Ocean FM News Reports

The Government are being urged by a locally elected representative to act on calls urging it to provide the northern and western regions with a stimulus package of at least €570 million to kickstart development in the area. The call has been made by the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA) in a submission to the Department of Finance ahead of Budget 2024 next month. The NWRA, which repres...

The late Tom Niland has been remembered at today’s sitting of Sligo County Council.   Mr Niland, who was in his 70s, was injured during a burglary of his home near Skreen in January 2022.   As a result of the burglary Tom Niland was left on life support with severe injuries.   He died on Saturday morning.     Three men had been charged in relation to the incident   &n...

During his trip to Sligo, Minister Harris vented his frustration with accommodation that was previously used to house students now being used to provide accommodation for refugees. Minister Harris says third level students should no longer be left entirely at the mercy of private landlords and that public student accommodation needs to be provided.

The Minister for Further and Higher Education has confirmed over €360,000 in further education grants for the Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Boards. The allocation, is part of the Further Education and Training (FET) Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund. €207,000 will be allocated to Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB will allow it to carry out refurbishment and re-configuration works...

There’s increasing pressure on both Bus Éireann and Local Link to carry out an urgent review of its services in County Sligo.    There’s ongoing concern locally that the timetable in some rural towns and villages is insufficient while Bus Éireann has come under fire over not turning up at times and their fares being too expensive.    Sinn Féin Cllr Thomas Healy says population...

Serious concern has been raised once again over facilities at Manorhamilton Garda Station. The lack of cells to house prisoners in particular has long been flagged as a big issue for the station. There had been hopes that refurbishment works would take place but so far this has not happened. Local Cllr Sean McDermott says Manorhamilton covers wide area and it's important that Gardai have adequate...

Property prices in counties Sligo and Leitrim rose in the third quarter of 2023, according to the latest MyHome.ie property price report.       However, the publication detected that prices fell marginally in county Donegal during the same period.       Property prices in Sligo have risen by €7,500 during the quarter.       The report also shows that th...

The HSE have been slammed in the Dáil over their lack of intellectual disability services for children across the country. Currently, there are only four intellectual disability teams in the state, and children who require their services but do not live in the same area cannot be transferred to them. The issue was raised by Sinn Féin TD Martin Kenny, who referred to the case of a young girl from L...

There are calls for members of the Leitrim Joint Policing Committee to pay a visit to 'Ireland's toughest prison'. Mountjoy in Dubiln, which was first opened in 1850, has the largest prison population in Ireland. It currently houses some of the highest profile criminals in the state. Local Cllr Justin Warnock says it's important to get an insight of the day to day running of the prison:

Total sales of artificial fertiliser for land use were down 16% to June 2023 compared with the previous year. The reduction comes after growth in artificial fertiliser sales in the previous two years. Department of Agriculture figures show 909,000 tonnes of fertiliser was sold from October 2022 to June 2023, compared with 1.01 million tonnes in the same period the previous year, and 1.4m tonnes in...

Ireland West Airport Knock has launched its 2023 winter schedule.      Ryanair will operate its largest ever winter schedule at Ireland West Airport, with 11 routes to choose from, including new weekly winter services to both Lanzarote and Tenerife.       This winter will also see the continuation of their hugely popular weekly service to Malaga.      ...

A Donegal based Senator says she's lucky to be alive after a crash which happened over 20 years ago left her in intensive care. Senator Eileen Flynn was speaking in the Seanad as part of statements on road safety. She called for more investment in public transport and tougher sanction on those who get behind the wheel while under the influence. Senator Flynn also says the finger of blame is being...

A lack of sufficient engagement has led the housing minister being urged to provide clarity to defective block homeowners.     Earlier this week, CEO of the Banking and Payments Federation (BFI) Brian Hayes confirmed that mortgages can only be issued on homes built to current building standards.     The current scheme is geared towards instructing and financing homeowners to pr...

A Donegal TD has described as an 'over reaction' calls for the Irish Defence Forces to provide security at Leinster House amid rising levels of aggression and abuse directed at politicians and staff. The Irish Examiner is reporting that Fianna Fáil is looking for the matter to be be explored. The party is also said to be calling for individual safety audits to be carried out for all TDs and senato...

A Donegal Garda and President of the GRA says his association's members have a number of issues with the Garda Commissioner in addition to concerns over changes to rosters. The Garda Commissioner says Gardaí will be expected to adhere to roster changes on November 6th. His comments come despite the GRA stating that they would not accept the implementation of the Westmanstown Roster. Commissioner H...

A former Sligo/Leitrim TD has made an impassioned plea for the Art Deco building in Ballymote to be utilized to its full potential.   John Perry is fearful that the building will be used to house a library despite major refurbishment works taking place some years back.    A campaign is to be launched to oppose the library proposal and for the building to instead be used as a major h...

A Sligo Leitrim TD is supporting calls for businesses affected by the refugee crisis to benefit from a package of supports under Budget 2024   Deputy Frank Feighan is one of a number of Fine Gael backbenchers that are pushing for assistance for businesses in areas where hotel accommodation is now being used to house refugees or asylum-seekers.       Ocean FM news understands th...

On this week's Friday Panel we were joined by  upcoming local election candidate for the Labour party in the Manorhamilton MD Bernie Linnane and Sligo restaurateur and former President of the Restaurant’s Association, Anthony Gray. Among the issues discussed were the Budget, the ongoing dispute between the GRA and the Garda Commissioner, should there be a ban on the burning of all s...

There needs to be a long term plan to tackle serious safety issues at Dunkineely.   That's according to local Sinn Fein Cllr Noel Jordan who was speaking in the wake of last weeks near miss in the village.   In the latest in a string of incidents in Dunkineely, a group of children were close to being struck by an oncoming lorry while using the pedestrian crossing.   It then led to a...

House Price inflation has increased locally by 8 per cent over the past year.   That’s according to the latest Daft.ie House Price Report.   The listed cost price of a house nationally was 3.7 per cent higher in the third quarter of the year when compared to last year and roughly 13 per cent below the Celtic Tiger peak.     The report claims prices in Dublin were 1.4 per cent h...

Calls were made in the Dáil today for the Government to step in to support An Garda Síochána amid their ongoing crisis. Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said that communities do not feel as safe as they once did, with crime currently on the rise in Ireland. Deputy Doherty said that Fine Gael's approach to policing in this country is not working, and has contributed to the declining number of Gardaí sin...

County Sligo member of the GRA has urged the Garda commissioner to rebuild confidence in the force.   The comments from James Morrisroe come as major escalation in the dispute between Gardai and the Garda Commissioner in their row over rostering.     Members of the Garda Representative Association will go on strike on 10th of November with no overtime to be worked across a number of...

Transport infrastructure Ireland are being sharply criticised for failing to provide extra buses to Sligo from a number of local towns and villages in the north west for the new academic year.   With Student accommodation at a premium in Sligo many students are traveling from satellite towns in the region.   As a result the bus services at peak time has witnessed an increased in demand w...

It's been claimed that staff at community houses in Sligo aren't able to take breaks due to staff shortages.   Staffing levels in many of these settings locally have been deemed insufficient and in some cases, its resulting in staff working over twelve hours without a break.   It has led to major fears that patient care may be compromised in the long term.   Cllr Donal Gilroy who's...

The Donegal based President of the GRA says members of the GRA have be left with no choice other to take industrial action due to the behaviour of the Garda commissioner Drew Harris.     Delegates of the Garda Representative Association have voted for strike action on the 10th of November and have warned that other members of the force may follow.       The decision was ta...