Ocean FM News Reports

There's concern that some Sligo retail workers continue to face aggression and threat of assault in shops. It comes as the Seanad will debate a bill to protect retail workers later today which creates specific offences for such incidents. It's thought that the Covid-19 pandemic brought about a particular spike in the likes of threats and aggression. Labour Senator Nessa Cosgrove many workers local...

There are renewed calls on the Government to honour a promise to make increase in the cap for the Defective Block Grant Scheme available to all homeowners availing of the scheme and not just new entrants. It was a commitment made last autumn. Donegal Sinn Fein TD Padraig MacLochlainn has claimed that the delays are costing affected homeowners as much as €42,000 of a shortfall. Speaking to Ocean FM...

The Forestry Minister is expected to face a grilling from North West Senators later. Minister of State Michael Healy-Rae is in the Seanad taking questions with the impact of how Storm Eowyn devastated this region set to be a hot topic. The Minister received some backlash for not meeting with key people impacted by the storm during a visit to Leitrim in recent weeks. Fine Gael Senator Manus Boyle s...

Public consultations are being set up to get feedback on the planned route for the SLNCR Greenway. A preferred route has been identified in a recent meeting for all TDs and Cllrs from the region, and it's understood to have been received positively. It's hoped the proposed greenway could bring an economic boost with an increase of tourism across the Northwest. Manorhamilton Independent Cllr Eddie...

A new beach school programme for children will be launched in Donegal this year. The first of its kind in the Northwest, Liquid Therapy has launched the school with the hopes of combining academic learning and surf therapy. Schools across the region are being encouraged to apply ahead of the start date next month. Tom Losey, Founder of Liquid Therapy, highlighted what the programme has to offer:

There are renewed calls for a clampdown on dog fouling in the North West. It follows a weekend incident in west Donegal where dog mess was left outside a local business premises. Independent Cllr Michael McClafferty believes that local authorities need to put more money into enforcement and fines. Speaking to Ocean FM news, Cllr McClafferty fears that the issue will never be resolved unless the ap...

100% Redress Party Councillors have staged a walk-out at today’s Special Plenary Meeting on Housing in Donegal County Council. The exit is in protest at what they claim is a lack of engagement by the government in solving the defective block crisis. The party are requesting that the Minister for Housing James Browne TD visit Donegal and the homes impacted. Donegal Cllr Joy Beard, who was part of t...

Support has been given in Leitrim for the introduction of paid leave for workers during extreme weather conditions. The trade union Unite has called for four days of paid climate leave, after a survey of their members showed people didn’t feel safe going to work in the aftermath of Storm Eowyn. The Storm caused devastations across the North West earlier this year, and it’s thought that this new sc...

Passengers on the Sligo to Dublin train will not be impacted by the introduction of a new fare calculator. From today, Dublin is divided into zones with an expanded radius to include areas like Drogheda, Enfield, Navan and Newbridge. When using a leap card, the majority of fares are now significantly reduced - except for some Dublin regions which will now be charged nearly one euro more per trip....

Local authorities in the North West have been allocated additional funds today to improve the collection of electoral register data. The total funding of 3 million euro is to enable county and city councils to modernise electoral registration and build on work done over the last two years. Significant changes to electoral registration process in 2022 included introducing rolling voter registration...

The Breast Check Mobile unit is returning to Sligo. It hasn't been in the town for two years, with women having to travel to either Tubberycurry or Carrick-On-Shannon. The unit is to set up at the Showgrounds from next week with local women now beginning to receive their appointments. Local Fianna Fail Cllr Edel MacSharry is hopeful that it will rotate more frequently going forward:

The Taoiseach is defending the government's approach to housing targets. It's after the number of homeless people reached another record high, with more than 15 thousand 400 people accessing emergency accommodation last month. 169 adults were accessing emergency accommodation in Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal during this period - Sligo had the higest figure at 82. The government is promising to build...

