Ocean FM News Reports

The debacle over the new coast guard search and rescue contract has continued after it’s been confirmed that it has been pushed back year.   It is the latest in a long line of issues for new operators Bristow Ireland Limited, who signed the contract to take over CHC Ireland, including in Sligo last December.   A decision was previously made in February to postpone the new operating syste...

A Sligo Leitrim TD says plans to delay the introduction of the auto-enrolment pension scheme could leave many workers struggling to make ends meet when they reach retirement age. It now seems likely that the scheme will not be introduced as planned in September as planned The delay is due to administration issues. The scheme will apply to almost 800 thousand workers between the ages of 23 and 60 w...

The Minister of State for the Marine is in Killybegs today. Minister Timmy Dooley is expected to meet with fish processors and the other relevant bodies at the harbour. The Ministers visit comes after recent calls for changes in the weighing of fish landed in the port after 750 tonnes of blue whiting destined for human consumption in the West African market was processed for fish meal. CEO of the...

A porpoise has been found washed up in south Donegal. The discovery was made at Mouncharles Pier by local ecologist and senior environmental consultant, Fred Symmons on Tuesday afternoon. The deceased mammal is the latest in a number of discoveries made along the north west coast over the last number of years. A dead dolphin was reported on Murvagh Beach in December 2023, while a sperm whale was r...

A Sligo Leitrim TD says plans to delay the introduction of the auto-enrolment pension scheme could leave many workers struggling to make ends meet when they reach retirement age. It now seems likely that the scheme will not be introduced as planned in September as planned The delay is due to administration issues. The scheme will apply to almost 800 thousand workers between the ages of 23 and 60 w...

A teenager killed in a road collision in County Leitrim yesterday has been described as 'one of the finest young men' of his parish. The 18 year old was pronounced dead at the scene after the tractor he was a passenger in crashed near Carrigallen. Another teenager who was driving the tractor is being treated in hospital for non-life threatening injuries. The road is still closed this morning and G...

Accessible mobility mats have been requested to be installed at all Blue Flag beaches in Sligo. It's with the aim of ensuring that people with disabilities would have the same opportunities to access local beaches as everyone else. It's understood that recently a number of local residents who are wheelchair users were unable to visit areas such as Strandhill and Rosses Point. Labour Cllr Ann Higgi...

A major warning has been sounded over pedestrian safety in Manorhamilton. The issue is said to be centre on a lack of a footbridge at Sean Mac Diarmada Street and despite money being allocated some years back, the project is said to have stalled. It's hoped other works taking place locally will result in a renewed focus on the proposed bridge. Local Independent Cllr Felim Gurn says the issue has d...

It's claimed that a number of children could be buried in unmarked graves in Sligo from when Mother and Baby homes were in operation. It comes as six of the eight religious bodies that had a historical involvement in mother and baby homes have failed to offer financial contributions to a government-backed redress scheme. The Government has expressed disappointment over the developments, but local...

A former Donegal Garda Sergeant highlighted that long-term solutions are needed to recruit and retain Garda numbers. The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors have recently called for incentives for Gardai in relation to taxes and gym memberships. There is pressure on the government to address the issue of dwindling Garda numbers, as it’s understood around 100 Gardai have left the force so...

Serious concern has been raised over waiting lists at Sligo University Hospital. New figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund show that almost 1,500 people have been waiting over 18 months for treatment in Sligo. The figure includes 124 children. Meanwhile, new targets were set out earlier this year to cut waiting lists in Sligo and elsewhere. The North West and other health regions also...

A Sligo based TD has expressed the view that key infrastructure projects in the North West could be delivered sooner than expected due to the creation of a new infrastructure division in Government.   Cabinet will get details today of the new division that will examine blockages to infrastructure.   Experts from across Government will be seconded to the new Infrastructure Division which...

The Education Minister has been further accused of washing her hands of the Donegal Education Centre debacle. The move from Donegal Town to Letterkenny looks almost certain, although it had been thought that that was to happen at the end of last month. The Department of Educations stance has always been that the responsibility of making any such decision lies solely with the management committee....

