Author name: oisinkelly

Junior Transport Minister Hildegarde Naughton has been told that more details will emerge about the deaths of two men in waters close to Port Ronan, Malin head in July 2018. The comment was made by Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn during a debate on the Marine Casualties Amendment Bill. The bill is being amended to take into […]

  Germany’s new ruling coalition has made protecting the Good Friday Agreement part of its programme for government. Olaf Scholz’s new “Traffic Light” coalition agreed a deal yesterday — bringing the curtain down on a decade and a half with Angela Merkel in power. The document says “non-compliance” with the “agreed standards and procedures” of

Taoiseach Michael Martin says he will not seek to interfere in a garda investigation after he was urged to guarantee the immediate publication of the Brandon Report into the alleged sexual abuse of residents Ard Greine Court and the Sean O’Hare Unit in Stranorlar. The issue was raised in the Dail this afternoon by Sinn

The Housing Minister says work on the Mica redress scheme is almost finished – and he hopes to bring it to cabinet next week. Ministers were due to consider proposals yesterday for compensating homeowners affected by the defective blocks. But it was delayed again as the government finalises the details. Darragh O’Brien says that work

  Officials from the Department of Education are to meet with Donegal ETB over concerns relating to children affected by the Mica issue. The issue was raised in the Dail last night by Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle, who says children are living under severe pressure and schools needs to be able to respond to their

  A leading professor believes that air pollution in Letterkenny is so bad that he is advising people not to exercise outside in the latter half of the evening. Last week, air quality sensors found that Letterkenny was one of a number of towns that the most particulate matter in the air. It’s been claimed

  The need for a review of the current ambulance service model is back under the spotlight. It’s been revealed that in the Finn Valley area while there is just 1 ambulance crew available, no night time cover is provided Monday to Thursday. Donegal Town, Ballyshannon and Killybegs only have one crew available also, there

  A victim of the Mica scandal in Donegal has been told by the ESB that be must leave his premises due to impact of the crumbling block issue on his property. Micheal Shovlin lives in a two bed apartment in the county and noticed cracks back in 2009. Subsequent testing confirmed Mica, Pyrite and

  Antigen testing will be introduced in schools on Monday, the Education Minister has confirmed. Normal Foley says it’ll be operational from the 29th, and guidance will be made available to schools and parents this week. Meanwhile unions and the department are meeting to discuss student teachers being recruited to primary schools to deal with

  Andrew McGinley, who was dropped from RTÉ’s Late Late Show line-up, says he would never set out to intentionally upset anyone. The Donegal man was due to announce plans for a fundraising concert in his children’s memory. They were killed by their mother at their home in Newcastle in Dublin when she was suffering

  There’s pressure on authorities in Northern Ireland to sanction a fresh inquest into the death of Michael Leonard. The Donegal man was shot dead by the RUC almost 50 years ago, after a car chase close to the Fermanagh and Donegal border between Pettigo and Belleek on May 17, 1973. At the time police

  Boosters for the over 50s won’t start to be administered until the end of year. The HSE says boosters for the medically vulnerable will be completed first. Boosters for the over 50s were given the green light over a week ago. Head of the HSE’s vaccination and test and trace programmes, Damien McCallion, says

  PCR testing capacity needs to be increased, according to the Social Democrats. No appointments are available for numerous test centres around the country, with GPs calling for more walk-in community testing centres. 3,666 cases of COVID-19 were detected yesterday, while 638 patients with the virus are in hospital – including 130 in ICU. Social

  A new deal for farmers has been voted through the European Parliament. MEPs have backed the new Common Agricultural Policy with a large majority. It’s hoped the reformed CAP will prove to be “greener, fairer, more flexible”, according to the parliament. At least one-quarter of farmers’ funding will now depend on environmental schemes. Midlands

  The HSE has confirmed that work on the the new community hospital in Letterkenny is expected to commence in the third quarter of next year. The 110 bed unit will provide long and short stay beds as well as a rehabilitation unit. An update report on the project as requested by Councillor Ciaran Brogan

  The head of the HSE is due before the Oireachtas Health Committee this morning to address capacity issues in the health system this winter. CEO Paul Reid is expected to tell politicians the massive increase in Covid-19 admissions is compounding pressure already on the health service. Mr Reid will also warn of the additional

  A union representing primary school teachers says students are putting on the ‘green jersey’ by stepping in as substitutes during the Covid-19 crisis. It’s expected around 4-thousand teaching students will serve as subs in primary schools starting as early as next week. Teaching colleges have agreed to reschedule exams and assignments to facilitate the

  Agriculture and Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue has rejected a claim from Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle that the government has effectively given up on the Irish fishing industry. Deputy Pringle was speaking Minister McConalogue asked the cabinet to approve a €66 million decommissioning scheme for the whitefish sector, as part of a suite of measures

Agriculture and Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue has rejected a claim from Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle that the government has effectively given up on the Irish fishing industry. Deputy Pringle was speaking Minister McConalogue asked the cabinet to approve a €66 million decommissioning scheme for the whitefish sector, as part of a suite of measures to

The Taoiseach has told the Dail that while the government will seek accountability regarding Mica, a public inquiry would take years to complete, and cannot be the immediate priority. Michael Martin was responding to Deputy Thomas Pringle, who raised recent media reports about the purchase of five Mica affected houses by Donegal County Council. Deputy

Both petrol and diesel prices have increased by over a quarter when compared with last year. New figures from the AA show the cost of filling up is at a record high, with petrol at 1 euro 72 point 6 cent a litre. Diesel isn’t too far behind at 1 euro 63-point-3 cent a litre.

A Donegal TD claims that the government has effectively given up on the Irish fishing industry. Deputy Thomas Pringle was speaking after the reports that Ministers Charlie McConalogue and Pippa Hackett have asked the cabinet to approve a €66 million decommissioning scheme for the whitefish sector. It’s understood the proposed measure is a response to

A Donegal garda is urging people to regularly check their bank balances online after revealing she was scammed this week. On this morning’s Community Garda Slot, Garda Grainne Doherty said while she was checking her account last night, she noticed three transactions from her account, despite the fact that she has clicked no links or

  It’s hoped that a pay increase for County Councillors will attract more candidates into local politics. The pay, known as a ‘representational payment’ has increased by just under 40% to more than 26,000 euro a year. Cabinet approved the increase earlier this year which took into account the recommendations of an independent review in