Ocean FM News Reports

Questions are being asked over why no women have been nominated by Fianna Fail members to contest the party's selection convention in Donegal. A total of six people have been nominated in the constituency - all of them men. The party also has no female representation currently on Donegal County Council. Former Sligo Fianna Fail Cllr Rosaleen O'Grady says it's a regrettable situation for the party...

There’s renewed concern over ambulance cover in Killybegs and the surrounding area. Last Friday, the only ambulance serving the area left the base in Killybegs early in the morning and was gone all day attending call outs in several other counties. Fine Gael Cllr Manus Boyle says that the current set up leaves the community in a very vulnerable position. Cllr Boyle is worried that should a life th...

Inland Fisheries Ireland have reiterated that their examinations continue into deaths of over 900 salmon in Ballisodare. The IFI, along with the Marine Institute and other bodies have been on site this week to try and determine the cause of the stress-related infection. Mary Walsh, IFI Western Director based in Ballina, highlighted that work will continue until an understanding of the situation ha...

It's been claimed that some road safety issues in south Donegal are not being taken seriously.   It comes as Donegal County Council is still waiting to hear back from the TII on a feasibility report on proposed safety measures for outside Dunkineely National School.   A number of other schools which are located on busy routes have also been flagged as key areas of concern.   Sinn Fe...

There’s uproar among residents and businesses in Killybegs over ongoing works by the ESB.   The works centre on upgrading the local power plant so it can cope with catering to a large number of factories in the area.   While it had been thought that these works were to be carried out at nighttime, a significant number of premises have been experiencing outages during the day.   It h...

Gardai could be doing more in diffusing threats made towards TDS.   That's according to Sligo Leitrim TD Martin Kenny who has been condemning an online death threat made against Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald by a man who said he would shoot and kill her   Gardaí are investigating the TikTok video of a man in a balaclava threatening the Sinn Féin leader and the Garda Commissioner Dre...

The HSE has been slammed over “mishandling” the new community hospital in Ballyshannon.  The hospital is only partially open with the HSE insisting that it’s actively trying to source the staff needed to open the rest of it.  Donegal County Council is to write to the relevant bodies to seek an urgent and definitive update.  Sinn Fein Cllr Michael McMahon says the situation has dragg...

Midlands-Northwest MEP Maria Walsh is to be appointed to the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee for the next five years. The committee plays an important role in the Common Agricultural Policy, as well as policies in the fields of animal health and welfare, plant health, agricultural products quality, and forestry. MEP Walsh will also be a substitute member of the Regional Development and...

The hydrotherapy pool in Cregg House will not be open until 2025 at the earliest. There are also no plans to build a designated hydrotherapy centre in Sligo in the pipeline. The matter was raised at the recent meeting of the Regional Health Forum West, where it was heard that the current operators must submit a business proposal before any developments on the existing hydrotherapy pool can be made...

A multi-agency investigation is continuing after the deaths of hundreds of salmon at Ballisodare Bay. The issue was first noted at the beginning of this month and is now said to be worsening. Inland Fisheries Ireland, the Marine Institute, Sligo County Council, Uisce Eireann and EPA have all been informed. Representatives from the IFI and the Marine Institute have been on site carrying out tests....

More support has been given to NAS workers following their strike in Sligo and nationwide. Without a pay increase in 14 years, they returned to strike action after the failure of funding following the labour court's recommendation Sligo-Leitrim Independent TD Marian Harkin has previously highlighted the situation to the Dáil, and said she will send another letter to the Taoiseach searching for an...

Donegal County Council will be asked later today to make representations over the full reopening of services at the new Ballyshannon Community Hospital. The hospital is currently only paritally open. The HSE hopes to have additional beds open there in the coming weeks, subject to staffing levels. A number of recruitment campaigns have been relaunched in a bid to make it happen. But local Sinn Fein...

It's claimed the north and west are being held back due to a lack of infrastructure and investment.   A new report, looking at Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon, Mayo and Galway, finds the counties are on par with the poorest areas of Europe for infrastructure.   Investment in transport, health, education, housing and energy is way behind other areas of the country and...

