Author name: oisinkelly

  There are concerns that British Government’s decision to pull out of the London Fisheries Convention could mean that Donegal Fisherman could be excluded from fishing Lough Foyle. The 53-year-old agreement grants rights to six neighbouring coastal states to fish within six to 12 nautical miles of each others’ coasts, based on historic activity. Speaking in […]

  Gardaí have launched a murder investigation following the disappearance of man in the West of Ireland six years ago. 48 year old Patrick Heeran was last seen in the Leitrim town of Mohill at 4.20pm on the 3rd of October 2011. It’s understood a search is being carried out in the surrounding areas and

The United States has urged Northern Ireland’s two major political parties to reach an agreement for a power-sharing government. Talks between Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party broke down on Tuesday. The US State Department says it regrets that – and is asking both sides to continue their discussions.

A book of evidence was today served on a 45-year-old man accused of forcing a girl in her early teens to strip off her clothes in a sex-card game. Inspector Denis Joyce said there were 16 charges against the defendant. He said the Director of Public Prosecutions had directed that they be tried at the

Children with special needs in Donegal will benefit from 44 extra SNAs in our local schools The allocation is part of a national provision of 975 additional Special Needs Assistants which will be available for allocation to schools over the period September to December 2017. The allocation is a 7.5% increase. Minister Joe McHugh says

It’s been confirmed that the Foyle Ferry Service will set sail on its maiden voyage of the summer this weekend. It had been hoped that the service would resume last weekend however a statement issued by the company said that the sailing had been postponed due to the completion of major enhancement works to the

There were 11 people waiting for a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the INMO. Four people were waiting on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further seven were waiting on wards. University Hospital Limerick was the most overcrowded in the country today with 34 people waiting there. Nationally, there were

It’s been claimed that there’s an increasing number of mart operators throughout Donegal reporting that the cost of insurance is becoming unsustainable. This has led to calls on the Finance Minister to urgently take steps to tackle the rising cost of insurance premiums for Livestock Marts. Speaking the Dail last night, Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty

The issue of lengthy waiting lists at the breast clinic at Letterkenny University Hospital was raised in the Dail last night. More than 143 women have been waiting over a year for an appointment. Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Taoiseach what the government is doing about the delays, stating that it is “unacceptable”. A

It’s predicted that work on phase two at Malin Head will be complete in two weeks’ time. The work – including road widening, extending the existing car park and the construction of a toilet block are being carried out as part of the Malin Head Access and Amenity Improvement Project. It’s hoped that once this

Border Communities Against Brexit has won the European Citizens Award 2017. The cross sectoral campaign group was nominated by a number of MEPs for their efforts in opposing Brexit and its impacts on border communities at both a national and international level. The group was set up last year to stand as a voice for

The Government is being warned that the interests of motor insurance customers must be paramount in the ongoing probe into alleged price fixing in the motor insurance industry. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher was responding to the news that insurance companies, brokers and representative bodies for the industry were raided yesterday by officers from the

  Donegal firm, Glenmore Estate Farms Limited, has announced that it has purchased the Grianan Estate on the North Donegal Coast for over €17 million. The 2,400 acre property, previously owned by the Donegal Investment Group (formerly Donegal Creameries), is one of Europe’s largest organic farms and probably the biggest arable farm in Ireland, and

DUP leader Arlene Foster says no agreement has been reached at Stormont. She says the talks will continue over the summer. Both sides have been meeting to try and restore a power-sharing executive in the North.

The daughter of Donegal woman, Maura Porter who died following a road traffic collision in 2013 has spoken out following a report in the Irish Independent today which revealed that in some counties there may be only one ambulance on duty overnight. The 70 year old was left waiting at the side of the road

Officials from the Competition Watchdog have raided a number of insurance companies and brokers as part of an investigation into price fixing. Officers from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission carried out the raids this morning after an investigation was launched last year into the industry amid concerns that companies were openly signaling price increases

There were 10 people waiting admission to Letterkenny University Hospital this morning. According to the INMO 2 were on trolleys in the Emergency Department with 8 waiting on wards or overflow areas. Nationally there were 325 people waiting on a bed at hospitals across the country today.

