Author name: oisinkelly

There are 549 patients with Covid in hospital today – an increase of nearly 20 per cent on this day last week. There have 76 admissions since yesterday, with 49 people have been discharged. Latest figures for Letterkenny University Hospital show a fall of two; there were 12 patients with Covid in the hospital last

Next Monday is the deadline for entries in the Donegal Enterprise Awards. The Donegal Local Enterprise Office says small businesses, sole traders and start-ups faced unimaginable challenges over the past 18 months, and these awards are about celebrating their resilience and brilliance. Applicant businesses must have less than 50 employees and must have been in

The Irish Farmers Association says further cases of highly contagious Avian flu are a ‘grave concern’, after a case was detected in a wild bird in Donegal yesterday. Cases were also detected in Kerry and Offaly, while it was detected in a peregrine falcon in Galway last week. The IFA says the outbreak could have

Donegal County Council is to convene a series of workshops to discuss derelict sites, abandoned homes, dangerous buildings and derelict buildings. The initiative was proposed by Letterkenny Milford Municipal District Cathaoirleach Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh, who says a targeted policy to deal with this could also help make inroads into the shortage of social housing in

Almost one in every 50 people in North Inishowen tested positive for Covid-19 over the course of the two weeks up to last Monday. The Local Electoral Area has the highest 14-day incidence rate in the country – at 1,993 cases per 100,000 people. Manorhamilton in Co Leitrim and Drogheda Urban in Co Louth also

A Foyle MLA says she’s very concerned at reports that pupils attending St. Columb’s College in Derry were approached by anti-vaccine protestors at the school gates this week. Ciara Ferguson says a number of parents contacted her regarding the incident on Wednesday afternoon. She says this must not be allowed happen again………

  There’s increasing pressure on Gardai to allow the Brandon report to be published. The report, involving over 100 cases of abuse perpetrated on intellectually disabled adults in Ard Greine and the Sean O’Hare Unit in Stranorlar was frequently highlighted in the Dail yesterday in tandem with the ‘Grace’ case. ‘Grace’ was allegedly abused and

  The Dail has heard that the Government is keen for the ‘Brandon’ report into sexual abuse in Ard Greine and the Sean O’Hare Unit in Stranorlar to be pubilshed. The report examines abuse perpetrated on adults with intellectual disabilities at the care facilities run by the HSE over eight years and lists 108 instances

  The Taoiseach has said difficult details around the new Mica redress scheme will be dealt with in the coming weeks. Proposals for a revised scheme are being worked on with reports a cap on redress is being considered. A number of Government TDs have said they’ll consider their positions in Fine Gael and Fianna

  The parents association at Magherabeg National School is hoping to purchase land for a car park beside the school. The school is on the N13 Letterkenny to Derry Road near Manorcunningham, and the risk posed by passing cars has been highlighted in a number of protests. Parents Association Chair Emmet Murray says they have

The Health Minister says the Government is NOT considering asking people to go back to working from home. 25,000 cases were reported last week, which is the third highest since the pandemic began. There were 513 patients with the virus in hospital last night with 88 in intensive care. At Letterkenny University Hospital, there were

A Donegal Deputy is calling for data centres to pay pollution taxes. A motion on rising costs and supply security for fuel and energy was debated in the Dail yesterday. Speaking in the Dail, Deputy Pringle says has had constituents come to his Donegal office who have been waiting for more than two years to

  A Donegal councillor says the NCT centre at Dromore in Letterkenny is in urgent need of improvement in terms of the facilities offered to those waiting for their cars to be tested. Cllr Donal Coyle says the small size of the reception area has always been an issue, and that’s been exacerbated as a

  The Dail has heard calls on the Government to prioritise the North West as part of the National Development Plan to address regional imbalance. Both Letterkenny and Sligo have been highlighted as key areas which need an injection of opportunities and investment. South Donegal Deputy Marian Harkin says its not about favouritism, its an

  The Health Minister says Government want to roll out antigen testing in schools as soon as they can. Contact tracing and routine mass testing in schools was pulled at the end of September. Teaching unions have been critical of the decision and have requested antigen testing be introduced. Minister Stephen Donnelly says a plan

The Chief Executive of Donegal County Council says the designation of Letterkenny Institute of Technology as a Technological University will help market Donegal abroad. John McLaughlin was speaking after the council signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the college, setting out a number of goals to be achieved through collaboration over the next five years.

74 Covid-related deaths have been reported over the past week. It’s the highest total since NPHET started reporting deaths on a WEEKLY basis five months ago. 2,975 new cases have also been confirmed today. 551 Covid patients are in hospital – the highest since late February – with 89 in intensive care. Chief medical officer,

  There are calls on the Government to work with Bus Eireann to carry out an urgent review into the Donegal Town to Dublin service. It’s after figures revealed that the bus has been cancelled 183 times over the last two years. This has resulted in people missing important appointments and flights in Dublin. The

Letterkenny Institute of Technology and Donegal County Council have renewed a Memorandum of Understanding committing them both to work together to achieve key strategic objectives. The document acknowledges this collaboration is significant for the development of Donegal and the broader North West region, and is based on a close working relationship that has been built

  The Health Minister says office Christmas parties can go ahead, once they’re done safely. Stephen Donnelly is urging people to cut back on social gatherings and reduce their contacts. It comes as the total number of cases confirmed in the last two weeks surpassed 44 thousand. Minister Donnelly says the current guidelines allow for