There have been no new commercial units built in Enniscrone in the last 15 years.

Of the urban areas in Sligo surveyed by GeoDirectory, Enniscrone had the lowest commercial vacancy rate at 18.1% - still well above the national average.

Independent Cllr Joe Queenan is warning that from a business point of view, the community of Enniscrone is trying to keep current unit open with great difficulty.

He believes it's not viable for anyone to open a business in Sligo in the current climate:

Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty has accused the government of allowing “open season” for price gouging, with banks, insurers, and energy firms making what he called “obscene profits.”

He claimed energy companies are hitting households with double-digit price hikes, while bailed-out banks pay no tax and consumers face the highest electricity prices in Europe.

Doherty slammed government inaction, saying promised energy credits were only meant to buy time and that time has now been wasted.

He urged action in Budget 2026 to cut costs and stop what he called a deepening cost-of-living crisis.

Data on Sligo's commercial vacancy rate has been brought into question.

The latest report from GeoDirectory once again indicates that County Sligo continues to have the highest commercial vacancy rate in the country at 20.8%.

The report has also found that the highest commercial vacancy rates were located in the west of the country, with Sligo, Donegal, Leitrim and Galway recording the highest proportion of vacant properties.

But Sligo BIDs Finbarr Filan has been delving into the figures and says he has found major inaccuracies:

An Oireachtas committee has heard that a change to planning regulations will mean what happened to student accommodation in Sligo can never happen again.

The Committee has been hearing about the chronic shortage and high costs of student accommodation in the North West and across the country.

Last week, Fine Gael TD Frank Feighan stated that the developer of Milligan and Benbulben Court in Sligo put the two fingers up to students, ATU Sligo and Sligo County Council.

Speaking today, Henry McGarvey, Vice President of Finance and Shared Services at Atlantic Technological University says plans are afoot to ensure these actions are prevented into the future:

Sligo University Hospital still hasn’t filled two approved consultant dermatologist positions.

That’s despite extensive recruitment efforts in 2025.

The HSE is now reshaping the roles, with one full-time position planned for Letterkenny and one for Sligo.

Cllr Marie Casserly whos also a member of the regional health forum tells Ocean FM News that the posts will be re-advertised once revised job profiles are approved, in hopes of securing specialists to meet regional needs.

The Health Minister has confirmed that the new Sligo to Galway bus will operational in the coming weeks.

The issue has been ongoing for nearly a year, after the old vehicle reached end of life.

Since then, a service has been catering to cancer patients locally but it has been lacking in toilet facilities and wheelchair access.

The issue was raised in the Dail yesterday by Fine Gael TD Frank Feighan who was told then that work was ongoing.

However Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill spoke to Deputy Feighan last night and gave him this update:

The Cleary Centre in Donegal Town is moving ahead with its design phase.

The Suitability Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) is currently out for tender, with construction expected to start in early 2026, pending approvals.

The new facility aims to provide more space and support for families in need of respite care.

Cllr Micheal Naughton says, Until we see contractors on the ground, we won't believe it’s happening.

There are renewed fears over how the closure of the Donegal ISPCA centre will impact animal welfare in the North West.

The centre closed a couple of weeks ago and was unable to come to the aid of 14 dogs which were discovered in deplorable conditions in the Glenties area in recent days.

The traumatised animals were seized by Gardai.

100% Redress Party TD Charles Ward says the service is clearly needed in the region:

More than 800 volunteers across the Northwest took part in this year's Big Beach Clean, with over 500 in Donegal and 300 in Sligo removing large amounts of marine litter.

The clean-up was part of a nationwide campaign that saw nearly 11,000 people collect over 60 tonnes of waste from coastlines and waterways.

Fishing gear, plastics and even umbrellas were among the most commonly found items along Northwest shores.

Speaking to Ocean FM News, Clean Coasts Regional Development Officer Sinead Keogh says the data collected locally helps shape national and international policies on marine litter.

A number of proposals have been put forward for Knockbeg Road in Sligo.

It follows a key meeting held last night between residents along the route, local Cllrs and members of the Roads Department at Sligo County Council.

There are a number of major safety concerns over the current state of the road.

The meeting, while said to be positive, was told that there is no funding currently in place to progress the works.

Local Sinn Fein Cllr Thomas Healy says the matter must be taken seriously once and for all: