Author name: highlandnews

Donegal County Council is beginning a process to recruit more firefighters. In a report to the council’s Economic Development SPC, Chief Fire Officer Joseph McTaggart said a series of open nights will take place at fire stations across the county as part of the process. It follows a debate at the full council this week […]

A man has been sentenced to jail for assaulting another man who was on a night out in the Derry city centre in May, 2022. Caoimhin McSheffrey was sentenced today, at Derry Crown Court to two years in jail, suspended for three years, for the offences of grievous bodily harm and common assault which occurred

The leader of the DUP has written to the Speaker of the Stormont Assembly to confirm his intention to return to power-sharing. Northern Ireland has been without a functioning Government for almost two years as a result of a DUP boycott. Jeffrey Donaldson says he expects the Assembly to meet on Saturday to elect a

Alcohol Forum Ireland is holding a briefing event in Letterkenny tomorrow morning for Donegal politicians and the public in relation to the Proposed Sale of Alcohol Bill. The bill seeks to extend trading hours, the number of drink outlets and the removal of limits on the number of on-licences. These, according to CEO of Alcohol

Heated exchanges took place in the Dáil this afternoon following Deputy Pearse Doherty calling for better protection systems to be put in place for those who fall victim to digital scams. The Donegal Deputy again stated the need for a data sharing system to be instated between the banks and the Gardaí in a bid

A man with severe mental health difficulties was held in a Donegal Garda Station for 12 hours last week because no GPs were available to fulfil the necessary paper work to seek the appropriate care. Deputy Thomas Pringle told the Dáil about the issue this afternoon. He has called it “an injustice” to both the

Hundreds of farmers are expected to drive through cities, towns and villages across the country this evening as protests continue across Europe. It’ll include a gathering outside Letterkenny. The IFA has confirmed that farmers will assemble with tractors at the Manorcunningham roundabout shortly before 7pm this evening. They will then travel on the inside lane

Donegal County Council has backed a motion from Cllr Michael McClafferty seeking to have the wearing of Hi-Vis vests by pedestrians made mandatory. The council will now write to the Department of Transport and Road Safety Authority suggesting that compulsory high visibility vest wearing be examined. Members were told that 44 pedestrians lost their lives

The Chair of Donegal County Council’s Defective Concrete Blocks Committee says issues with the council’s online portal have been resolved, and it will be back online and functioning properly within days. Cllr Martin McDermott was responding to comments from Milford & District Resource Centre Manager Declan Meehan, who called on the council to get its

Donegal County Council and Failte Ireland are discussing a proposal that they pilot a bespoke Festival and Events Development Programme that will target a number of festivals and events with a three year funding commitment of €4,000 per year, accompanied by a series of supports. Details emerged this week as members passed a motion from

Bus and train services aren’t running across the north again today. Workers at Translink are staging another work stoppage over pay. With the return of Stormont imminent, workers are being asked to defer future strikes, because money will be available for increased public sector pay as a result of the deal. Northern Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris

Legislation formalising the terms of the deal to facilitate the resumption of power sharing in the north is expected to pass through the UK House of Commons today. The deal, agreed earlier this week between the UK government and the DUP will remove checks on goods moving between Britain and Northern Ireland. The EU says

A Donegal Deputy has called on the Dáil to ensure every effort is made to see that residents of the Supervised Residential Unit in Carndonagh can stay in the facility. In December, the closure of the facility was proposed as part of the planned reconfiguration of the Donegal Mental Health Service. Deputy Joe McHugh says that

The Manager of the Milford & District Resource Centre says Donegal County needs to get it’s act together after he heard of a number of issues with the administration of the Defective Concrete Block Scheme. Declan Meehan, who plans to contest the upcoming local elections, says that locals have been telling him of their inability

The Chairperson of Donegal County Council Fisheries Committee is thankful that four people onboard a boat that got into difficulty off Inis Meáin island were rescued safely. A meeting of the committee was told this morning that the loss of the 12 meter fishing vessel will be devastating for the owner and crew economically. Around

A Donegal based Minister says ensuring there are enough builders to see the remediation of homes under the Defective Concrete Block Scheme must be a priority. Minister Charlie McConalogue says there must be encouragement to bring construction workers to Donegal from other counties and abroad, as there will be a large demand when homes It’s

The government is to defer legislation to decriminalise small amounts of drugs for personal use for nine months. The Dáil debated the People Before Profit Bill this morning, with a vote to take place this evening. Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle said looking at Portugal, the decriminalisation of drugs seen a decrease in drug related deaths

Towns in Mayo, Wexford, Longford and Wicklow have been named among the best places to live in Ireland. Castlebar topped the list of 50 towns, which were analysed in terms of work-life balance. The Mayo town scored high on the number of primary schools, GP surgeries, and cafés per 1-thousand residents. The research by switcher.ie

A €125 million mortgage interest tax relief scheme is open from today. The one-off scheme can be accessed through Revenue’s online myAccount service. The relief is 20% of the increased interest paid last year, compared to 2022, up to a limit of €1,250. It’s available to homeowners compliant with Local Property Tax with an outstanding

Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Michael Martin is at Stormont today for talks with the North’s political parties after this week’s agreement between the UK government and the DUP paved the way for the return of the executive and assembly. DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has praised the agreement on the movement of some goods into

A wet and windy Wednesday’s on the way, with a weather warning for five counties. Met Éireann has issued a Status Yellow wind alert for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo from 8am until 1pm today. At present there are two power outages in Donegal, 10 homes and businesses are without power in Dungloe with

A Donegal Deputy has described the co-ordination of services for those seeking protection in Ireland as shambolic. In the Dáil last evening, Deputy Padraig McLaughlin recalled the tribulations of Sessiaghoneill National School, which was denied €30,000 in capitation after taking on a significant number of children from refugee families because the deadline had expired. Deputy

A Midlands North West MEP is calling on the EU to commit to the delivery of humanitarian aid and continue its support of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees. Chris MacManus has labelled other countries suspension of funding to the UNRWA as shameful and unconscionable. He says it’s important the EU

Members of Donegal County Council have been briefed on the new Deposit Return Scheme which comes into effect tomorrow. The scheme includes bottles and cans with a capacity of 150ml to 3 litres. A levy of 15 cent will be imposed on containers containing 500mls or less, and 25 cent on containers holding above 500mls,

An Inishowen councillor says Donegal County Council must take the lead in ensuring government is fully aware of the level of deprivation in Donegal. Cllr Albert Doherty says the Pobal HP Deprivation Index released last November shows that Donegal was ranked the most disadvantaged county in the state. He told members that areas of Inishowen

Government has announced it’s list of ministerial visits to take place on St. Patrick’s Day. Cabinet and junior ministers will visit 48 countries in March as part of the annual festivities. Despite pressures for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to boycott his visit to the White house in a bid to call for a ceasefire in Israel,