Author name: oisinkelly

  There’s been a single vehicle crash in Strabane. Motorists are advised that the Fyfin Road between Victoria Bridge and Castlederg has been closed following the collision. Diversions are in place at Tievenny Road and Urbalreagh Road. Motorists should avoid the area and seek an alternative route for their journey where possible.

  The government could block the progress of Britain’s Brexit negotiations over fears it hasn’t addressed concerns about the border with Northern Ireland. The Taoiseach has said that not enough progress has been made on the issue ahead of the October deadline for the next stage of negotiations. Speaking at the Fine Gael think-in yesterday,

The Government is being urged to give a commitment to retain the Sligo veterinary lab. The lab caters to farmers in Donegal and the wider North West and if closed, farmers would have to travel to Athlone to avail of services. A review into the future of the country’s six veterinary labs was set up

  The popular Buncrana based paddle event “Crana Fest” has been cancelled due to the aftermath of recent flood damage along the Crana River. Donegal County Council and Irish Water have advised that a detailed survey and extensive repair work is needed in response to the damage caused to paths, banks and bridges along the

  The Donegal IFA Chairman has written to the Agriculture Minister over the exclusion of crop losses in the funding aid package for flood-hit farmers. Michael Chance has described the move as unacceptable and is calling for another scheme for crop losses to be initiated without delay. Meanwhile farmers in Donegal are also being reminded

  Donegal County Council has issued their latest update regarding the flood recovery work:  Temporary Closure of access to Five Fingers beach at Lagg, Malin The access road to Five Finger Strand at Lagg was severely damaged in the flooding and had already suffered from coastal erosion in recent years. This has resulted in the

Derry City has been chosen to host the 30th World Congress of the International Association for Suicide Prevention in 2019. The Derry bid was one of four shortlisted destinations including, Rome, Vienna and Piran (Slovenia). The five day conference on the 17-21 September 2019 is expected to attract over 600 International delegates to the city

  A Midlands North West MEP says international evidence proves the North/South Interconnector can go underground. The plan is to link Turleenan in Tyrone with Woodland in County Meath, with the line also going through Monaghan and Louth. Matt Carthy says the Belgian electricity operator Elia is currently developing an interconnector between Belgium and Germany

What’s been described as a very important piece of research on the treatment of dementia has been undertaken in the North West. The HSE’s Nursing and Midwifery Planning and Development Unit has been wiorking with Directors of Nursing, service managers and colleagues across the border on bettering care. As part of that, they undertook the

Highland Radio is seeking applications for a journalist to join our busy newsroom team. Broadcast experience would be an advantage. The position is primarily for weekends and presents an excellent opportunity for training and growth within the organisation. Those wishing to apply should forward a CV to Greg Hughes, Highland Radio, Mountain Top Letterkenny or

Important measures required for the North West ahead of the upcoming budget have been set out in a key meeting today. Ibec met with political representatives earlier to discuss planning prorities and the key investment to support the regions future growth. Ibec North West Regional Director Terry MacNamara says the impact of Brexit will have

There were 22 patients awaiting admission at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning, nine of them on Emergency Department trolleys. The latest report from the INMO shows 320 people waiting on in-patient beds in emergency departments and overflow areas of wards . University Hospital Limerick was the most overcrowded with 36 people waiting on a bed,

An inspection report carried out at the Department of Psychiatry at Letterkenny University Hospital has found 20 areas of non-compliance, one of them critical and eight of them designated as ‘high’. The commission has published timescales for these issues to be addressed, with measures set to be put in place in the coming months to

HSE ambulances broke down 203 times last year, with 24 of the incidents recorded in Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan. The figure, published by the journal.ie, is based on the number of times a 24-hour breakdown and recovery service responded to to callouts from stranded emergency ambulances in 2016. Almost 5% of the National Ambulance Service

Irish secondary schools could be facing industrial action. Almost nine out of ten members of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland have rejected the new public service pay agreement. The union says the result reflects anger at pay inequality in the profession. They’ve also voted by 81 per cent for industrial action, up to and including

A total of 34 Donegal Gaeltacht schools are to share a funding allocation of €288,000. The allocation is part of €784,442 for Muintearas Teo. and Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne to enable them to run the Language Assistants Scheme on behalf of the Department for the 2017/2018 school year. In a statement, Government Chief Whip Minister Joe

