East Coast FM Wicklow News

A new survey by the Irish Business Against litter group shows that just 40 per cent of 32 coastal areas surveyed were deemed clean to “European norms”.

Ireland has won a gold medal overnight at the Tokyo Olympics in the double lightweight sculls final.

A post mortem examination's taking place today on the body of a baby boy who was killed in te Ardoyne area of north Belfast on Tuesday night.

Northern Ireland's in danger of becoming a 'permanent casualty' of the Brexit process, according to a new report.

Gardai in Dublin are continuing to question two people in connection with a firearms seizure in Tallaght.

The National Public Health Emergency Team has renewed its appeal for people to take a Covid-19 vaccine when it's offered.

There was a 29 per cent increase in applications for divorce last year.

Two passengers were 'doing lines of cocaine' off the table on a Dublin-Cork train, according to a complaint lodged with Irish Rail.

A man on trial for the murder of his former partner told gardaí he didn’t want to kill her but that if he did, he could have.

The HSE has revealed the location of all its walk-in vaccination centres with the one for Wicklow at the Shoreline Leisure Centre in Greystones.

The proposal will see the electrified network extended from the Connolly/Spencer Dock area to west of Maynooth and to the M3 Parkway.

An investigation is underway into the alleged rape of a female member of the Defence Forces in Dublin.

Councillors in Wicklow have voted to increase the Local Property Tax charge by 6 per cent for 2022.

A murder investigation is under way after a two-month-old infant was stabbed to death and a two-year-old child seriously injured in north Belfast last night.

An Oireachtas committee's calling for free counselling for all, and a new 24/7 emergency mental health service.

The Disabilities Minister says children with underlying health conditions should be prioritised in the Covid vaccine rollout.

152 covid patients are now in hospital with 26 of those people in critical care.

The Health Minister has indicated the number of guests at weddings will increase from 50 to 100 next month.

Walk-in Covid vaccination centres are also due to open from this weekend.

It paves the way for the long awaited project to provide the town with a waste water treatment facility, which has taken almost 30 years to achieve.

The trial of a man accused of murdering his former partner at her Arklow home has heard he WhatsApped her just over a week beforehand asking if she was seeing someone close to him.

The Health Information and Quality Authority has published two inspection reports relating to a designated centre for people with disabilities in Wexford, following inspections in March and May of this year.

The Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien has come up with a new proposal to increase more homes in the rental market.

A new report by the Irish Banking and Payments Federation shows the number of mortgage approvals and draw downs continue to rise.

The number of new homes under construction increased by 38 percent compared to last year.

The number of times Ireland looked for help from other countries in solving crimes increased by nearly 27 per cent last year.

The Minister of State Patrick O’ Donovan will be in Wicklow this morning to discuss the proposed flood relief schemes for Arklow and Glendalough.

Pharmacies say they've almost run out of Johnson and Johnson vaccines - with no indication of when the next delivery will arrive.

Hospitals are stepping up their preparations for a further surge in Covid admissions, according to the head of a hospital group.

Government Ministers will this morning consider plans to increase the number of guests allowed at weddings to 100 from next month.

Wicklow County Council is seeking planning permission to construct a new bridge over the Dargle river on the tow side of the railway bridge. The application to An Bord Pleanála includes the provision of access roads across the lower part of the old Bray golf course.

65 people have died on Irish roads between January and July 15th of this year.

The Department of Education is planning for a full return to schools from next month, according to the Minister.

Some parking measures were introduced in Brittas Bay over the weekend, designed to eliminate the growing incidents of illegal parking and traffic congestion in the area.

A memorandum is being brought before cabinet tomorrow to give the final approval for the wastewater treatment plant in Arklow.

A protest will take place in Dublin today, calling on the government to implement measures to stop people being 'priced out' of the housing market.

Consumers are waking up to another affect of the UK leaving the EU.

Two people have lost their lives on Irish roads in the last 24 hours

For the first time since December, bars and restaurants across the country can open their doors for indoor dining today,.

