Ocean FM News Reports

Sheep farmers in the North West have backed calls for a co-ordinated all-island measures to address the growing crisis of uncontrolled dogs across the country.     A recent meeting of the Irish Farmers’ Association and the Ulster Farmers Union resulted in a number of new measures being proposed to address the problem.   It’s thought that the current fragmented approach to dog owners...

A Sligo Leitrim TD says the funding allocation for the Tubbercurry Family Resource Centre will enable the facility to provide child-minding services for over 50 additional children in the area.     A funding allocation of 695,000 has been made available to the resource Centre towards the cost of construction of a new extension.       The funding has been allocated by the M...

The Government is under pressure to increase its efforts in a bid to curb the rental and housing crisis in the North West. It comes as rents in Leitrim were on average 11.4% higher in the first quarter of 2025 than a year previously, according to latest report from Daft.ie . Rents in Sligo rose by 6.3% over the same period while Donegal had the lowest increase at 3.1%. Sligo Leitrim Sinn Fein TD M...

Schools across the North West could be experiencing disruption in August.   School secretaries and caretakers say they are prepared to strike at the beginning of the next academic year.   Fórsa members who are unable to join the public service pension scheme, will be balloted for strike action from Tuesday.     Manorhamilton based school secretary, and Forsa Union member Frank...

A Critical Incident Management Policy is in place at St. Johns National School in Ballisodare following the tragic death of pupil Alan Singh. The seven year old was a second class student at the school and passed away on Saturday after getting into difficulty in the water at Lissadell Beach. An investigation is continuing. Local Independent Cllr Marie Casserly says the community is still trying to...

There are further calls for enhanced childcare facilities in the Manorhamilton area. The issue is said to be becoming increasingly worse with claims that it is causing financial hardship for both mothers and fathers who cannot return to the workplace because of lack of space available in the town. Leitrim County Council is now being asked to identify suitable empty buildings in the town and seek o...

 A mass amount of nappies have been dumped in on the on the Ardaghey to Ardara Road.  The grim discovery was made in a forest area along the route over the weekend by a local clean up group.  Due to the high temperatures, the clean-up operation had to be shelved due to the stench.  An investigation has been launched.  Fine Gael Cllr Michael Boyle has hit out at those respo...

Tributes are being paid to the young boy who died after getting into difficulty in the water at Lissadell Beach on Saturday. Seven year old Alan Singh from nearby Ballisodare was a second class pupil at St. John's National School. He was airlifted to Sligo University Hospital where he later died. An investigation is continuing. Local Parish Priest in Magheraow, Father Tom Hever a day which brought...

The long driving test backlog has been highlighted in Sligo once again. This comes after recent reports of cancellation slots being bought and resold online. Long term solutions are now being called for as inadequacies in the system are being exploited. Local independent Cllr Marie Casserly says the current set up is not working:

Sligo communities are encouraged to apply to the county council over securing playground insurance. It's understood that local groups had to secure between €1,200 and €1,600 for the insurance, but they can now apply to the local authority instead, if the criteria is met. However, funding will still have to be raised for the development and maintenance of the amenity. Local Sinn Fein Cllr Thomas He...

An investigation is continuing after a young boy died after getting into difficulty in the water at Lissadell Beach yesterday afternoon. A multiagency operation was launched, including the Sligo Bay RNLI and Rescue 118. The boy was taken from the water and airlifted to Sligo University Hospital in a serious condition but has since passed away. Local Cllr Donal Gilroy has been praising the swift re...

Coillte and Failte Ireland are being encouraged to meet and provide funding for public toilets in Sligo. A number of local outdoor spots have been highlighted as being in need of the amenity, such as Hazelwood and Slishwood. It's feared that the lack of such facilities are deterring people with health issues and tourists from visiting the areas. Sligo Sinn Fein Cllr Arthur Gibbons says these publi...

A former Chief Medical Officer says Dr. Mike Ryan will be an enormous loss to the World Health Organization. The Sligo native has not been included on the latest executive team. He served as executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme since 2019. The organisation is facing a financial crunch after losing funding from the United States - a shortfall estimated at over one billion do...

