Ocean FM News Reports

It's been confirmed that the funding for the Enniskillen Bypass scheme will be fully met by the Executive. Work on the long-awaited route will start next year as planned following confirmation on Monday from Stormont's Department of Infrastructure. The proposed route will provide link to the southern side of the town, improving the connection between the A4 Dublin Road and the A4 Sligo Road. Ferma...

Sligo Independent Councillor, Marie Casserly, has been appointed chair of the new Local Community Safety Partnership. The appointments have been confirmed by Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee. There will be seven of these new partnerships launched around the country, with the view to replacing the old Joint Policing Committees. Speaking to Ocean FM News following her appointment, Councillor Cass...

The issue of how public money is being spent will be addressed in the Dail this week. Sinn Fein Sligo-Leitrim TD Martin Kenny highlighted the importance of accountability in relation to these funds. Certain government projects have hit headlines recently, with over €300,000 being spent on a bike shed, and €1.4 million on a security hut. Deputy Kenny questions the manner in which the money is spent...

The bells of the local church in Creeslough rang out this afternoon, in memory of the ten people who died in an explosion two years ago. Four men, three women and three children died in the blast at a petrol station in the Donegal village. The Justice Minister says those who lost loved ones deserve answers, and she plans to meet the families affected. Community Links Manager at the Creeslough Comm...

Calls have been made for an organising committee to be established for the running of Queen Maeve’s Square in Sligo. A number of events have been run in the square since it’s official opening in May, yet it is currently unclear how event organisers can book the venue for future events. Concerns have also been raised about bars and restaurants in the area having a monopoly on food and alcohol sales...

We can’t allow the development of a Liquefied Natural Gas terminal to happen.   That’s according to Manorhamilton Independent Cllr Eddie Mitchell, who wants to see a ban on fracked gas imports.   A protest will be taking outside the Dáil on Wednesday at 12pm, in opposition to the LNG terminal.   Cllr Mitchell says Minister Eamon Ryan can fix it by clarifying policy:

Sligo County Council are to write to the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, and Taoiseach, Simon Harris, to request a complete overhaul of CAMHS. A number of issues surrounding CAMHS have to come to light recently, including inadequate staffing levels, and an inferred “postcode lottery” for patients to avail of the service. The motion was brought forward by PBP Councillor, Gino O’Boyle, and wa...

Sligo Oyster Experience has been named among the winners at the recent Blas na hÉireann awards.   The experience was announced as the winner of the Seafood Innovation Award.   Over 150 food and drink category award winners received their prizes over the course of the night which celebrates Irish food and its producers.   Owner of Sligo Oyster Experience Aisling Kelly...

A meeting will be held this evening in Collooney with the view of setting up a first responders group for the area. One of the aims of the meeting is to set up a defibrillator response group to speed up response times. The meeting gets underway in St Paul’s Church of Ireland at 7.30pm. Local Sinn Fein Councillor, Thomas Healy, is hopeful of a big turnout, given that time is of the essence when fir...

This month’s meeting of Sligo County Council will hear calls for increased funding on roads that form part of the Wild Atlantic Way.     The motion seeks to ensure that roads to viewing points are maintained in a way that allows safe movement of tourists, farmers and local traffic throughout the year.     The Wild Atlantic Way has been a hugely successful tourism initiative, wh...

Frustration has been expressed over the parking of buses in Donegal Town. The bus stop, located outside the Abbey Hotel, has long been cited as the root of major congestion in and around the Diamond. Local driving instructor, Diane Harvey is just one of those who has been left aggrieved by the situation. She feels there are increased safety concerns and believes a stop on the outskirts of the town...

Property prices in counties Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal continue to rise according to the latest MyHome.ie Property Price Report. The report prices have gone up in Donegal by over €15,000, in Leitrim just under €5,000, and €2,000 in Sligo in Quarter 3 of this year. The median price of property in all three counties has also risen, with inflation nationwide now standing at 7.5%. Joanne Geary, Managi...

