Author name: highlandnews

A Fianna Fail councillor in Donegal has said the decision by party HQ to add Claudia Kennedy to the general election ticket in Donegal was made to increase the number of female candidates being fielded by the party nationally. On today’s Nine til Noon Show, Cllr Lima Blaney questioned whether a third candidate was necessary,

  A community campaigner in Donegal says he hopes young people in Donegal will come out to vote in the forthcoming general election. On today’s Nine til Noon Show, Liam Whyte said he believes the housing crisis will be one of the defining issue of the forthcoming general election, with the defective blocks crisis set

There’s calls for an urgent update of a register of defibrillators in Donegal. Aontú General Election candidate for Donegal, Mary T Sweeney says it’s vital the life-saving equipment is quickly and easily located when an emergency arises. It’s been discovered that defibrillators have not been found at locations where they have been registered to. Mary

A major road safety operation is in place this morning ahead of an expected busy bank holiday weekend. Gardaí are urging drivers to slow down, focus on the road and never drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol, as they setup checkpoints across the country. 143 people have lost their lives on the road

The case of Jeffrey Donaldson will be mentioned in court in Newry later. The former DUP leader’s previously pleaded not guilty to historical sex offence charges. Tara Griffiths has more:

There’s been a 141% increase in the number of people being treated for eating disorders in Donegal. Figures up to June last year show there were 41 people in the county availing of support from CAMHS. It’s led to calls for the Government to review the model of care for eating disorders. Donegal Deputy Thomas

Motorists are being fleeced. That’s according to Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty who says drivers in rural areas particularly, where transport is vital due to the lack of infrastructure are being hit the hardest. He also appealed to Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien to scrap planned toll increases. The Minister agreed that the plans to increase toll

Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty says the government is “incompetent” when it comes to housing. The Housing Minister however, maintains the government will exceed targets for new home completions this year. It’s despite CSO figures showing the number of homes completed in the first nine months of this year is down on the same period last

Being taught in corridors and store rooms is the stark reality for students of Scoil Mhuire Milford. The current school building was built in the 1950s and is in a state of deterioration. There’s also serious road safety concerns over the location of the school with a number of collisions there over the years. A

A Donegal Senator and General Election candidate is calling for JAM cards to be rolled out across all government departments. The initiative, designed to discreetly aid people with hidden disabilities who need extra time or support in interactions, are called ‘Just A Minute’ cards. Senator Nikki Bradley believes having the cards across government departments is

‘Anti wind’ County Development Plans are undermining the country’s Climate Action targets. That’s the claim from Wind Energy Ireland which says planning remains the single biggest barrier to ending our dependency on imported fossil fuels. CEO Noel Cunniffe says the newly passed planning bill will help – but it’s really worrying that just one new

The Bus Eireann Donegal-Dublin route has been brought before the Dáil by a Cavan TD. Deputy Pauline Tully says the bus stops in Cavan, and is chronically late. She asked Transport Minister Eamonn Ryan what measures were being put in place to see this rectified. Deputy Tully says a couple who rely on the service

An investigation’s underway after hundreds of people in a small village in Co. Derry complained about mysterious bug bites. They’ve been voicing furstraiton online – and sharing pictures of itchy red spots and rashes. Samples have now been sent to specialists to confirm if mosquitos are behind what’s being dubbed the ‘Ballykelly Bite’. Sinead who

The PSNI is to re-engage with previous high-risk victims of gender based violence in the North. It comes as it’s been revealed six women and a girl have been murdered so far this year. This includes two women in Derry, who were killed just days apart in separate incidents. 57 year old Sophie Watson’s body

The Tánaiste’s announcing €2 million in funding for Lebanon, at a conference in Paris today. Discussions will focus on the need for a diplomatic solution to the current conflict, and encourage pledges of humanitarian support, and support for Lebanese institutions, including the Lebanese Armed Forces. Speaking ahead of the conference, Micheál Martin said the scale

A Letterkenny Councillor says there needs to be a significant increase in the amount of government funding for roads in the Letterkenny Milford Municipal District. Cllr Michael McBride told the council’s budget meeting this week that with over 107 kilometres of roads in the district, the current provision for road improvements will cover just 1.3

The 100% Redress Party has called on Donegal County Council to amend its existing civil defence plan to provide rest centres for defective block homeowners during severe weather events. Councillor Joy Beard has warned that homeowners living in unsafe properties or in caravans while remediation works are being carried out on their property need to

Letterkenny Milford Municipal District has adopted a draft local budget of €250,000 for the coming year. All MDs must adopt local allocation figures before the council’s 2025 Budget meeting, which takes place on December 4th. The Council’s Director of Finance Richard Gibson told members his preference would be that the council budget be agreed first.

A victim of rape and coercive control hopes her decision to waive her anonymity will help others. Earlier this week, 48 year old Sergio Correia of Front Street Ardara, County Donegal was jailed for eight years for the rape and coercive control of his wife in 2019. Kathleen Correia waived her right to anonymity to

The Dáil has heard how Letterkenny University Hospital had to cancel elective procedures due to overcrowding. Deputy Thomas Pringle, speaking during a motion on public healthcare staffing, said he has long been calling for additional staff at Letterkenny to cope with overcrowding in the Emergency Department. Deputy Pringle says as it stands, the effects are

The state will, in the future, have to make a formal apology to children who are currently in direct provision. That’s the belief of Donegal based Senator Eileen Flynn, who told the Seanad this morning that despite a promise to introduce an additional monthly international protection child payment, it hasn’t yet been done. Responding, Junior

Derry City Airport has announced plans to add Birmingham and Manchester routes to its winter schedule. The Birmingham-Derry route, which was successfully relaunched this summer, will now continue into the winter season. Additionally, the airport will introduce a new return service to and from Manchester, operating six weekly flights. Ryanair’s Head of Communications, Jade Kirwin,

A Midlands-Northwest MEP has urged the European Parliament to prioritise the safety of Irish peacekeepers serving in Lebanon. MEP Ciaran Mullooly, speaking in Strasbourg yesterday, highlighted the urgent need for international intervention in the Middle East. Over 370 Irish soldiers from the 124th Infantry Battalion are currently deployed with UNIFIL forces in Lebanon, including troops

Business Minister Peter Burke has said that businesses can claim rates supports from government from this week even if they are in arrears. On this morning’s Nine til Noon Show, Minister Burke accepted that there is concern, particularly in the hospitality sector at the pressures on business at the moment. He told Greg Hughes the