People across the North West are being urged to donate blood as stocks are said to be extremely low. The Irish Blood Transfusion Service is seeking an additional 2,000 blood donations over the next 4 weeks to maintain the national blood supply. Some blood groups have fallen to under 3 days of stock and hospital demand has been consistently high, pa…

The lack of investment in health services locally has been raised on the floor of the Dáil. While a greenfield site has been identified as a potential location for surgical hub in Sligo, campaigners in Donegal continue to voice their hopes for one in the county. Patients throughout Donegal are currently forced to travel long distances to access car…

People across the North West are being asked to listen to comments made by a senior local authority official over holiday homes. The director of services for housing and roads at Mayo County Council sent an email to members of his local authority committee last week, urging the community boycott of holiday home owners. Tom Gilligan says the propert…

The Government and the HSE are being accused for a creating a 'disaster zone' within North West health service. The issue is said to centre on a lack of home care assistance available in Donegal, with further claims that recruitment in the county is being prevented. Speaking in the Dail, Sinn Fein TD Padraig MacLochlainn says that's leading to a wi…

There are calls for dental hygienist courses to be available from the ATU campus in Killybegs. There's said to be a massive demand for but not enough people trained and employed in the role. Fine Gael Senator Manus Boyle says the amount of courses need to be multiplied in the North West and elsewhere. Speaking in the Seanad, Senator Boyle more oppo…

A long-serving Leitrim Postmistress says the future of many small post offices in the north west is far from certain. The comments come as it emerged that Ireland's Post Office network needs €15-million euro per year for the next five years to secure essential community services. A Grant Thornton report out today calculates the annual social and ec…

It's hoped that this week's verdict in a case over external insulation will ease fears in Sligo over the so-called wraparound scheme. A Dublin couple were initially told that their external insulation is in breach of planning conditions and that they must remove it by June or face a fine or imprisonment. They have since been granted permission to r…

There are calls for water safety and swimming lessons to be incorporated into primary education in Ireland. It comes in the wake of two tragic incidents in the water in the North West in recent weeks. Seven year old Alan Singh lost his life following an incident in the water near Lissadell Beach on Saturday, one week on from two teenage boys losing…

Showing unity with migrants is the main focus at today's National Integration Conference in Dublin. The Immigrant Council will hold its 6th annual gathering to discuss how to improve integration efforts here. Human rights experts from here and abroad will address the convention at a time when anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise. A number of are…

Hairdressers, stylists, barbers and nail technicians across Donegal have taken training to recognise signs of domestic abuse. More than 50 representatives attended a training event run by multiple agencies yesterday. The HSE says salon or barber staff have often built up a trust with their customers. HSE Addiction Services Lead, Donna McGee explain…

A school in Manorhamilton has been granted planning permission to develop an extension. St Clare’s National School received the approval from Leitrim County Council, and can now turn their attention towards the works. The extension will include one SEN classroom, three SET rooms, an office, ancillary rooms, and increased car park capacity. Independ…

There are calls for a number of bus stops in Sligo to be updated with improved infrastructure. A suitable location for a bus stop has been requested for Maugherow, along with a bus shelter and clear signage to be installed at the bus stop at Dunleavy’s shop. There is a push for spending on bus stops locally after it was revealed that last year, ove…

The new EU-UK trade deal is seen as being devastating for Killybegs, despite it being described as a “landmark deal.” The two sides announced details of the agreement at the first summit of its kind in London since Brexit. The current post-Brexit UK fishing deal in place with the EU is to be extended until 2038, with concerns being raised over the …

Leitrim fire service have been praised for their swift response to a major gorse fire yesterday. The blaze broke out just outside Rooskey village with fire firefighters spending several hours working on bringing the fire under control. Smoke was said to be visible for miles for a time yesterday evening. An extensive amount of land has been damaged …

Despite the 2024-2025 school year beginning to wind down, pupils in Grange Post Primary School, in Sligo are still without essential toilet and welfare facilities. Parents of pupils attending the school have also been left frustrated that an extension that has been promised by the Department of Education has not been delivered. Local Councillor Mar…

Farmers from the across the counties of Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal will join others from the country today in a protest over planned changes to farm payments by the EU. The European Commission is proposing to merge CAP into a single European fund. Farming Groups fear that could mean the funding would no longer be ring fenced for agriculture and cou…

A Sligo Councillor has urged the general public to exercise common sense for the remaining days of the current warm spell of weather. Councillor Joe Queenan, is warning those in Enniscrone to be mindful of the dangerous water currents in and requested the public not to bring disposable barbecues to the regions beaches. The independent Councillor sa…

Huge concerns have been raised over what the new EU-UK trade deal will mean for Killybegs and the wider Irish pelagic sector. The two sides announced details of the agreement yesterday at the first summit of its kind in London since Brexit. The current fishing deal in place, which has negatively impacted the fishing industry in Killybegs, has been …

An increase in exports, strong domestic sales and a rise in landings to Irish ports helped the seafood industry to grow last year. The Bord Iascaigh Mhara Business of Seafood report found the value of the industry rose to 1.24 billion euro in 2024, up 4 per cent on the year previous. Retail seafood sales increased to 333 million euro while 93 in ev…

There are calls for the Clarion Road in Sligo to be renamed. The road is currently named after a hotel franchise that has since rebranded and no longer operates in Sligo. Local Cllr Ann Higgins wants the public to suggest a suitable name that is more in keeping with the town’s heritage. Cllr Higgins says it’s time to make the significant piece of i…

New tertiary bachelors degrees will be available in Sligo for the 2025/2026 academic year. Entry for one of these courses is not based on points, and there are no tuition fees for the first one to two years. One of the degrees is in engineering, and another in Nursing, with both courses commencing at an ETB before transitioning to ATU Sligo. Maria …

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 frag…

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 all…

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 lowe…

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 For…

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 Ma…

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 hi…

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 identi…

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 …

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. Sl…

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 maintena…

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. Loca…

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 Sta…

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-Tu…

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 Cataloni…

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 s…

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 …

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 …

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 proble…

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 tha…

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 salmo…

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 mem…

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 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 baselin…

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 i…

A Sligo Councillor is calling on the Local Authority to establish a maintenance fund to ensure that playgrounds in the Sligo Strandhill Municipal District are maintained all year round. The calls from Councillor Tom MacSharry, come after serious concern has been raised over such facilities situated at Mitchell Curley Park and Doorly Park. Sligo Cou…

Today is the final day that the Red Dress project will be at City Hall in Sligo. The dress has been worked on by 380 people over 14 years from 51 countries, making it a Guinness World Record for largest embroidery project. The project provides a platform for individuals, particularly women, and communities around the world, many of whom are vulnera…

Chair of the Sligo PeacePlus Partnership, Cllr Donal Gilroy praised the combined efforts on the project:

A PEACEPLUS initiative has been launched in Sligo today. The programme is aimed at cross border counties and encourages a prosperous and connected society between them. Millions have been allocated towards various projects to improve relations on the island of Ireland. Minister of State Dara Calleary says it’s important to continue a message of pea…

A series of follow-up meetings between clinicians and HSE management are to be scheduled to ensure progress on upgrades to the Orthopaedic Theatre at Sligo University Hospital. This week it was revealed that the entire roof will be replaced at the theatre later this year after numerous leaks. The meetings will also aim to support the restoration of…