Inishowen's Civil Registration Office to close in March

Following the closure, the nearest Civil Registration Office to Inishowen for births, deaths and marriages, will be Letterkenny, followed by Stranorlar, Sligo and Leitrim.

A spokesperson for the HSE told the Journal: “CRS staffing requirements in the Donegal/ Sligo/ Leitrim/ West Cavan Integrated Healthcare Area, have been and will continue to be assessed in the context of existing staffing vacancies and in line with work streams and new service developments.

"To this end, a decision has been made to consolidate resources within the overall Civil Registration Service and to close the office located in the Primary Care Building, Buncrana, Co. Donegal.

“The CRS is fully committed to providing a comprehensive service, which meets the needs of the population.

“Please be assured that the public can continue to access the four other Civil Registration Services in the Donegal/ Sligo/ Leitrim/ West Cavan Integrated Healthcare Area as follows;

Civil Registration Office, Tirconaill House, St. Conal’s Campus, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal F92X4DC Tel: 074-9123771/2

Civil Registration Office. St. Joseph’s Hospital, Stranorlar, Co. Donegal F93FCR6 Tel: 074-9191729 or 071-9191730

Civil Registration Office, Markievicz House, Barrack St., Sligo F91XC84

Tel: 071-9321187 071-9321808 071-9321188

Civil Registration Office, Summerhill Lodge, Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim, N41F303 Tel: 071-9650255

“Members of the public can purchase a certificate by phoning one of the Civil Registration Offices above.

“Appointments to register a birth or death can be made online at www2.hse.ie/services”

The HSE pointed out that since August 12 2024,online birth registration ‘is now possible for many parents.’

"Parents of newly born babies will receive an invitation by post from the General Register’s Office, to register the birth of their baby online. Parent(s) must have a verified MyGovID account to complete the online registration.

“Appointments to serve notice of intention to marry can be made by phoning a Civil Registration Office. Couples must serve statutory notice of at least three months of their intention to marry.”

Inishowen Cathaoirleach Councillor Jack Murray said the closure is ‘another strip back of services in Inishowen’ and called on the recruitment embargo to be lifted.

“You would advocate that we should be treated as a county in out own right. We have an additional distance than others do. Malin Head to Letterkenny, no matter what way anyone looks at it, is a fair distance. This impacts on more than just Buncrana. It’s Inishowen, as a whole.”

The Sinn Fein Councillor added that staff in the remaining centres will ‘also have to absorb an area with a population of 40,000 people’.

"This is the government recruitment embargo hitting locally. The HSE can’t replace retiring staff.

“It’s a cost-saving measure and I’d make an appeal for staff to be directed from other areas while this ban is in place. But, ultimately, the government needs to lift the embargo and allow the HSE to recruit staff where they are needed.”