An investigation is currently underway in relation to the deaths of over 700 hundred salmon in Ballisodare. The deaths are suspected to be stress-related, but it is not known what is the cause of the stress. The IFI and Marine Institute are continuing to examine the water in Ballisodare Bay in order to determine and solve the issue. Gerry Merrick, Chairman of Ballisodare Fishing Club, says the sit...

Efforts are ongoing in a bid to revise some aspects of the new one way system in Donegal Town.   Donegal County Council is now said to be looking at the proposals put forward by the local committee and it's expected that they will respond in a few weeks' time.   A public meeting is then set to be arranged to discuss the matter further and the next steps in the campaign.   Mayor of D...

The HSE must be careful in how their new recruitment policy will be managed going forward. The health authority lifted their recruitment ban yesterday, but have instead brought in recruitment limits instead. It's thought by many that the current working conditions for medical professionals are unsustainable. Local Fianna Fail Councillor Donal Gilroy says that caution is needed to avoid another rec...

Roads engineers of Donegal County Council are said to be examining problematic junctions along the main routes to Donegal Town.   It follows a number of incidents in recent weeks.   There was a crash in Clar last Thursday while there's also concern over the Tullyleague exit just after the Tullyearl roundabout and other areas.   Fine Gael Councillor Manus Boyle has been in discussion...

Strike action by members of the National Advocacy Service locally have been described as “the last resort.” That's the view of Manorhamilton Independent Councillor James Gilmartin who attended Monday's protest outside the Citizen's Information office in Sligo. Workers returned to the picket line to campaign for a first pay increase in 14 years despite the recommendations of the Labour Court. The s...

It's feared that more freak weather events will lead to further disruptions in the streets of north Leitrim. Flash flooding in May led to raw sewage and excess water flowing the streets of Manorhamilton leading to damage being caused to a number of businesses. It is believed that the town's water infrastructure is outdated and has resulted in strengthening the effects of the flood. Local Independe...

There are renewed call for a tidal pool to be constructed at Strandhill. Swimming at Strandhill is prohibited due to dangerous currents yet some people take to the water regardless. Fine Gael Cllr Feral Nealon says the pool could be built along with planned coastal erosion measures. He says it would make a lot of sense and feels that it would have far-reaching benefits.

The National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities continue to strike in Sligo and nationwide today for fair pay. Without a pay increase in 14 years, they’ve returned to strike action following the failure of their employers to follow up on a labour court recommendation. Speaking to OceanFM news at the picket line, two staff members, Ann Feehily and Martina Kilgallon, highlighted their cur...

Serious concern has been raised once again over the top road in Strandhill.   It's been claimed that a lack of investment over the last number of years as now resulted in some major health and safety issues there.   The lack of a footpath combined with speeding has led to further calls for upgrade works to be carried out in the area.   Sinn Fein Cllr Arthur Gibbons says it's hugely...

There’s been further criticism over the way in which the role of Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Sligo Borough District is decided. At last months meeting, controversy arose over the issue, with Fine Gael Cllr Fergal Nealon claiming that he and Labour Cllr Nessa Cosgrove were excluded from discussions on the matter. Cllr Nealon moved a motion on the issue today, calling for the role to be shared so...

The Government needs to push local authorities to collect unpaid levies from the owners of derelict sites. Over 20.5 million euro in levies is owed to councils nationwide. There were more than 1,913 sites on derelict site registers at the end of last year, an annual increase of 21.6%. Independent Donegal TD Thomas Pringle says that local authorities need to take a harder approach with property own...

The Tánaiste has shared his opinion over the future of Ballyshannon guitarist Rory Gallagher’s iconic guitar.   The guitar is part of ‘The Rory Gallagher Collection’ and its coming to auction in London on 17th October, and it’s estimated that it could earn between £700,000 – 1,000,000.   Micheál Martin says he will speak with the Arts Minister to see if the guitar can be kept Ireland. &n...