The five-day moving average of Covid-19 cases has increased by 16 percent in the past week, much lower than the increase over the previous seven days.

141 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 25 are in ICU.

Irish Water has begun construction on a new reservoir in Saggart that will help to safeguard supplies to homes and businesses in the Greater Dublin Area. 

The Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has written to the Chief Executives of a number of the key statutory bodies, including  Inland Fisheries Ireland, the Environmental Protection Agency and Failte Ireland, as well as the Minister for the Environment, expressing his concerns about  the proposed landfill at Ballinclare, in Kilbride just off the N11.

Wicklow County Council Library Service is to receive a total of €24,500 from the Dormant Accounts Action plan.

A High Court judge in Northern Ireland is to deliver a ruling in a legal challenge to the UK Government's decision not to hold a public inquiry into the Omagh bombing.

Permanent TSB has announced plans to buy out some of Ulster Bank's assets.

Today will be the final full day of the current heatwave with temperatures set to reach close to 30 degrees again.

The HSE says it expects new Covid-19 cases to reach 2,000 a day in the next week to 10 days.

The European Medicines Agency is expected to authorise a second Covid-19 vaccine for children today.

A meeting is taking place this morning to finalise official guidelines for the return of indoor dining on Monday.

Wind Energy Ireland says floating wind energy can transform Ireland into a European renewable energy superpower,  if the right policies are put in place to enable the industry to start building floating wind farms this decade.

There was a 260 per cent increase in the amount of cigarettes seized by Revenue last year.

95 patients are in hospital with the virus, down one from yesterday, with 23 in intensive care.

A member of the public who came to the aid of a man on trial for murder claims he told him he had killed his wife because she was with his friend.

The Oireachtas Justice Committee has decided the Dying with Dignity Bill is unfit for purpose and "doesn't stack up".

Three remote working facilities in Wicklow have been allocated funding under the Connected Hubs Scheme.

Bank of Ireland is buying most of Davy stockbrokers in a deal believed to be worth more than 400 million euro.

Do Not Swim orders are now in place for two beaches in North Dublin.

Two people have died following two separate drowning incidents in the last 12 hours.

A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency has found rivers in Wicklow continue to score high for water quality.

Two politicians and two hoteliers are due to appear before a court in Clifden this morning in connection with the alleged breach of Covid-19 regulations.

Frustration is growing at the lack of certainty over the number of guests who can attend wedding receptions.

The Stormont executive will meet today to decide whether to allow restrictions to ease significantly on Monday.

The British government's latest statement on the protocol will further destabilise Northern Ireland, according to a US congressman.

The Higher Education Minister insists every single student will have on-site college experience this coming school year.

The number of domestic violence cases sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions has increased by over two thirds this year.

There has been a further 1,378 Covid-19 cases - the highest figure in nearly 6 months.

Mr Murtagh, of Melrose Grove, Clondalkin in Dublin, admits killing Nadine Lott, but has pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder.

The number of Pandemic Unemployment Payment has now reached its lowest level since March 2020.

There are calls for an explanation as to why a social housing scheme in Dunlavin which was expected to be handed over to tenants in spring of last year, remains vacant, with no date confirmed as to when keys will be handed over.

Wicklow County Council says an emergency road closure has been put in place at the junction of Upper and Lower Dargle Road, Bray.  

Former Minister and founder of the Progressive Democrats Des O'Malley has died aged 82.

The mother of a young Wicklow woman who was killed by her former partner following a serious assault gave evidence at his murder trial yesterday, in which she described her efforts to try to save her daughter.

The British government is expected to call for significant changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol today.

A status orange high temperature alert remains in place for Cavan, Monaghan, south Leitrim, Roscommon, Longford, Westmeath, while a yellow high temperature alert  is in operation for Wicklow and the rest of the country until Friday.

Cabinet is expected to sign off on a 100 million euro package to fund the return to on-site teaching for colleges and universities.

The incidence rate of Covid-19 has increased in every county around Ireland over the past week.

