Almost 300 constituents from Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal have signed an open postcard to TDs calling for more investment in young people in the upcoming Budget. 122 people under 25 in the Sligo-Leitrim constituency, with a further 171 in Donegal, have signed the postcard. It's estimated that by 2025, there will be over a million under-25s in Ireland…

The importance of the hospitality industry to the north west cannot be understated. That's according to local Fianna Fáil Councillor Tom MacSharry who has spoken in favour of restoring the 9% VAT rate for sector. A number of businesses have been forced to close their doors in recent months due to spiralling costs and increased financial burden. Cou…

Anyone looking to take advantage of the good weather this weekend is advised to take care on the water. The RNLI says always go to a lifeguarded beach because lifeguards are still on duty at selected beaches. Temperatures could hit highs of 24 degrees today, with a mix of cloud and warm sunshine expected. The RNLI's Water Safety spokesperson Finn M…

A Sligo Cllr has said that there are no winners over the recent accommodation issue at Milligan Court, and has called for the government to develop student-purposed buildings. It’s been confirmed that almost 180 asylum seekers would be housed at the premises, which had previously been used for students. The situation has caused major controversy du…

The Vintners Federation of Ireland have released a statement calling for urgent budget supports as there is “no profit in pubs”. Many in the pub industry have fears that unless major changes are made, pubs nationwide may face closure. The VFI have requested a number of measures to be introduced, including the lowering of the hospitality VAT rate, a…

The Big Beach Clean 2024, organised by Clean Coasts is set to take place in Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal over the weekend of September 20th. With over 400 groups and 10,000 volunteers registered nationwide, a final call has been made for people to sign up before September 11th to avail of a free clean-up kit. This year volunteers are being asked to r…

Taoiseach Simon Harris said it was "disappointing" that Milligan Court was not in use for students, when speaking in Sligo last year. Harris, who was Minister for Further and Higher Education at the time, said he was working closely with Minister for Children, Roderic O'Gorman, to ensure that student accomodation was to be kept for students. Almost…

What’s transpiring at Milligan Court in Sligo should be the catalyst for a General Election issue. That’s according to Independent TD Marc MacSharry, who has been reacting to today’s developments that the apartment complex is to house almost 180 asylum seekers. Over a year ago, the owners of both Milligan Court and Benbulben made an initial applica…

A cautious welcome has been given to the overhaul in EU payments planned for the next CAP by the Sligo IFA chair. There have been previous claims that the current CAP system fails to meet the needs of smaller and medium sized farms, and the latest report aims to change that imbalance. It will be a switch from an area-based payment, and will potenti…

A Donegal TD has slammed the Government over this week's shocking report on child poverty. The ESRI report revealed earlier this week revealed that rates of child poverty have risen in recent years when housing costs are accounted for, from 20% in 2020 to 22% in 2023. The data also shows that 230,000 children are experiencing material deprivation, …

It’s been confirmed that almost 180 asylum seekers are due to be housed in Milligan Court in Sligo. Major controversy arose last year after the owners of both Milligan Court and Benbulben Court were to stop letting their accommodation to students. Both properties had been traditionally catering to students and it resulted in around 500 young people…

The HSE have acknowledged that the Collooney Health Centre requires an expansion due to the growing population in the area. Following an assessment, they also admitted that additional space would be essential for future needs of both the HSE and GP services within the town. A submission now needs to be made for funding to make the relevant developm…

One in Four is supporting the Government's approval of a Commission to investigate alleged abuse in schools. The Garda Commissioner says gardai are investigating whether school abuse was organised and co-ordinated. Earlier this week a scoping inquiry found there were around 2-thousand-400 allegations of abuse involving more than 800 alleged abusers…

Sligo's Martin Gordon on his Paris Paralympics experience Peter McFarlane - on the rise of hurling in Four Masters, Donegal Town. Nando Pijnaker on why the time is now to leave Sligo Rovers. Plus - here comes the women’s senior club football championship in Sligo. We’ll hear from all four contenders ahead of the championship throw-in this weekend.…

There are hopes that a rural bus stop in Sligo will be moved, due to health and safety concerns at its current location. It's been suggested to move the stop from McCann's Cross into Coolaney Village, as a large number of students attending St Attracta's College in Tubbercurry are picked up and dropped off at the crossroads. This has led to heavy t…

Sligo Rovers will be hosting a sleep-out next month in a bid to raise funds to combat homelessness. The Shine A Light campaign, which will take place on October 11th, will run in conjunction with Focus Ireland. According to latest figures there are 76 adults homeless in Sligo and 48 children without a home in the Northwest region. Football Social R…

