Author name: oisinkelly

The Children’s National Ambulance Service, BUMBLEance has announced an expansion of their service to Donegal and the North West. Since its launch in 2013, the service has been supporting sick children from the area which is now to feature a regionally-based BUMBLEette service in Donegal, due for launch in 2017. The BUMBLEette is specifically designed

Police in the North have re-issued an appeal for a missing person as they and family are becoming increasingly concerned for her welfare. 46 year-old Marie Doran was last seen yesterday and Police believe that she has crossed the border into the Republic of Ireland. She is described as approximately 5’6″ tall with short blonde

There are calls for parents to be vigilant after a 10 year-old girl in Derry was contacted through an online app. Sinn Féin Councillor Colly Kelly is raising awareness after he was contacted by a concerned parent whose daughter was using the app ‘Live Me’, described as a children’s app. The child was asked to

The European Economic chief says its time to create European sovereignty. Pierre Moscovici has told the Irish Independent – tax most be decided on a European level – it’s after US President Elect Donald Trump said he would cut corporation tax to almost 15 per cent in his first 100 days in office. But a

Gerry Adams is to be honoured in New York today. The Sinn Féin president will deliver a keynote speech at a street naming event commemorating the 1916 Easter Rising. ‘Easter Rising Way’ is a previously unnamed street is in the west Queens area of New York – a traditional spot for Irish American’s. Councilwoman, Elizabeth

A new App has been launched in Donegal to aid the unemployed. HiUp, enables job seekers to connect directly with employers and allows them to identify any skills gaps they have and connect with training providers, either by taking training directly within the app or booking classroom-based training via the app. At the launch of

The latest sitting of the Glenties Municipal District has heard calls for council meetings to be streamed online. It’s hoped the move would provide the public with a better understanding of how meetings work and give more transparency as to how decisions are made. Councillor Micheal Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig has made the request and

Concern has been raised over the lack of certainty surrounding the Irish Language Assistance scheme ‘Scéim na gCúntóirí Teanga’ for the current school year. It’s been claimed that the Gaeltacht Minister has failed to give a commitment that additional schools which had been announced by the Government will now be covered as part of the

  There are 27 people without beds at Letterkenny University Hospital this lunchtime, 14 of them on trolleys in the Emergency Department and 13 on beds in wards. That’s down just two on yesterday’s figure when The Full Capacity Protocol was implemented at the hospital with all non urgent elective procedures deferred. According to the

Concern has been raised over some schools in West Donegal not receiving  DEIS status. The aim of DEIS is to address the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities. Councillor Michael Colm MacGiolla Eaisbig says that schools who do not have the status are losing out. He has received confirmation that the

It was reported today that hard drugs are being sold openly in Letterkenny. Today’s Donegal News reports that heroin, cocaine and other drugs are openly sold from cars at various housing estates in Letterkenny. Anti-Drug Campaigner and former Town Councillor, PJ Blake believes that this is an old issue. He says that it is a

  Gardai are investigating an incident which occurred yesterday afternoon in Dunloe. At approximately 3pm a 12 year-old boy was walking home from school when he was approached by a male who is believed to be carrying a knife. Gardai are appealing to anyone that has any information to contact Dunloe or Milford Garda Station.

Increased rental returns have sparked a surge of interest by investors in buy-to-let properties in Donegal. According to Letterkenny estate agent Sherry FitzGerald Rainey the growing imbalance in supply versus demand has caused rental returns for landlords to rise by almost 7% in the third quarter of this year. The latest report from Daft.ie shows

Police in the North are appealing for information following a security alert that occurred in Westland Street area of Derry last evening. Just before 8.45pm, police received a report of a suspicious device in the area. The road was closed and a number of houses were evacuated. The object was taken away for further examination

A County Councillor wants all those with an interest to attend a meeting at Illistrin National School in Letterkenny at peak traffic time to see the dangers entering and exiting the school poses. Councillor Ciaran Brogan wants Councillors and engineers to attend with the view of impressing on the TII, which has responsibility for the

It’s been claimed that rural Donegal is being left behind due to the current constraints in the County Development Plan. It’s understood that many rural villages have been heavily affected with homes and businesses refused planning permission for extensions or single dwellings. The County Development Plan is up for review shortly and it’s hoped the

A Donegal Deputy is calling on the Government to address the plight of the undocumented Irish in US following the election result there. It’s estimated that there are 50,000 undocumented Irish living in America, many from County Donegal and who have been there for some time but do not have full citizenship rights. Donegal Deputy

A Donegal Senator is calling on the Government to introduce legislation to put the Irish Coast Guard service on a statutory footing. The call comes following concerns about the future of the service, with The Irish Coast Guard being the only response agency that is not legislated for in the country. Senator Padraig MacLochlainn believes

There are genuine fears that the Leisure Centre in Buncrana will never re-open. The facility closed almost 2 years ago with plans in place for a new €6m leisure centre – however it is unlikely to open before 2018 – if at all. The centre was the only community swimming facility in Inishowen and was

The Full Capacity Protocol has been implemented again at Letterkenny University Hospital with significant numbers of patients without a bed awaiting admission to the hospital. Management say all efforts continue to be made to identify patients who are appropriate for discharge. All non urgent elective procedures have been deferred. People who are attending the Emergency

Donegal County Council is to explore ways to extend the CCTV system in Letterkenny into housing estates and further out of town. It’s off the back of calls from the Chair of Donegal Joint Policing Committee Councillor Gerry McMonagle. He says the cameras are needed to help prevent and solve crime but could also help

There are calls for the council to examine if the sequence of the traffic lights at Letterkenny Court House is adding to congestion problems. Councillor Jimmy Kavanagh says a number of people have contacted him saying that the lights change to frequently and that it is causing jams. He has welcomed a council commitment to

Donegal County Council has achieved ISO 50001 accreditation for it’s Energy Management System, following what the council says was many months of work to introduce a new Energy Management System throughout all the authority’s operations. Donegal County Council is only the second local authoritiy in Ireland to achieve this accreditation for all of the Council

Concern has been raised at the fact that young farmers in the North West may not receive National Reserve payments for the second year running. This scheme was opened last year with funding paid out to over 6,000 farmers. However, the programme didn’t open for applications this year and it now it appears unlikely that

It’s been confirmed that the x-ray unit at the Donegal Community Hospital has been restored to full service. The unit had been out of action for some time, with patients having to travel elsewhere for x-rays, but the HSE has now completed essential repair work and the unit is once again operating normally. Donegal Deputy