Author name: highlandnews

Fórsa says industrial action will resume in local authorities, including Donegal County Council, as talks broke down yesterday between the union and the Local Government Management Agency at the Workplace Relations Commission. It centres around issues relating to pay and workload following the loss of 10,000 jobs since the financial crisis. Fórsa’s Head of Local […]

PSNI in Derry are investigating following reports of a man who stole a bike and tampered with parked vehicles around Kingsford Park, on Saturday, the 24th of June. It happened in the early hours of the morning at around 3:15am It’s reported he entered multiple gardens and driveways attempting to gain entry to parked vehicles,

The VAT rate for hospitality and tourism will increase from 9% to 13.5% at the end of August. The Department of Finance has confirmed Michael McGrath does not plan to give a further extension of the measure which has already cost €300 million. The Restaurants’ Association of Ireland had appealed to TDs to decouple food

The State’s Land Development Agency is to purchase privately owned sites that can be utilised for the quick delivery of public housing. It will begin identifying sites in a bid to accelerate delivery of new homes. The new plan, which was announced this morning, will seek to accelerate the building of new homes across the

Six medical evacuations were carried out on Arranmore Island during a two week period this month. The Arranmore RNLI volunteer crew responded to six call outs for assistance to evacuate patients in need of medical attention from the island between July 2nd and 17th. Patients were brought to Burtonport on the lifeboat and transferred to

Almost 6,000 premises in Donegal are now connected to the National Broadband Ireland Network. Over 2,700 homes and businesses in Creeslough, Dunfanaghy and Rosguill have recently been connected. €128 million is to be invested in Donegal to deliver high speed broadband to 33,000 premises under the National Broadband Plan.

RTÉ Director-General Kevin Bakhurst will meet with broadcaster Ryan Tubridy again in the coming weeks, after a “one-to-one meeting” between them in recent days. A statement from the broadcaster says the pair had a “good, open, and constructive conversation”. Mr Tubridy has been off air from his weekday radio show since the payments scandal broke

Searches are continuing along the North Donegal coast as Gardai confirm packages of cocaine washed up on beaches in the county this week are worth an estimated €4 million. The packages weighing around 60kg were discovered on Ballyhiernan and Tramore Beach on Wednesday morning. Gardaí in Milford with the assistance of the Garda Air Support

There was 15% decrease in the number of commencement notices for new homes issued in Donegal for last month compared to that of last year. There were 24 for the month of June 2023, 5 less that in 2022. To date 150 notices have been issued in the county this year so far. That is

It’s believed a third package of suspected cocaine has been found of the coast of Donegal. It follows similar discoveries at Tramore and Ballyheirnan beaches. In a statement Gardaí say the packages weigh around 60kg and have an estimated street value in excess of €4million subject to analysis by Forensic Science Ireland. Gardaí in Milford

The Ebrington Hotel has released another statement following planned concerts in Derry which are at risk of being cancelled due to legal action from a third party. In statement the hotel declares it’s support of public events in the area. Read the statement in full: The  Ebrington Hotel is totally supportive of the use of 

Repairs to a burst water main are ongoing in the Malin area. Property owners are advised that supply disruptions may be experienced in Glengad Road, Malin and surrounding areas. A traffic management plan will be in place for the duration of the works which are scheduled to take place until 2pm this afternoon.

HIQA has found improvements were required at three designated centres for people with disabilities in Donegal during unannounced inspections. Issues were highlighted at Loughnagin and Cloghan centres as well as the James Connolly Memorial Residential Unit. Inspectors say while good governance and management arrangements were in place at Loughnagin centre, one non-compliance in notification of

On-call firefighters are to strike for a second time in two months over pay and conditions in the service. SIPTU says members have voted to reject Labour Court recommendations supposedly offering “an interim solution” to their dispute. The union says stations across the country have “dangerously low levels of crew on call out”. Previously suspended

Two men have been charged in connection with several burglaries and car thefts across the country, including in the North West. It’s after Gardaí made three arrests earlier this week. Both men, one in his teens and the other in his 20s, will appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice this morning. A third man

Uisce Eireann are appealing to customers in Lettermacaward to be mindful of their water usage. The notice comes with the rise in tourist activity in the area which is leading leading to production pressure at the Lettermacaward Water Treatment Plant. The appeal has been issued in order to avoid water shortages and reduces water pressure

Gardaí in Milford are engaged in investigations following what is believed to be a number of packages containing cocaine which have washed up on two separate beaches in North Donegal. They were alerted at approximately 8:30am this morning to the first discovery on Ballyhiernan Beach, Fanad. The second occurred around half an hour later in

Gardaí in North Donegal are investigating after packages believed to contain drugs washed up on the coast. Officers say they contain a controlled drug, but didn’t say which. The substance will be analysed by Forensic Science Ireland.

113 complaints have been lodged in Donegal with the ISPCA this year so far. The statistics come as the animal protection charity are appealing for more donations amid a crisis in the sharp rise of animal cruelty in Ireland. €100,000 has been donated so far however they say more is needed to cope with the

Saolta are reporting high attendance levels at the emergency department of Letterkenny University Hospital. 175 people attended the ED yesterday, resulting in 69 admissions. They say those presenting at the ED for routine and non-urgent treatment will experience very long waiting times. It is requested that Out of Hours GP services and pharmacies are considered

The Taoiseach has made an unannounced trip to Ukraine where he has met with President Volodomyr Zelensky. Leo Varadkar took a train from Poland at around eight o’clock this morning and has also visited the cities of Bucha and Irpin. The Taoiseach announced 5-million euro in further financial support of Ukraine for humanitarian aid to

Expressway has announced an increase in single fares on the Route 64 service from Galway to Derry via Sligo, Knock and Letterkenny. The €1 increase will come into effect from July 31st. Expressway says changes to its fare structure have been made to offset the impact of rising costs on the business and incentivise online