Author name: oisinkelly

Donegal County Council has agreed to review the strict criteria for those with a disability applying for a grant to adapt their homes. It follows a motion from Councillor Patrick McGowan who said that as a result of the recession there was less money available for the grants and fewer people qualified to apply for […]

The Government says the expert group examining the Mica blocks issue is taking the time it needs to make sure its report comes up with the best way to remedy the problem. Hundreds of private homes and around 450 council owned properties are thought to be effected by the defective blocks which can cause cracking

    The Derry City football club chairman has expressed his disappointment and frustration at the incident following the Derry City versus Dundalk FAI Cup game on Tuesday night. It has been reported that a young Dundalk supporter suffered head injuries while extensive damage was also caused to a supporters bus. Mr. Philip O’Doherty says

    There are fourteen people awaiting admission to the Emergency Department at Letterkenny Univeristy Hospital today. The latest figures from the INMO show that there are nine people on trolleys while a further five waiting in wards or overflow areas. Yesterday Full Capacity Protocol was implemented at the hospital due to overcrowding, with people

  A Donegal Deputy has proposed an overhaul in Social Protection payments to address the plight of seasonal workers. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher has written a submission to his party, outlining how the daily subsidiary income from a secondary income should be raised from the present €12.70 a day to €50 a day. This,

  Pauline Cafferkey, the British nurse who contracted Ebola while working in West Africa in 2014, has been taken back into hospital. An ambulance was given a police escort from her home in Glasgow this morning. She was recently cleared of misconduct charges by the Nursing and Midwifery Council over allegations she allowed a wrong

A Donegal County Councillor says the forthcoming Budget provides an opportunity to invest in front-line services, particularly for people with disabilities. In Sinn Feins proposed budget, almost €55 million would be invested into the prioritisation of disability services. This would include employing 600 additional front line staff and a 20% increase in respite care services.

  The EU has been asked to look at other models to help fishermen deal with the impact of Brexit on their industries. Sinn Fein MEP Liadh Ni Riada is warning Brexit will dramatically change the Common Fisheries Policy. And she says there will be a huge knock-on impact on Irish fleets fishing in British

  Concern has been raised after reports of an elderly resident being confronted by a so-called ‘street drinker’ in Strabane. The man wasn’t injured in the incident but was left badly shaken. It’s understood the issue of street drinkers and subsequent anti-social behaviour has been an on-going issue in both Strabane and Derry. Local Councillor

  There are calls for what’s been described as funding “discrimination” against Letterkenny Hospital to end. Figures suggest that Dublin hospitals are allocated two to three times more than Donegal. Donegal Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has raised the funding “discrimination” against Donegal’s major county hospital, Letterkenny University Hospital in the Seanad and appealed to the

  The Dail has heard calls for an emergency fund to be put in place to support farmers in the tillage area. Some Donegal farmers are amongst those who are facing ruin because they can’t harvest their crops due to recent poor weather. Hundreds of acres remain unharvested after 28 days of rainfall in Donegal

The Emergency Department at Letterkenny University Hospital is said to be very busy this (Wednesday) afternoon with significant numbers of patients awaiting admission to the hospital. The Full Capacity Protocol has been implemented with management saying that all efforts continue to be made to identify patients who are appropriate for discharge. Management at the hospital

Judge Paul Kelly said that he would consider a partial suspension of a custodial sentence if Mr Stewart entered into a bond with the court to dispose of all animals on his farm by 1st November 2016. The case resulted from visits made to Mr Stewart’s farm by ISPCA Inspector Kevin McGinley and Department of

Police in Derry says they are investigating trouble which flared following last night’s cup replay between Derry City and Dundalk. It is reported that a teenager suffered head injuries during trouble that followed Derry City’s 2-1 defeat to Dundalk in an FAI Cup semi-final replay at Brandywell Stadium. Police have confirmed they have received a

  It’s been revealed that the number of applications for Irish passports from people living in Britain has more than doubled since the UK voted to leave the European Union. New figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs show that in both August and September the number of GB applications rose by more than 100%.

  Serious concern has been raised after Gardai in Buncrana stopped a car earlier this morning with extremely defective tyres. The driver of the car was also not wearing a seat belt at the time Gardai made the discovery. Road Safety officer with Donegal County Council Brian O’Donnell says it defies belief that some motorists

  Calls have been made on the Health Minister to set an immediate date as to when the rheumatology services will be reinstated in Donegal. It’s understood that a third rheumatologist has been appointed to Letterkenny University Hospital and it was promised by Saolta that once that happened, a review of services would begin. Donegal

  A local road safety campaigner is calling on schools to provide larger school lockers in the hope more children will wear helmets when cycling to school. The initiative was officially announced in today’s Inish Times however it’s understood it will be raised with the Education Minister and the road safety authority in the coming

  A Donegal Deputy is calling on the Government to intervene and take action on the ongoing motor insurance crisis. Premiums are increasing by 50% to 80 % or more in some cases and placing pressure on motorists seeking to renew their annual premiums. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallgher believes the Government has made no

  It’s been confirmed that the current report by the expert panel investigating the mica block issue in Donegal will be completed by December. In January, Dennis McCarthy was appointed to chair the expert panel to investigate the defective blocks with the council conducting tests on homes in the county. The next formal meeting will

  Jeffrey Donaldson says he believes that a ‘soft’ border between the North and the Republic can exist after Brexit. Concern’s growing that the approach being taken by the UK government could result in a more formal barrier after March 2019. However the DUP MP predicted the cross-border ‘Civic Dialogue’ being planned by the Taoiseach

  Donegal County Council Housing officials have met with a number of the residents affected by the recent fire at Rosemount Letterkenny along with an official from the Department of Social Protection. Since the fire last Thursday, residents have been accommodated in Dilions Hotel. It was initially understood that that arrangement would end today however

  Midlands Northwest MEP Marian Harkin says the British Prime Minister’s hardline stance on Brexit is ‘shocking’ for Ireland. The Independent MEP was reacting to Theresa May’s comments on Brexit last weekend when she addressed delegates at her party’s conference. The new UK PM said that Britain wasn’t leaving the EU today only to give

  The Donegal Representative for the Irish Hotel’s Federation has described Sinn Fein’s proposals to scrap the 9% VAT rate on hotel beds and ridiculous and irresponsible. It was one of the measures announced yesterday by Deputy Pearse Doherty in Sinn Fein’s alternative budget. The party wants to get rid of the 9 percent VAT

A delighted man claimed a Lotto jackpot prize of €2,266,323 today at National Lottery offices in Dublin. He is the second winning ticketholder to come forward to claim Saturday’s €4.5 million jackpot.  Yesterday, a family syndicate of two from Kerry claimed their share. Today’s winner, who wishes to remain private, was visiting Donegal to attend

People are finding it difficult to access alternative accommodation after a fire at an apartment block in Letterkenny last week. A number of families and individuals have been forced out of their homes after the blaze in a carpark beneath an apartment block on Rosemount Lane. The local authority was accused of doing nothing to help those effected.