Tributes are being paid following the death of Fine Gael Councillor John Naughten. He’s been described as a decent, honourable man by Sligo-Leitrim TD Frank Feighan. The Roscommon Cllr was due to run for the party in the upcoming general election. Deputy Feighan says it’s a terrible loss for the community, but most of all his family:

The Department of Agriculture say they hope there won't be a repeat in the delay in payments seen by farmers in the north west following Budget 2025. Almost €160 million has been secured by department in the budget, representing an 8 per cent increase on the 2024 figure. Farmers locally have previously outlined their frustrations in delays in ACRES payments with many being forced to pay back money...

A north west school teacher has been revealing how his students recorded a small earthquake off the coast of Donegal earlier this week.     The latest quake happened at around 1.20am yesterday morning on the coast of Culdaff Bay off the Inishowen Peninsula.     The earthquake was measured at 0.9 on the Richter scale.     Seismometer equipment at St Columba’s College i...

It's been confirmed that Taste of Sligo is set to return bigger and better next year.   It follows what's been described as a hugely successful two day festival held last month at Queen Maeve's Square.   It allowed local food producers showcase their produce to the local community and beyond.   It's estimated that over five thousand people passed through the festival over the course...

Leitrim Animal Welfare Centre has spoken about the importance of World Animal Day, which takes place today. The day is used to put the spotlight on animal centres and highlight the supports that are needed for the service. Charity group MADRA completed a study where they stressed that all animal centres are working at capacity. Megan Gaffney, of Leitrim Animal Welfare, wanted to talk about the imp...

The National Surf Centre Strandhill are hosting free celebratory events on this Saturday, October 5th. The centre are honouring their first year of operation, and are kicking off the festivities from 11:30am, until 7:30pm. People are asked to book in advance to avail of free surf lessons, fun experiences, tastings, and raffle prizes. Rebecca Stevens, Director of Operations at the National Surf Cen...

Budget 2025 has left many people behind and many promises broken. That’s according to Independent Donegal TD Thomas Pringle, following the publication of the Government’s financial plans for the forthcoming years. It was argued that there are a number of one-off payments included in the budget, in lieu of long-term funding. Deputy Pringle says the government could have achieved real change:

Tourism in the north west is set to benefit from a new weekly charter service announced by Ireland West Airport in Knock.   The service will operate from Gronigen in the Netherlands for the summer of 2025.   Operated by Emerald Airlines and the Netherlands-based BBI Travel the service will run between June and August 2025.   Donal Healy, Head of Marketing at Ireland West Airport say...

Tributes have been paid to a Donegal man who died in an accident in Australia this week.     Barry Breslin, a native of Straleel, Kilcar sustained serious head injuries when a piece of equipment reportedly fell and was taken by ambulance to Royal Perth Hospital, where he died a short time later.     The late Mr Breslin, who was in his thirties is survived by his fiancée Melissa...

People can vote for the status quo in the upcoming general election, or they can vote for change. That’s according to Chris McManus, who was chosen last night to represent Sinn Fein in the election in the Sligo-Leitrim constituency. The party are aiming to take two seats in the area, as Mr McManus will be running alongside current Sinn Fein Deputy Martin Kenny. Mr McManus highlighted his previous...

Leitrim County Council hosted the Leitrim Intermediate LGFA team to a special civic reception to celebrate their recent All-Ireland Championship success on Thursday evening.   A civic reception is the highest honour the local authority can give and was bestowed upon the players and management for their hard work and commitment.   The team defeated Tyrone by one point in the Intermediate...

'The Final Whistle' this week came live from EJ Menswear, Sligo, ahead of the new men's basketball Superleague season. Austin O'Callaghan is joined by head coach Shane O'Meara, a selection of the All-Stars players and club chairperson Lisa Gillen, on the eve of the 2024/25 campaign.

The effects of the increase on fuel tax is expected to be most felt around the North West. As was announced in the Budget, the increase on carbon tax will add around €1.50 to a fill of diesel, and around €1.30 to a fill of petrol. Fears were raised in advance of the budget, that border counties will be heavily hit as motorists will go into Northern Ireland for cheaper prices. CEO of Fuels for Irel...