A Sligo Councillor claims the news that there will be no greenway developed on the western rail corridor in County Sligo is a major blow to the tourism potential of the County

Senior Department of Transport officials confirmed the decision at a Joint Oireachtas Transport Committee hearing yesterday.

Ballymote Tubbercurry Councillor Barry Gallagher says that with no rail developments being considered until 2050 it's an opportunity missed

There are renewed calls for two vacant units at the Donegal Craft Village to be brought back into use.

The units need upgraded before they can be occupied with electrical work said to be main issue.

The craft village itself is said to be thriving but it's thought that the overall appearance would improve if it was fully operational.

Independent Cllr Jimmy Brogan says the lack of progress is disappointing:

There will be no greenway developed on the western rail corridor in County Sligo

That’s been confirmed by senior Department of Transport officials.

The news emerged at a Joint Oireachtas Transport Committee hearing yesterday.

What has been described as ‘a constructive meeting’ has taken place between the Minister for Health and a delegation of Consultants and General Practitioners from Donegal.

The meeting was called to discuss concerns surrounding Letterkenny University Hospital and the positioning of a surgical hub in the North West.

The meeting was arranged by the Minister in response to 171 clinicians calling for a pause and a review of the decision to select Sligo University Hospital for the site of a new surgical hub in the North West.

The doctors and the Minister have agreed to meet again in two week’s time to discuss the issues raised after both sides have time to reflect and to gather further information.

Dr Aine Keating is based in LUH she says it’s vital that the Minister realises how devastating it will be for Donegal not have a Surgical Hub in Letterkenny

The Transport Minister has been told that a number of key road projects in Sligo and Leitrim must progress as a matter of urgency.

Upgrades to the N17, the N16 and the N15 have all been eagerly awaited by communities across the region.

The issue was raised with Minister Darragh O'Brien this afternoon by Fine Gael TD Frank Feighan.

Speaking to Ocean FM news, Deputy Feighan believes that the projects in question will move forward but conceded that better connectively is needed in the North West:

The Transport Minister says he wants to see legislation fast tracked on introducing a security force for public transport.

Last year saw a pilot introduced to tackle anti-social behavior and earlier this year, the Government committed to it full time.

There have several incidents on the Sligo - Connolly service.

In its safety report for the first quarter of 2024, Irish Rail said there had been 292 “reportable” incidents on its services, up from 202 in the first three months of 2023.

Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien says a transport police is needed:

An urgent meeting is being requested with Failte Ireland over what's been described as an emerging festival crisis in south Donegal.

Sea Sessions in Bundoran, The Donegal Food Festival and the Donegal Town Summer festival are all not going ahead this year.

Plans are also said to be afoot in Cork over establishing a Rory Gallagher Festival, sparking fears over how this might impact the yearly event held in Ballyshannon.

Meanwhile the spiralling cost of insurance coupled with a lack of volunteers are said to be two of the biggest issues facing the sector.

Fianna Fail Cllr Michael Naughton says these festivals can be revived if they did get a much needed funding injection:

Sinn Fein Cllr Michael McMahon says everything possible needs to be done to support the local industry:

Recommendations from the Climate Change Advisory Council have been welcomed locally.

The council are recommending an additional €10,000 in grants to low-income households for the purchase of electric vehicles, particularly in areas with limited access to public transport such as the north west.

The calls are an effort to address the fall in sales of electric vehicles which reduced by 24% last year.

In its annual review of the transport sector, the council called for Government intervention to support sustained emissions reductions and to encourage people to switch to public transport.

The group have called for incentives aimed at low-income households when it comes to purchasing electric vehicles where there is limited access to public transport.

Sligo Councillor Donal Gilroy says while he accepts there will be some issues, it could be the way forward locally:

The public transport challenges facing county Donegal have been raised on the floor of the Dáil.

Widespread concerns have been previously expressed over cancellations, limited routes and the absence of a rail service, leaving users, particularly in rural areas, feeling isolated.

100% Redress Party TD Charles Ward has reported abrupt cancellations of Bus Éireann services with little or no warning, citing reduced capacity and other complications affecting the service.

Deputy Ward says the lack of infrastructure is having a number of knock-on effects locally.

There are calls for a regular Garda presence outside Dunkineely National School until safety measures are implemented there.

It comes as the project has moved to next phase, but it’s estimated that it'll be next year before work is completed.

Sinn Fein Cllr Noel Jordan says frustration is building among the community over the slow progress with installing the safety measures there.

In the interim, Cllr Jordan feels that Gardai need to closely monitor driver behaviour in the area: