Ocean FM News Reports

Bus Eireann has come in for criticism over 'splitting Donegal in half' when it comes providing its service.   There have been reports that a number of elderly people were left on the roadside in Donegal Town recently because they didn't book online.   It has led to calls for ten double decker buses to be placed in Donegal Town and ten in Stranorlar.   Fianna Fail Stranorlar based Cl...

The Funeral Mass of nine year old Ronan Wilson has heard that he will be remembered for his big smile, a sense of boyhood fun and his love of football.   Ronan, originally from Kildress in County Tyrone, was killed in a hit-and-run incident in Bundoran on Saturday night.   Ronan's Funeral Mass is currently underway at St. Mary's Church in Dunamore.   Burial will follow in the adjoin...

As part of 'Simon Week', the Simon Communities of Ireland are making a plea to the Government. In figures published earlier this year, the north west reported an 85% increase in homelessness since May 2022. Child homelessness has also increased by 26% increase in the same period. The North West Simon Community is continuing to calling on the implementation of all aspects of a Local Authority Actio...

The Government are being urged to speed up the passage of the Eviction Ban bill. The issue was raised in the Dáil by Independent TD Thomas Pringle. The call was made following the provision of social housing to 23 households in Donegal and Leitrim by the North West Simon Community in the last year. Deputy Pringle accused the Government of dragging their heels on the issue.  

A Donegal-based Senator seeking an apology from Education Minister Norma Foley after a report into the experience of school going travellers in North Cork found they're facing barriers to education. Senator Flynn is the only female Traveller to be elected to the Oireachtas. Ms Flynn who lived in Donegal since 2018, is calling for an urgent meeting with the Education Minister after the report found...

Calls were made in the Seanad today for the Tánaiste and the Minister for Foreign Affairs to make a statement regarding the controversial Northern Ireland Troubles Legacy and Reconciliation Act. The calls were made by Senator Niall Blaney, who described the bill as a "reckless piece of legislation." He also stated a number of times that a case should be taken to the European Court of Rights regard...

The Government needs to support the North West with a stimulus package worth 570 million euro. That's according to the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA), who have made the calls in a submission to the Department ahead of next month's budget. The NWRA, which is made up of eight counties, including Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal, are also calling for a Citizens Assembly for the region to be...

Car owners in Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal will feel the pinch from the rise in fuel prices more than those in urban areas. That's according to Sligo Leitrim TD Marian Harkin who was speaking on a Sinn Fein motion on the reversal of fuel price increases - a vote will take place on the motion in the Dail tonight. The cost of fuel is now creeping up to the €2 per litre mark in certain areas. Speaking...

The Donegal based President of the GRA has described the relationship between the Garda Representative Association and Commissioner Drew Harris as irreparable.   The GRA has formally requested that the date for changing rosters of the 6th of November be removed or deferred during a meeting yesterday.   However, speaking ahead of the Special Delegates Conference taking place in Kilkenny t...

The Government is being urged to take an interdepartmental approach towards safety issues outside schools in the wake of last week's incident in Dunkineely.   A number of a children had a lucky escape in the village last Wednesday when a speeding truck hit a kerb while they were on the local pedestrian crossing.   It's said to be the latest in a spate of similar incidents at that locatio...

An Bord Pleanala has given the green light for the construction of over 70 houses in Cairns Hill in Sligo.   There had been major opposition locally about the proposed development however it's believed that the majority of concerns have been examined and addressed.   Crucially, the sites of two unopened Neolithic tombs nearby will not be impacted.   Construction is set to begin shor...

There are further calls for the reopening of Kinlough Garda Station.   The station has been effectively unmanned since the pandemic and despite an increase in population in the village and surrounding area, there has been little progress in getting up and running again.   Local Cllr Justin Warnock says even it were to open a couple of days a week it would be make a huge difference. &nbsp...

It's been claimed that the Dublin to Sligo Rail line is being ignored in terms of a national review of the network. It has led to pressure on Irish Rail to give consideration to the Sligo line, at a time of an increase in commuters to the Capital and an ongoing student accommodation crisis in Sligo. Local Cllr Enda McGloin says the single track nature of the line does present problems in terms of...

