East Coast FM Wicklow News

It follows reports the projects could be delayed for a number of years.

A family adventure tree park in North Wicklow may not re-open because of rising insurance costs .

Local residents in Wicklow town say they are opposed to planning that will see a former gym on the shores of the town's harbour demolished, to make way for the development of four apartments.

There’s been criticism across the political divide about a demonstration held outside Leo Varadkar’s home on Sunday.

Local representatives are to meet Irish Water today over water issues in Gorey and Dublin.

Essential water main replacement works are due to get underway in Greystones this morning.

Companies are being told they must ensure that public health precautions are in place for staff going back to workplaces from today.

Fianna Fáil says serious safety concerns by air traffic controllers "cannot be whitewashed" by the Irish Aviation Authority.

As of this morning, 297 patients were in hospital with the virus - down from 321 this day last week.

This year's culture night will see a mix of online and in-person events with adherence to Covid 19 guidelines .

President Michael D Higgins says he won't attend a church service to commemorate the centenary of Northern Ireland and partition because it is political in nature.

There's bad news for Aer Lingus cabin crew who rejected a restructuring deal.

Details of new variable speed limits on Dublin's M50 will be announced this morning.

Rail commuters in north Wicklow are facing disruption this weekend.

Two men have been charged with the murder of journalist Lyra McKee.

The Government is to consider putting limits on the length of probation someone has to serve when starting a new job.

A first for Ireland is taking place in Wicklow this coming weekend, as Blessington hosts the country's first ever, "half way to Saint Patrick's day festival".

Analysis of data on the Covid-19 pandemic shows that only 10 percent of people who died from the virus were treated in ICU.

One of Ireland's largest teachers unions says it is too soon to change the rules for children who are close contacts of a confirmed Covid 19 case.

The new owners of Cooaltin House in Shillelagh are believed to be looking at restoring the historic property.

Wicklow Minister Simon Harris says he is 'strongly' considering making a complaint against Sinn Fein TD Matt Carthy for what he says is a misuse of Dail privilege.

The next round of public consultation on the preferred route option for the N11/M11 upgrade has been extended by two weeks until Monday the 4th of October.

East Coast FM's Morning Show Presenter Declan Meehan has been recognised for his years in broadcasting by being inducted into the prestigious IMRO Radio Hall of Fame.

The Sláintecare Implementation Advisory Council will meet with the Health Minister later over the resignations of two senior members.

The future of the DUP's involvement in power-sharing at Stormont could be decided at a special meeting of the party's executive later.

The European Parliament has formally approved the 5 billion euro Brexit adjustment fund, with a fifth allocated to Ireland.

Minister Simon Coveney survived a confidence motion in the Dáil last night

There have been 24 deaths related to Covid-19 reported in the past week.

In a letter to the Taoiseach, MacSharry said Fianna Fáil positioning and policy is being determined in an undemocratic, totalitarian way.

They increased by 8.6 per cent nationally, while the average price of a home bought in the 12 months to July was 267,000 euro.

More than 25,500 people have come off the Pandemic Unemployment Payment in the past week.

A 20-year-old motorcyclist has died in a crash in Dublin city centre.

Four men have been arrested in connection with the murder of the journalist Lyra McKee.

The Foreign Affairs Minister will face a no confidence motion in the Dail this evening over the Katherine Zappone controversy.

The government's Budget plans appear to be "at the limit" of what's prudent, according to the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council.

The Chief Medical Officer says the possibility of further Covid-19 restrictions can't be ruled out in the future.

The Minister for Health, Wicklow T.D. Stephen Donnelly met with the former Executive Director of the Sláintecare implementation group yesterday evening.

The remains of one of the infant boys at the centre of the Kerry Babies scandal were exhumed yesterday for a forensic examination.

Pubs, nightclubs and off licences in Wicklow could be granted longer opening hours under plans being developed by the Government.

Two teenage boys are being treated in hospital after being stabbed in Dublin City Centre last night.

A major new initiative to promote Irish artists and bands is being launched today, which will see increased radio play of Irish music performers across 25 independent radio stations, including East Coast FM and €100.000 being paid directly to Irish artists.

The Chair of the South-Southwest Hospital group has resigned, saying 'much needed reform' has not been delivered.

The Chief Medical Officer has re-iterated that children should not go to school if they're displaying Covid symptoms.

The head of the HSE's test and trace programme says all available capacity's being utilised to deal with the huge volumes presenting for a Covid-19 test.

The Foreign Affairs Minister is facing mounting calls from the opposition to resign, ahead of a no confidence motion in the Dail tomorrow.

There are calls for the State pension to be increased by 15 euro per week in next month's budget.

Garth Brooks is reportedly close to agreeing a deal for three gigs in Dublin next September.

