Author name: oisinkelly

  The overcrowding situation has eased considerably at Letterkenny Univeristy Hospital with five people awaiting admission to its Emergency Department this morning according to the latest trolley watch report. Two people were trolleys while a further three were on wards or on overflow areas. It’s a stark contrast from figures published earlier this week from […]

  The airing of the documentary ‘Atlantic’ on RTE1 last night has prompted further calls on the Government to address legislation that allows super trawlers to fish off the Irish coast. The production centres around three fishing communities – one being Arranmore Island – and the daily constraints they face. There has been on-going concern

  A number of solutions have been put forward in a bid to ease traffic congestion in Buncrana. Long tailbacks on the Cockhill road have been an on-going problem in the town and this in turn restricts access to the Main Street from St. Mary’s road. The issue was raised at this week’s sitting of

  The Office of Public Works has confirmed that it is not funded to develop An Grianan of Aileach and other similar tourism sites. The confirmation comes following concerns raised by local Councillor Jack Murray who is calling for the provision of tourist facilities there. A meeting between the OPW and Donegal County Council regarding the

Ahead of the launch of the new Medical Academy next week at Letterkenny Univeristy Hospital, Minister for Health, Simon Harris is being urged to deal with the crises at the hospital during his visit. Donegal Deputy, Pat the Cope Gallagher is publicly calling on the Minster to tackle the ongoing overcrowding, capacity protocols, cancelled procedures,

  The Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation is warning of up to 400 job losses, many of those in Donegal ,if proposed cuts to some quotas go ahead next year. The Council of Fisheries Ministers meet next Monday and Tuesday in Brussels to decide on the TACs and Quotas for 2017. The KFO is calling on the

The European Union has announced an investment of €23 million for three new cross-border greenway projects. The EU’s INTERREG VA Programme has been invested for North West Greenways Network, Carlingford Lough Greenway and Ulster Canal Greenway. Locally, €14.86m of the funding has been offered to the ‘North West Greenways Network’ that will create a network

[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]ADD_CONTENT_HERE[/quote] A Christmas vigil is taking place near Ballyshannon tomorrow for missing Mary Boyle. The vigil is being held at Cashelard close to where the 6 year old was last seen in 1977, almost 40 years ago. A number of local campaigners have organised the event which gets underway at 12 noon. Helen

The Northern Ireland Policing Board has announced plans to sell 12 PSNI stations. Castlederg station will be one up for sale which has been closed for the past 5 years, incurring costs of almost £850,000 with calls from local Councillors for the station to be removed. The sale of the 12 stations will raise £1.5m

A new report shows that the average weekly cost of childcare in Donegal is slightly below the national average. The report compiled by Pobal indicates that the cost of of a full-time place in a childcare facility in the county is €162.18 per week while the national average €167.03. Nationally, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown had highest childcare

  A Government Minister says Donegal must get its fair share of road funding in next year’s allocation to ensure continued growth. Political representatives along with a delegation from Donegal County Council are meeting with Transport Infrastructure Ireland today to discuss what monies will be available for the upkeep of the county’s roads next year.

Gardaí are urging shoppers to be aware of thieves operating in retail car parks this Christmas. € 400,000 worth of goods was stolen from shoppers’ cars in Ireland last year – with cash, electronics, tools and handbags the most popular items taken. Gardaí say incidents are most common on Tuesdays and Fridays between 12 noon

  There were 27 people waiting for a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the latest figures from the INMO. 10 were on trolleys in the Emergency Department while a further 17 were on wards or on overflow areas. Almost 450 people are on trolleys at hospitals across the country. According to

A protest is to take place tomorrow over a planning application for a wind turbine at the Údarás na Gaeltachta Industrial Estate Gaoth Dobhair. The protest has been arranged following last night’s meeting with local residents in which concerns were raised over the general impact the proposed turbine might have on the area. It’s understood

The Garda Dog Unit has been called in to assist in the search for a man who hasn’t been seen for 3-4 weeks. 73 year old Jim Boyle also known as Philemy was last seen almost a month ago near his home at Oughterlin outside Rathmullen. The search is continuing today with local land owners

  Deputy Thomas Pringle has criticised the Government’s failure to ratify the UN Convention which would see the passing of legislation protecting the rights of people with disabilities. During Leaders’ Questions in Dail, Deputy Pringle read out an excerpt of a letter written to the Taoiseach over 6 months ago by local Donegal disability activist

An Irish missionary nun, originally from Donegal, has been named among this year’s recipients of the Presidential Distinguished Service Awards. Sr Mary Sweeney, a Sister of St Joseph of Cluny and a native of Dungloe, will receive the award today for her role in coordinating a response to the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. The

A thug who pushed a small 84-year-old woman off the footpath so that she ended up on her back on the road with shoulder and knee injuries has been jailed for 10 months. He was also jailed for assaulting a middle-aged woman and a male tourism coach-driver on another night. Donegal District Court was told

  None of the recent batch of newly qualified recruits released from the Templemore Garda Training College were posted to Donegal. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher says he was shocked to learn this especially in the context of recent figures which showed a 21% decline in Garda numbers within the county since 2009. Deputy Gallagher

Reports investigating former soldiers involved with Bloody Sunday have been sent to prosecutors. A murder probe into the deaths of 14 civil rights demonstrators shot in Derry 44 years ago- was triggered after a public inquiry found their killings were unjustified. An investigation was launched in 2012 after a UK government commissioned inquiry found none