Cabinet ministers are expected to sign off on guidelines for the resumption of indoor dining today.

251 children have been waiting at least a year for an appointment with the mental health service.

89 people with the virus are now in hospital, with 21 of those in ICU.

The original helpline has been replaced after it buckled under pressure yesterday.

Despite strong opposition from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, and 150 objections including one from Fine Gael Junior Minister Josepha Madigan,  An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission for a 445 build-to-rent apartment scheme at Stepaside in South County Dublin.

The bank says services will be merged with other nearby locations.

Three people who went missing in Wicklow over the weekend have been located.

The trial of a 34 year old man accused of killing his former partner at her Wicklow home is due to get underway at the Central Criminal Court this morning.

The North's Assembly will meet today to discuss the plan from the British Government for a de-facto amnesty on crimes committed during the Troubles.

The Restaurants Association of Ireland will meet members of Government later over the proposal for the reopening of indoor dining.

It’s being claimed that the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson didn't believe the country's health system could be overwhelmed by Covid-19, according to his former aide.

The country's 14-day incidence rate of Covid-19 cases is now at its highest point since the end of February.

A Premier League footballer has been arrested on suspicion of child sex offences.

A Wicklow Minister has said there's been no new public health advice to suggest the re-opening of indoor dining should be delayed.

Homeowners are being urged to avoid using paddling pools and to take shorter showers as temperatures are forecast to soar up to 30 degrees this week.

The Beacon Hospital in Dublin has apologised after a review found it was wrong to offer 20 teachers at a private school Covid-19 vaccines, without HSE approval.

The HSE has issued an apology after it’s emerged that the smear results of around 200 women have gone out of date.

Gardai have issued an appeal for help in finding two missing teenagers last seen in Wicklow town yesterday.

Farm Safety Week begins today in Wicklow and across the country.

The country's five-day moving average of Covid-19 cases has risen by 89 percent in the past week.

International travel is allowed from today for the first time in 16 months, as Ireland rolls-out the EU Digital Covid Certificate.

The Unite union will hold a protest in Dublin today over what it calls the unsafe re-opening of English Language Education schools.

Despite warnings and appeals,  motorists still parked their vehicles illegally in a number of scenic and beach locations in Wicklow at the weekend.

The Department of Health has reported 1,071 new cases of Covid 19.

A do not consume water notice affecting 213 residents and businesses in Barndarrig and parts of Kilbride has been lifted.

A number of volunteer organisations in Wicklow are to benefit from €162,000 worth of funding under the National Covid Stability Fund.

With temperatures set to hit the mid 20’s over the next few days, visitors to Magheramore and Brittas Bay are being warned that there will be a strong Garda presence in both areas this weekend, with fines and towing measures in place for those who breach parking laws.

The Department of Education has completed fire tests at Greystones Community National School.

It’s emerged that a development company acquired the 21 acre clifftop lands and access route to Magheramore Beach  between Wicklow town and Brittas Bay, which sold last month.

A protest took place in the Phoenix Park last night, with people demonstrating against the use of vaccination passes for indoor dining.

More than 5 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine have now been administered in the Republic. Over 60 percent of adults are now fully vaccinated.

Approved housing body Tuath says it delivered more than 1,000 homes last year, despite the pandemic.

Wicklow’s international Artist Hozier, along with Christy Moore, Lisa Hannigan and Sinead O’Connor are being celebrated on a new set of Irish Stamps from An Post.

The north's five main political parties will meet with the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Northern Ireland Secretary of State this morning over the British governments proposed amnesty for Troubles-related offences.

The new toilet units will facilitate outdoor activities and leisure in the Harbour area for the summer months

A man's been left with 10-thousand Britney Spears campaign t-shirts that he can't shift, because of an unfortunate typing error. Instead of spelling 'Free Britney' - it reads 'Free Brittany' as in the spelling for a region of France.

33-year-old Brendan Treanor, of Emer Terrace, Castletown Road, Dundalk, is due back in court next week when he’s expected to apply for bail.

There’s good news for commuters in Wicklow.

