Author name: oisinkelly

  There were 16 people waiting for a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning. Four were waiting on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further twelve were waiting on wards. Cork University Hospital is the most overcrowded this morning with 38 people waiting there. Nationally, there were 293 people waiting at hospitals across […]

  There are calls for a cross party delegation from Inishowen to travel to Government buildings in a bid to obtain funding for the restoration of Swan Park. The park, situated in Buncrana, is one of a number of amenities that was severely damaged in Augusts flood and the repair bill has been estimated at

  Letterkenny Institute of Technology has been named as runner up in the prestigious Sunday Times Institute of Technology of the Year 2017. The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018 has listed LYIT as runner up with Athlone Institute of Technology winner. The guide says the institute’s cross-border relationships with the North West Regional College

  Serious concerns have been raised over the impact plans by An Post will have on rural Donegal and elsewhere. There are fears that if new contracts proposed by management of An Post are implemented, it could lead to a significant number of post offices closed in the coming years. Donegal Spokesperson for the Irish

  There are calls for prescription charges to be abolished. The charge increased to 2-euro-50 in 2013 – up from just 50 cent in 2010. Former Health Minister and Fine Gael Senator James Reilly says its having a negative impact on those with serious illness. Senator Reilly says it needs to be scrapped and says

  A Midlands North West MEP says a proposal for a tariff-free Agri-Food trade deal for the island of Ireland post-Brexit needs further “flesh on the bones” but it is worth looking at. Mairead McGuinness who is the vice-president of the European Parliament, was commenting on reports earlier this week that the European Commission is

  The OPW has been urged to prioritise the existing request for funding to carry out counter flood measures in Killybegs. It’s emerged, following Wednesday evening’s flooding there, that the area was previously surveyed by the OPW with risks highlighted by the council and an application made for funding to prevent future flooding. However, no approval

  As the North West continues to recover from the unprecedented flooding of six weeks ago, the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland has given an update on a significant level of repair work to roads and rivers in the area. While assessments and repairs are still being carried out around 80% of closed roads

  The number of people signing on the Live Register in Donegal has dropped by 14% in the last year. Nationally, the Live Register has fallen below 250,000 for the first time in 9 years. In Donegal the number of people signing on the Live Register is 2,082, down 14% compared to the same period

A Garda superintendent has denied that referring Garda Keith Harrison to GSOC was a complete charade. A referral was made to the Garda Ombudsman following a statement made by Marisa Simms to gardai after an argument with Garda Harrison.   Gardai in Donegal held a meeting in October 2013 to discuss the statement made by

Donegal County Council is advising those affected by last evening’s flooding in Killybegs and surrounding areas to contact them directly for assistance and support. A number of homes, businesses and other premises were affected as a result of the flooding. Any household in need of emergency accommodation should contact Donegal County Councils Housing service by calling

Donegal County Council Road’s Crews responded to reports of flooding at a number of locations in Killybegs and surrounding areas last evening. The first call was received at 6pm with crews on the ground from 6:10pm to approximately 9:30pm until the tide receded and the torrential rain had eased off. Locations affected were as follows:

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection is advising that support is available for anyone who has been affected by the floods last evening in Killybegs from the Community Welfare Service in Ballybofey. The Department says any person or family who is in need should contact the service in Ballybofey on 074 9131154. The

A Donegal Deputy has said the Taoiseach’s response to a Dail question on the progress of the expert panel’s report on Mica affected homes in Donegal and Mayo was unacceptable. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked Leo Varadkar yesterday if the report had been discussed at Cabinet and also if the necessity and requirement for a remediation

  The Disclosures Tribunal is examining fresh statements from gardai, based on new evidence. The Chairman of the Tribunal requested the additional documents yesterday, saying things could have been done a lot better. This module is examining contacts between senior gardai and Tusla about Garda Keith Harrison.   On October 8th 2013, gardai convened a

  A member of the parents association at Fintra National School in Killybegs says there is a wider issue regarding inadequate piping in area. The gym at the school was damaged during last night’s floods but according to Liam Connelly there are ongoing concerns over drainage there with proposals for new pipes already being considered.

