Author name: oisinkelly

  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

There were 18 people without beds at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning, 15 of them on trolleys in the Emergency Department. The figures from the INMO come as the organisation prepares to ballot its members on industrial action over General Secretary Liam Doran says is ‘chronic overcrowding and insufficient staffing’. Former Taoiseach John Bruton has

  A Donegal Deputy is urging the Government to speed up the delivery of high speed broadband as a matter of urgency. A total of €15 million has been earmarked to provide the service to rural areas as part of Budget 2017 with the latest pledge by Government to have it provided to all rural

The local community of Dunlewey have been urged to get their submissions as part of the public consultation in relation to Dunlewey Post Office into An Post before the deadline for submissions closes this Friday. The future of the post office has been brought into question following the decision not to automatically place the branch

A delegation from Donegal County Council is travelling to Glasgow for a special business networking event this evening. A number of meetings have been organised with business people in Scotland, with a view towards forging links with businesses in Donegal, as well as seeking to attract inward investment. Cathairleach Cllr Terence Slowey says it’s an

Just after quarter to seven last Friday evening, a 14 year old girl was knocked off her bike by a car. The car is believed to have been a black BMW with tinted windows, and was driven by a man. The girl received a scrape to her leg as a result of the incident but

There are calls for ‘LUTS’ to be revisited and possibly reviewed with a view to easing traffic congestion in Letterkenny. The Land Usage and Transportation Study study was commissioned in 2009 to identify the town’s main traffic black spots. While some of its proposals were adopted, some claim there was a lack of real action

Donald Trump has been elected the 45th President of the United States. He’s addressing his supporters in New York now, after claiming key states including Florida and North Carolina. He’s promising to ‘bind the wounds of division’, and be a President for all of America. Hillary Clinton called her rival to congratulate him on his

Options to name a street or place in Ramelton after Nobel prize winner William C Campbell are to be examined. Earlier this year, the council hosted a Civic Reception in recognition of Prof Campbell’s outstanding achievement in jointly winning the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Prof Campbell was born in 1930 in Ramelton

Secondary students across the country are heading back to school today following the suspension of industrial action by the ASTI. Last night, the union accepted an invitation from the Teachers’ Conciliation Council to attend talks with the Department of Education aimed at resolving the dispute over pay and conditions. Members will be available for teaching,

A new initiative to promote energy efficiency is being launched at a special function today in Glenveagh. The conference which is being hosted by Donegal County Council, sees a number of regions explore new solutions to improve energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources in public housing, buildings and infrastructure in the participating regions.

Donegal County Council has been named overall winner of the “Road Safety Award 2016” in the Excellence in Business Awards by the Public Sector Magazine. This is the second year in succession that Donegal County Council has won the award. To date, 161 people have lost their lives on Irish roads, an increase of 30

  The TII, responsible for the national roads network, has been heavily criticised at today’s Letterkenny Municipal District Meeting. Independent John O’Donnell says the organisation, formally known as the NRA, has refused to address concerns raised over safety at Kilmacrennan. He was commenting on Councillor Michael McBride’s motion calling for speed limit flashing lights on