Author name: highlandnews

The awardees of this year’s Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Awards have been announced. They are Arranmore Island native Caroleann Gallagher, US based Billy Higgins and investor and entrepreneur David McCourt. The awards ceremony which commemorates the birth of Tip O’Neill who served as speaker of the US House of Representatives will take place on September

Speculation is mounting about the date of the general election after the Finance Minister confirmed an early budget. Budget 2025 will happen on the 1st of October this year – a week earlier than planned. Minister Jack Chambers says this is due to EU meetings the following week. But former minister Ivan Yates believes it’s

  A haulier in Donegal says further reducing the speed limit for lorries on the Lifford to Letterkenny Road would compromise road safety and lead to more rather than less tragedies. It’s been noted that a number of lorries have overturned or been involved in crashes on that road in recent months, particularly around the

The uncle of a teenage girl, who died after taking drugs at a festival in Belfast last year, is warning other young people not to take the risk. This week a coroner found 16 year old Caitlin McLaughlin from Derry died after taking drugs including ecstasy and cocaine. A woman is due in court later

A West Tyrone MLA is seeking a meeting with Western Urgent Care, the administrators of the Out of Hours GP service in the Western Trust area. Maoliosa McHugh says Sinn Fein locally has been contacted by staff members who say they are facing possible redundancy or having to retrain for new roles, because of difficulties

The Dail has been told that children as young as 12 are both experiencing and perpetrating sexual and gender based violence in Donegal. The stark statement was made by Deputy Thomas Pringle, who was speaking during a Labour motion calling for more action from government to tackle what is becoming a crisis. Deputy Pringle told

A number of organisations have come together to ask that the Justice Minister make changes to the Family Courts Bill 2022 in a bid to ease delays in the court, and minimise the trauma being experienced by people going through a very difficult experience. Among those seeking change is the Law Society, which says while

It’s been confirmed by a landlord this afternoon that nine Houses at Ballymacool in Letterkenny are currently undergoing rigorous block testing after he was given assurances by Donegal County Council that they remain committed to the purchase of the houses under the Tenant in Situ Scheme. Phil Boyle of Twin Estates says he expects the

Representatives from Family Resource Centres in Donegal met with Oireachtas members yesterday to urge them to adequately fund the services in the upcoming budget. There’s a call for the Government to increase core funding for FRCs to €240,000. Donegal Deputies Thomas Pringle and Padraig MacLochlainn were in attendance with Senator Eileen Flynn. Kathleen McHugh, manager

The Tánaiste and Defence Minister has again expressed his anger at the Lebanese Government and the UN in the delays facing the investigation into the killing of a Donegal Soldier. Private Sean Rooney from Newtowncunningham was killed in an attack near the south Lebanon border in December 2022. In yesterdays meeting of the Oireachtas Committee

Users of Fahan Health Centre are growing more anxious around the future of the service as it’s been reported that the building has been ‘cleared out’. Jackie, who is a carer, called into the nurse yesterday seeking advice which she claimed she was unable to get due to patient files having been removed. She says the

The North’s Economy Minister says he and the Executive remain committed to delivering 10,000 extra students at the Magee Campus of Ulster University, but is not setting out any time frames within which they expect that to be achieved. Conor Murphy was responding to questions in the Assembly from Foyle MLA Sinead McLaughlin, who welcomed

Many hospitality and tourism operators are ‘at a cross roads’ and struggling to cope with operating costs, tight margins and reduced profitability. Representatives including the LVA and Irish Tourism Industry Confederation will meet TDs and Senators today ahead of Budget 2025. They’re calling for a return to the 9% VAT introduced during the Pandemic and

The umbrella of Donegal Tourism needs to be expanded to include Inishowen. That’s according to Councillor Martin McDermott. He says the efforts of Go Visit Inishowen are not being fully utilised as the peninsula is missing out on essential funding from Donegal Tourism. Concerns over the knock on effect on businesses in the area have

The Marine Minister says two new schemes announced this week will help support and grow the fishing sector in Donegal. The Aquaculture Capital Investment Scheme will provide grant aid to support capital investment in the aquaculture sector while the Seafood Training Scheme will assist those working in the sector to develop their skills and knowledge.

The Taoiseach has pledged to raise claims from a whistle blower that the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority failed to enforce EU fisheries laws on a super trawler in Irish waters with the Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue. The issue was raised in the Dail by Donegal Deputy and Fisheries Spokesperson Padraig MacLochlainn. He told Simon Harris

A School Uniform Swap Shop which was launched in Castlefinn last year is open again. The initiative is a pop-up School Uniform Exchange where parents and children can donate all the school uniform items they no longer need and pick up items they do need, for no charge. The initiative was spearheaded by local Cllr

Russell Crowe has arrived in Donegal. The actor is appearing at an opening of a brand new home for distillery, Muff Liquor company. Crowe is an investor in the award-winning company along with Ronan Keating and comedian Jimmy Carr. Speaking to Greg Hughes, he says he felt it was important that a base for the

  The Blood Transfusion Service is urging people in Inishowen to giove blood this week. The service has a clinic in Buncrana this evening and tonight, and will be in Carndonagh tomorrow and Thursday. The Director of Donor Services is Paul McKinney…………..   The Buncrana clinic is open at the Inishowen Gateway Hotel at the

Taoiseach Simon Harris has said the government is examining all options with regards to community childcare facilities effected by Defective Blocks, with Children’s Minister Roderick O’Gorman discussing the issue with his department. Mr Harris was responding to questions from Deputy Thomas Pringle in Department of Children everything that an be done to help management at

The future of Fahan Health Centre again is being brought into question. According to Carmel Lynch, a woman to previously organised a petition to see Public Health Nurse stay in place, the building is now empty and there is no access to the dispensary. The HSE has rejected this and release a statement outlining that

There was a 60% spike in the number of recorded Covid-19 cases in Ireland in the past week. It has led to a sharp increase in hospital admissions. The disease was seen to be more prevalent in the older age groups with the over-65s accounting for more than half of confirmed cases. Kingston Mills Professor

Gardai in Buncrana are investigating a car fire at the Courtyard Apartments in the town a fortnight ago. The blaze was reported just before 3.20 on the morning of Wednesday June 19th. The car was destroyed as a result of the fire, and gardai and the fire service say they haven’t ruled out the possibility

Witnesses to a hit and run in Letterkenny are being are being asked to come forward. A person was struck by a car in the Ballymacool area on Friday last between 6.10pm and 6.15pm. The small red hatchback failed to stay at the scene and the pedestrian was treated for non life threatening injuries. Garda

Gardaí are investigating two attempted burglaries in Bucrana, which happened one week apart. They aren’t believed to be linked at this time. The first occurred on Monday the 24th of June at a home in the Doonwood area between midnight at 9am. Door handles on a set of double doors into the home were interfered