Ocean FM News Reports

A Leitrim Councillor is calling on Local Authority to address the serious safety concerns on the approach to road to Ballinaglera from the Dora side. Cllr Enda McGloin tabled a motion on the issue at the January meeting of the Ballinamore Municipal District of Leitrim County Council. The Fine Gael elected representative is looking for assessment be conducted on the hedging and drain along the road...

A Sligo Senator has criticised the Government over the exclusion of three local school projects from the Department of Education’s latest priority list.       Senator Nessa Cosgrove made the comments after  Ursuline College in Sligo, Gaelscoil Chnoc na Ré and Scoil Mhuire in Carrick-on-Shannon, all of which she says are in urgent need of new buildings were not included on the l...

The RNLI along with the Coast Guard and Water Safety Ireland, are urging people to check weather conditions before heading out for any Coastal Water Activities across the North West  this Bank Holiday weekend.     Strong winds are expected along coastal waters and members of the public are being advised waterside pathways may have been damaged during the recent storms and may be uns...

A Bill being put forward on fossil gas infrastructure is being criticised.     Friends of the Irish Environment says accelerating LNG does not protect the country from geopolitical instability, price shocks or supply disruption.   The practice of fracking was banned after a successful campaign led by the former Sligo Leitrim Deputy Tony McLoughlin.     Director of Friends...

A report published today by the Money Advice and Budgeting Service has highlighted how homeowners affected by defective concrete are falling behind on their mortgage payments. The report has found that the issues are interlinked with homeowners affected being of higher risk of falling into arrears. The body is calling for urgent support for people affected by the scandal with the establishment of...

Inshore fishing groups are calling for urgent action to protect livelihoods along Ireland's coastline. Donegal TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn says a basic income scheme could support up to 900 fishermen facing rising costs and climate pressures. He says the proposal has strong cross-party backing and needs to be delivered in the short term. Speaking in the Dáil, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn said small inshore...

Farmers in the North West have reacted angrily to the fact that those not registered for VAT have had a reduction in their "flat-rate addition" compensation when selling animals at marts. A number of local Marts have also criticized the move. The rate has been reduced from 5.1% in 2025 to 4.5% this year. It means non-VAT registered farmers in Ireland will receive less VAT compensation on their sal...

A Leitrim Councillor has warned that rising construction prices will prevent many people from building and renovating properties. Councillor Padraig Fallon made the comments while reacting to the latest GeoDirectory Residential Buildings Report which stated that Leitrim has the highest residential vacancy rate in the Country. The Sinn Fein Councillor says ever increasing construction costs are det...

Construction on a new playground and outdoor gym in Sligo Town has begun this week. The work will see Mitchell Curley Park gain a calisthenics gym as well as the renovation and expansion of the exisitng playground in the park. The funding for the works was announced in October under the Housing Finance Agency's Social Investment Fund. Sligo Borough Councillor Fergal Nealon says it's good news for...

Despite an announcement expected in the coming days of new ambulance crew and staff for the local region, a Donegal councillor has again raised the urgent need for additional ambulances and crews to be provided for south Donegal.   Sinn Féin's Noel Jordan is warning that the likely allocation which will be announced this week is far from what is required to properly service the area.   S...

A Palestine Solidarity public meeting will take place in Sligo this evening.     Poet Sarah Clancy, who participated in the recent Gaza Flotilla and Eoghan McNeill, co-founder and editor of The Ditch are amongst the guest speakers for this evening's event.   The meeting, organised by the Sligo Palestine Solidarity Committee, will be held in the Glasshouse Hotel at 8pm.   Former...

A member of the Regional Health Forum West has urged people to go to hospital if they are extremely unwell despite the overcrowding in North West hospitals. Today's figures have confirmed that there are 57 people waiting on a bed in Letterkenny and 55 in Sligo. The numbers in the local emergency departments are 16 in Letterkenny and 33 in Sligo. The local figures account for over 16% of Wednesday'...

