The government is urging residents of Donegal not to be alarmed if the UK’s Emergency Alert system sounds on their mobiles this Sunday.
The UK Government will test its emergency alert system on Sunday 7th September at 3pm.
People living in border counties such as Donegal may receive the alert if they are on a UK mobile phone network.
Phones may vibrate for up to 10 seconds and issue a loud, siren-like sound. A message will appear on the home screen of the phone until it is acknowledged.
The Irish Department of Culture, Communications and Sport is advising people that no action is required if the alert sounds.
Mobile phone customers on mobile phone networks based in Ireland will not receive the message.
The UK Emergency Alerts service can override users’ own settings on their phones/devices. For example, the ‘alert’ can override a phone that is set to ‘silent’ or ‘do not disturb’. Mobile phones or tablets don’t have to be connected to mobile data or WiFi to get alerts.
Meanwhile, Women’s Aid NI is urging victims who may have hidden phones to take action to switch off the alerts. Full instructions, including step-by-step text guides and video guides can be found by visiting: www.womensaidni.org/emergencyalert
The UK Emergency Alerts System, which is operational across Britain and Northern Ireland, was launched in March 2023 and was tested in April 2023. The system enables the UK Government to send an ‘alert’ message to all mobile phones and devices (such as certain tablets) if there is an emergency (for example, an extreme weather event) where lives are endangered.
UK emergency alert could trigger Donegal phones this Sunday was last modified: September 3rd, 2025 by Rachel McLaughlin