Ocean FM News Reports

Tea and coffee is still not available on the Sligo to Dublin train. Catering services on the line were pulled during Covid and while they have been reintroduced on other services, passengers travelling on the Sligo line must still do without. Local Councillor, Marie Casserly feels that the Sligo service is not being given the same consideration as others by Irish Rail. Councillor Casserly says it’...

A Green party representative in the North West has expressed her satisfaction that the leader of the Green Party will not  travel back to Ireland for the no-confidence motion in Justice Minister Helen McEntee tomorrow.   Environment Minister Eamon Ryan - who's currently attending COP28 in Dubai - was planning to make a return trip to the UAE in order to continue climate talks after casti...

Another weather warning has been issued for the counties of Sligo and Leitrim.     Met Eireann have given notification of a status yellow weather warning for eight counties from this evening.     The low temperature and ice warning will affect Sligo, Leitrim the reminder of Connacht as well as midland counties, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath.     Met Éireann says it w...

Cllr Thomas Healy and PRO of the Sligo Pyrite Action Group says the least Sligo homeowners should be given us a timeline of when they will be added to the scheme.

A Sligo Councillor is warning that the situation where many people cant's get access to, or are unable to afford GP visit costs is placing the health of many and indeed several lives at risk in this region and throughout the Country.     Solidarity people Before Profit Gino O Boyle has described the Irish Health care system as ‘a ticking time bomb’.   It's being claimed that some pr...

Frustration is building among homeowners in Sligo affected by the defective block issue. Those living in Donegal, Mayo and Clare currently can access the redress scheme but people in County Sligo can’t. Progress in getting the County added to the scheme is said to be slow and those affected held a demonstration outside the County Council offices this morning, highlighting their concerns. Local hom...

The Teeling Monument in Collooney has been fully restored. The monument, located on the Carricknagat road, had been missing a hand for over 100 years after it had been shot off. However, thanks to efforts from a local stonemason, the OPW and Collooney Redevelopment, the hand has now been replaced. Local Sinn Féin Councillor, Thomas Healy, was glad to see the work carried out, given the historical...

Tributes are being paid to the late Aidan Mannion.   A prominent figure throughout Sligo, the late Mr. Mannion passed away on Saturday.   Mr. Mannion, who was the owner of The Record Room on Grattan Street, was also well-known in sporting circles and previously held the role of treasurer at Sligo Rovers.   Aidan was also a founding member of the Sligo Rovers Heritage Group.   S...

The ICMSA Dairy Chairperson has warned that Irish milk suppliers are losing patience as the bounce fails to materialise in their farm gate prices.     2023 has seen significant falls in farm gate prices of 20cpl or higher in the first half of the year.     The falls in price some farmer experienced were in some cases higher than the total price received by some as recently as 2...

It's been claimed that work on a road in Strandhill has been “put on the long finger”.   The Top Road in the village is home to many businesses and houses, however, the road is set to be in a state of disrepair while the lack of a footpath along the route is also reportedly leaving it hazardous for pedestrians.   It's understood that work was expected to be carried out in the early part...

New legislation has been introduced in Northern Ireland which allows police to charge people with upskirting, downblousing and cyber-flashing.       Perpetrators could face up to two years in prison and up to 10 years on the Sex Offenders Register.       Laws have also been introduced addressing online child impersonation and threats to share private sexual images. &n...

Questions are being asked locally over whether the Garda vetting system is adequate.   It comes in the wake of the large number of immigrants arriving into the North West in recent months.   The issue is to be raised at the Leitrim Joint Policing Committee by Fine Gael Cllr Sean McDermott.   He's interested to find out if there are enough staff to cope with the vast amount of docume...

The North West Region can expect cold conditions over the coming days   Commuters using the regions roads this morning is being urged to slow down with secondary roads still being described as dangerous in places     Much of the country has been hit with frost and ice with a nationwide status yellow low temperature and ice warning in place until midday.     A second alert...

This week's Friday Panel, Claire Ronan was joined by Funké Eqberongbe, Tommy Higgins and Padraig Cawley. Up for discussion was free legal aid, the Dublin riots and are cyclist getting enough respect. Listen back here:

People are finding it increasingly difficult to get planning permission for one off rural housing in County Leitrim.   That's according to Sligo Leitrim Sinn Fein TD Martin Kenny who says many parishes in the County are suffering at the hands of depopulation.   Deputy Kenny says while there have been historical issues with soil in certain areas, there is now technology to counteract that...

The Government is being urged to provide more supports and training to community paramedics.   It's thought that with the growing shortage in primary care providers in the North West and elsewhere, community paramedics could bridge the gap.   A recent study by the National Ambulance Service Ireland has shown that almost 56% of patients responded to by community paramedics were discharged...

The funeral of the environmentalist Michael Ewing will take place later today.   Mr Ewing who lived in Boyle passed away earlier this week after a long illness.   President Michael D Higgins this week praised his work in the Irish Environmental Network which brought together 32 national environmental non-governmental organisations.     “Bláithín Gallagher is the Chairperson of...

Calls are being made for the adequate time to be afforded to planning officials in Leitrim County Council to deal with concerns in relation to the Abbey Manor Hotel in Dromahair.   The local Authority in Leitrim yesterday confirmed that the facility is under active consideration by their Planning Department.     Earlier this week the Dromahair Concerned Residents Group were informed...

A Donegal TD has made further calls on the Government to ban rent increases.   It comes as more substantial hikes have been recorded by the Residential Tenancies Board in the second quarter of the year.   The latest Rent Index report shows the standardised average rent in new tenancies grew by almost 12% year-on-year between April and June of this year.   In the Dail this afternoon,...

Inshore fishermen in the North West will struggle to put food on the table this winter if the Government doesn't immediately sanction financial supports.   That's according to Independent TD Thomas Pringle, who is warning that producers are currently left in an unprofitable position.   The ongoing war in Ukraine is said to have resulted in a dramatic crash in prices for the likes of crab...

A bridge in Leitrim is said to be only fit for a horse and cart. Donegal County Council is set to row in behind calls from their colleagues in Leitrim for much safety needed works on Lennox Bridge. The bridge is in County Leitrim however it's said to an important piece of infrastructure, widely used by people coming to and from Donegal. Leitrim County Council has already received some funding for...

A french student who was staying with a host family spent 18 hours on a chair in Letterkenny University Hospital after presenting with symptoms of meningitis. After being told she would be admitted to the Paediatric ward and waiting for the bed , no bed was actually available. She was taken back into the care of her host family and looked after in their home:

Con Lee is a retired Detective Garda .   He says that the government needs to take a far stronger line on crime and that repeat offenders should pay back Free Legal aid by having deductions taken from their benefits on a weekly basis.   He spoke to Claire Ronan on North West today: 

A Donegal TD has expressed full confidence in both the Justice Minister and the Garda Commissioner in the wake of last week's riots in the Capital.   Commissioner Drew Harris and Minister Helen McEntee, have faced calls to resign since last week's violence in Dublin, with their respective positions being described as "untenable."   But speaking in the Dail, Fine Gael Deputy Joe McHugh fe...

A number of leading Irish poets will gather in Sligo this weekend to mark the centenary of WB Yeats winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. The event will include a public reading of 100 of Yeats' poems and a tribute to Seamus Heaney, the last Irish person to win the Nobel Prize. The event in Sligo is one of a series of specially commissioned commemorations of Yeats being awarded the Nobel prize. S...