  There were 23 people waiting for a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the INMO. 11 were waiting on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 12 were waiting on wards. University Hospital Limerick was the most overcrowded this morning with 45 people waiting there. Nationally, there were 432 people

  A Donegal Deputy is calling on the Department of Social Protection to immediately fill the remaining 299 Rural Social scheme (RSS) posts. An additional 500 posts were allocated as part of Budget 2017 by former Minister Varadkar, but remain unfilled as of present right throughout the country. Leass Cheann Comhairle and Deputy Pat the

  Liam Cosgrave is being remembered as a man of great loyalty, duty and wit. Tributes are being paid to the Former Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader who passed away yesterday at the age of 97. His father WT Cosgrave was the first head of the Irish Free State in 1922. Speaking on the 10

It’s emerged that children’s charity Barnardos is set to close its store in Strabane. The premise located on Railway Street has not been turning a profit of late but the charity has not ruled out re-opening down the line. Details of the closure date have not yet been disclosed. Local Cllr Patsy Kelly says it’s

A major clean-up operation is underway in Killybegs after a number of homes, businesses and a local school were damaged by flood water last night. A combination of high tide and torrential rain caused the river there to burst its banks with flood water ripping through a number of premises on Bridge Street. The damaged

  Carndonagh Community School have launched a new innovative driving module programme for their Leaving Applied Certificate students. The new programme is the first of its kind in Donegal and Ireland and will be facilitated by the Pro Social Drivers Programme. The module is about educating young people on driving safely and is being piloted

Several homes and businesses in Killybegs have been left counting the cost after their properties flooded when the river there burst its banks yesterday evening. The majority of the premises are located on the Bridge Street area and include Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringles Constituency office. It’s understood that Fintra National School has also been hit

  New statements have been requested from four senior gardai about a meeting which led to referrals about garda whistleblower Garda Keith Harrison. Supreme Court Justice, Peter Charleton has requested statements from retired Northern region Assistant Commissioner Kieran Kenny, Chief Superintendent Tony McLoughlin, Chief Superintendent Terry McGinn and Superintendent Eugene McGovern be made by 10

  The Taoiseach has been questioned on what progress has been made on the Mica Report since it was published four months ago. The report into the defective block issue made a number of recommendations and recognised that hundreds of homeowners in Donegal were affected through no fault of their own. Speaking in the Dail

The European Commission wants to see an all-island agriculture deal post Brexit. According to a leaked memo which has been sent to the Government, the body says trade in Agri-foods can be done on an all-Ireland basis once the UK leaves the EU. It’s understood to be one of a number of proposals mooted at

A senior gardaí decision to categorise a domestic disturbance complaint against a Donegal Garda whistleblower as an incident causing serious harm or death was later questioned by the Garda Ombudsman. The October 2013 complaint by Marisa Simms against her partner Garda Keith Harrison included allegations that he had threatened to “burn her” and “bury her”.

The Murlog Water Main Replacement Project is due to commence within the coming weeks. As part of Irish Water’s national €500m Leakage Reduction Programme over 1.6km of ageing water main, service connections and ancillary works will be replaced. The project is due to last for a duration of 6 weeks. Irish Water say customers will

The Chair of the Save our St Joseph’s Hospital Campaign says there is still considerable confusion about the future of the facility. Fr John Joe Duffy says there’s been much talk about plans and consultation, but very little evidence of movement on the ground. At the weekend, Church of Ireland Rector Reverend Adam Pullen met

A large consignment of sillage will be delivered to flood affected farmers in Donegal today. Many farms were destroyed with a subtantial amount of livestock and stock lost when the floods hit the Peninsula in August. The bales are currently in transit from Navan and are due to arrive in Buncrana this evening at approximately

There were 21 people waiting for a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital according to the latest trolley watch report. Five were waiting on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further sixteen were waiting on wards. University Hospital Galway was the most overcrowded in the country today with 47 people waiting there. Nationally, there were

  A Donegal Senator is seeking urgent clarification from the Government on what funding will be provided for the restoration of Swan Park in Buncrana. Donegal County Council has estimated that repair costs for the park will be over one million euro. To date, the Government have not committed any financial support to this restoration

  13 Donegal projects are to share €1.15 million under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The funding will go to digital hubs in Kilcar, Carrigart/Downings, Arranmore Island as well as enhancement schemes in Newtowncunningham, Falcarragh, Convoy, Ballyliffin, Burtonport, Churchill, Dunkineely, Mountcharles, Rathmullan and St Johnston. The Donegal allocation is the third highest in the

  Donegal is set to be hit with heavy rain today, ahead of drier, slightly warmer conditions this weekend. Met Éireann said a weather warning is currently in place for Donegal, with rain of up to 50mm forecast throughout the day. The forecaster predicts that rain will turn persistent and heavy in the county as

  Shots have been fired at a house in Derry overnight. The incident happened in the Clon Elagh area of the city between 10.30pm and 11pm. It’s understood that nobody was the house at the time of the attack. Local Cllr Sandra Duffy says the incident has left many young families in the area shaken

  There are calls for extensive work to be carried out on rivers in Donegal after severe flooding hit the county in August. The Council has been asked to contact Minister for State for the OPW Kevin Boxer Moran on the issue. Inishowen Cllr Martin McDermott believes one of the key problems which caused the