Author name: highlandnews

New fire station to be built at Finner to serve Ballyshannon and Bundoran

  Donegal County Council has voted to build a new fire station to serve both Ballyshannon and Bundoran. It brings to an end a debate for the past 40 years about whether each should retain their own stations, or a single new station should be developed. Today, it was decided that a single two pump […]

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LUH had the state’s fifth highest number of admitted patients awaiting beds in October

  708 people were without a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital during the month of October. According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, an increase of 153% compared to the same period last year. There were 778 people awaiting beds over the course of the month in Sligo, giving a north west total of

LUH had the state’s fifth highest number of admitted patients awaiting beds in October Read More »

Emergency services urge people to take extra care during Halloween celebrations

  Emergency services are appealing to the public to take extra precaution during Halloween celebrations. Illegal bonfires and lighting fireworks are being discouraged, to prevent horrific injuries from happening. Unions are also raising concerns for the safety of frontline workers being sent to emergencies. Paramedic Brendan Flynn is a spokesperson for National Ambulance Service members. He

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Donegal to turn pink next week in support of calls for end to violence against women and girls

Donegal is set to turn pink next week to support calls for an end to violence against women and girls. The initiative is being spearhead by Queen’s University Belfast’s Walkie Talkie Girlies which was established in 2023 and is dedicated to standing in solidarity with all those affected by gender-based violence. The initiative has grown

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FF Senator Niall Blaney believes it’s time for Micheal Martin to go

Donegal Senator Niall Blaney believes it’s time Micheal Martin resigned as Fianna Fail leader. Senator Blaney says last weekend’s Presidential election was a wake up call. The party’s candidate, Jim Gavin, dropped out of the race after it emerged he owed a former tenant thousands of euro which he has since repaid. A number of

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Donegal County Council urged to review recently completed roadworks in Convoy

Donegal County Council is being urged to review roadworks recently completed in Convoy. €95,000 was spent carrying out works outside the local national school and nearby estates; however, exiting and entering Towns Park in particular is said to be hazardous for both motorists and pedestrians. Councillor Gary Doherty fears the way traffic is being forced

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North Inishowen needs more street sweeping resources – Farren

A Moville councillor says he doesn’t believe the North Inishowen area is getting a fair share of available resources when it comes to street sweeping. A recent meeting of Inishowen Municipal District included a detailed discussion on how resources are allocated, with Cllr Martin Farren there needs to be a review of allocations to areas

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Communities encouraged to apply to Community Climate Action Fund

Communities across Donegal are being encouraged to apply for funding from the Community Climate Action Fund. The initiative aims to build low-carbon, sustainable communities, which will, in turn, contribute to the national climate and energy targets. Applications have now opened with funding of between €20,000 and €100,000 available to not-for-profit community groups and clubs in

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Ards Forest Park one of Coillte’s most visited recreational parks in 2024

Ards Forest Park in Donegal was one of Coillte’s most visited recreational parks last year. Over 87,000 people visited the park in 2024, placing it eleventh overall in the top 20 most visited Coillte recreational sites nationwide. Ards Forest Park spans approximately 480 hectares and encompasses a diverse range of habitats, including sand dunes, beaches,

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Calls for greater enforcement of parking regulations in Letterkenny estate

There’s calls for greater enforcement of parking regulations in the Sprackburn Drive area of Letterkenny. Residents have been encountering issues daily where motorists are ignoring double yellow lines, making it near impossible for residents to exit their properties. Councillor Jimmy Kavanagh says access for health care staff has also proven difficult on a number of

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Donegal has the third highest number of firework seizures in the state

Since firework laws were tightened in the mid-2000s, there have been 4,193 fireworks offences recorded across Ireland, with 263 recorded in the Donegal Garda Division. CSO data an analysed by Energey Efficiency Ireland shows a significant decrease in firework-related offences over the past 15 years in the county, with only five last year, compared to

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Greencastle project to benefit from Community

Over 4 million euro in money seized from criminals is being allocated to community safety groups across the country. 42 organisations have been successful in applying for funding ranging between 20-thousand and 150-thousand euro. In Donegal, Greencastle Community Development Company has been allocated €20,000 for its “Our Voice, Our Vision: If Walls Could Talk” project.

