Ocean FM News Reports

Coillte is urging the public to avoid lighting fires or barbecues in high-risk areas outdoors during the Bank Holiday weekend. A status orange high fire risk warning remains in place across the north west due to current dry patterns. This increases the risk of fire spreading, particularly with low humidity and moderate winds. With increased visitors to local forests, Coillte is reminding the publi...

Inland Fisheries Ireland is urging the public to remain vigilant and prevent any future pollution incidents locally. Just last week, the IFI highlighted two recent convictions in the north west. Tullynamoyle Windfarm 5 Ltd was found to have caused silt to flow into a tributary of the River Bonet. While BAM Civil Limited was found to have allowed a discharge of silt to enter Drumcliff River and Col...

Fórsa members working in HSE and Section 38 hospitals, including in the north west have voted to approve the proposals to address the non-filling and delayed filling of vacant and suppressed health posts. Section 39 organisations are privately owned charities and agencies that are contracted by the State to provide healthcare services. In March, unions had served notice of industrial action to the...

It's hoped that the Health Minister will take on board concerns surrounding Sligo University Hospital as part of her visit today. Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill is set to turn the sod on the 42 bed Block development at the hospital this morning. The Ministers visit to Sligo comes just days after revelations that that rain is leaking through the roof of an orthopaedic theatre at the hospital. C...

We remember Sligo GAA’s cycling referee – and goalkeeper – John Lee who has passed away this week. Reflections on Wednesday night's pulsating Ulster under-20 football final from Danny O’Donnell and Martin McHugh. Zoe Lee Nicholson on the jOYS of wheel-to-wheel racing at Mondello Park. The new Tag Rugby Season returns in Sligo. Sarah Mullen is recruiting new players. - and - she’s persuasive. Plus...

A public meeting over GAEC-2 and Nature Restoration in the north west is to take place in Tubbercurry this evening. There's major confusion locally over the schemes with farmers voicing their concerns on how it could impact their locality. Under new GAEC-2 rules, any land that is recorded as being over 50% peatland, will be considered as 100% peatland. This has caused confusion over how people can...

There's renewed hope for a static speed camera outside a county Sligo primary school. Pupils at St. Lasarra's National School previously conducted a speed detection survey on the road outside the school which proved that some motorists continue to travel in excess of the 50km limit currently in place there. The speed of 179 vehicles was monitored at the drop-off time at the school, which showed 94...

The Government is being urged to strengthen the seafood sector as part of the National Planning framework. The document sets out plans and how to address the likes of housing, infrastructure and economic growth. A motion on the final draft was debated in the Dail last night. Donegal Sinn Fein TD Padraig MacLochlainn says there needs to be vision for fishing communities as part of the plan:

An investigation has been launched into an alleged assault in Sligo Town. The incident happened at the bus stop on John Street yesterday. It's alleged that the victim was assaulted while attempting to board the Strandhill bus. Gardai attended the scene and are now appealing for anyone with information to come forward. Fianna Fail Orga International Officer and Sligo resident Padraig Cawley witness...

The Justice Minister is being urged to intervene in the ongoing investigation into the death of Leitrim pensioner Liam Farrell.     The body of Mr Farrell was found unconscious, lying at the back of the family home where he lived alone in Rooskey on January 12th, 2020.     Last month, the family of Liam Farrell expressed major concern over the Garda inquiry.   They have no...

It’s emerged that Counties Sligo and Donegal have more people on the electoral register than their entire population.   The Electoral Commission says it's dealing with multiple legacy issues and as a result, it can’t quantify how many mistakes there are. There are hundreds of thousands of duplicate or redundant entries on the electoral register.   Both Sligo and Donegal have been cited h...

The Health Minister is under fire over the itinerary for her imminent visit to the North West. Health Minister Jennifer Carroll McNeill is due to in Sligo tomorrow (Fri) for a number of engagements, including the turning the sod at the new 42 bed unit at Sligo University Hospital and the official opening of the health hub at Ballinalack Community Park in Buninadden. Before that, the Minister is in...

