Author name: highlandnews

Donegal has been identified as an emerging deer hotspot due to the large but unquantified number of the animals in the county. There has been repeated calls for a deer cull to take place in the county following a number of collisions in West Donegal. The culling of deer across the country is expected to […]

Three animal charities in Donegal are to benefit from a €6 million national fund. The money announced by Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue focuses on supporting charities involved in rehoming dogs and recognises that 2023 has been a particularly challenging year in terms of dog welfare and for those working to rescue, protect and rehome dogs.

Seven regions around the country including Dublin are coming under scrutiny when it comes to the real cost of a new home with the North West the cheapest place to purchase a property. The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland is today launching ‘The Real Costs of New Housing Delivery’ at its annual national conference in

A rally’s being staged outside the Dail this lunchtime in protest at the Government’s Green Paper on Disability Reform. Campaigners will assemble at 12 noon and hand over a petition to TDs and Senators. People Before Profit’s ‘Access for All’ activist Bernard Mulvany claims the new ‘tiered’ system of payments will force people into the

An Inishowen Councillor has hit out at tourism promotion bodies in the county, saying that not enough is being done to promote the peninsula. Cllr Martin McDermott told a municipal district meeting this week the issue came into sharp focus recently when he was told that only one tour operator is taking tours to Malin

A local Councillor says the need for safety works on the Mill Bridge in Buncrana is even more evident now after another near miss. Earlier this year, a pram was hit by the wing mirror of a truck, while last week, there was another incident in which an elderly walker was almost hit. Cllr Rena

The Chief Executive of Donegal County Council says every household and business in the county will benefit from the budget decisions taken by members last evening. The council passed its revenue budget, with day to day spending of €185.5 million, and also approved capital spending of €248 million. John McLaughlin says that means over €400

There have been sharp exchanges in the Dáil as politicians debated a motion on immigration. It was put forward by the Rural Independents Group and is the first time this Dáil has formally debated the issue. Almost 12,000 international protection applicants have arrived here this year, with 361 asylum seekers arriving last week. Independent TD

Donegal County Council has passed its budget for budget for 2024, with support from all parties, but opposition from Cllr Michael Choilm MacGiolla Easbuig. It will see the council spend €185.5 million, a 5.7% increase on what its 2023 spending. Cathaoirleach Cllr Martin Harley says it’s a progressive budget which will ensure Donegal continues to

TikTok has announced its top creators, trends and songs among Irish users for 2023 which features a Donegal man. This year’s lists feature well-loved trends, such as the Roman Empire, girl dinner/boy dinner, and beige flag, red flag, green flag. A number of ‘breakthrough stars’ have also been recognised, including ‘Here We Go Again’ singer

The Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland has decided not to prosecute 16 individuals reported by Operation Kenova. It’s a major investigation into an army spy who infiltrated the Provisional IRA during the Troubles – known as “Stakeknife.” The probe has examined crimes such as murder and torture, and the role of security services. Our

The chanting of ‘End the Freeze’ and the blowing of horns was heard outside Letterkenny University Hospital today as clerical staff protested the HSE moratorium on recruitment as part of a co-ordinated national industrial action. The crowd held posters saying ‘support the workers’ and waved Forsa flags as they walked around the hospital wallls. Branch

Brown bins will be available to all households from January. Only 69 percent of households currently have access to a brown bin service. The service, which is mostly being extended in rural areas, is to encourage people to separate their waste properly. Spokesperson for MyWaste.ie, Pauline McDonogh, says an increased uptake will create more “green”

The Community Links Officer for the Donegal Intercultural Platform says people should blame the Government rather than immigrants for the housing crisis. This week, the Department of Integration said it cannot provide accommodation to all international protection applicants. Instead people will be offered tents and sleeping bags due to a severe shortage of housing. Balume

The Dail has heard how a Donegal man’s life was destroyed by failings by Tusla after being falsely accused of abusing his son and daughter. Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty raised the case of William Porter this morning and claims Tusla seemingly fabricated the allegations including the recording of a false confession which was only brought

There’s a call for the fitness test used during the recruitment of new Gardaí to be made easier. An ambitious recruitment campaign has continued throughout this year, however the number of Gardaí leaving the force is also rising. Fianna Fail’s spokesperson on Justice says he’s glad the Garda recruitment age is being raised from 35

Motorists can’t take any more financial hits according to a South Donegal Deputy. Transport Infrastructure Ireland has confirmed toll increases on ten routes around the country from January 1st. It’s the second increase in the last year with most car tolls increasing by 20 cent per journey and heavy good vehicle tolls by 30 to

Ireland has a chronic shortage of inpatient hospital beds. A new study by the ESRI suggests 1,000 beds are needed immediately to deal with the number of patients already seeking care. While 300 more beds will be needed every year to address population growth and a patient base that is getting older. The Government planned

Clerical staff in the HSE are staging a series of lunchtime protests around the country today and tomorrow. They’re demanding a halt to a ban on recruitment. A protest will get underway at 12:45pm at Letterkenny University Hospital. Ashley Connolly from the Fórsa Trade Union says their members are crucial to the delivery of the

The Donegal Joint Policing Committee has been told that people in Milford and its environs want reassurances that they will not lose gardai when the local station loses its district headquarters status. Cllr Michael McBride said while it’s welcome that Donegal will remain as a standalone Garda division, Milford will not be a district headquarters

In a meeting of Inishowen MD, a county councillor has raised concerns that those living in a housing estate that is not yet taken over by the council could face lengthy waits to get on the defective concrete block redress scheme. Cllr. Paul Canning has called on the council to look into this, as there

A Midlands North West MEP has called for the United Kingdom to re-join the EU’s Erasmus programme. The programme gives students in third level education the chance to study abroad for one year. MEP Colm Markey says students are losing out as the British Government’s replacement scheme he says, is a poor substitute and doesn’t

There was a heated moment in the Dáil earlier when the Sinn Fein leader said the Government’s emergency response to the school stabbing in Dublin wasn’t adequate. Mary Lou McDonald’s remarks prompted Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to call on her to withdraw her comments and not be mis-leading the Dáil. Fine Gael’s Josepha Madigan accused Deputy

A cabinet decision on the Ten T Donegal Project moving to the planning stage is expected to be made at the start of 2024, according to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine, Charlie McConalogue. Minister McConalogue says having completed the first three stages, the Ten-T Project is now at the cabinet approval stage. The

14% of people are expected to spend over €2000 this Christmas. A survey published by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission also found almost 1 in 3 three people are planning to borrow money to cover Christmas costs. The average household spend is predicted to drop to €1030, and those with children are expected to

Gardai in Donegal are stressing the importance of the Ask for Angela campaign as the Christmas party season starts to kick in. The campaign provides people who believe they may be in an unsafe situation the opportunity to seek help in a subtle way. Sergeant Charlene Anderson says it’s an important campaign, and during the

A woman whose home in Letterkenny was badly damaged in a fire on Sunday night last has praised the fire service personnel who tackled the blaze, but says they were hampered because a fire hydrant close to the house was clogged with mud and couldn’t be accessed. Karen told Greg Hughes on today’s Nine til

The Justice Minister is confident she will survive a motion of no confidence in her. Politicians will debate the Sinn Fein motion in the Dail this evening following the riots in Dublin. The Government is expected to comfortably defeat the motion. Helen McEntee has described it as a distraction but South Donegal Deputy Martin Kenny