It's hoped that investment being pumped into An Garda Siochana may reduce crime rates in Sligo. It comes as Sligo Garda Station experienced crime rates above pre-pandemic levels in 2024. New figures show that there were just over 1,500 offences recorded in Sligo last year, with theft accounting for almost a third at 479. Crime in rural parts of Sligo has decreased overall. Gurteen in south Sligo w...

Donegal are back in the Ulster football final following Sunday's 1-19 to 0-16 semi-final victory against Down. Martin McHugh and Manus Boyle give their postmatch assessment - as Donegal get ready to take on All-Ireland champions Armagh on May 10th in the provincial decider.

There's disgust in Sligo following reports that a local bring bank was left in deplorable state over the weekend. Numerous bags of clothing and other household items were dumped beside the recycling and clothing bank on the Cranmore Road in recent. Sinn Fein Cllr Arthur Gibbons believes that while people should return another day if the banks are full, ultimately the companies should be empting th...

It's feared the government will not deliver on their promise to tackle homelessness. Recently released figures show that there were a total of 169 adults accessing emergency accommodation in Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal during this period. In terms of County breakdown, Sligo recorded the highest number at 82, followed by Donegal at 67 while there were 20 people registered homeless in Leitrim. 41 tho...

Over a quarter of a million people attended the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome today. People from all corners of the globe travelled to the Vatican to pay their respects to the late Pontiff. Earlier this morning people queued for hours before the funeral, while during the funeral, flags from different countries could be seen, representing the many nationalities in attendance. Pope Francis, who di...

Large crowds attending the official launch of Relay for Life Sligo at the City Hall on Friday evening. The two-day event itself is set to take place over the weekend of September 13th & 14th on the ATU Sligo campus. Relay For Life is a celebration of solidarity and helps to raise awareness of the services provided by the Irish Cancer Society locally and nationally. It's already been a huge suc...

The disparity of household income across Ireland, but in particular, in the north west, has been highlighted. Earlier this week, a CSO report showed that Donegal had the lowest median gross household income in the country just over €42,400. The figure in Leitrim was over €47,200, while Sligo was just shy of €50,000. Irish Rural Link say they believe the figures reflect the quality of the jobs avai...

US firm Sazerac have announced the renaming of Lough Gill Distillery in Sligo, which will now be known as Hawk’s Rock Distillery. The distillery is currently closed to the public during renovations, but it has been confirmed that Sazerac has received planning permission to develop ‘a future visitor experience’ at the site. Hawk’s Rock will continue to produce and age Irish Whiskey under the watchf...

Two Donegal sites have been included in the latest EPAs 2024 National Priority list. The report out today identified Aurivo Consumer Foods Limited for discharges to water and Glenmore Biogas in Ballybofey for odour issues. Water pollution and bad smells are the most common failures the EPA has found in breaches by waste and industrial facilities. The environmental watchdog says food and drink, as...

Parents across the North West are being reminded that today is the final day to apply and reapply to the school transport scheme. Every academic year the scheme causes major controversy locally, with some pupils struggling to get a seat on the school bus. This is down to the terms and conditions with concessionary and non-concessionary tickets. The fees for the new year are €50 for primary student...

It's been claimed that cancer patients south of Donegal Town are being excluded from accessing the Letterkenny-to-Galway HSE-funded transport. There's said to be a large number of cancer patients in this region who have to make the long journey to Galway for treatment. However, people living along the N15 corridor between Ballyshannon and Rathcormac are said to be unable to access the cancer bus t...

A huge security operation is underway in Vatican City today ahead of Pope Francis's funeral tomorrow. More than 100-thousand mourners have so far filed past the Pope's open casket - as he lies in state for a final day in St Peter's Basilica. The pontiff's been there since Wednesday following his death in Vatican City on Easter Monday, aged 88. Donegal-born Monsignor Eamonn McLaughlin, is a Canon o...

The Emergency Aeromedical Service responded to 64 critical incidents across the north west in 2024. Missions frequently involve significant trauma resulting from falls, road traffic collisions as well as medical emergencies. Run by the National Ambulance Service, these calls are separate to Resuce 118's search and rescue helicopter, they do offer some of the same services. In total, 27 missions we...