Author name: oisinkelly

The Emergency Department at Letterkenny General Hospital is extremely busy today with above average numbers of very ill patients requiring admission to the hospital. There are currently 31 patients requiring admission to beds. Members of the public are asked to avoid attending the Emergency Department if possible and to contact their GP or GP Out

More wintry weather and heavy snow is set to hit the Northwest between now and tomorrow morning. Met Eireann’s issued a “status orange” warning for hail, sleet and snow in the west and north-west. Up to 8cm of snow has already fallen in many areas around Co Donegal today, with more forecast during the next

The former owners of Jacksons Hotel have said that following the hotel being taken over by receivers they have been left with next to nothing. Highland Radio News revealed that last week that the Ballybofey hotel had went into receivership. All staff remain in position and that all wedding deposits and vouchers will be honoured.

As the HSE is told it’s unrealistic to use English templates to set Irish ambulance response times, a Donegal councillor says it’s for a full review of the service. Cllr Ciaran Brogan was commenting after the Irish Times published details of the latest document, which says Ireland is too rural for current response times to

Malin Head coastguard is scheduled to fly food and other supplies to Tory Island this morning The ferry service to the island has not run in over a week because of the stormy weather conditions leaving supplies at the local co-op low. The coastguard helicopter will also take a number of people to the mainland

  As fresh doubts emerge over the decentralisation of Department of Agriculture jobs to Ballykelly, an East Derry MLA is warning that the jobs may end up remaining in Belfast. The plan has proved controversial, with politicians in Strabane claiming the project should be going there, because it was next in line for such a

A confidential report into the ambulance service says targets for response times can’t be met. A number of incidents in Donegal have been cited in the course of an ongoing debate about delays in ambulances arriving, one of which was highlighted in a recent report which outlined severe problems. According to The Irish Times, the

Donegal Deput Padraig MacLochlainn has written to hotel owners and managers across Donegal North East seeking their views on developing tourism in the region. They are also being asked what could be reasonably done to reduce costs and overheads in their businesses Deputy MacLochlainn says he took the inititiative following news that two more hotels

There’s a nationwide warning for snow and freezing temperatures over the next 24 hours, with snow lying in Donegal, Derry and Tyrone this morning. Met Eireann’s issued a “status orange” warning for hail, sleet and snow in the west and north-west, with up to 8cm of snow is likely on high ground in Connacht and

Met Eireann has a Yellow weather warning in place for Donegal overnight with snow settling in places. The forecaster warns of wintry showers spreading east tonight that are likely to give a covering of snow of up to 3cm in places. Icy patches will form in any locations escaping snow showers. Further snow showers and

Gardai are investigating after there was a break-in at a shop in Letterkenny in the early hours of this morning. The burglary happened just after 3am at the Checkout store on Lower Oldtown road. The intruder broke in through the back of the shop, and he got away with a significant amount of money. Gardai

        Picture courtesy of Killybegs Coastguard A fisherman has been rescued from the water in Killybegs after falling in at the new pier overnight. The man was seen falling between from a trawler by a local taxi driver just after 2 o’clock this morning. The coastguard and an ambulance were called immediately.

The Chairman of Donegal County Council says the authority has a lot to contribute to the North West, and is working closely with other bodies to maximise the region’s potential. Cllr John Campbell was speaking after a meeting with Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy in Stormont attended by a number of other bodies, including the

Donegal County Council is warning of traffic delays in Lifford until March as work begins to replace 600 metres of watermain along the main N15 Lifford to Ballybofey Road. The council is stressing this work is to replace the watermain, and is not linked to the installation of water meters. Motorists are being urged to

Following the discovery of the body of missing Carrick man David Maguire near Kilcar this afternoon, the local community has been praised for the way it mobilised for the search. It was one of the biggest searches seen in Donegal in recent years, involving gardai, the coastguard and  Donegal Mountain Rescue team. It’s spokesperson Joseph

A 10-day mountain and sea search ended in South West Donegal today when a body was recovered by searchers. The body, believed to be that of 38-year-old David Maguire, was found on rocks in an area known as Spanish Arch at Towney, near Kilcar Mr Maguire, who lived alone and is separated from his partner

Met Eireann is warning of further strong winds until tomorrow morning, with a cold snap to follow. The weather forecaster has put a status orange alert in place for exposed western coasts – with winds gusting up to 110 kilometres per hour. Meterologist Gerry Murphy says once the wind abates, there is a possibility of

As the debate on Ireland’s blasphemy laws intensify in the wake of last week’s Paris shootings, the Bishop of Raphoe Dr Philip Boyce has issued a pastoral letter urging Christians not to use the name of Jesus Christ in the context of uncultured and rough language. The seven page document, titled “Holy is his Name”,

Update – 2.10pm   While the winds in Donegal have eased somewhat today, their legacy is being felt with power outages now being reported in four areas of the county. ESB networks are still working to restore power in Rossgeir where there are 100 homes without power, and Newtowncunningham, where 33 homes are waiting to

An orange weather warnings which had been in place for Donegal overnight has now been lifted, but wind will continue to be a factor in today’s weather for a time. Gales of up to 75km per hour were recorded in parts of Donegal overnight, and 91 homes in the Newtowncunningham area are without power. It’s

A Derry man who threatened to tie up his mother’s oxygen and cut her husband’s throat has been jailed at Derry Magistrate’s Court. 41 year-old Paul Kinneton of no fixed abode admitted the charge which occurred on Thursday last, January 8th. The court was told that the defendant’s mother contacted police to say that he

Fianna Fail claims not enough is being done to support Small and Medium Enterprises in County Donegal. It follows the shock announcement last week that Jackson’s Hotel in Ballybofey has been placed in receivership. Councillor Patrick McGowan says many businesses are struggling and little to nothing is being done to help them:

A Donegal Deputy says new figures from the Central Statistics Office show more people are at work in Donegal since the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs in 2012. Junior Minister Joe McHugh says that Donegal has seen a 14.8% decrease in the number of those on the live register. While many suggest this

A status yellow Met Eireann weather warning remains in place for Donegal. Gust of up to 110 km/h at times will continue overnight. The weather warning is in place until 9am tomorrow morning. The strong wind and rain has left  treacherous driving conditions with flooding on many roads across the region. Forecaster Pat Clarke says

The brother of one of the men killed on Bloody Sunday has welcomed the relaunch of a police investigation into the events. The news was confirmed yesterday by Madden and Finnucine Solicitors which represents familiies of those who were killed and inured in Derry on January the 30th, 1972. Twelve Detectives will be assigned to

The HSE says a staff shortage caused by sick leave is to blame for the closure of the ante-natal clinic and gynaecological services at Dungloe Community Hospital They have been relocated to Letterkenny General Hospital. The Saolta University Health Care Group says it appreciates that this is a significant inconvenience to expectant mothers and other

A man who was seriously injured in a work accident in Co Donegal has been removed to the Mater Hospital. The 66-year-old man is understood to have suffered serious chest injuries in the incident, which happened at a wood processing plant in Portnoo yesterday evening. Fire and ambulance crews and a Garda unit attended the