Ocean FM News Reports

A Sligo Leitrim TD says preparations need to be made for a poll on Irish unity 'in the next decade'. Sinn Fein TD Martin Kenny was responding to a new YouGov poll showing 34 per cent of British people think Northern Ireland should join the Republic. It also reveals 43 percent of them wouldn't be bothered if the North left the UK. Deputy Kenny says the Government must get ready for a vote on Irish...

The Housing Minister has told a Donegal TD has told 'calm himself down' during a debate on the Governments approach to the housing crisis. Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty accused the policies of Minister Darragh O'Brien and the Government resulting in the collapse of home ownership. Deputy Doherty made reference to the data released in the Census figures this week which reflect a drop in the number of...

Concern has been raised that some heritage projects in Donegal are missing out on potential funding; It said to be down to insufficient resources in place and has led to calls for an assistant heritage officer to be employed to cope with the workload. The five year county heritage plan is also said to be ambitious and its felt that extra help is needed to ensure it's delivered. Ballyshannon Fine G...

The Health Minister has admitted that there are serious issues with securing healthcare staff in rural areas of the North West. It comes as the idea of employing Cuban doctors to bridge the gap in the health service has once again been flagged in the Dail by Independent TD Thomas Pringle. Deputy Pringle has long been campaigning for the Department of Health and the HSE to consider the move followi...

A Donegal TD has called on the government to address inequality. Independent Deputy Thomas Pringle has labelled inequality as an "ongoing crisis" and referencing 2022 CSO figures that state the earning figures in Donegal are "the lowest in the country." Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Pringle said he believes inequality exists in every sector and has created amongst other things a "significant social...

A Donegal TD has slammed the government for its failure to deliver affordable housing. Speaking in the Dáil Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn described the housing crisis in county Donegal as in “absolute chaos”. With non-affordable housing and defective blocks wreaking havoc in a number of homes, Independent TD Mac Lochlainn believes “there has been a complete failure” when it comes to affordable hous...

The Government has come under fire over an unseasonal high number of people waiting on trolleys. It comes as Sligo University Hospital was one of the most overcrowded facilities in May with a total of 751 people awaiting admission over the course of the month Meanwhile the latest INMO report also shows that Sligo is the third most overcrowded facility in Ireland today. Nationally, almost 12 thousa...

Health Officials in the North West are urging the public to consider all care options this June Bank Holiday Weekend before presenting at Emergency Departments. It’s anticipated that large numbers will be attending Emergency Departments over the next number of days and as a result Doctors and nurses will be prioritising those in need of urgent and emergency care. As a result patients who attend ED...

Concern has been raised that some heritage projects in Donegal are missing out on potential funding; It said to be down to insufficient resources in place and has led to calls for an assistant heritage officer to be employed to cope with the workload. The five year county heritage plan is also said to be ambitious and its felt that extra help is needed to ensure it's delivered. Ballyshannon Fine G...

A Leitrim councillor says industrial action being taken by retained fire fighters comes as a last resort after they previously raised concerns over in adequate numbers over a perieod of time. SIPTU members emplyed as Retained Fire Services firefighters by local authorities will begin a campaign of industrial action on Tuesday next across the country. The union claim that the dispute is a result of...

The Government's response to a motion on waiting list times for children with disabilities has been described as a "rare victory". The motion also called for an end to assessment delays and improvements to the current lack of education supports and appropriate school places for children with disabilites. It was brought forward by the Labour party, and recieved significant support from Minister Ann...

The price of petrol and diesel is set to increase again from midnight tonight. Government excise duties, which were cut as part of measures to combat the cost-of-living crisis, will be reinstated on a phased basis. Petrol will increase by 6 cent a litre, while diesel will increase by 5 cent a litre. Speaking to Ocean FM News, Manorhamilton Municipal District Councillor Padraig Fallon believes the...

The recent decision to 'shelve' the further development of the N17 road from Collooney to Knock was discussed this morning in the Dáil. Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with special responsibility for Employment Affairs and Retail Business and the Department of Social Protection Neale Richmond took the question on behalf of Minister Ryan. In raising the issue...