An investigation has been launched into illegal dumping on the outskirts of Drumkeerin. A large volume of pallets among other items were discovered in a wooded area in recent days. Local Sinn Fein Cllr Padraig Fallon has hit out at those responsible but says that thankfully the amount of dumping incidents in Leitrim has decreased overall. Speaking to Ocean FM news, Cllr Fallon also says there's a...

The north west is set to continue to benefit from pleasant weather conditions during the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend.   Dry, sunny spells have covered counties Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal in recent days with temperatures hitting the mid-twenties in a number of areas.   According to Met Éireann, while the weather will break slightly for a time, the weather will return to mostly dry weath...

Funding will be provided for the remediation of Mitchell Curley Park in Sligo. Concern has previously been raised by local residents over the state of disrepair, with sections of the playground closed off. Following negotiations between the council and the parks department, an allocation has been agreed for works to be carried out. Local Fine Gael Cllr Fergal Nealon welcomed the news and hopes for...

A Donegal Senator is calling for more supports for children with special educational needs and of Traveller and Roma ethnicity. As it stands, particular students are being placed on reduced school timetables, and it's feared not enough is being done to compensate for it. Senator Eileen Flynn raised the issue in the Seanad today to Minister of State Noel Grealish. Senator Flynn says it breaks her h...

It's now been claimed that painful hip surgeries carried out on children may have been routine practice. An audit is currently examining the criteria for a specific type of hip surgery in young children carried out between 2021 and 2023. It was previously claimed in recent weeks that thousands of children could have undergone the unnecessary surgeries. Speaking as part of a motion on the issue in...

There are further feud fears after the latest alleged petrol bomb attack in Sligo. The incident happened on Finisklin Road in the early hours of yesterday morning. A vehicle was completely destroyed by fire as a result. It comes a month after a petrol bomb was thrown through the window of a downstairs room at a house in Cranmore - it's not known if the two incidents are linked. Local Sinn Fein Cll...

A local business owner has issued a strong warning over a scam affecting his company. It's emerged that a forged business card is in circulation, pertaining to be Inver Hire and Power Equipment. A cloned business card is where a legitimate card's details are copied, meaning that it is very difficult to decipher which is the one belonging to the company. ` There are also reports of individuals goin...

Temperatures could get close to a record high for the month of April today. High pressure centred close to Ireland is bringing warm sunny conditions over the coming days. The current April record is 25.8 degrees Celcius which was set in Glenties, Co Donegal, in 1984. Alan O'Reilly from Carlow Weather doesn't think we'll quite make that - but he reckons it could be close.

County Leitrim is being sacrificed in the National Planning Framework. That's according to Labour Senator Nessa Cosgrove, who believes that that a number of amendments need to be made. The first major update to the National Planning Framework was agreed by Government ministers earlier this month. There's ongoing concern among Leitrim communities over the likes of gold mining, high levels of forest...

A roundabout in Laghey is a step closer. The proposed infrastructure has been in the pipeline for some time and has been deemed as key in solving major safety issues in the area. The roundabout would be ideally situated close to the Pettigo junction. Negotiations are ongoing with landowners but it is expected that contract documentation will be finalised next month. Subject to confirmation of land...

The rate of first-time mothers giving birth via caesarean section was 73.5% in Sligo University Hospital during February. This was noticeably higher than other hospitals across the region, with Letterkenny University Hospital on 35.5%, Galway University Hospital on 44.6% and Mayo University Hospital on 46.3%, while it was also a large increase on Sligo’s own figures from the month previous, with 4...

Concern has been raised by a number of Sligo residents over the current condition of Mitchell Curley Park. Many consider the area to have fallen into a serious state of disrepair, with sections of the children’s playground closed off. As it stands there is no government funding allocated for the maintenance of the facilities, which has left the area deteriorating over time. Local Sinn Fein Cllr Ar...

A Donegal TD has backed his party’s Councillors decision to walk-out at a Donegal County Council meeting yesterday. All 100% Redress Party Cllrs exited the Special Plenary Meeting on Housing early in protest at current government measures on defective blocks. The party are requesting that the Minister for Housing James Browne TD visit Donegal and the homes impacted. Deputy Charles Ward says he sup...