Author name: oisinkelly

  A Donegal Deputy is calling on the Government to begin implementing the recommendations of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Finance, in a bid to tackle the problem of spiralling insurance costs. Since January 2011 the cost of car insurance has rocketed by 51% in some instances, with business customers needing to insure cars, vans […]

Fire service personnel from Letterkenny and Derry fought a blaze at a house in Burt last night. The fire was reported at 9.25, with fire crews on site within 15 minutes. There was substantial damage to the attic and first floor The fire service says family members were alerted by a smoke alarm, and everyone

  The Transport Infrastructure Ireland allocation for major Donegal roads this year has been cut by almost 50%, with money for maintainance down 15% Leas Cheann Comhairle Pat the Cope Gallagher says only €10,595,000 has been allocated to cover all national Primary and secondary roads throughout the county and that would include allocations to construct

  It’s been revealed that there were over 7,000 outpatient cancellations at Letterkenny University Hospital last year. The figures released through parliamentary question to Donegal Senator Padraig Mac Lochlainn have also revealed that his has increased from 5,340 cancellations in 2013 The news comes following last week’s confirmation that the full capacity protocol was deployed

Sinn Féin and the DUP have been urged to ‘get in the same room’ this weekend to deal with the crisis facing Stormont. Both parties said they were willing to discuss the problems which led to Martin McGuinness’ resignation as Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. If both parties don’t put forward nominees to lead

Calls have been made for the new library in Stranorlar to be open more regularly. The library moved to a new state of the art premises in September and currently operates three days a week with only one member of staff working in the facility. Local Councillor Patrick McGowan says with the area having two

Donegal County Council have announced the official opening of the Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Awards nomination process for 2017. The Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Award is a mechanism to honour members of the diaspora who have contributed to their new communities whilst retaining strong links to their homeland. It was initiated in 2012 as a

A planning application for a wind turbine in west Donegal has been rejected by Donegal County Council. The proposed turbine was to be situated on the grounds of Udaras na Gaeltachta in Gaoth Dobhair with concerns raised locally over its possible proximity to some homes and businesses in the area. Opposition to the proposed turbine

  Fire units from Gweedore and Dungloe have brought a fire at a domestic garage under control near Derrybeg. The emergency services were alerted to the blaze at Glassagh after 2pm and crews from Dungloe and Gweedore responded. The fire has now been brought under control. The building suffered extensive damage but no one was

A mother and child have been tied up and robbed in West Tyrone. Shortly before 7 o’clock last evening, two masked men, armed with a hammer, entered the house on Tattyreagh Road, before stealing jewellery. Local Cllr Glenn Campbell said this attack will cause great fear and anger in the Tattyreagh and Fintona area, and

There’s been another steep rise in the numbers of patients awaiting admission at Letterkenny University Hospital, with 36 patients without beds this morning, 21 of them on Emegency Department trolleys. That’s over double yesterday’s figure of 17. Nationally, the INMO reports 509 patients without beds today, 355 of them on Emergency Department trolleys.

Snow is falling in many parts of the North West this morning, with Met Eireann warning of wintry weather for the next 48 hours in Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Sligo, Mayo and Leitrim. Local authorities are activating severe weather plans, with Donegal County Council saying it is regularly updating its weather maps and forecasts on donegalcoco.ie

Aer Lingus Regional carried 40,000 passengers on flights from Donegal last year, an increase of more than 25%. The service, links Donegal Airport with Dublin and Glasgow, with July the busiest month in 2016. Martin Saxton, Stobart Air’s Chief Commercial Officer says Donegal is an integral part of the Aer Lingus Regional network, and the

The Foreign Affairs Minister will travel to Belfast today for talks aimed at saving the power-sharing government in the North. Charlie Flanagan says every effort has to be made to stop the current executive from collapsing. He will meet with political leaders in a bid to patch up the rows between the DUP and Sinn

Concern has been raised over the extent to which Home Help services in Donegal are being contracted out to private care providers. The number of hours increased from over 4,519 hours in 2011 to over 81,465 in 2015, with funding paid out to private providers having gone up by over €1.8M between the same periods. The

Donegal Tourism providers have been outlining their tourism strategy for the coming year and will be returning to the Holiday World Shows this month to kick off an extensive schedule of marketing activities for 2017. It is hoped that the increase in recognition on a worldwide stage and numerous accolades awarded to the county in

