Ocean FM News Reports

Serious concern has been raised over the potential impact an incident of illegal dumping may have on a scenic area in Sligo.   Three barrels full of oil filters were discovered dumped in Ladies Brae over the weekend.   A major clean-up operation has since been carried out by Sligo County Council and it's understood that they are following a definite line of inquiry.   Local Sinn Fei...

Independent Councillor, Tom Conaghan, has announced he will not be seeking re-election.   Cllr Conaghan, who's currently the Cathaoirleach of the Donegal Municipal District announced the news this afternoon.   He first stood for election in 2009 but didn't win a seat.   He would eventually win a seat in the 2014 local elections and retained it in 2019.   Speaking to Ocean FM, C...

There may be a potential breakthrough in the ongoing dispute surrounding the new Sheil Hospital in Ballyshannon.   The hospital was due to open on Monday but had been stalled due to concerns from the INMO around planned staffing levels.   Now, it's understood that there are fresh proposals on the table which if agreed to by INMO members, could see the hospital open next week.   The...

Intense discussions between the TII and Donegal County Council are said to be ongoing over what can be done to tackle safety issues outside Dunkineely National School. A video emerged in recent days which captured numerous motorists breaking the red lights at the pedestrian crossing outside the school. There have been numerous near misses with calls from the local community for more safety measure...

Calls have been made for the physiotherapy service in Our Lady's Hospital in Manorhamilton to be adequately supported. Currently, there is only one physiotherapist treating both inpatients and outpatients two days a week. Back in 2021, two vacancies for physiotherapists were advertised, but there is currently just one serving the area, with representatives writing to the HSE on the issue. Local el...

A letter is to be sent to both the INMO and the HSE from Donegal County Council, calling for an urgent resolution to the stalled opening of the Shiel Hospital in Ballyshannon. The state of the art facility was due to open on Monday of this week however it has been delayed due to a dispute over planning staffing levels. The INMO feel that both patients and staff safety would be compromised with the...

Bundoran is said to be suffering from a severe lack of taxis. It’s understood due to a number of retirements, there will only be two taxis serving the entire town and surrounding area going forward. Local Sinn Féin Cllr Michael McMahon says it’s a serious issue which has in turn left many people with no other option but to walk home late at night. He’s worried that there will be a fatality unless...

Work has officially begun on upgrading the civic space area on the Diamond in Donegal Town.    The project has been in the pipeline for some time and includes creating a new stage canopy, lighting and seating.    The work is scheduled to last for a number of months.    There had been some concern that existing trees may be removed as part of the project, but Fianna Fá...

Child benefit will soon be paid to those up to their 19th birthday, once they are still in full time secondary education. The extension will also apply to teens with a disability. Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys will tell her cabinet colleagues today that it can now be implemented from May 1st, months earlier than planned. The move will benefit around 60 thousand families. Local Sinn...

Local Fianna Fáil Councillor Tom MacSharry meanwhile, says there is a “perfect storm” against small operators which is forcing them to consider whether or not to continue their business:

A planned development and extension of Sligo University Hospital looks set to have moved to the next stage. The extension will see a new 42-bed unit added to the existing facility, consisting of two 21-bed wards, and single en-suite rooms with ancillary accommodation. The project has gone out to tender, with progress expected within the end of this quarter. Carhaoirleach of the Sligo-Drumcliffe Mu...

Voters in west Sligo face the prospect of making their vote in a different polling station in the upcoming referenda. The news comes as its understood that the Culleens booth, which tradionally took in voters from there and Templeboy, will now be moved to Kilglass National School. Local Independent Councillor Joe Queenan has described it as an "inconvenience". He says he and fellow councillor Mich...

There are fears that more local restaurants and cafes will close if the Government doesn’t step in. Many have already shut their doors permanently across the region due to a number of factors including rising costs, the increase in VAT rate and lack of tourist accommodation. Finance Minister Michael McGrath last week signalled that the 13.5% VAT rate for the hospitality sector wouldn’t be revisite...