Two sitting Sinn Féin TDs have sensationally stated in the Dáil they were not involved in the 1983 killing of prison officer Brian Stack. Dessie Ellis and Martin Ferris made the short statements after being named under privilege by a Fine Gael TD. It came after Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams accused Brian Stack’s son

Clarification is being sought from Management at Letterkenny University Hospital over the failure to advertise a vacant senior position in the Oncology Department. It is understood a senior member of staff left two months ago but has not been replaced. The issue has been raised by Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn who says this will inevitably

The search has continued today for a missing man near Rathmullen. 73 year old Jim Boyle also known as Philemy was last seen 3 to 4 weeks ago near his home at Oughterlin. Yesterday the search by Donegal Mountain Rescue and Mulroy Coastguard was stood down in the early afternoon due to the adverse weather

A senior Garda has expressed his dismay at the increase in the number of drink/drug driving cases in Donegal. It’s understood that in the last few months the number of arrests involving both drink and drug use behind the wheel have risen dramatically – particularly in the Letterkenny area. As part of the Garda Annual

  There were 25 people awaiting admission to Letterkenny University Hospital this morning according to the latest figures from the INMO – the same figure as yesterday.  11 people were waiting on trolleys in the Emergency Department while a further 14 were on wards or in overflow areas. South Tipperary General Hospital is the most

Festivals and Events in Donegal can now apply for funding under Fáilte Ireland’s 2017 Regional Festivals and Participative Events Programme. Last year, the initiative saw 205 events across the country supported to the value of over €690k. Applications opened this week with the deadline at 12.00 noon on Monday 16th January. Fáilte Ireland’s Head of

It’s hoped that work on phase two of the Blackburn Bridge project – one of Donegal’s most infamous black spots – will be granted funding in the New Year. Work has already taken place to remove bends and widen the road near Cappry outside Ballybofey however it’s understood that a further half million euro is

  A case of alleged assault involving a Donegal County Councillor is expected to go ahead in the New Year. Cllr John O’Donnell appeared before yesterday’s sitting of Letterkenny Circuit Court when a request for a witness and exhibits order was heard from lawyers. The case had been referred from the District Court in October.

A Donegal County Councillor has expressed serious concern over some people continuing to park in disabled bays without a permit. It’s after Gardai in Buncrana detected a driver parked in a disabled bay without parking permit at the weekend. The driver in question was also believed to be under the influence of alcohol and court

  Settlements amounting to more than €750,000 were agreed with Revenue between July and September of this year in Donegal, according to the latest tax defaulters’ list. Two Donegal tax defaulters were among the 64 nationwide who have been named in the latest figures. E L McGettigan & Sons from Kilmacrennan, Co Donegal – which

The North West region is in a strong place to respond to Brexit a major conference has heard. Over 150 people attended yesterday’s Driving Growth in the North West conference in Burt to consider the region’s response to the challenges and opportunities of Brexit. Tourism in the North West and its potential was a key

  A Donegal Deputy is calling on the HSE to provide a long term solution for the radiology service in Dungloe community Hospital. The service had been suspended for a number of weeks due to equipment failure. It’s understood that replacement equipment components have been granted approval with the HSE confirming that the service will

  Funding has been granted by The Department of Education to build an additional classroom at Glencovitt National School in Ballybofey. The commitment means that the school is now in a position to seek planning permission for the extension, and proceed to construction stage. The school currently has 85 pupils, with 4 mainstream Teachers, an

There were 25 people awaiting admission to Letterkenny University Hospital this morning. According to the latest figures from the INMO 16 people were on trolleys in its Emergency Department while a further 9 were waiting in wards or overflow areas. Nationally there were 451 people waiting to be admitted to hospitals across the country today

A Donegal man who was ordered to pay a woman compensation of €21,000 over childhood sexual abuse has been declared bankrupt by his victim. At the High Court, Ms Justice Caroline Costello made an order declaring the assailant, originally from Co Derry but now living in Donegal, bankrupt. He had failed to pay compensation awarded

The Driving Growth in the North West with the Challenges and Opportunities of Brexit conference is underway in Donegal today. The event hosted by Donegal and Derry City and Strabane District Councils will be the first in a series of events led by the two authorities in the context of new regional co-operation arrangements for

Searches are continuing today for an elderly man who is suspected missing for nearly a month. The Mulroy Coastguard has begun searching high ground near Rathmullen this morning. Yesterday afternoon search and rescue service were conducted by Gardai to launch a major search operation for the 73 year-old from Oughterlinn near Rathmullen who hasn’t been

It’s reported this morning that pay-by-weight bin charges won’t now kick in next month. The cost-by-kilo plan was due to apply from January with people opting in before July. However the system is now being seen as too inflexible and more time is to be given to coming up with a range of pricing options.

A Donegal County Councillor is reiterating his call for more funding in flood prevention measures in Donegal. The call comes following the anniversary of the second of two floods which hit Finn Valley last year causing extensive damage to many homes and businesses in the area. Local Councillor Gary Doherty says while there has been

A major clean up has concluded on Tory Island which has sparked further talks about a ‘tidy island initiative’ there. Almost 20 loads of rubbish were removed from the island over the past week with 20,000 euro also being announced for a holding bay for recycling on the island. Councillor Michael Colm Mac Giolla Easbig