Author name: oisinkelly

The ESB has announced it is to upgrade the Clady power station in West Donegal, with €1.8 million euro set to be invested into the facility. The 4.2 MW Clady Hydroelectric generation station first came into operation in 1959, and has a current capacity of generating electricity for the equivalent of 3,000 houses. The improvement […]

IMPACT’s Local Government Division is holding its annual conference in Letterkenny at the moment,. with today the acceleration of public service pay recovery high on the agenda. This morning, the union’s national secretary Peter Nolan warned against ‘special deals’ for some groups, saying workers would not vote for an outcome that “gives with one hand

A Councillor is calling for a health and safety audit on a local housing estate expressing fear that someone could be seriously injured or worse if action isn’t taken. Councillor Gerry McMonagle has outlined a series of concerns relating to Carraig Craoibh including collapsing retaining walls, dangerous unprotected drops and holes in the roads that

Letterkenny’s Mayor is calling for a crackdown on dog owners who allow the pets to litter the streets following an increase in incidents. Councillor James Pat McDaid says a small number of dog owners aren’t cleaning up after their pets causing discomfort for walkers and runners across the town. He was more enforcement and extra

Councillors in the Inishowen and Letterkenny Municipal Districts are welcoming confirmation that the Lough Swilly ferry service is to resume next month. The service, which links Rathmullan and Buncrana will take to the water next month, and run until September. Councillors have been told funding has been found to allow the service operate for the

There are calls on the Government to clarify what oversight they have had in relation to the recent spate of gorse fires across Donegal and elsewhere in the country. It’s after local fire and rescue teams were stretched to the limit in dealing with the large number of fires across the county in the past

The government remains adamant that flood defence work will not be carried out in four areas of Donegal because the work would cost more than the anticipated damage. Last week it emerged that flood defence schemes planned for almost 30 towns across the the country would not go ahead at all after the OPW deemed

A Councillor is demanding a meeting with the Marine Minister to demand central government funding be released to address coastal erosion in Donegal. Councillor Seamus O’Domhnail says the problem is widespread but highlighted the Cloughaneely area where he claims people’s land and homes are under threat due to coastal erosion. The Councillor says the Minister

A speeding reduction to 60 kmph is part of a scheme being proposed for the Port Road in Letterkenny between the Polestar Roundabout and the Clanree Hotel Roundabout. The new scheme is currently open to public consultation and would involve the construction of new improved footpaths, cycle lanes and a number of pedestrian crossings. The

  There were 10 people waiting for a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the INMO. Figures show that there were 3 waiting on trolleys in the Emergency Department while a further 7 were waiting on wards. University Hospital Limerick was the most overcrowded today with 32 people waiting there. Nationally there

The Taoiseach is being asked to intervene after it emerged the Fair Deal office at St Joseph’s Hospital in Stranorlar is to be closed, and its functions transferred to Tullamore. The issue was raised in the Dail by Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher, who says the move is part of a centralisation process announced by

A GoFundme page set up to save the Donegal Donkey Sanctuary in Raphoe has almost raised its 35 thousand euro target in less than 24 hours.  You can still support HERE Yesterday we revealed how the sanctuary could be forced to close due what’s been described as a financial crisis. The sanctuary which is the

There are calls for a pilot project to tackle, what has been described as, the major problem of Japanese Knotweed in Dungloe. The invasive plant is widespread in some areas of the town and has begun entering the foundations of some homes with fears it could spread further. Donegal County Council is currently spending tens

The Chairperson of the Letterkenny Municipal District is demanding a meeting with the communications regulator to highlight the deficiencies in the broadband service in the area. Councillor James Pat McDaid says you don’t have to go far outside the centre of Letterkenny before broadband coverage becomes poor or non existent. He wants a meeting with

Irish Water will be submitting a planning application to Donegal County Council in the coming weeks for upgrade works at Kilmacrenan Wastewater Treatment Plant. If granted, the project will involve the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant which will allow the existing plant, which is operating above its capacity, to be decommissioned. The new

The Newtowncunningham Community Playgroup has moved to a new custom made facility. The playgroup had previously brought the new building up to roof level, but due to a lack of funding the project was halted for 10 months. They since secured funding from the 2015 Capital grant which enabled them to complete the new facility. Manager