A Wicklow Sheep farmer has issued an appeal for help in locating 26 sheep, missing in the Glen Bride region of the county for almost a month.

There’s been a fall in the number of people claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment in Wicklow.

First issued in early February, the notice affects 213 residences from Barndarrig village to parts of Kilbride.

The Minister for Higher Education Wicklow TD Simon Harris has said progress in advancing a Technological University in Wexford is progressing at a significant pace.

Gardai have arrested a man in connection with alleged corrupt practices at the Kildare and Wicklow Education Training Board.

The following arrangements are in place for Wicklow County Council Offices and the Municipal District Offices for week commencing Monday, 7th June, 2021.

Last month, a jury found Ms Morley NOT guilty of murdering her three children in their home at Parson’s Court, Newcastle, Co Dublin, by reason of insanity.

An increase in tax revenue is behind a slight improvement in the exchequer deficit.

The Seanad is debating extending the quarantine rules until the 31st of July.

The numbers in Kildare are less than Wicklow and Meath combined.

The competition, which has been held annually for the past 60 years, was cancelled last summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Former Debenhams workers have accepted an offer of a three million euro training, upskilling and business start-up fund.

More than 13 weeks since it was first put in place, Irish Water says the Do Not Consume Notice for 213 customers supplied by Barndarrig Public Water Supply, remains in place.

Gardai have issued a warning that Covid-19 doesn’t take the weekend off for house parties or social gatherings.

Jonathan Dowdall, with an address on the Navan Road in Dublin, was brought before the Special Criminal Court this morning.

Plans are underway for an urban greenway between the Grand Canal and Lucan.

The RSA believes drug-driving detections will continue to rise for the foreseeable future as enforcement levels go up.

Over 11,500 people have attended the walk-in Covid testing centres open since last week.

The CEO of the VHI has stepped aside while the board of the company investigates how he received a Covid vaccine at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin.

The City Council says it is investigating a number of options.

The Wicklow parents of a young boy waiting two years for an urgent hip correction operation, say they feel they have been ignored by the health service.

Ireland's newest outdoor tourism attraction is being officially launched today.

The €25 million facility near the IFSC was given the go ahead in 2019.

Over 750 individual dumping sites have been removed from the Dublin and Wicklow uplands in the past year.

More than half of women in Ireland would not use public transport at night over safety concerns.

Members of the public are being asked to give their input on a Masterplan for Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains National Park. 

Almost €2 Million in funding has been secured for the second phase of a tourism project involving local authorities in Wicklow, Wexford and Waterford, with their counterparts in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion in Wales.

Wicklow Minister Simon Harris has welcomed the County Council move to carry out a social audit in Delgany after planning permission was granted for a housing development on the former lands of the Carmelite nuns.

Last year homophobic and racist graffiti, targeting the Minister for children Roderic O’Gorman and the Dublin Mayor Hazel Chu, appeared in various locations around Bray.

Local authorities received over 78 thousand environmental complaints in 2019, most of which related to waste issues.

Over 7,800 new social homes were delivered in 2020, including over 5,000 new builds, according to the Department of Housing.

The Department of Education has granted Woodbrook College funding for a substantial extension to their premises in North Wicklow.

€50 million in funding has been announced to support the live performance sector.

His comments come as an overhaul of the CAO system is planned.

The funding is being given to projects in areas including the north and south inner city, Dundrum, Balbriggan, and Adamstown.

The Garda Commissioner is to look again at the resourcing of public order units and push for the early vaccination of gardai against Covid 19.

A swimming pool for West Wicklow has been named as a priority project under the County Council’s Capital Plan with €50,000 being allocated for a feasibility study in 2021.

The current Covid-19 travel restrictions are being partly blamed for an increase in electrical items being dumped in waste bins in Wicklow in January of this year.

In a joint statement issued last night, the football associations here, Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland welcomed backing from the UK government for the bid, describing it as an "incredible opportunity".

