Author name: highlandnews

The North West was the wettest region in Ireland last month. Meanwhile, the average national temperature for December was 7.7 degrees Celsius. Met Eireann says last month was the eleventh warmest December on record since 1900. Malin Head weather station recorded its dullest December since 2011. 21 days out of the 31 last month were

The icy conditions are causing difficult travelling conditions in Donegal today. Motorists are being advised to avoid the Mongorry Road between Convoy and Raphoe from Glenmaquin School as it is considered hazardous due to icy conditions. Meanwhile, The Lough Salt Road from Kilmacrennan to Glen Village remains closed due to treacherous conditions on the route.

Police in Derry and Strabane are warning that children who are being sexually exploited are often unaware. They say perpetrators can manipulate children by buying them gifts and pretending they care. Police say children and young people can suffer abuse in many settings, for example, in a family, or in an institutional or community setting.

Funding has been announced to develop a sustainable marketplace in Donegal. Spraoi agus Spórt, Supervalu, Carndonagh, has received €120,000 to develop a Local Roots sustainable marketplace. The initiative seeks to establish a Local Growers Network, Supplier Market, and Social Supermarket through Carndonagh Garden Centre & Nursery. Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food

It’s understood Fine Gael are seeking to reclaim the Agriculture ministry as Government formation talks resume on Monday. The role is currently held by Donegal Minister Charlie McConalogue with his party, Fianna Fail vying to retain the Department. While it’s too early to know who will form the next Cabinet, those cited to be in

A Derry trade unionist and a leading member of the Credit Union movement in Ireland is to be laid to rest today. Uel Adair from Newbuildings passed away on New Year’s Day. He was a former President and Director of the Irish League of Credit Unions. Derry Credit Union is among those paying tribute to

Four people have been hospitalised following a crash in Inishowen last evening. Gardaí and emergency services responded to the two-vehicle collision between Carndonagh and Quigley’s Point at around 6:30pm. The three men and one woman were removed from the scene to Letterkenny University Hospital. Gardai say their injuries are non-life threatening. The road was closed

A road safety campaign group have issued advice for drivers travelling in the current yellow cold weather and ice warning. The North West Road Safety Partnership says icy conditions will require caution when taking to the roads. Firstly, windows and mirrors of the motor in question should be totally free from snow and ice before

39,390 employment permits were issued in Ireland last year. The document gives non-EEA nationals the ability to work in this country. In Donegal 428 were issued. While 27 were refused and a further 26 were withdrawn.

The Secretary of State in Northern Ireland intends to appeal a judge’ s ruling for a public enquiry for death of Sean Brown. The senior GAA official in Northern Ireland was abducted and killed by loyalists in 1997 as he locked the gates at Bellaghy Wolfe Tones Club in Derry. Justice Humphreys issued the ruling

The Lough Salt Road has been closed from Kilmacrennan to Glen Village due to icy conditions. Diversions are in place at the moment. Donegal County Council say the road will reopen when it is safe to do so.  

All Donegal Winter Maintenance designated gritting routes are to be treated from 3 pm this afternoon. It comes as a yellow snow and ice warning is to come into effect at 6 pm this evening. The roads will again be treated at 8 pm. Donegal County Council are urging drivers to assume that no road

166 patients are being treated for flu in the West and North West region today, leaving health services under significant pressure. The HSE is asking the public to help reduce the spread of flu by adhering to visiting restrictions and infection control measures which have been introduced. Face masks are now mandatory in all emergency

The final tally of new car registrations in 2024 have been released today by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry. In Donegal, 2,765 new cars were purchased, up 7.25% from 2023. The county seen the second largest increase in Ireland, following Leitrim at 8.46%. However, Donegal recorded a 31.8% decrease in the number of

Letterkenny had the highest NCT pass rate in Donegal in 2024. Over 54,000 tests were carried out at the four centres in the county between January 1st and December 23rd last year. The NCT pass rate in Donegal was 46% in 2024. Of the 54,051 tests carried out at the test centres in Letterkenny, Donegal

A low temperature warning has been issued for Donegal. The status yellow alert comes into force at 6pm this evening and will remain in place until 11am tomorrow morning. Met Eireann is warning of very cold conditions with widespread frost and ice as temperatures fall to -3 degrees.

