Author name: oisinkelly

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

There’s some good news for consumers – with VHI set to cut prices on a number of its plans. The move by the health insurer could provoke a similar response from its main rivals. Charlie Weston is Personal Finance Editor with the Irish Independent:

  A Donegal Deputy has raised serious concern over RTEs decision not to cover the launch of Sinn Fein’s alternative budget. The party launched the document yesterday which, Sinn Fein say, will protect the most vulnerable from increases in the cost of living. Taking to social media last night, Sinn Fein Finance Spokesperson Deputy Pearse

The Taoiseach says the Irish Government will not support the reported offer of a 70,000 ton beef quota to the South American Mercosur countries. The issue was raised in the Dail by Donegal Deputy and Fianna Fail Agriculture Spokesperson Charlie Mc Conalogue, who said in light of the contaminated Brazilian meat export scandal earlier this

The extent of the bed crisis at Letterkenny University Hospital has been thrown into sharp relief with the release of figures from the INMO showing the extrent to which the numbers awaiting admission at the hospital have grown this year. The INMO’s Trolley and Ward Watch figures for last month show a total of 459

MEPs have voted to oppose moving on to a second phase of Brexit talks. But the vote at the European Parliament is non-binding. The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, says “serious differences remain” between the EU and the UK. During the debate before the vote, Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness referred to those counties that

It’s emerged that the trial of the man accused of murdering Buncrana woman Danielle Mc Laughlin in Goa, India is expected to be fast tracked. In a statement issued on behalf of her family this afternoon, the Justice for Damielle campaign says charge documents have been received by their legal team in Derry. They also

An all boys primary school in Letterkenny has made the decision to enroll both boys and girls in 2018. Scoil Cholmcille has been in talks with a number of interested parties on the proposal to establishing a co-education model. A parents meeting will be held this afternoon at Scoil Cholmcille to discuss the proposal. Speaking

The Donegal Fire Service has launched a recruitment drive, targeting women. The service is making a concerted effort to encourage women into vacant part time positions. There are currently no women working in the Donegal department and they’re highlighting the importance of having more women employed in the service. The service is advertising for part

A social worker has denied apologising to Garda Keith Harrison and his partner for the involvement of Tusla. The Disclosures Tribunal is examining contacts between senior gardai and Tusla about Garda Harrison. Social Worker Donna McTeague says although she would’ve sought to put the couple at ease about her intervention, she did not apologise. This contradicts

Residents in Porthall held a protest yesterday calling for motorists to be more aware and abide by speed limits in the area. Local Councillor Gerry Crawford says it is a regional road, servicing cross-border traffic and there has been a number of serious road traffic collisions in the locality over the past number of months,

Letterkenny University Hospital is the second most overcrowded hospital in the country today. According to the latest trolley and ward watch figures 35 patients are waiting on a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital with 22 of those on trolleys in the hospitals Emergency Department and a further 13 waiting on wards or in overflow areas.

The theft of tools from a work site in Derry has been condemned. It is believed that a generator and a number of tools were stolen from the Moss Park area of the city. The items were being used to carry out a kitchen improvement scheme. Councillor Tony Tassan has appealed to those who carried

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service is appealing to the people of Donegal to donate blood due to low supply levels. The service is currently experiencing pressure with a usual supply level of 7 days now reduced to 4. Clinics are being held in Ballybofey and Bunbeg this week with two clinics running today at Jacksons

The European Parliament is meeting in Strasbourg later to vote on whether sufficient progress has been made on Brexit negotiations. The timetable agreed between the UK and the EU states that significant developments have to have been made on the settlement payments before trade talks can begin. The Parliament is expected to vote no.