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Revenue say 75% of people still haven’t filed their LPT returns

Three in four people still haven’t filed their property tax valuation. Revenue is asking homeowners to revalue their properties by Saturday, and then indicate how they will pay their Local Property Tax by the following week. However only 550,000 returns have been filed to date. Financial Advisor Karl Deeter says Revenue just wants an estimate of

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Calls for works to be carried out to enhance appearance of Milford Main Street

There’s calls for works to be carried out to enhance the appearance of Milford Main Street. Councillor Declan Meehan says the state of the road and footpaths in the area has fallen into a poor condition. Donegal County Council has agreed to prioritise works in next year’s programme of works which Councillor Meehan has welcomed:

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Tyrone councillor backing campaign to curtail the posting of crash pictures online

A South Tyrone councillor is calling for more to be done to stop people posting pictures of fatal car crashes to social media. Three years ago, Councillor Malachy Quinn, the Head of the SDLP grouping on Mid-Ulster District Council, discovered footage of a car crash he was involved in was filmed and shared online, before

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Murray concerned for the future of PEACEPLUS funding

There’s concern over the future of PEACEPLUS funding. Donegal has benefitted from billions of euro in funding in recent years, but Cllr Jack Murray says his party colleague Kathleen Funchion MEP has been told that while the programme will continue beyond 2028, central funding from Brussels is not included in that commitment. Cllr Murray believes

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Derry’s Awakening the Walled City Trail cancelled due to weather

Tomorrow’s Awakening the Walled City Trail in Derry has been cancelled on foot of weather warnings for strong wind and rain. With no weather warnings in place for this evening, tonight’s event will go ahead as planned from 6pm – 9pm. Derry City and Strabane District Council says Friday’s main celebration is still planned to

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DCC says #LoveDonegal Day was a huge success

  Donegal County Council says LoveDonegal Day 2025 was the biggest ever, reaching almost 150 million people worldwide. People, groups, and businesses used social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, and LinkedIn to share their love for the county, using the hashtags LoveDonegal and #DúnnanGallAbú. On Wednesday, 10th September, tens of thousands

DCC says #LoveDonegal Day was a huge success Read More »

Almost 1,100 social homes at design or construction stage in Donegal

There were 1,092 social homes at various stages of design or construction in Donegal at the end of June. Housing Minister James Browne says the delivery of social and affordable housing continues to gain momentum, with the latest quarterly statistics revealing strong growth and robust pipelines across both delivery streams. Nationally, 26,684 social homes were

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NUJ deeply concerned that LCSP meetings may exclude the media

The NUJ is expressing concern that the bodies being established to replace Joint Policing Committees may hold their meetings in private. JPC meetings were held in public, with the Donegal meetings regularly being attended by Highland Radio and the local newspapers. However they’re being replaced by new Local Community Safety Partnerships, which will also bring

NUJ deeply concerned that LCSP meetings may exclude the media Read More »

People advised to plan ahead as over 120,000 visitors descend on Derry for Halloween festivities

People are being advised to plan ahead as over 120,000 visitors are set to descend on Derry this week for Europe’s biggest Halloween festival. Events are running in the city until Thursday with the annual Carnival Parade and Fireworks finale taking pace on Friday. In order to keep disruption to a minimum throughout Halloween festivities

People advised to plan ahead as over 120,000 visitors descend on Derry for Halloween festivities Read More »

Police conducting patrols in Strabane after group of 30 young people cause disturbance

Police in Strabane say they will be conducting patrols after a group of around 30 young people were involved in a disturbance in the town yesterday evening. Shortly before 6pm last evening, Police received a report that approximately 30 youths were causing a disturbance in the vicinity of Bradley Way by running into traffic and

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100% Redress Cllr says he has seen first-hand the lack of interest in the defective block crisis in Dublin

A 100% Redress Councillor says he has seen first-hand how little interest there is in the defective block crisis in Dublin. ​It follows a presentation at Leinster House last week by a group of researchers from Ulster University. Councillor Ali Farren says the lack of attendance by TDs from across the country is an example

100% Redress Cllr says he has seen first-hand the lack of interest in the defective block crisis in Dublin Read More »

DCC urged to ensure traffic calming measures are included in all new housing developments

Donegal County Council is being urged to ensure traffic calming measures are included as part of planning requirements for new housing developments. Councillor Tomas Sean Devine says he is inundated by calls from concerned residents about speeding through residential areas. He says simple measures could ultimately save lives:

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