The government looks set to try and attract Irish construction workers living abroad to move home. €750,000 is being spent on the campaign, to help address the housing crisis. An outreach programme is being set up to entice builders in cities such as London, Sydney and New York to relocate back to Ireland. Fianna Fáil Councillor Paul Taylor says its a welcome development, however issues still surr...

A number of businesses in Sligo have fallen victim to counterfeit notes in recent days.   Gardai in Sligo say that they have been alerted to a number of counterfeit fifty euro notes in circulation in the Sligo/Leitrim area.   They are advising the public and commercial premises to be aware.   It's believed that there have been a number of incidents locally in which dud notes have be...

There have only been 15 dog fines issued across the three North West counties over the last four years.   Sligo had the highest number of fines with 12, this was following by Leitrim with two while Donegal only had one fine issued over the four year period.   It's claimed a lack of dog wardens is being blamed for the high number of dog attacks which go unpunished.   It's estimated t...

There are calls for an extensive survey to be carried out on dangerous trees in Sligo. The recent storms resulted in many roads being blocked and there are now fears that there are a number of vulnerable trees left hanging over some routes. Local Fine Gael Councillor, Dara Mulvey, is to raise the issue at today's sitting of Sligo County Council. Councillor Mulvey says its vital something is done t...

There's hopes work will be carried out on the R278, where surface water is causing a lot of damage to the road. The road in question runs from Calry to Manorhamilton, with the corner at Lough Doon in particular badly affected. A number of jobs have been carried out on the road, but none have properly addressed the issue to date. Speaking to Ocean FM News, Fine Gael Councillor, Frank Dolan, said th...

Ocean FM Sport's League of Ireland season preview - Austin O'Callaghan, Jessica Farry and Dónal Ryan look ahead to the new SSE Airtricity Premier Division campaign for Sligo Rovers.

Leitrim native and Dublin All-Ireland winning gaelic footballer Eilish O'Dowd was named the overall Leitrim Sports Star of the Year at Lough Rynn Castle on Saturday night. The Ballinamore woman is currently in Australia - so her mum Sheila accepted the award on her behalf. 'Mum' spoke to Ocean FM Sport's Austin O'Callaghan.

Calls have been made for changes to be made to a recent EU report into Mica-affected homes in Donegal. It's thought that the recommended changes would give more support to homeowners, as well as giving them more of a say. Among the recommendations is a detailed list of the exact amount of homes across Donegal that have been affected by defective concrete blocks. Midlands North West MEP, Fine Gael'...

EJ Sligo All-Stars scored their most dramatic victory of the men's Superleague season to date on Saturday night with a 102-101 overtime victory over Garvey's Tralee Warriors at the Mercy College Gym. Ocean FM Sport's Austin O'Callaghan was courtside to get all the post-game reaction.

The exclusion of county Donegal in the Project Ireland 2040 annual report in 2022 has been brought before the Dáil. A number of projects in the county were previously outlined in the initial plan which was published in 2018. These included the Mountcharles to Inver bypass and the Killybegs Town Regeneration Project. Independent TD Thomas Pringle has labelled the situation as “worrying.” In respons...

Gardaí have been snubbed by the organisers of the New York City St Patrick's Day Parade. There's been no invitation for Gardaí this year, following an apparent disagreement over the line-up that Gardaí marched in last year. Garda chiefs say it's entirely a matter for parade organisers on who they invite, but they're seeking clarification. Local Fianna Fáil Councillor, Donal Gilroy, says its a pity...

An interim payment of the ACRES scheme has been described locally as a step in the right direction. The announcement was made by Minister for Agriculture, Donegal's Charlie McConalogue, stating that the aim was to have the payment made by the end of February. Farmers all over Ireland and Europe took to the roads recently to protest about the over-regulation of the agricultural industry. Speaking t...