FERMANAGH families are struggling to find childcare and, like the whole of the North, the county could see its economy harmed if the escalating crisis is not resolved. Those were the findings of the latest Northern Ireland Childcare Survey, which revealed the struggles already facing employers in recruiting and retaining staff were being worsened by parents’ […]
More homes to be included in broadband upgrade scheme
THOUSANDS of more homes are to be added to the rural broadband improvement scheme, it was announced recently. The £165 million Project Stratum, which is currently being rolled out by Fibrus, aims to provide superfast broadband to thousands of local homes that receive unworkably slow broadband speeds. Since the roll out of the scheme, however, the […]
Public to have say on railway review
THE PEOPLE of Fermanagh will make a case for bringing the railways back to the county. The local community was urged to have its say on the current consultation on the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, which closed on Friday, January 21. The consultation was launched by Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon in the North and Minister for Transport […]
Petition launched to help slow down traffic in Belcoo
A PETITION has been set up calling for physical traffic calming measures to be introduced in Belcoo, where locals are worried about motorists continually breaking the speed limit. The petition on change.org, set up by the group Belcoo Traffic Calming, was only started last week and already had garnered hundreds of signatures from concerned local residents. […]
GP crisis set to deepen as local doctor resigns
WITH a chronic shortage of general practitioners already causing serious difficulties in the local area, the crisis is set to deepen in the year ahead with more resignations and retirements on the horizon. The latest doctor preparing to hang up his GP coat is Dr Declan Morgan from the Dromore and Trillick Surgery, who has informed […]
Covid cases plummet in Fermanagh, with hospital numbers down too
THERE is good news on the Covid front in Fermanagh this week, where case numbers have fallen significantly. The shrinking case numbers may be related to recent government advice to use lateral flow tests only, due to the high demand for PCR testing, with people required to self-report their positive test when using a lateral […]
‘They have been pathetic’
A LOCAL teacher has hit out at the Department of Education, claiming it is letting pupils down by not taking urgent action to tackle an impending exams crisis. With Covid continuing to challenge schools, the education system is currently facing the same staff crisis as the health service. Teachers fear this is impacting pupils’ learning not just […]
SWAH ‘surplus capacity’ used for hip operations
PATIENTS are traveling from across the North to the SWAH for long-awaited hip replacements, as part of an arrangement to make use of the “surplus theatre capacity” at the Enniskillen hospital. It had been rumoured in the local area recently that an unused ward at SWAH had been taken over by a private health provider. […]
Fermanagh united in grief at killing of Ashling Murphy
THE PEOPLE of Fermanagh have joined in the outpouring of grief seen across Ireland in recent days following the murder of Tullamore teacher, Ashling Murphy. From Belleek to Tempo, Enniskillen to Roslea, vigils were held across the county at the weekend in memory of the talented and much loved 23-year-old who was murdered while out jogging […]
Plans in the works for Necarne caravan park
PLANS are in motion to create a caravan park at the historic Necarne Estate in Irvinestown. Two years ago the Council approved a 99-year lease to Gardrum Holdings Ltd for the development of the 230-acre estate, home to Castle Irvine, as a potential holiday retreat. The plans put forward at the time centred on preserving and enhancing the […]