Following reports today that only 1`ambulance is on duty in Donegal overnight, it has been revealed that Letterkenny University Hospital has spent almost €2 million on private ambulances. In figures obtained by Sinn Fein Health Spokesperson, Deputy Louise O’Reilly it showa that over a period of 4 years, €1.9 million has been spent on private

The public is being urged to ensure submissions to the County Development Plan in support of rural housing are made by the deadline this month. Councillor Paul Canning is warning that the National Planning Framework document is encouraging urban development rather than rural development. He added that if the Draft Plan is adopted rural planning

Last night’s shooting in Derry has been condemned. A 44 year old man was shot in both legs in the Galliagh Park area of the city when three masked men entered his home at approximately 11:40pm. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the PSNI. Local Councillor Sandra Duffy says the local community is

A Donegal Senator has called on more investment for our ambulance service. The Irish Independent reported today that six counties are left with just one ambulance on duty at times. In Donegal between 2 and 6 ambulances are on duty overnight with an additional 1 on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s Senator Padraig MacLochlainn says in rural

A weekend security alert in Derry has been widely condemned. The alert was later described as an elaborate hoax and has been widely condemned as it resulted in residents being evacuated. Investigations are continuing and anyone with information has been asked to come forward. Police say while work was carried out on making the object

A 44 year old man has been shot in Derry. At 11:40pm last evening the man was shot in both legs in the Galliagh Park area of the city. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the PSNI on the non emergency number 101.

Calls have been made on the Irish Government to begin negotiations and ensure Ireland gets a better deal for fishing rights. Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle was speaking after the UK announced its withdrawal from the London Fisheries Convention as part of its Brexit strategy. The convention allows vessels from the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland

The fire service has been praised following their speedy response to a house fire in Letterkenny. A number of locals raised the alarm after noticing smoke billowing from an unoccupied property in the Long Lane area of the town earlier this afternoon. The fire has since been brought under control. Local Councllor Gerry McMonagle has been

  The British government’s due to make a statement in the next hour on the future of talks to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland. James Brokenshire will make a statement in the House of Commons at half-past hour, after the major parties once again failed to reach a deal to re-open Stormont. Earlier Sinn Féin

  A vigil will be held in Letterkenny tomorrow for Ibrahim Halawa who is being held in prison without trial in Egypt for almost four years. The 21 year old from Dublin attended a protest in Cairo along with his three sisters in 2013. The protest turned violent and they were arrested after taking refuge

Donegal Deputy Charlie McConalogue is calling on the Health Minister and the HSE to allocate additional resources to its medical card section in order to clear the current backlog of applications. It was revealed that it is taking up to two months to process information from applicants, a delay the HSE say is a result

The deadline is looming for patients to document their hospital experience in a new government national survey. Letterkenny University Hospital participated in the survey, with patients who were discharged from hospital during the month of May eligible. The closing date is the 26th of July and the Health Minister Simon Harris is urging people to

There were 8 people waiting on a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning. According to the latest figures from the INMO, 8 were waiting on wards with zero on trolleys in the emergency department. Nationally there were 249 people waiting admission to hospitals.

The Food Safety Authority issued closure orders to six businesses last month. Among those was Golden Palace, Lower Main Street, Dungloe which was served a closure order under the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act 1998. The order remains in place.

A Derry Councillor has condemned a number of incidents in the city over the weekend. In the early hours of Friday morning a man was assaulted in the underpass connecting Cairnhill and Gallaigh. While at approximately 6am yesterday morning a number of aerosol cans were ingnited causing an explosion outside a property in the Ballymagraorty

There have been record levels of overcrowding in our hospitals in the first six months of the year. More than 51-thousand patients were left on trolleys or admitted to overcrowded wards between January and June. The figures from medical union, the INMO, show that University Hospital Limerick was the worst affected last month with 640