The five-day moving average has dropped to 1,401 - down almost 80 from four days ago.

The HSE says there are no plans to scale back Covid-19 testing for now.

Leo Varadkar has admitted it's been a bad summer for his party as Fine Gael slumps in the polls.

South Dublin councillors have agreed to sell land to a private developer to build more than 500 social and affordable homes.

A European Court in Luxembourg is holding a hearing today, which may have an effect on convicted killer  Graeme Dwyer's attempts to overturn his conviction.

The Labour Parliamentary Party heads to Athy in Kildare today for its annual September think-in ahead of the new Dáil term.

The Fine Gael Parliamentary Party will gather in Trim Co. Meath today for a two-day conference, in advance of the Dail re-convening on Wednesday.

The Health Minister is coming under further pressure  to explain the circumstances which led to the Slaintecare resignations.

Any change to close contact rules for school children would put them at unnecessary risk of Long Covid, according to an infectious disease expert.

Wicklow County Council is looking for feedback on a social and community audit in respect of Delgany and Greystones.

Sinn Fein is to table a motion of no-confidence in Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney in the Dáil next week.

Pieta House is encouraging people to start conversations about mental health.

Ireland has the highest incidence rate of Covid-19 in the EU, despite falling case numbers.

Fianna Fail TD John McGuinness has called on party leader Micheal Martin to step down.

328 patients are in hospital with the virus, down three from yesterday, with 59 in ICU, up five.

The National Broadcaster RTÉ and the Rotunda Hospital are facing sharp criticism for allowing filming of a fly on the wall series, which allowed a television crew access to the hospital during the height of lockdown, while partners of expectant mothers were forced to wait in the car park.

Abbey Lane in Arklow and Market Square in Wicklow Town are among 38 locations nationwide that will receive permanent weather-resistant facilities, to allow for a longer outdoor dining season.

After delayed construction caused by the Covid restrictions, Lidl Ireland will finally open its new €12 million store on the Boghall Road in Bray today.

Wicklow County Council is advising residents and businesses in the county that its Recycling Centres cannot accept soft plastics.

The Health Minister, Wicklow T.D. Stephen Donnelly is being asked to explain why two senior officials resigned from the Sláintecare programme

The INTO is calling for the government to set up a public awareness campaign to help stop the spread of Covid-19 in schools.

Gardai say they are yet to establish a motive into the suspected murder suicide, which has left three people dead in North Kerry.

A Fianna Fail backbencher believes the party has confidence in the Foreign Affairs Minister.

The DUP will outline its next steps in a campaign to remove the Northern Ireland Protocol later.

Wildfires raged in Howth for six weeks this summer, damaging up to 30 acres of land.

A status yellow rain and thunderstorm warning is in place  for Wicklow and surrounding counties for the next 24 hours.

Deliveroo says it is already in the process of signing up restaurant partners in Wicklow as it prepares to expand its services into the garden county for the first time.

It's good news for commuters in parts of West Wicklow.

Three people are dead following a suspected double murder suicide in Co Kerry.

A hacked e-mail account of a Dun laoghaire Rathdown Councillor sparked an IT alert in the Houses of the Oireachtas yesterday.

Five people remain in Garda custody this morning following a major operation by Gardai in Limerick.

The Covid-19 vaccine uptake in the 12-15 year olds is being described as  disappointing.

The Taoiseach has admitted the approach and process around the selection of Katherine Zappone as a UN Special Envoy was wrong.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation says overcrowding in hospitals again cannot be tolerated.

A teenager in Spain is demanding three million euro in compensation after learning she was swapped at birth with another child.

43 new Covid-related deaths have been confirmed in Ireland over the past week.

Health Minister Wicklow TD Stephen Donnelly says 1% are fully vaccinated.

The top two rates drop by €50, while people receiving €250 per week will now get the normal jobseeker's rate.

A Wicklow councillor says he has concerns about the preferred route being considered for the upgrade of the N11/M11.

The National Lottery has confirmed that a Euromillions Plus Lotto prize of €500,000, won by a ticket bought in South Wicklow almost three months ago, has finally been claimed by the ticket holder.

A Euromillions Plus Lotto prize of €500,000, won by a ticket bought in South Wicklow last June, has still to be claimed by the ticket holder.

Tens of thousands of Leaving Cert students in Wicklow and throughout the country will get a first round offer from the CAO today.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs is due before an Oireactas committee this morning as the controversy continues over the appointment of Katherine Zappone to a special envoy role.

A consultant in infectious diseases says the number of Covid patients in hospital could continue to rise, despite falling case numbers.

Some parts of the country could see temperatures hit as high as 27 degrees today.

Strict new standards are to be introduced for all domestic solid fuels from next year.

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.