A Sligo-Leitrim TD has welcomed the latest electricity cuts but stressed that plenty still needs to be done to tackle the cost of living crisis. Electric Ireland announced today that it will provide customers with reductions in electricity and gas of 3%, amounting to €45 and €40 in savings annually respectively. While the company will also absorb a…

A Donegal Cllr has made a public appeal for all landowners to take ownership of hedge-cutting issues within the county. This is following a warning from a local bus service that said it may halt operating along certain routes until hedges have been cut back. There are also major safety concerns over the lack of maintenance, as some motorists veer o…

There's been a mixed reaction to extra Garda patrols and checkpoints to be rolled out in County Leitrim. It's in the wake of a spike in crime across the County, namely burglaries and theft. A countywide operation is to be initiated in the coming days as part of Operation Thor. Sinn Fein Cllr Padraig Fallon says while it will provide some reassuranc…

The recent closure of the Pain Clinic in Sligo is said to be having an impact on not only the patients who had been using it, but also on the public purse. Since June, the clinic is no longer taking new referrals and is now effectively reduced to a partial one day a week clinic which is due to finish within a few months. According to local Sinn Fei…

There's big concern over a lack of manpower at Manorhamilton Garda Station. It follows what's been described as a very serious incident in the town last week. When help was sought, it emerged that the local Garda station was closed as Gardai were in attendance at another incident. It's thought that there's only a maximum of two personnel attached t…

Passengers travelling through Ireland West Airport are said to be adapting well to new security regulations introduced earlier this week. Since Sunday, temporary liquid restrictions at airports in the EU were reintroduced, meaning passengers are not permitted to carry liquids, aerosols and gels in containers greater than 100ml in their cabin baggag…

There's hopes that the National Trail Conference can return to the North West again. The conference, which was held over the weekend and ran until Tuesday in Leitrim, was the first of it's kind to be held in Ireland. A number of events took place throughout, showcasing what Ireland has to offer in terms of adventure tourism, and over 2,000 people a…

The Irish Medical Organisation have warned that the health system is at a critical juncture as it faces a worsening crisis. The IMO launched their pre-budget submission today and called for urgent action on funding, capacity and workforce planning. Hospitals have faced long-standing issues in relation to waiting lists, staffing and access to GPs an…

There will be no train service between Sligo and Mullingar on Saturday September 7th, and will be replaced by a bus transfer. While the train is available from Mullingar to Dublin, engineering works are to take place along the rail line, with bus services operating along the route instead. The only services to not be available on Saturday are the 1…

Calls have been made from Sligo for church assets to be seized and be put towards a redress scheme for the survivors of reported historic sexual abuse at a number of religious schools. A scoping inquiry report, published yesterday, included St. John's National School in Sligo, which had 20 allegations with 10 alleged abusers while De La Salle Natio…

Victim advocacy groups want the Commission of Investigation into reports of historic sexual abuse at some religious schools to be carried out in an 'expedient' and 'victim centred manner'. A statutory inquiry has been ordered after almost 2 thousand 400 allegations involving 8 hundred and 84 alleged abusers were made to a scoping inquiry. They incl…

A Sligo Cllr has written to Justice Minister Helen McEntee over issues that came to light in relation to the ticket pricing of the upcoming Oasis concerts. Labour Cllr Nessa Cosgrove along with nine other party Cllrs hope to have a meeting with the minister with the goal of preventing dynamic pricing. Many complaints were raised when some standing …

Members of the Donegal Municipal District have had what's been described as a worthwhile meeting with Uisce Eireann. The meeting was held to discuss a number of water issues affecting the wider south Donegal area. This is the first in a series of similar discussions planned between Uisce Eireann and local representatives, following numerous complai…

After many agonising months, High Street in Sligo has fully reopened. Demolition works had been taking place on a number of derelict buildings in the area, which resulted in severe restrictions to both pedestrians and traffic. The works are now finished. Businesses along the street had also experienced a major loss in revenue. Rosaleen Doonan of Li…

The Government has come in for further criticism over the bike shelter constructed at Leinster House. An immediate review into the costs associated with the construction of the over €330 thousand euro shelter has been requested by the Minister of State with responsibility of Office Public Works. The huge bill has raised eyebrows both locally and na…

There's calls for a Family Resource Centre to be established in North Leitrim. It's thought that the area meets all the relevant criteria. Such a centre provides a range of universal and targeted services and development opportunities that address the needs of families. Cllr James Gilmartin believes that both the Government and Tusla can and should…

It's emerged that the north west recorded the highest amount of rainfall throughout the month of August. 181.3 mm and 29 days of rainfall was recorded at Malin Head throughout the month, making its wettest August on record. Figures published in Met Éireann's Climate Statement for August also show that temperatures were coolest in the west and north…

