Author name: highlandnews

The Road Safety Authority is to spend an extra €3 million this year, funding road safety campaigns and education programmes. Work will also be fast-tracked to resolve technical and legal issues, so cameras can identify mobile phone use and seatbelt wearing as offences. It’s part of a range of actions agreed during a high-level meeting […]

The potential use of AI in the public sector is the focus of a series of workshops taking place over the next two days at the Inishowen Innovation Hub in Buncrana. It’s part of the ‘ENAIBLER’ initiative being spearheaded by ERNACT, a €1.7 million European cooperation project designed to help regional and local public sector

Donegal County Council says just over a million euro has been paid to 15 approved applicants under the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme in recent days. This overall payment encompasses both the Ancillary Grant and Remediation Grant Payment Claims, which brings the overall payments issued to date by Donegal County Council to homeowners to

Bus Eireann says it intends making accessible buses available on the Route 64 Derry to Galway service, with July 1st the target date to implement the plan. It follows a meeting between Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh and senior officials, including the head of the Expressway service. Cllr. Kavanagh says at the moment, callers to Bus Eireann

Fianna Fáil has selected Buncrana schoolteacher, Fionán Bradley, to contest the local elections in South Inishowen along with outgoing councillor, Paul Canning. The party also selected sitting councillor, Martin McDermott, to run in North Inishowen. Fionán Bradley says he will be seeking to retain the seat being vacated by long-serving Councillor, Rena Donaghey, who announced

  Minister Charlie McConalogue says confirmation to proceed to construction is imminent on a newbuild school for Scoil Iosagain in Buncrana. Following on from confirmation of additional funding last week for the Department of Education’s school building programme, Minister McConalogue says he expects approval for the school to move to construction in the next few

The Waterside Theatre and Arts Centre in Derry is to close on the 30th of June this year. In a social media post this afternoon, the CEO says this decision was reached in light of funding issues, after careful consideration by the board and management of the organisation. The statement concludes that planned theatre events

Derry and Tyrone are currently under a yellow wind warning with the rest of Northern Ireland and other parts of the UK. The warning is in place until 10pm tonight. The general public are advised that some disruption may be caused as a result.

A record number patients have been treated in Irish hospitals. The HSE has published key healthcare figures for 2023 showing a reduction in waiting times. However there have been large increases in both funding and staffing, productivity hasn’t matched up. It reported Letterkenny University Hospital experienced one of the largest increases in staff. These hospital

Cllr Patrick McGowan will contest the upcoming local elections in the Lifford Stranorlar electoral area. He was selected at the Fianna Fáil selection convention last night in Ballybofey. It is expected the Fianna Fáil Headquarters will announce a second candidate for the electoral area in the coming days.

Two drivers in Donegal were found travelling under the influence of drugs yesterday. The first motorist tested positive for cannabis on the Drugwipe 6S roadside testing device in Buncrana. Meanwhile, in Letterkenny a second driver was arrested at a mandatory intoxicant testing checkpoint last night after showing positive for cocaine. Their van was seized as

Gardaí are investigating a theft that occurred at a premises in Letterkenny, at 1pm yesterday afternoon. Following Garda enquiries, man in his 40s was arrested as part of this investigation and detained at a garda station. He has since been charged and will appear in court at a later date.

The Taoiseach and senior ministers are due to meet with representatives from the Road Safety Authority today. They’ll be discussing the ongoing spike in road deaths, with this year on course to record the highest number of deaths in 15 years. According to the Irish Independent Simon Harris will ask what measures can help curb

Donegal County Council is warning of delays on the Kerrykeel to Portsalon Road from today until Thursday, with resurfacing works taking place. Motorists are advised to expect delays, and to allow extra time for their journeys. The council says large HGV’s should use the R-247 Rosnakill to Fanavolty road.

  Last year Donegal received the least amount of offences which incurred penalty points for drivers, when compared to other counties. The analysis of figures, released by the Road Safety Authority, was conducted by the Sunday Independent and published today. Offaly held the largest number, with around 1 in 20 of all registered drivers in

Niall McConnell has announced that he will run in the upcoming local elections in June. Mr.McConnell, a Castlefinn native, previously ran in the 2020 general elections. He will be contesting as an Independent candidate for the Lifford-Stranorlar local electoral area.