Plans to build a 13 storey apartment block just opposite the train Station overlooking Dun Laoghaire harbour, is facing strong opposition from locals.

Over €1.5 million in funding has been made available for home adaptation works for older people and those living with disabilities in Wicklow.

New laws on mandatory hotel quarantine have now passed all stages in the Oireachtas.

Irish Water expects construction work on the Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant to begin in the second half of the year.

19 counties had an increase in vacant business premises in the final three months of last year.

A new online survey has been launched by the Minister for higher education Simon Harris on the provision of school places in Wicklow.

The Shoreline Leisure Centre is Greystones has replaced Charlesland Golf Club as a Covid 19 vaccination centre after it was deemed by the HSE to be too small for their needs.

The figures for 2020 show an increase of over €81 million on the numbers for 2019.

CervicalCheck is warning a lack of trust in screening programmes is causing women with cancer to risk their health and lives.

Wicklow County Council has rejected a claim that boxing coach Pete Taylor should be granted an injunction, preventing the council from terminating either his or Bray Boxing Club’s legal interest in a premises previously used by them at the harbour in Bray.

The Social Democrats have called for a free vote on their private members motion, which they say is vital to ensure that survivors and their families, who are angered by the commission’s findings, get the answers they are seeking.

Three people have appeared before the Special Criminal Court accused of laundering money allegedly made through criminal means.

It makes Ireland the world leader in share of the grid from onshore wind energy.

Dublin Airport is seeking contractors as part of expansion plans worth up to €50 million.

A former teacher at Terenure College in Dublin has been jailed for eight years for abusing 23 boys at the private school between 1973 and 1990.

An Bord Pleanála has granted permission for a 232 unit housing development on the former lands of the Carmelite nuns in Delgany.

Irish Water says plans to build a new reservoir in Saggart  will help to safeguard supplies to homes and businesses in the Greater Dublin Area. 

Gardai are to be given extra powers to stop scrambler bikes and quads being used in public parks, on waste ground and beaches.

Over €12.5 million in funding has been announced for the maintenance of regional and local roads in County Wicklow.

Wicklow Minister Simon Harris has called on the County Council to apply for funding from the OPW towards temporary ongoing remedial works at the Breaches in Kilcoole.

The National Transport Authority says the projects, which includes €1.2 million for the Strand road cycle route and €50,000 for the Arklow to Woodenbridge and Shillelagh route, will provide high quality facilities for cyclists and walkers.

A new €60 million COVID Business Aid Scheme is being made available by the government.

A man has been arrested after cocaine worth €150,000 was seized in Sallins in County Kildare.

The government today expanded the eligibility criteria, which will see cards available to all those who are terminally ill and have a prognosis of up to 24 months.

Local celebrity chef Catherine Fulvio has been nominated for 7 Taste awards in the United States for her television series A Taste of Ireland at Ballyknocken Cookery School.

Six people died on Irish roads last month despite a significant drop off in traffic volume.

A closure order has been issued for an outbuilding occupied by a food company in Wicklow, where mouse droppings were found.

A new Daft.ie report shows the average rent paid in Ireland is over €1,400.

A Wexford Fianna Fail senator has drafted legislation which he says will overcome a legal issue preventing local authorities in Wicklow and around the country, from using CCTV footage to prosecute people accused of illegal dumping.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee's recommending that any currently authorised Covid 19 vaccine can be given to adults of all ages, including those aged 70 and older.

Gardai have confirmed the woman who has been in a serious condition since the attack near the IFSC was pronounced dead at the Mater Hospital today.

Construction is set to start in the next few months on almost 600 public housing units in South County Dublin.

Hauliers travelling from Ireland to France can now avail of free Covid-19 antigen testing at a new site at Holmestown jsut outside Wexford town.

The mother of a boy who was murdered in 2019 has called for changes to a law prohibiting the identification of child homicide victims to be fast-tracked.

A new traffic management layout is in place on the N11 southbound carriageway between Junctions 7, the Bray south exit at Hills Garage and junction 8, the Roundwood exit at Kilmacanogue.