A Sligo/Leitrim Junior Minister has labelled the latest SEAI Grants as a positive step to tackle rising costs. The move was announced yesterday evening with a total package of just under 560 million euro. The grants will allow for people to retrofit their homes to make them more energy efficient and in turn more sustainable. Speaking to Ocean FM News, Minister Marian Harkin says it's now possible...

The Local Authority in Sligo has recently commenced an Active Travel Scheme within the speed limits of Grange Village along the N15. This project is currently in the early stages of development and is intended to identify locations where existing walking and cycling facilities need to be improved. Feedback received during the consultation will be used to identify key constraints and opportunities...

A public consultation is due to get underway this evening around the future layout of Ballyshannon. The consultation is scheduled to run from 4pm until 8pm in the library in the town. It's set to discuss key problems like housing, road layouts and utility needs. Local Councillor Michael McMahon says it's imperative that people have their say: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Housing adaptation grants remain an issue in the North West despite funding being allocation towards the scheme. That's according to Ballymote/Tubbercurry Councillor Liam Brennan, who put forward a motion on the topic in the January meeting of Sligo County Council. His Fianna Fail colleague Eamon Scanlon raised the issue in the Dail last week with the Deputy describing the situation as critical. S...

A Sligo Councillor has called on the government to implement the promised changes to the Criminal Law and Civil Law Bill as soon as possible. These changes will see homosexuality convictions handed out before 1993 abolished. Last week Justice Minister said he will amend legislation. The Labour Party have been to the fore in calling for these changes, Sligo based Councillor Ann Higgins says the his...

A Donegal TD has accused the Government of cooking the books when it comes to hospital waiting times. It comes as the Health Minister will bring a new action plan to Cabinet aimed at reducing waiting times. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will set out 36 actions to reduce the amount of time patients are spending on waiting lists. Her Department says weighted average wait time for patients almost halved...

Uncertainty remains for a number of elderly Enniscrone residents who are facing eviction. Six households are being told they must move out by June 5th. The residents, some of who are in their 80s and with major health issues, are living in a wider estate for independent living with a nursing home located in the centre of it. The homes - part of an estate named Sonas Retirement Village - were previ...

A former North West local election candidate says the incident over the weekend in where a female Councillor in Meath was allegedly spat at a and racially abused will discourage women and those who have moved here from entering politics Gardai were notified after an elected councillor reported she was spat at and racially abused in Co Meath last Friday. Caitriona Bergin contested the last local el...

A Sligo Leitrim TD has urged all farmers to double their efforts when it comes to preventing the spread of Bluetongue, Officials from the Department of Agriculture are meeting today to discuss the first outbreak of bluetongue in the Republic of Ireland. The virus was confirmed in a cattle herd in Co Wexford at the weekend. The Department of Agriculture says it increased its testing and surveillanc...

Met Eireann has come in for criticism over the latest weather alerts for the North West. A yellow wind warning is currently in place for Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal until 11pm tonight however it's thought that an orange level alert should have been issued instead. Several routes are impacted by fallen trees across the region this morning while there were thousands of power outages - areas of Colloo...

A Leitrim Councillor is calling for every support to be given to demands by the ESB for a 55 Metre cutback area from power lines to be established in forestry plantations. At present the requirement is for a 20 metre corridor which was introduced following severe and damaging storms last year. ESB officials informed Councillors in Leitrim at a meeting yesterday that 30-40% of damages to their infr...

Pharmacies across the North West are being urged to sign up for the Common Conditions Service. The scheme allows for pharmacists to treat numerous conditions without the need for the patient to enter hospitals or GP care. Pharmacists can now issue prescriptions for the treatment of these conditions under the scheme. President of the Irish Pharmacy Union and Donegal native Tom Murray says it will r...

The Irish Farmers' Association will protest outside Bord Bia headquarters today.   They claim the position of Chairman Larry Murrin, is untenable.   Dawn Farm Foods of which Murrin is CEO, has confirmed that Brazilian beef accounted for 1% of its beef supply in 2025.   Various farm organisations and Sinn Féin have called for Larry Murrin to resign. However, the Minister for Agricult...