    The Labour Party have selected their new candidate to run for the Midlands North West constituency in the upcoming European elections. Fergal Landy has been named as the party’s candidate and he will also run in the local elections for Galway County Council in the Athenry-Oranmore local electoral area. Press release in full:

A measure which was introduced last year to reduce the construction costs of homes, has now been extended to last until the end of 2024. Development levies in relation to connecting new homes with roads, water, and other services, will be be once again waived until the end of the year. Councillor Patrick McGowan welcomes

  The PSNI have issued a missing person appeal for Paul Deehan (McDaid). Paul was last seen on the cityside in Derry at approximately 5pm on Friday, 12th April. Paul is 25 and described as 5ft 4, of medium build with dark hair, a short beard and glasses. He is believed to be wearing Nike

Two police officers and a member of the public have been injured in a crash in County Down. The PSNI says one of its vehicles was responding to a separate incident when it collided with another vehicle on the Fathom Road in Newry at about 7.30 yesterday evening. All three were taken to hospital with

  Over €7million in funding has been announced to protect archaeological monuments across the country through the 2024 Community Monuments Fund. The major investment project was announced by the Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan earlier today. The fund aims to support communities to conserve, maintain, protect and promote local

Yesterday Gardai in the Ballyshannon area identified a motorist that was using their mobile phone whilst driving. Upon use of the active mobility device, it was found that the vehicles tax was expired 954 days. A Fixed Charge Penalty Notice was issued and the vehicle seized. Another driver was also found through the use of

  More anti-bullying classes are to be introduced to primary and secondary schools from this September. Education Minister, Norma Foley, says she hopes the initiative will help to address bullying and prevent a ‘scourge’ amongst young people. The lessons have been created by the Anti-Bullying Centre in Dublin City University and follow on from the

Six people have died and many others are injured after a multiple stabbing at a shopping centre in Sydney, Austalia. A man – believed to be the single, lone, attacker – has been shot by Police. Hundreds of people ran in terror from the Westfield Complex near Bondi Beach, after the horror attack began, shortly

A man’s been seriously injured in a shooting in County Down. He was shot in his abdomen in Banbridge shortly after 8 o’clock last night. It happened while the man in his 40s was in a car park on Rathfriland Road. He’s been taken to hospital where his condition has been described as serious. A

  €10,000 is to be invested in the upgrading and enhancement of the Binbane Bog Road, which is part of the Bluestack Way. The enhancement will include drain reopening and resurfacing. The funding was announced by Minister Heather Humphreys this morning as part of an upgrade of 43 walking and hiking trails across Rural Ireland.

Derry City and Strabane District Council are seeking local tourism representatives to join the Tourism Strategy Working Group, to inform the delivery of the district-wide Tourism strategy. Representatives will oversee the implementation of the strategy on behalf of the sector, and support development of any emerging strategies, in partnership with other strategic stakeholders, such as

As part of a ‘National Day Of Action’ to clampdown on the use of mobile phones while driving, 21 fixed charge penalty notices were issued to motorists in the Letterkenny area. Gardai say mobile phones are the number one distraction to drivers on Irish roads as people continue to text, make phone calls, take selfies

A man has been jailed in Derry today after pleading guilty to offences linked to an encrypted communication channel used by criminals. EncroChat is used to plan illegal activity, such as drug importation and the movement of cash. 44 year old, Michael O’Loughlin, who was arrested after the search of a property in Warrenpoint in

Aquatech businesses in Donegal are being encouraged to apply for a new BIM mentoring programme. The free two-week programme offers a unique opportunity for companies with technology applicable to the aquaculture sector to improve their investor readiness and increase market access. In announcing the Innovation Studio programme, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie

Uisce Eireann say repairs to a burst water main in South Inishowen may cause supply disruptions at Lenamore, Dundrean, Muff Road and surrounding areas. There will be a traffic management plan in place for the duration of the works. Works are scheduled to take place until 4pm this afternoon, the 12th of April.