It's hoped that the new Ballyshannon Community Nursing Unit will open shortly. It follows confirmation from the HSE today that the 80 bed facility is nearing completion. Almost €32 million in funding has gone into the project. Elsewhere, just over €28 million was allocated for a 90 bed unit in Carrick on Shannon. Ballyshannon Fine Gael Cllr Barry Sweeney says these facilitates along with new prima...

There are calls on the HSE to 'get on' with a number of planned projects in Sligo. It's after the Government sanctioned over €16.6M to Sligo University Hospital yesterday with hopes that this will pave the way in delivering a range of acute services across the county. Local Fine Gael Cllr Thomas Walsh says now that the money is in place, there's no reason why contracts for the works cannot be sign...

The Health Minister is adamant that the Government is investing in health services in the North West and that there's a 'whispering campaign going on' as it relates to the potential downgrade of Letterkenny University Hospital. Stephen Donnelly made the comments after being challenged in the Dail by Donegal Sinn Fein TD Padraig MacLochlainn following the recent resignation of two endocrinologists...

Donegal Railway Museum has been announced as the recipient of the Heritage Category in The National Lottery's Good Causes awards. The museum, located at Tyrconnell Street in Donegal Town has overseen various upgrade works in recent years including the restoration and return of the famous steam engine "Drumboe" to the museum, while new heritage map and books have been published. Having won the Heri...

The Chief Fire officer with Leitrim County Council has urged the general public to excise great care when engaging in outdoor activities over the weekend. The comments from Finian Joyce comes as a Condition Orange – High Fire Risk Warning has been issued by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and will remain Effective until June 6th. The department said the announcement is a result...

An Post has given a firm commitment that it will advertise the franchise for post office service for Collooney in the coming weeks. It emerged over the weekend that the current postmistress is set to retire after ten years in the role, sparking major concern locally over the future of the service in the area. The notice will run for six months and it is anticipated that work will begin for another...

2,063 attacks have taken place on HSE staff in the CHO Area 1 which includes Sligo Leitrim, Donegal as well as parts of Cavan and Monaghan. 987 HSE staff were attacked in the CHO area in 2022 while the figure for 2021 was reported to be 1,076. The combined figures for the past two years which were released to the Irish Daily Star under the freedom of information act shows the CHO area 1 has the hi...

Warnings have been issued over the use of scooters and bicycles on footpaths in towns and villages throughout Leitrim. Drumshanbo-based Councillor Brendan Barry has expressed concern after one individual was knocked down by a cyclist that had mounted a footpath while a number of other near misses are believed to have taken place in various areas across the county. The Sinn Féin Councillor is calli...

The provision of respite services in the North West has been likened to "pulling teeth". The comments were made by Sinn Féin TD Martin Kenny, ahead of a motion on disability services nationwide that will be put before the Dáil today. Speaking to Ocean FM News, Deputy Kenny says that proper infrastructure for disability and respite services needs to be put in place as soon as possible.

The lack of research carried out by the HSE on damage caused by vaping has been described as "shocking". The issue was raised at the last meeting of the Regional Health Forum West, where it came to light that no Irish research had been carried out on the effects of vapes and e-cigarettes. Leitrim Councillor Feilim Gurn, who brought the motion forward at the meeting, was in disbelief, and said he e...

A Political Professor is calling for county boundaries in Ireland to be redrawn. In a piece published in the Irish Independent, Professor of Politics at DCU, Eoin O'Malley says merging some smaller counties would deliver better services, and forming one council would make sense administratively and historically. Among the calls made by Professor O'Malley, he believes that Leitrim County Council is...

The Government has announced today an investment of over 1 billon euro in the Country’s health and social care infrastructure. The funding allocated for 2023 will progress and deliver a range of acute and community projects across the country. A significant allocation of funding to deal with infrastructural risk, replacement of equipment including ambulances is also included. A number of projects...