A town-twinning initiative has been suggested between Sligo and Spain, to further deepen the historical ties. It's hoped that the move would strengthen the shared heritage, with reference to the Spanish Armada Disaster of September 1588 at Streedagh, where over 1,000 lives were lost. The town of Mataro, the capital of the Maresme county in Catalonia has been identified as a suitable twinning oppor...

A regular tourist bus route has been proposed that would visit key sites across Sligo. It would run from May to September during the peak tourism season, and would provide a link between popular areas such as Carrowmore Tombs and the grave of WB Yeats. The Local Link bus service will be approached over the idea along with private providers. Labour Cllr Ann Higgins highlights this would encourage m...

The possibility of a Westlife Museum will be explored as part of a County Museum in Sligo. The Museum and Library will centre on the historical, cultural, landscape and literary strengths of Sligo. It's thought that a part of the centre should be dedicated to Westlife due to their international record-breaking success. Fine Gael Cllr Thomas Walsh says it would be a huge boost to tourism, as well a...

A Relove Paint Scheme that operates in other counties may be introduced in Sligo. The scheme offers eligible community groups to apply for unused and old paint to decorate premises and walls. The recycling of the paint would be environmentally friendly as large portions are dumped every year, while also saving community groups funding. Ballymote-Tubbercurry Fine Gael Cllr Dara Mulvey says there is...

There are questions over who’s responsible for the maintenance of a number of boundary walls around estates in Sligo. Select fences have fallen into a state of disrepair and pose a major safety hazard to residents of the estates. It’s understood that the local authority are not receiving enough money from the government to address the issue. Local Sinn Fein Cllr Thomas Healy says ownership needs t...

A Sligo Councillor says the new Taskforce established to speed up infrastructure delivery will have to be given time to see if they ease some of the local frustration that exists in relation over delays to local major projects.     The new Taskforce will meet for the first time this morning.     The Minister for Public Expenditure, has appointed twelve members six of whom are i...

A number of events are taking place at Ballisodare Fishery today which are set to focus on biodiversity and water quality. A number of local schools are taking part in educational events throughout the day while later this afternoon, there will be a workshop for the local community. The initiative comes almost a year after nearly one thousand salmon died in the local river. Gerry Merrick, Chairman...

It's emerged that Ukrainian refugees are set to leave Clarion Village in Sligo. 165 people who have been housed there since the war broke out in Ukraine, are to vacate in July. Questions are now turning to whether Clarion Village - which is privately owned - will be returned to much needed student accommodation. Fine Gael Cllr Thomas Walsh says that there's a big desire locally for the accommodati...

Irish Water has come under fire over leaving a number of areas in south west Donegal with supply issues. Teelin and Glencolmcille are said to be continuously experiencing outages due to pipes which have been deemed unfit for purpose. Independent Cllr Jimmy Brogan believes that the work required is minimal but that its currently causing major problems for a lot of residents. He feels that Irish Wat...

Two trails in North Leitrim have been included in the latest update to the government’s Walks Scheme. Fowley’s Falls in Rossinver and O’Rourke’s Table in Dromahair were added to the scheme following an announcement from Minister Dara Calleary today. This will provide security for these walks as the scheme will now facilitate their development and maintenance. Independent Manorhamilton Cllr Eddie M...

A Midlands North West MEP has given a cautious welcome to the European Commission's Simplification proposals.   The Proposals which will now require approval by the European Commission contain a number of changes including the introduction of a single annual inspection which will cover all aspects of CAP compliance.   The removal of GAEC 2 from baseline requirements is deemed to be anoth...

A meeting between the Transport Minister and Leitrim County Councillors is to be arranged over the long awaited redevelopment of Lennox's Bridge.   The narrow crossing connecting Kinlough to Bundoran has been a point of contention for many years, with the current structure previously deemed as only fit for a horse and cart.   There have been numerous instances of drivers failing to adher...