Author name: oisinkelly

The weekly cost of private nursing home care is cheapest in Co Donegal. According to a new survey the average cost here is €748, while the highest cost is in Dublin at €1,100. Nationally the average cost of a nursing home last year was €896 a week, leaving Co Donegal still somewhat lower than the […]

The Free GP care scheme for children under six comes into force today. 2,324 children have been registered for the new service and 98 per cent of GPs have signed up to provide the service in Co Donegal. Meanwhile, Under 18s who’ve been diagnosed with cancer are to be given medical cards for five years.

The latest crime stats from the CSO show a progressive fall in the detection of burglaries in the Donegal division. There has also been a continuing decline in the last 16 months in public order offences. In the first quarter of this year there were 79 recorded burglary’s a fall on 42 on the same

It’s emerged that Bus Eireann will not use Mamore Gap for school buses, but will continue to use it when measuring routes to determine the closest school to pupils’ homes. In the Dail this afternoon, Deputy Charlie Mc Conalogue again raised the fact that pupils from Urris outside Clonmany will now have to go to

The mother of a man left with ‘very grave and life changing injuries’ after a one punch attack outside a Derry bar has said her son’s attacker ‘did not get long enough.’ Maureen Morrison was speaking after a 30-year-old Strabane man Teddy Roulston of Ballycolman Estate in Strabane was sentenced to two years four months

An East Derry MLA says it’s time to put in place explicit safety requirements for electricity and gas in private sector buildings. In August 2010, Neil McFerran and Aaron Davidson lost their lives to carbon monoxide poisoning while staying at an apartment in Castlerock. Local MLA John Dallat says there was a clear commitment then

A campaign has been launched entitled ‘Save Linsfort Beach’ after an aquaculture licence was awarded for an Oyster farm on the beach. Locals claim the beach has been ruined following the awarding of a ten year licence for 42 acres of oyster beds. The company behind the project has declined to comment on the issue

A deal to abolish mobile phone roaming charges in the European Union in 2017 has been struck in Brussels. The agreement will scrap roaming charges imposed on EU citizens who use their mobile phones in other member states from June 15, 2017. But providers would still be allowed to apply a “fair use policy” to

A 21-year-old man has been stabbed in Lifford. The incident happened between 11pm and midnight last night on a street corner just off Butcher Street. While the 21-year-old has been hospialised, his injuries are not thought to be serious. An area of Butcher Street and Main Street is currently cordoned off as Gardai preserve the

It’s deadline day for registration with Irish Water. Householders must sign up by today if they want to claim the government’s 100 euro “Water Conservation Grant”. As many as 3 out of 10 households still haven’t registered – but the company’s expecting a last minute rush. Anti-water charge campaigners are urging even those who’ve already

A total of 77 thousand euro in grants have been announced for healthcare-related and social care services in Donegal. 40,000 euro has been allocated to the Donegal branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association, 20,000 euro to the Northwest Alcohol forum,10,000 euro to the Letterkenny Youth and Family Service and 7,000 euro to Inishowen Development partnership.

  Donegal County Council has said that the uptake of the brown bin system in Letterkenny has been disappointing. Waste Enforcement Officer Doireann Mc Clintock was speaking as the system is extended to 10 other areas of the county. In July last year, brown bind for segregated food waste were introduced in Letterkenny, and from

Donegal County Cllr Niamh Kennedy has confirmed that she is to run in the next general election. The Killybegs Cllr was unveiled as a member of the Independent Alliance outside Leinster House this morning. The group will see TDs, Senators and Councillors contest the next general election with a view to becoming part of a

A public meeting will take place tonight at Tirnasligo National School outside Clonmany to discuss the ongoing insistence of the government that children from the Urris area going to secondary school should go to Buncrana. Traditionally, post primary pupils from the area have gone to Carndonagh Community School, but the government has now changed how

A public meeting will be held this week to set up a Text Alert Network in the Killygordon/ Castlefin area. The meeting will take place tomorrow evening (Tues) at 8pm in the Castlefin CPI Centre. Locals are invited to come along if they want to be included in the new Text Alert network. Local Cllr

People who were hoping for a heatwave in the Northwest this week may be left disappointed. Met Eireann says while temperatures will rise this week, there will not necessarily be sunny conditions. Temperatures will reach the low twenties this week, and while it will be warm and humid, there will also be some wet weather.

Several members of the Donegal Mountain Rescue team took part in the rescue of two young men who became stuck on Ben Bulben in Sligo over the weekend. The men became caught on the north face of the mountain but were located safe and well after 11pm. The men, in their late teens and early

The euro has tumbled this morning against other currencies because of the Greek debt crisis. It’s at an eight year low against sterling, trading at about 1-euro 42 to the pound and 1-euro 10 to the dollar. Markets have also been falling on news of the economic problems in Greece, with stock exchanges expected to

Donegal Councillor Gary Doherty says if people vote strategically at the next General Election, then Irish Water can be defeated. A Red C poll published today in the Sunday Business Post showed a 5% rise in support for independents, but a three point drop for Sinn Fein. However, Cllr Doherty says he believes the announcement

A security alert has ended in St Johnston after a suspicious object was spotted near the Orange Hall earlier this afternoon. The area was sealed off, and gardai examined the scene. After 40 minutes, the area was declared safe, with gardai saying the object was a hoax.