Serious concern has been raised over how plans not to have armed members of Gardai on duty during certain hours of the day will impact border counties like Leitrim.   The proposals would see the Armed Support Unit not operating between the hours of 4am and 8am.   There are fears that the potential move would leave rural areas even more vulnerable, giving criminals motive to carry out cri...

Those that continue to trade in cash could be facing additional charges from January unless tighter regulation is used to control ATMs at the disposal of independent operators. Ballymote Tubbercurry Councillor Paul Taylor has issued the warning ahead of the possible introduction of such charges in January of next year. The consumer watchdog are warning that unregulated owners of hundreds of ATMs t...

The HSE's move to tackle overcrowding by leaning on private hospitals has been described as a positive step by a local TD. Independent TD Marian Harkin was pleased to see that the HSE are formalising arrangements regarding private y hospital support through public tender. However, there are doubts over the plan heading into the winter, as private hospitals feel they haven't been given enough notic...

Gardaí in Donegal will be allocated a special dog unit before the end of the year. Confirmation of the decision was announced at last week's meeting of the Donegal Joint Policing Committee. It's understood that only one dog will be heading to Donegal for the time being. But speaking to Ocean FM News, Councillor Michael McClafferty, member of the Joint Policing Committee, is hopeful that the unit w...

Summerhill College have confirmed that they will become a co-educational school from September 2025. The popular school in Sligo town has been an all-boys school since its inception 166 years ago, but will welcome it's first cohort of girls in two years time. It's understood the move received overwhelming support by the school's board, parents and students alike. Speaking to Ocean FM News, Paul Ke...

There is further evidence today that house prices are increasing in the North West. A lack of supply has seen the price of the average three-bed semi in parts of the region rise by 5% in the past quarter, and 18% over the past year. Across the county of Sligo this quarter, the average time taken to sell has increased by one week to an average of five weeks, according to the REA Average House Price...

Tributes have been paid to two people who lost their lives in Bundoran within the last week.   Marc Geagan, a popular figure in Bundoran, passed away unexpectedly last Wednesday after his body was found in Finner on Friday morning.   Meanwhile, nine-year-old Ronan Wilson of Kildress, Co. Tyrone, was killed in a hit-and-run incident in the town on Saturday evening.   Local Councillor...

A Sligo Councillor has expressed concern over how the possible closure of nursing homes could impact local hospitals.   Recently both Sligo and Letterkenny University Hospitals were deemed as some of the most over-crowded in the Country.   Continues calls have been made for greater investment in step-down facilities including nursing homes to help relieve the pressure on the health syste...

A man in his 20s remains in custody this morning after a nine year old boy died in a crash in County Donegal on Saturday night last   The child was walking on Atlantic Way in Bundoran when he was knocked down shortly after 9.20 on Saturday night.   The boy, named locally as Ronan Wilson from Kildress in Co Tyrone, was pronounced dead at the scene.   He is understood to have played G...

The decision not to grant planning permission to the 650m euro Liquid Nitrogen Gas plant in the Shannon Estuary has been welcomed by the North West Green Party. It was confirmed last week by An Bord Pleanála that permission would not be granted, as the use of LNG as a primary fuel source for a power station is contrary to current Government policy. Many environmental groups right across the countr...

Public Consultation is to begin on two projects in Collooney from tomorrow. An online portal will open tomorrow for people to have their say on both the Collooney to Castlebaldwin scheme and the Collooney to Toberbride scheme under the Active Travel Scheme for the N4, with an in-person event taking place on October 4th. It is hoped that a safe pedestrian crossing will be installed at the Collooney...

A Leitrim Councillor says buildings such as former GARDA STATIONS and Civil Service buildings that are still state owned could be targeted by the Department of Housing in an effort to address the current housing crisis. The Irish Times recently reported that an audit was to be carried out on almost 1 million square metres of State office space to establish if any can be converted for residential u...