Author name: highlandnews

A man and woman have been handed life sentences for the murder of a man in Donegal, who was thrown off the top of Sliabh Liag after being beaten with a rock. Alan Vial, of Drumanoo, Killybegs; and Nikita Burns of Carrick, Co Donegal, denied murdering Robert Wilkin in June 2023, with both blaming the […]

Midlands-North West MEP Nina Carberry has praised the European Commission’s plan for a Women’s Rights Roadmap, which will guide future gender equality strategies. She emphasised the need to maintain progress, citing the importance of implementing the Pay Transparency Directive. In Ireland, female employees earn 13.7% less than their male counterparts. MEP Carberry says Ireland needs

  Donegal County Council is being urged to reinforce Glasha Bridge between Trentagh and Churchill so that it is capable of handling local agricultural traffic. At present, the bridge has a weight limit of three tonnes, which means a number of local farmers cannot use it. Cllr McBride says this is unacceptable, and work is

Donegal based Senator Eileen Flynn says there must be a provision in October’s budget for some form of cost of living payment for those who need it. In then Dail this week, Finance Minister Pascal Donohoe said there would not be a universal payment similar to the ones included in the last few budgets. On

The Chair of Donegal County Council’s Defective Concrete Block Committee has confirmed that Housing Minister James Brown is being urged to visit Donegal and meet with the committee. Cllr Martin McDermott says he and other committee members are anxious to brief the minister on the scheme’s progress so far, the urgent need for improvements, and

Letterkenny Chamber says it will hold formal quarterly meetings with members of the Letterkenny Milford Municipal District, and will also increase its contact with Donegal County Council as a whole. Newly elected President Jimmy Stafford, who began his second stint in the top job this week, says when it comes to lobbying, Chamber members and

88 per cent of people believe not enough is being done to use vacant properties to boost housing stock. In December, it emerged that Donegal had the highest uptake of vacant property grants in the country. The MyHome sentiment survey also reveals 66 per cent believe private sector investment is needed to help meet housing

  US President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation declaring March “Irish-American Heritage Month”. It calls on all Americans to celebrate the contribution of Irish-Americans with “ceremonies, activities and programs”. Designating March Irish-American Heritage Month is regularly done by US Presidents. While signing the proclamation last night, he called Irish-Americans “great people………………

The chair of the Mica Action Group has called for measures to be put in place to address a number of serious emerging issues with the Defective Block Redress Scheme. Lisa Hone told a meeting of Donegal County Council’s Defective Blocks Committee that a number of people who were early starters now face being denied

The HSE is being urged to reactivate a forum for local representatives and parents of children with disabilities. The call has come from Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn who has received figures showing that 284 Donegal children with disabilities have been left waiting for their vital assessments that are crucial in securing the supports and services

The Health Minister says she’s been assured the new National Children’s Hospital will open next year. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, says she expects the hospital to open by the end of June 2026. The new facility has faced numerous delays since construction began almost six years ago, with costs amounting to almost €2.25 billion. Minister Carroll

  The Government is ruling out any future one-off energy credits. It’s as SSE Airtricity is increasing its prices from April – and overall costs for households and businesses are much higher than five years ago. The credits were applied to bills automatically over the last couple of years, and each issuing cost the state

There have been calls for a link up between the Enhanced Defective Concrete Block Grant Scheme and community mental health services. Cllr Declan Meehan says the ramifications of the crises on those affected has been severe. He says the work being done by the Inishowen Development Partnership should be replicated across the county. Cllr Meehan

The British Prime Minister says bringing Ireland and the UK closer together is the “obvious and right thing to do.” Taoiseach Micheal Martin has been meeting Keir Starmer at an event in Liverpool, as part of the first in a series of UK-Ireland Summits. The Taoiseach has said he’ll do all he can to help

The OPW Minister has been told that residents in part of Killybegs live in fear of a reoccurrence of flooding. In November last year, much devastation was caused by flooding in the Bridge Street area of the town. Donegal Senator Manus Boyle appealed to Minister Kevin Boxer Moran today to progress any plans for emergency

There are calls for Ireland’s bail system to be reformed. Suspects for over 40,000 crimes are currently out on bail according to figures obtained by Sinn Féin. That’s an increase of almost 5,000 since 2022. Fine Gael MEP Regina Doherty believes a public inquiry is needed:

Firefighters in Donegal are warning that imposed cuts to resources will threaten public safety. In a statement, the Donegal Firefighters Association has warned of catastrophic consequences due to the unfolding crisis. They’re calling on elected public representatives to intervene immediately and for management to engage in meaningful discussionswith firefighters and their unions to resolve the

The Justice Minister has been told that the new Garda policing model proposed for Donegal is causing significant anxiety among members of the force and communities. Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty highlighted to Minister Jim O’Callaghan how the implementation of the new model is not feasible in Donegal given the large geographical spread of the county

An Inishowen councillor is urging Donegal County Council to widely publicise maps showing the areas in the county which will potentially be subject to Residential Zoned Land Tax. RZLT has proved a controversial subject in Donegal over the past number of years. The tax is designed to ensure that developers are not hoarding land in

Jimmy Stafford has been elected as the new President of Letterkenny Chamber. He takes over the role from Claire McDonagh. It’s the second term as President for the Bank of Ireland Operations Manager and Highland Radio presenter who has been a member of the Chamber since 2015. He says it’s an honour to be elected

With 476 people in need of an appointment, occupational therapy waiting lists in Donegal have been described as ‘scandalous’. 66% of those patients have been waiting over a year. Information provided to Councillor Declan Meehan shows that there are currently 11 vacant occupational therapy posts in Donegal with two more expected to become vacant by

Donegal County Council has been allocated €4.27 million for Greenways and National Roads Active Travel infrastructure. It’s the fourth highest figure in the country, and part of a national allocation of €67 million which has been announced today. Junior Sports Minister Charlie McConalogue says the the ongoing expansion of Donegal’s walking and cycling network is