Ocean FM News Reports

There's disappointment in south Sligo over constraints with the Active Travel grant. Several Councillors in the the Ballymote -Tubbercurry MD have called for upgrades and extensions to footpaths in various villages in the area however they were told the works wouldn't take place in the short term. It's due to Sligo County Council currently having no funding to carry out the works while the Active...

There's currently 30 more short-term holiday lets available on Airbnb than long-term rentals listed on Daft.ie in Sligo. The situation is worse in Leitrim with just six long terms lets available in the county. When compared with Daft.ie, there's 37 times more availability on Airbnb currently in Leitrim. While in Donegal, there are only thirty seven properties available for long term rent, the majo...

New figures show that almost 1 in 5 people over the age of 75 were not seen for a full 24 hours at the A&E at Sligo University Hospital in April. When compared with April 2022, the data shows that the situation has worsened at the hospital. Cllr Donal Gilroy says it's clear that turnaround times are far from up to standard. However he's hopeful that the new health centres in the county may allevia...

The RNLI have issued a reminder to be safe in the water this weekend. Swimmers should look for designated areas to swim - and be cautious about swimming in fast moving waters like rivers. The RNLI is also asking the public to to have fun on the beach in a safe way. It says people still need to check the weather conditions in their local area and find out are their strong tides. RNLI Water Safety E...

The latest Sunday Business Post Red C Poll shows Sinn Féin is almost twice as popular with the electorate as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael combined. The poll puts the party at 34 per cent with Fine Gael on 20 per cent followed by Fianna Fáil on 15 points. The Social Democrats are on six per cent, while Labour and the Greens are both on four per cent with People Before Profit on three per cent followed...

Refurbishment works on the Rocks at Gibraltar, Cummeen Strand are set to begin in the second quarter of 2023. The news was welcomed at this month's meeting of Sligo Borough Council, after funding had been allocated to carry out the works last week. Speaking to Ocean FM News, Councillor Rosaleen O'Grady was pleased that the development works will get underway as quickly as possible.

IFA Farm Business Chairperson Rose Mary McDonagh has said credit unions expanding their lending to farmers is important for competition in the market. It has been reported that credit unions are planning to expand their cultivate offering to agriculture with the new secured loan offering up to €300,000 for 30 years with an APR of 5.4 percent. Speaking to Ocean FM News, IFA Farm Business Chairperso...

A Sligo Councillor believes changes can be made to the operating system at Sligo University Hospital. Last week, Sligo University Hospital was among the top three in the country for numbers waiting on trolleys in figures published by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. Figures exceeded 50 on two occasions and failed to go below 47 on the other three days. With the increase in figures, Coun...

Repair works are to be carried out on the basketball court in Forthill after a lot of equipment was damaged following bad weather. The boards in the court are set to be replaced, however, there is no funding available to re-line the court. The outdoor facilities in Forthill get a lot of use, with two soccer pitches and a gaelic football pitch also among the facilities available. Speaking to Ocean...

National Biodiversity Week is being celebrated for the past week at Parkes Castle on the shore of Lough Gill in County Leitrim. The week is all about connecting with nature, highlighting the importance of biodiversity and motivating people to play their part in protecting it. And it's all being done in an entertaining manner, thanks to the fun and wonder that can be found in nature, with the hope...

A Donegal TD is calling on the Government to engage with unions on outstanding issues in community sector. It follows the recent announcement that Siptu and Fórsa members employed in community sector organisations funded by the Department of Social Protection have voted to accept the recent WRC recommended pay rise. However, TUS and RSS workers coming close to retirement need clarity on around pen...

A Sligo councillor has contacted the water safety officer and director of services with the local Authority in relation to the lack of warning signs on beaches after a potential tragedy was averted in Strandhill. It's emerged that recently a local swimmer acted quickly to remove a group of people from a dangerous location due to currents in Strandhill. The group believed to be Ukrainian claimed th...