A 22-year-old man arrested in the Creggan area of Derry yesterday morning has been released. The arrest was connected with the attempted murder of police in Ballyarnett Village in October 2014. An attempt had been made to draw police into a house rigged with explosives. A file is now being prepared for the Public Prosecution

Britain’s Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has warned Stormont is on a “glide path” towards further intervention from Westminster if a political deal is not found. He says that if Sinn Fein and the DUP can’t agree on a powersharing arrangement in the next few weeks, more decision-making power could be assumed by the British

Inishowen councillors have been told the road at Lagg beach in Malin Head will be closed for the foreseeable future. Last month’s flooding has made the road leading to the popular amenity impassable however pedestrians can still gain access. The road has been included as part of the application for the flood relief scheme, and

The official opening of Cancer Care West is taking place this weekend. The centre, situated at Station House in Letterkenny opened its doors earlier this year and has been regarded as a vital service to those living with cancer. The opening gets underway at 12.30 tomorrow afternoon. CEO of Cancer Care West Richard Flaherty says

  The school communities in Raphoe have expressed their relief that no students were seriously hurt in this mornings bus crash. 20 students had a lucky escape when the bus they were travelling to school in collided with a van at Carrickmore, between St Johnston and Lifford at approxinately 8.15am. Gardai are continuing their investigation

Detectives from PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch investigating violent dissident republican activity in Derry arrested a 22-year-old man in the Creggan area of the city this morning. The arrest is in connection with the attempted murder of police in Ballyarnett Village in October 2014. The man was taken to the Serious Crime Suite at Musgrave police

  Housing and a tax cut for middle income earners are the focus of the Fine Gael pre-Dáil meeting in County Tipperary. The party has gathered ahead of the Budget next month for its first major meeting since its leadership contest. The Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney says while he expects the current government

A Midlands North West MEP says the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator is ‘incredibly engaged’ when it comes to Ireland’s situation in the Brexit negotiations. With the next round of Brexit talks delayed for a week, Mairead McGuinness, a vice president of the European Parliament, met with Michel Barnier during this week’s plenary session. She says

The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association has expressed grave reservastions about the package, saying that many farmers are excluded, and some losses are not covered. The group also says there are questions about the relief fund’s budget, and how it will be administered. Donegal Chair Henry O’Donnell says more clarity is needed………….

The Irish Farmers Journal says for the second year running, the grain harvest has slid from challenging to problematic, and now stands on the edge of disaster, particularly in the North West. In a special analysis of the weather published in its latest edition, the paper analyses the impact of recent weather patterns While the

Gardai are investigating a crash between a School bus and a van at Carrickmore, between St Johnston and Lifford. 8 children and the drivers of both vehicles were taken to hospital though none of the injuries are thought to be serious. Gardai say the children’s parents have been contacted Inspector Michael Harrison says the incident

One man has died and two others have been taken to hospital after collapsing on a mushroom farm in Co Monaghan. The three, in their 20s, were found unconscious last night in a silo at the plant near Emyvale. Two separate investigations are underway – one by the Gardaí and the other by the HSA.

A North West Centre for Advanced Manufacturing has been launched this week, . The €8.5 million EU funded initiative is a collaboration bringing together eight companies and four academic institutions, including LYIT. The aim is to deliver 15 world leading research projects as part of what’s been termed an Advanced Manufacturing Super Cluster. The initiative

An emergency meeting for flood-hit farmers is getting takes place tonight in the Inishowen Gateway Hotel. The meeting was called following news that applications for the new aid package are now available online. Farmers have only two weeks to get their submissions in with the closing deadline Friday September 29th. Donegal IFA Chairman Michael Chance says

Alcohol addiction remains a huge problem in the North West region. That’s according to the latest report from the HSE North West Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force, which has just been published. The report gives a comprehensive overview of the drug problem in the North West region, the main issues addressed by the Task

  Road works are getting underway in Letterkenny tonight with motorists being warned that it may some disruption. Donegal County Council’s contractor will be carrying out Night Works Resurfacing along Pearse Road and Canal Road on Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th September between the hours of 7pm and 7am. Traffic management , including signed diversions,