcony at her hotel. A full investigation has been launched

Concerns have been raised around roadworks on the N13 after flooding this evening resulted in the road being almost impassable. The works, located between Stranorlar and the Kilross Junction have been creating traffic issues for a number of weeks, with this evenings flooding leaving many motorists in search of an alternate route. Its reported no