  A Donegal County Councillor is calling for a discretionary budget of €20,000 to be divided among each Councillor for use on LIS roads and private lane ways. Cllr James Pat McDaid raised the issue that roads have been deteriorating rapidly since the abolishment of the LIS and a discretionary budget of €2,000 per Councillor

Donegal County Council is urging motorists to be aware of the imminent cold snap, with wintry showers expected tonight and over the coming days. There are resources, including detailed maps, gritting arrangements and forecasts on the council’s website.   Statement in full –   Met Eireann has issued a Status Yellow weather warning and is

The Local Enterprise Office in Donegal says promoting the county as a food destination will be a priority in 2017. This week, nine Donegal companies became the first in the county to receive Donegal Food Coast plaques, a new brand which shows they are either a Donegal-based producer or a business sourcing produce from Donegal producers.

A man involved in a vicious assault on a couple in a take-away has been sentenced to a 21-month suspended jail sentence. Judge Paul Kelly noted that the injured couple, in their 50s, received “appalling injuries” in a completely unjustified attack when minding their own business in a take-away on a night out. 30 year

  As wintry showers are forecast for the next few days, high winds are making their presence felt in Donegal this morning. The Harry Blaney Bridge is closed this morning due to strong wind and the ferry service to Arranmore is suspended until at least the afternoon.

A Donegal County Councillor is confident that CCTV will be installed in the Bernard McGlinchey Town Park in Letterkenny in the near future to curb anti -social behaviour in the area. This follows numerous incidents over the past 18 months but most recently last week when human excrement was discovered on a children’s slide. The

The Leas-Cheann Comhairle is calling on the Constituency Commission to re unite Donegal into one single Dail Constituency. Concerns have been raised by some locals in south Donegal about the negative impact the current format is having on communities. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher has made a submission to the Commission urging them to restore

Met Éireann has issued two weather warnings as temperatures are set to plummet. The wintry conditions are expected to hit tonight and will last until the weekend – when it’s due to warm up slightly. However, forecaster Joan Blackburn says it won’t be too severe…………….

A West Donegal councillor says there must be consultation about a proposal to develop several Oyster Farms at Braade Strand near Carrickfinn, with a final decision expected shortly from the Department of Agricuilture and Marine. Cllr Micheal Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig says he understands that when complete, all the projects together will amount to the

  The Transport Minister is urging motorists to take all necessary precautions to be winter ready. It comes as Met Eireann has issued two weather warnings for several areas as temperatures are set to drop back. A status yellow snow and ice warning is in place for Donegal, Connacht, Leinster, Cavan and Monaghan. The forecaster

  There have been fresh calls for the Bád Eddie shipwreck in Goath Dobhair to be removed due to safety concerns. The famous boat has deteriorated over the decades with warning signs now in place to advise people who are on the beach to stay away. Some locals are calling for a commemoration sculpture to

  There could be a potential strike at Letterkenny University Hospital. SIPTU has released its initial list of hospitals to be included in national strike ballot with Letterkenny University Hospital and Sligo Regional Hospital included. This comes as numbers awaiting admission at Letterkenny University Hospital are on the rise again. SIPTU members working as support

The Irish tourism industry is starting to level out amid Brexit fears. The numbers coming here have been steadily rising for the last few years, but new stats show the trend may not continue. Brexit is the most worrying issue for providers, according to Fáilte Ireland’s ‘Tourism Business Sentiment Index’, which has been released today.

Sinn Fein has again denied that Martin McGuinness’s resignation from Northern Ireland’s power sharing executive was due to illness. Mr McGuinness has cited the First Minister Arlene Foster’s handling of the Reneewable Heat Incentive scheme for his decision. Stormont Health Minister Michelle O’Neill says the resignation is purely about the political dispute with the DUP…………….

In the event of an election being called at Stormont, there will be 18 less MLAs, with the number of seats in the assembly falling from 108 to 90. The means one less MLA being elected from each of the constituencies. That could put particular pressure on smaller parties and on MLAs elected for the

The numbers awaiting admission at Letterkenny University Hospital have risen again, with the INMO reporting 20 patients without beds this morning, eight of them on Emergency Department trolleys. It follows a fall to six yesterday. Nationally, the figure has risen to 506, 365 of them on Emergency Department trolleys.