Author name: highlandnews

The government is facing renewed calls to wake up to the climate crisis. The Climate Change Advisory Council’s review for 2023 has found Ireland will not meet the targets set in the first and second carbon budget periods unless immediate action is taken and emissions begin to fall much more rapidly. Among the body’s recommendations […]

  Fears are growing surrounding tomorrow’s weather forecast for heavy rainfall. It follows flash flooding over the weekend which hit East Donegal. Speaking in a meeting of Donegal County Council yesterday, Cllr. Gary Doherty asked for sandbags to be at the ready. In response, Director of Emergency Services with Donegal County Council Garry Martin said

A single car road traffic collision on the A5 on Friday has seen another life lost. It occurred at around 11:30am on the Curr Road portion of the road. The passenger of the vehicle passed away, while the driver remains in hospital. West-Tyrone MP Órfhlaith Begley extended her condolences to the family. She added that

A programme designed to help small businesses reduce their carbon footprint and create more sustainable practices within their business is being rolled out in Donegal. The Energy Efficiency Fund aims to assist businesses in taking the first step towards becoming more sustainable. A green consultant will be available. Steven Perry Business Advisor at LEO Donegal

A Raphoe Councillor says people in the town live under the threat of flooding every year. A Flood Relief Scheme for Raphoe has been commissioned however, construction is not expected to commence until late 2024. Councillor Frank McBrearty says the current drainage system in the town simply can’t deal with the level of rain that

Residents and businesses in East Donegal are continuing clean ups today after much devastation was caused by flash flooding in the area on Saturday. Heavy rain resulted hit Raphoe, Castlefinn, Killygordon and Convoy. The ground floor of Dale’s parents home in Raphoe was destroyed by the flooding. He told today’s Nine til Noon Show that

There’s urgent calls for safety measures to be installed on a Letterkenny road used regularly by children due to cars travelling at a phenomenal speed on it. Donegal County Council has agreed to carry out an assessment of the Rahan Road. Councillor Gerry McMonagle says parents have raised concerns over an increase in traffic on

New courses are on the way to train therapists, nurses and pharmacists. The Higher Education Minister says there will also be new PLC courses for speech and language therapy assistants, while many other courses will be available in Northern Ireland to students from the Republic. Simon Harris says its designed to support disability services into

The Greek Island of Rhodes has conducted its largest ever wildfire evacuation – with thousands of people, including tourists and locals fleeing some areas. Last night the Greek Emergency Communications Service also issued evacuation orders for some areas of Corfu, due to fires. The Department of Foreign Affairs is advising against travel to the affected

Ireland’s GDP is expected to rise by 4.8% this year and 4.3% in 2024, according to EY’s Economic Eye Summer 2023 Forecast. It’s predicting employment will increase by 2.8% this year. The forecast also suggests inflation of 5.8% in 2023, returning to 2% by 2025. Dr Loretta O’Sullivan, EY Ireland Chief Economist, says inflation appears

Donegal County Council has sought assistance from the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Enterprise Trade & Employment following the weekend flooding. The local authority has notified the National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management of the flash flooding which severely impacted Raphoe, Castlefinn, Convoy & Killygordon in relation to potential assistance being

Fail to plan, plan to fail are the words of Cllr. Patrick McGowan as he calls for a pro-active approach for re-occurring flooding within the Finn Valley area. He says while major flood relief schemes are in the works, regular maintenance should not be ignored. He says simple solutions could have lessened the scenes saw

The Department of Foreign Affairs is advising Irish citizens in Rhodes to be alert and stay away from areas affected by wildfires. A spokesperson says the Department has been contacted by a number of Irish citizens impacted by the blazes. 30,000 people have been moved to safety on the Greek island and tourists are being

Less talk, more action. That is the thought of Seamus McGylnn of McGylnns Restaurant in Castlefinn which had another close call with flash flooding yesterday. He says works need to get underway with the Castlefinn Flood Relief Scheme as a matter of urgency. Local farmers assisted the business in clearing the flood water. Seamus said

The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation says a hospitality VAT rate of 13.5% will be “damaging”. It fears the increase will hit regional Ireland hard and could lead to business closures nationwide. The Government doesn’t plan to extend the reduced rate of 9% beyond the end of August. Eoghan O’Mara Walsh – CEO of the ITIC

A plan to introduce the free school book scheme to secondary schools is being considered by Government. Education Minister Norma Foley is said to be preparing for budget talks with the Finance and Public Expenditure Ministers to try to get funding for the scheme. The Sunday Independent is reporting that Fianna Fáil TDs and Senators

Raphoe and Castlefin were struck by flash flooding last night. McGlynn’s Restaurant in Castlefin took to social media to thank those who braved floodwaters to clear the road, stating not all heroes wear capes, and that the kindness showen is something that would not be forgotten. Cathaoirleach of Lifford-Stranorlar Municipal District, Cllr. Liam Doherty says

New figures released by the Department of Housing show over 40,631 people – just over a 10th of those registered with the RTB – have claimed the €500 rent tax credit to date this year. Last year over 238,000 renters in total claimed the €500 credit. Senator Mary Fitzpatrick, Fianna Fail’s Spokesperson on Housing, says

Fine Gael is calling for Garda recruits to be paid more while in training. They say the weekly training allowance needs to increase significantly to reflect the current cost-of-living crisis. Trainees are paid €184 per week, before moving onto the first point of the incremental pay scale. Fine Gael’s justice spokesperson, Alan Farrell, says every

Rip off Ireland is alive and well. That’s according to Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty who has hit out at hotels continuing to charge high rates on the dates of large music and sporting events. He highlighted one case in which a person travelling to the Europa final in May 2024 had their accommodation cancelled and

The Donegal Donkey Sanctuary has issued an urgent appeal for a baby foal who is in need of a foster mare. The foal was born in County Cavan on Friday but has been rejected by his mother. Manager of the Donegal Donkey Sanctuary, Danny Curran is asking people who are in a position to help

There’s calls for greater enforcement on hedge cutting in Donegal. Particular concern has been raised around lack of visibility as a result of overgrown hedges along the Atlantic Drive route in Downings. Councillor John O’Donnell says while responsibility lies with landowners to cut hedges, he believes responsibility lies with the council also to enforce it.

The Public Accounts Committee is seeking further information from RTÉ in connection with its probe into undeclared payments to presenter Ryan Tubridy. Its Chair says former director general Dee Forbes, former chief financial officer Breda O’Keeffe, former commercial director Geraldine O’Leary and Director of Content Jim Jennings should appear before it. Deputy Brian Stanley says

The government has been called on to find a workable solution to the current dispute involving retained firefighters. Workers are set to take strike action next week in a dispute over pay and conditions. A solution to resolved the dispute at Work Place Relations Commission was voted down earlier this month. Independent TD Sean Canney

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is once again calling for a long-term plan to tackle overcrowding. It says “band-aid measures” do not address the issues affecting the country’s hospitals. 301 people were waiting for beds in hospitals nationwide yesterday morning, 29 of them were without a bed at Letterkenny University Hospital. Phil Ní Sheaghdha