A potential scheme to introduce free mole mapping to combat skin cancer has been widely criticised. Earlier this week, Fianna Fáil TD Christopher O'Sullivan suggested the plans, saying that it had the potential to save lives in the long term. However, it's widely felt that the scheme couldn't possibly work in Ireland, given that it has never been i…

The Leitrim ladies GAA All Ireland winning team are set to get a Civic Reception. Leitrim County Council is to host the event, and is in honour of the team's victory over Tyrone earlier in the summer. It's anticipated that it will be held next month, with the Council set to consult both the team and management. It follows a motion passed by Fianna …

The public are being taken for a ride over the bike shelter controversy. That's according to Sinn Feins Finance Spokesperson and Donegal TD Pearse Doherty, who has been speaking following confirmation that a full review is to be carried out into why it cost over 300 thousand euro to build the shelter in Leinster House. The Minister for the OPW has …

There are fears that a lack of student accommodation in Sligo will ultimately lead to gridlock in the town in the months ahead. Many students wishing to study at ATU Sligo now find themselves in a major scramble for somewhere to live. It's thought that it will result in a lot of them driving to college daily. Local Sinn Fein Cllr Arthur Gibbons say…

Communities in south Donegal are being urged to be on high alert in the wake of last week's seizure of suspected cannabis vapes. Garda searches were conducted in Bundoran and Donegal Town, following reports of a medical incident, in which a member of the public had fallen ill. An investigation is continuing. Local Sinn Fein Cllr Michael McMahan say…

There's renewed calls for the VAT rate for the hospitality sector to return to 9%. The VAT rate for the hospitality sector in Ireland currently stands at 13.5%, with a number of businesses across the north west struggling to keep their doors open. Earlier this month, Minister Paschal Donohoe poured cold water on the matter saying it would cost more…

A Donegal Sinn Féin TD has backed his party’s affordable housing plan that promises to be a “game-changer”. The 39 million euro plan published today aims to build 300 thousand homes over the next five years, if elected. The plan proposes many changes, include rent freezes and a 100% redress for the defective block scheme. Deputy Pearse Doherty says…

It’s a difficult situation for teachers and students to reach their full potential. That’s according to a local councillor in relation to the overcrowded classrooms in the North West. Current figures show that one in 10 students are enrolled in oversized classes of 30 or more. There were 27% of Leitrim pupils in classes of 30 or more in the recent …

Some might say it was a weekend of disappointment for Oasis fans in the North West. Many were left gutted some standing tickets for the Croke Park gigs which went on general sale for 86.50 plus booking fees, shot up to over 400 euro. It's led to calls for the country's consumer watchdog to investigate Ticketmaster's handling of the band's ticket sa…

Farm safety inspections will be taking place across the north west over the next two weeks. A new campaign by the Health and Safety Authority will focus on the dangers of working at height on farms. Inspectors will advise farmers on carrying out risk assessments around potential hazards and the methods of addressing them. IFA Sligo branch chairpers…

Sitting TD Frank Feighan has iterated his belief that a General Election will be called this side of Christmas. It comes as Deputy Feighan was selected by Fine Gael to represent the party in the Sligo-Leitrim constituency at the next election. Fine Gael have now chosen 34 General Election candidates in 22 constituencies - in the Donegal constituenc…

Fine Gael Cllr Thomas Walsh has expressed his disappointment over developments leading up to the party's selection convention last night. Sitting TD Frank Feighan was selected by Fine Gael to represent the party in the Sligo-Leitrim constituency at the next General Election. But earlier in the evening, Cllr Thomas Walsh withdrew as a candidate afte…

A national slow down day is being held today aimed at reducing road deaths caused by speeding. A joint campaign by gardaí and the Road Safety Authority aims to tackle bad driver behaviour, with over 70,000 people caught breaking the limit in the year to July. The initiative hopes to curb rising road deaths which currently stands at 127. Superintend…

Sligo Rovers confirmed on Sunday that defender Nando Pijnaker has left the club to return to New Zealand. The Kiwi joins Austin O'Callaghan on 'The Rovers Review.

Sligo Rovers defender Nando Pijnaker has left the clulb to pursure his football career in his native New Zealand. He spoke to Ocean FM Sport's Austin O'Callaghan.

As the fallout continues over exorbitant ticket prices to Oasis’ two Croke Park gigs, Ticketmaster Europe’s former executive vice-president has defended the company. Calls have been made for the Consumer and Competition Protection Commission to investigate the pricing system on Ticketmaster’s website with hundreds queuing online for tickets, with m…

Passengers must remove liquids under 100ml from hand luggage at Dublin Airport security from today. Management at the airport says it hopes the EU restrictions will only be in place for a short time. Previously, it began bringing in C3 scanners which would mean passengers would not have to remove liquids from hand luggage. Travel Extra Editor Eogha…