A petition, calling for the Strandhill Market to reopen, has already garnered thousands of signatures. The campaign itself is also gaining momentum with many traders voicing their concern over being effectively displaced. The market is usually held in hangar one at Sligo Airport but the amenity has been reassigned, with the market now on hold. Tony Osborne - painter and one of the traders has been...

Serious concern is being raised over the level of communication between Leitrim County Council and local Gardai when a disturbance happens in a local authority home.   It's been claimed that there have been several such incidents in Kinlough recently, with some residents said to be living in fear over the issue.   Local Fianna Fail Cllr Justin Warnock feels that more can to be done to co...

A Sligo man has been chosen as a new International Officer for Fianna Fail following the party’s National Youth Conference over the weekend. Padraig Cawley was selected by a vote of 104 to 41. He now wants to use this position to highlight important issues in the North West such as the N17, the Western Rail Corridor, and third level fees. Mr Cawley says he hopes to encourage more young people to g...

It's claimed that a significant number of break-ins in County Sligo go underreported. It comes as new statistics show that nationally, just over 3 thousand burglaries took place in the winter - which is a 19 percent drop on the same period 12 months ago. However, it's fallen from over 12 thousand in 2015, which was when Operation Thor launched. Cllr Michael Clarke is concerned that while the data...

It's claimed that there's a cohort in Collooney abusing the local playground. A clean-up of the area took place over the weekend, and the level of dog mess both on the grass and in the bins was said to be unprecedented. One of the volunteers and local Sinn Fein Cllr Thomas Healy says it's a huge health and safety hazard, especially for young children who use the facility. He has hit out at those r...

A petition, calling for the Strandhill Market to reopen, has already garnered thousands of signatures. The campaign itself is also gaining momentum with many traders voicing their concern over being effectively displaced. The market is usually held in hangar one at Sligo Airport but the amenity has been reassigned, with the market now on hold. Tony Osborne - painter and one of the traders has been...

The Irish independent are reporting that that the new Irish Coast Guard rescue helicopter operator has been banned from transporting patients on stretchers in their newly leased aircraft as they are not compliant with safety regulations.   Air crews have been told that casualties can only be carried if they are placed sitting up and secured in one of the passenger seats on the new AW189 helic...

Disappointment has been expressed locally over the exclusion of the Collooney to Claremorris rail line in the revised National Planning Framework up to 2040.   The revision was recently welcomed by Minister Sean Canney TD who highlighted the importance of planned improvements to the Atlantic Economic Corridor.   However, the route from Galway was only extending as far as Claremorris, wit...

In March of 2024, former Sligo Rovers player and Sligo senior gaelic footballer Sean Flannery suffered a stroke at the age of 44. He lost his speech, swallow, balance and co-ordination among other functions - but 12 months on, he has made a full recovery. Sean spoke to Ocean FM Sport's Austin O'Callaghan at his SFX gym in north Sligo, where he works as a sports & fitness instructor.

The public are being invited to celebrate the Leitrim Gathering.   Taking place from May 23rd to 25th, it will celebrate Leitrim's culture, natural beauty and community.   It is aimed at connecting people with roots in County Leitrim through a series of cultural, musical and community events.   Cathaoirleach of Leitrim County Council, Cllr Paddy O'Rourke says it will connect Leitrim...

Sligo County Council have been called to support a campaign that ends the stigma around menstruation and menopause.   The Nail The Stigma campaign is student-led by ATU Sligo, and it aims to open and encourage conversations around periods.   It's hope that the local authority will provide free period products in all council buildings, and the government will provide them in schools. &nbs...

There are calls in Sligo for the right to housing to be enshrined in the constitution.   This is amid a worsening housing and homelessness crisis across the country.   Recent figures published by the Department of Housing, showed there 158 adults accessing emergency accommodation across the North West last month.   Local Sinn Fein Cllr Arthur Gibbons says housing is a moral human ri...