Author name: highlandnews

Gardaí in Donegal are reminding drivers that road safety should always be a priority. As part of a cross border operation, Gardai conducted a checkpoint in Lifford last night alongside the PSNI. Drivers are urged to always drive with care, slow down, wear a seatbelt regardless of where you travel and never drive under the

The National Development Plan may have “underestimated what is needed” to deal with challenges around housing, health and climate change. An ESRI report also states the Government “faces a dilemma” when it comes to investment in public infrastructure. The Economic and Social Research Institute argues while the 2018 NDP, and the revised version in 2021,

A Donegal woman who was sexually assaulted by a friend while she slept has stated that she hopes her reporting the crime will help at least one other person. The 27-year-old man pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to a count of sexual assaulting the then 18-year-old woman at his apartment in County Donegal

Public sector unions say a pay offer handed down by the Government last night failed to meet their demands around inflation. Talks ended at around three o’clock this morning, without an agreement. Unions say the first offer from Government sparked a reaction of “shock.” In an email to members this afternoon, Fórsa says this would

  Gritters will be on the roads in Donegal from 7pm this evening, with all roads on the council’s winter programme to be treated. Temperature are forecast to fall to -2 degrees in places tonight.   ALL Donegal Winter Maintenance designated gritting routes will be gritted from 7PM on Thu. 11/01. Donegal gritting route index

Reductions to public transport fares have been extended to 24 and 25 year olds – three months after they were announced. Government Ministers first introduced the scheme in Budget 2024 in October. It means anyone aged 18 to 25, as well as full time third level students over the age of 16, can now sign

A man has been arrested following a stabbing in Derry. The man in his 20s was found at a property in the Heron Way area of the City at around 2:40am this morning. He was discovered with stab wounds to his body and facial lacerations. Police say his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

  A Donegal woman has been jailed for two and a half years for sexually assaulting a 13 year old student. Teacher Jacintha McSherry O’Connor of The Mullins, Donegal Town, denied indecently assaulting the boy while she was giving him grinds in 1985. Dublin’s Circuit Criminal Court heard that the 63 year old did not

The number of people on the Live Register in Donegal last month is up slightly on the previous month but down significantly year on year. According to latest figures from the Central Statistics Office, 9,118 people were signing on in the county in December 2023, representing a 1.6% increase on figures from November 2023. When

Joseph Molloy has been selected to go forward for Fine Gael selection for this year’s local elections. The postmaster and shopkeeper based in Gweedore joins Killybegs man, Manus Boyle and youth worker, Jason Harley from Frosses going forward for the Fine Gael local selection convention for the 2024 Council elections. The selection conventions will take

Two more names have been thrown into the hat in Donegal ahead of this year’s local elections. This week, Killybegs man, Manus Boyle was selected along with 25 year old youth worker, Jason Harley from Frosses to go forward for the Fine Gael local selection convention for the 2024 Council elections. The pair already have

The price of a national stamp is going up. It will increase by 5 cent to €1.40 from February 1st, as An Post deals with increasing transport, fuel and energy costs. Rates for large envelopes and Registered Post will also increase, while sending a letter abroad and the national digital stamp will remain the same.

We could be set for a series of public sector strikes. Pay talks between unions and government at the WRC broke down without agreement at around 2 o’clock this morning. Unions had already signalled they were preparing ballots for industrial action in the event of no deal – They say the pay offer was ‘extremely

Tomorrow will see the official opening of the Creeslough Community Association Links Hub. Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development and Charities, Joe O’Brien will be in attendance to carryout the opening. The building is located at the former Cope Hardware premises in the village’s Main Street. A part of it has been remodelled

Over €79,000 has been awarded across three Donegal organisations that support victims of crime. It’s part of a €7.7million announcement made today by the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee. The Donegal Rape Crisis received the most in out of the three with €40,360. That’s followed by the Donegal Domestic Violence Service at over €22,700 and

Residents and businesses in the areas of Swillybrin, Ballymore, Derryart, Kildarragh, and Dunfanaghy are warned of water outages as valve replacement works get underway this morning. A traffic management plan will be in place for the duration of the works, which begin at 9:30am and end at 1pm this afternoon. It’s recommended that an allowance

Two PSNI officers have been praised for rescuing two kayakers in County Derry. Dog walkers raised the alarm when they noticed the men in difficulty on the River Bann in Coleraine yesterday evening. Police officers rushed to the scene and found the kayakers clinging to branches, after they were caught in an unexpectedly strong tide.

The HSE is reporting a substantial increase in the number of respiratory illnesses and hospitalisations. Pressure is increasing on hospital systems, and it’s expected that the incidence of flu will continue to rise towards a peak in the coming weeks. Last week, 414 people were hospitalised with flu, while 459 were admitted with COVID-19. RSV,

Donegal is marginally below the national average level of affluence according to the 2022 Pobal HP Deprivation Index. The Index used data from Census 2022 to analyse ten measures of an area’s levels of disadvantage, including educational attainment, employment status and the numbers living in individual households. 720 areas, of up to 200 households, were

A year round route from the City of Derry Airport to Birmingham will soon be in effect. The flight will operate twice a week, commencing in April this year with Ryanair. Steve Frazer, Managing Director of City of Derry Airport says there has been a demand for the service throughout the Northwest for a number

Repairs to a burst water main may cause supply disruptions to Carricknahorna, Cashelard, Ballyshannon and surrounding areas. Works are scheduled to take place until 8pm this evening. Uisce Eireann recommend that an allowance of 2-3 hours after the estimated restoration time is made for supplies to fully return.

All of the Donegal gritting routes will be treated this evening. The gritters will be out from 5pm. Donegal County Council are urging drivers to assume no road is ice free. The following routes are to be treated: 01: National Primary North 02: National Primary Central 03: National Primary South 04: Inishowen South 05: Inishowen

Over 30 international staff members of Invest NI have arrived this morning for a two day visit to the Northwest. The goal is to strengthen their knowledge about the region’s investment proposition. The have travelled from markets based the US, Asia Pacific, Europe, and IMEA. Included in the visit is a trip to Ulster University’s

  Public transport workers and police staff at the Unite union are going to join a major strike in the North next week. Teachers, nurses, health workers and civil servants are also taking part in what’s expected to be one of the biggest walkouts in history over pay. They’ll stage industrial action on 18th January.

Donegal County Council is inviting the public to have their say in developing the future plans for the old Courthouse in Letterkenny as a tourist attraction. There will be a drop in event, this day week, Wednesday the 17th of January. The project aims to make the historic Courthouse building a major tourist and increase

Repairs to a burst water main are ongoing in the Redcastle area. Householders are advised of possible supply disruptions. A traffic management plan will be in place for the duration of the works which are scheduled to take place until 3pm.

HIQA has posted reports following inspections of two centres for people with disabilities in Donegal. One non-compliance was found in the area of premises at the James Connolly Memorial Residential Unit in Carndonagh, while no non-compliances were noted at Finnside in Stranorlar. There were nine residents at the James Connolly Memorial Unit in Carndonagh when

A Co Derry man has been sentenced to six years in prison after a homemade shotgun and ammunition was found at a house in Limavady. Police carried out a search at a property in Anderson Park, Limavady in November 2021 during which a functioning homemade shotgun and cartridges were found in a garden shed. A