It’s been revealed that over 3,000 farmers are still waiting on their 2016 GLAS payments with claims that the on-going delays are threatening farms in the North West. Out of those farmers, there are 383 across Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim who have been approved for funding but who have still not been paid. A previous

Meanwhile, the North West Cancer Centre at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry has been officially opened by Britain’s Prince Charles, with more than 390 Donegal patients set to be treated at the centre each year. Minister Joe McHugh attended the opening and says the focus now will be on having some of the services located at Letterkenny

It’s emerged that Altnagelvin Hospital has become involved in the discussion about the appointment of a second breast surgeon at Letterkenny University Hospital. Junior Minister Joe McHugh says there’s been “significant progress” following discussions with Saolta Group representatives, the Department of Health and Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry. He says a second consultant who has worked

Donegal County Council is embarking on a campaign to remove illegal signage across the county. In the coming weeks the Council will be arranging for the removal and storage of unauthorised or illegal signage and signs will be stored away. Where possible, owners will be notified and will be given one month to retrieve their

A Donegal County Councillor has called for the deployment of the army helicopter to the Urris Hills to assist in controlling a significant gorse fire in the area. Local fire fighters have been battling the fire since Saturday, with reports of smoke still billowing from the hills for a fourth day. Cllr. Jack Murray has

  There are fears that the Donegal Donkey Sanctuary in Raphoe could be forced to close due what’s been described as a financial crisis. The sanctuary which is the home of more than 70 donkeys opened in 2006 and has since re-homed 600 animals. It’s understood that everyday costs of running the sanctuary with little

Cllr Micheal Cholm Mac Giollaeasbuig has been elected Chair of the Glenties Municipal District. He was told by fellow councillors that the expectations on him are high in a big year for the area. Cllr John Sheamais O Fearraigh is vice chair, and will be the chair next year.

Udarus Na Gaeltachta says employment on the Gweedore Business Park will grow by over 20% before the the year bringing the total employed there to over 550. Glenties area councillors were today given a tour of the Aislann Gweedore building on the park which is a state of the art business hub home to 13

Current weather conditions have created ‘a perfect storm’ for forest fires, according to Coillte. Firefighters are using helicopters to dump water on a large fire in the country’s biggest forest in Connemara. The blaze in Cloosh Valley has already destroyed one in four trees in the forest. Fires are also an issue in Donegal, with

A 20 year old man arrested in Derry yesterday in connection with an alleged sexual assault in St Columb’s Park in Derry on Sunday night has been released on police bail pending further enquiries. Yesterday, a 15 year old male suspect appeared in court in Derry charged with rape in relation to a separate alleged

A Donegal councillor says staffing issues at Carndonagh Community Hospital mean that the provision of respite care has been suspended. Cllr Martin Mc Dermott says the suspension came into effect yesterday, and he’s in discussion with the HSE about how to have the situation reversed as quickly as possible. He says the service is a

A planned sheltered accommodation project for 12 people at Fair Hill in Dungloe is set to go ahead after the Parents and Friends of Donegal Housing Association was given the go ahead to move to stage two planning for the three units of sheltered living accommodation. Each unit will consist of 4 individual living accommodation

Sinn Fein in Donegal has officially launched its Discussion Document on the ‘need to invest in Letterkenny University Hospital’. Among the key proposals outlined in the document are ending two-tier access to hospital care, addressing the shortage of nurses and doctors and to establish an Emergency Department taskforce on a permanent basis. It also details various

Rents in Donegal rose by over 14% this the first quarter of 2017 compared with the same period last year. According to the latest quarterly Rental Price Report from daft.ie, the average advertised rent in Donegal is now €593 – up 22% from its lowest point. The average monthly rent nationwide during the first quarter

A woman who was molested and raped by her great-uncle at locations in Donegal and Dublin has said she now finds herself hyper-vigilant about her own children and feels she has lived her life in a prison. The 66-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the victim’s anonymity, was convicted of five offences after

The Urris school transport issue has been resolved with students from the area now able to avail of the school bus to Carndonagh. Previously, some children in the Urris area wishing to attend the secondary school in Carndonagh had been denied access to school transport because secondary schools in Buncrana are deemed to be closer