A meeting held in Ballisodare over the arrival of refugees into the village has been described as 'constructive'. The meeting between the developer, local representatives and members of the community took place last night in a bid to allay some concerns. It expected that around 100 people are set to live in the apartment complex, the majority of them families. Most of them have already been living...

The CEO of the Sligo Chamber of Commerce has described the decision to pause funding for the upgrade of the N17 between Ireland West Airport and Collooney as monumental failure to the economic development of Sligo. Aidan Doyle made the comments in reaction to the decision by the government to prioritise bypasses of major towns and to invest in Public Transport at the expense of the N17 upgrade in...

A Donegal County Councillor has written an open letter to Justice Minister Simon Harris following the sentence handed down to Donegal man Richard Burke this week. Burke with an address in Killygordon but originally from Donegal Town, was jailed for 15 years in prison, with the last 12 months suspended after being found guilty of the manslaughter of Jasmine McMonagle by reason of diminished respons...

A Donegal TD has lashed out at Tánaiste Michael Martin over respite services currently available to children with special needs and their families. It comes as a number of services both locally and elsewhere are suspended due to staffing issues. Speaking in the Dail this hour, Donegal Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty accused the Government of failing those concerned. Deputy Doherty says these services...

A former local Fianna Fail TD says the three Fine Gael junior ministers that called for a 1000 euro tax break for workers in the next budget are 'jockeying for position' ahead of the next general election Tensions are rising between the main coalition parties over the budget. Tanaiste Michael Martin told the Fianna Fail parliamentary party meeting last night that junior ministers writing newspaper...

Investigations are continuing following a fire yesterday at Magh Éne College Bundoran. The fire broke out at the post-primary in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Emergency services attended the scene, and firefighters worked to contain and extinguish the flames. There were no reports of any injuries. The school which is managed by Donegal ETB, has reported some damage to certain areas of the...

Serious concern has been raised that gullies are not being cleaned frequently enough in smaller towns and villages in east Sligo. There are fears that the issue will lead to an increased risk of flooding in the areas in question. Cllr Martin Baker is warning that regardless of the season, it has the potential to be a major problem if it's not addressed:

It's been claimed that some GPs in the North West are charging medical card patients for routine blood tests. One patient who is in their 80s has been told recently that they can either attend a hospital to get their bloods taken or else pay the GP for it. Medical card holders should avail of this service free of charge as its HSE funded. Independent Donegal TD Thomas Pringle described the situati...

Government officials have been told to cop themselves on when it comes to the delivery of affordable housing in the North West and elsewhere. It comes as just seven out of 31 local authorities delivered housing through affordable housing schemes last year. Sligo, Leitrim or Donegal are not included in the list of seven. Meanwhile, the average income of first-time buyers of new properties in Irelan...

The lack of public seating available in Sligo town is a concerning issue, particularly for elderly people and those with disabilities. That's the view of Councillor Declan Bree, who raised the issue at the latest meeting of Sligo Borough Council. A strategy regarding street furniture is currently being prepared, which will include public seating for the town, particularly around the O'Connell Stre...

Four years on from an unprovoked attack by seagulls on a Sligo Leitrim TD new research has been published today that may shed some light what led to the altercation. Scientists are now claiming that seagulls have become chip and ice cream thieves because they see how much humans enjoy eating them. Researchers at the University of Sussex carried out an experiment where different colour crisp bags w...

Four years on from an unprovoked attack by seagulls on a Sligo Leitrim TD new research has been published today that may shed some light what led to the altercation. Scientists are now claiming that seagulls have become chip and ice cream thieves because they see how much humans enjoy eating them. Researchers at the University of Sussex carried out an experiment where different colour crisp bags w...

Described as “specialising in top-class accommodation, the four-star tops the list of Ireland’s best hotels in the latest Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice ‘Best of the Best Hotel Awards’ this year. It’s a list the popular Donegal location has topped many times in the past. Harvey’s Point is the only local hotel to make the final list of 10. Ashford Castle in Mayo was placed second. The remaining H...