Gardai in Donegal are warning motorists when defrosting their cars to not leave them unattended this morning, particularly in built up areas. They are warning people to not make life easy for opportunist thieves by leaving vehicles running with no one remaining inside. Gardai are also appealing to drivers to ensure tyres and wipers are

People in Donegal are being encouraged to apply to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage’s Historic Structures Fund 2025. The scheme aims to assist the conservation and enhancement of historic structures and buildings for the broader benefit of communities and the public. Grants of €50,000 to €200,000 are available. The scheme focuses on

Two men were arrested in Derry during a Police patrol on New Year’s Eve. Police were conducting a routine patrol in the Bloomfield Park area on Tuesday when they stopped a car. A 28 year old man was subsequently charged with driving whilst disqualified, using a vehicle without insurance and fraudulently using a vehicle registration

A Donegal animal charity has issued a warning to pet owners in the Ballintra area to be vigilant. It’s after a number of incidents of suspected poisoning. Animals in Need Donegal say one cat has died and three others had to be treated following the alleged poisoning. They are advising that cat poisoning can also

Donegal has recorded the highest number of road deaths in the North West in 2024 According to the Road Safety Authority, Donegal say 17 road fatalaties in the year, comapred to 10 in 2023. In total, 174 people died in 160 fatal collisions on Irish roads in 2024, compared to 181 deaths in 170 collisions

All Donegal Winter Maintenance designated gritting routes will be gritted from 7pm this evening. The Donegal gritting route index is as follows: 01: National Primary North 02: National Primary Central 03: National Primary South 04: Inishowen South 05: Inishowen East 06: Inishowen West 07: Milford South 08: Milford North 09: Cill Ulta East 10: Cill

UPDATE: Gardai in County Wexford have launched a murder investigation into the death of a man in New Ross. A second person has been arrested by Gardaí investigating the discovery of a body in County Wexford. The body of a man in his 60s was found at a home in Cluain Fada in New Ross

Gardaí in Donegal have appealed to drivers to make road safety the focus of their New Year resolutions. Last year 179 people died of Irish roads, 18 of those in Donegal. Slow down and belt up are two of the resolutions Gardaí are asking the drivers in Donegal to undertake in a bid to reduce

Donegal C0unty Council says it remains committed to providing enhanced Recreation and Amenity facilities in 2026. This includes improvements to leisure facilities making them more sustainable, enhanced arts and library services, and a restated commitment to the council’s culture strategy. The council says significant upgrade and energy-efficiency projects have been completed at the Ballyshannon and

122,186 patients, including 2043 children, were admitted to hospital without a bed in 2024 according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. In Letterkenny University Hospital the number is 4,980, down 8.5% from 5,447 the year previous. It’s the lowest record of overcrowding in the hospital since 2018.

Gardaí are investigating an incident of dangerous driving that happened on Main Street, Falcarragh, late on Christmas Eve and into the early hours of Christmas Day. A number of vehicles were involved. Those who were driving in the area from 11:30 pm until 00:30 am with a dashcam are asked to make the footage available to gardaí or

130 homes, businesses and farms in Carndonagh are without power. It’s due to a fault that was first reported shortly after 11:15 am. ESB say crews are working to see electricity restored. It was estimated that the issue would be fixed at 1:30 pm, however, according to the PowerCheck website it is yet to be

The Irish Coast Guard responded to 2,554 incidents this year. 44 units were dispatched on over 1,150 occasions over the past 12 months and provided 134 air ambulances. Search and rescue, maritime casualty responses and pollution and preparedness responses were some of the services provided. The Irish Coast Guard provided critical assistance to 537 people