Author name: highlandnews

400 Ukrainian families have applied for a home under the ‘Offer a Home’ programme in Donegal. To date, 61 properties have been allocated, housing 203 families who are residing in the county since the scheme opened in December. Under the ‘Offer a Home’ programme, Donegal County Council is appealing for offers of houses, apartments or

A Virtual Power Plant is being established in Donegal. ERNACT has received €1.5 million in funding to develop the initiative which will link energy systems in the county with other European regions. Donegal County Council will work with a number of stakeholders over the coming three years on the Community-based Virtual Power Plant project to

The Government need to act positively for low income families suffering because of the cost of living crisis. Social Justice Ireland is calling for increased social welfare rates in its pre-budget submission which it will outline to the Social Protection Minister today. SJI says the current rate paid to jobseekers aged between 18 and 24

The Garda Representative Association is criticising the Garda Commissioner’s plan to re-impose the pre-Covid roster for members of the force. It involves a ‘6 Days On, 4 Day Off’ pattern for all Garda members on a 10-Week cycle. The GRA says the changes will negatively impact members’ wellbeing and will result in fewer Gardai on

An investigation is underway in Turkey following the death of a Portlaoise man and his young son. 36 year old Eoin Fitzpatrick and his 10 year old son Dylan were killed when a collision happened with a moped they were travelling on on Monday afternoon. Dylan’s 16 year old son who was also on the

Allstate’s Managing Director has met senior public representatives in Strabane for discussions on the future of the company in the area. West Tyrone MP Órfhlaith Begley and MLA Maolíosa McHugh sought the meeting seeking clarification about Allstate’s plans surrounding rumours of redundancies amid global restructuring in the company. Allstate Vice-President and Managing Director Dr Stephen

There’s a warning that unless CCTV is installed in Letterkenny as a matter of urgency, someone will be killed. A number of serious violent assaults have taken place in the town in recent months in public areas including; a shopping centre and car park. The Department of Justice has agreed to fund the rollout of

Hairdressers in the North West are just about breaking even, with some running at a loss that’s according to a Donegal salon owner. The current rate of 9% is set to go up to 13.5% in August as the Government is reluctant to extend it. Rossa Danagher, spokesperson for The Irish Hairdressers Federation says the

Donegal County Council is being urged to introduce by-laws to govern the use of e-scooters in the Letterkenny Milford Municipal area. Concerns have been raised over the use of e-scooters for both users and pedestrians, particularly vulnerable and elderly pedestrians. Councillor Gerry McMonagle says while it is an affordable and welcomed mode of transport, it

Sinn Féin says the public needs a realistic end date for the construction of the National Children’s Hospital. Located on the grounds of St. James’ Hospital in Dublin, the facility is almost 2 years behind schedule. These delays are believed to be due to staff and resource shortages, as well as a lack of communication

Holiday home owners in Donegal are being warned to secure their properties when they are vacant. It comes following a string of break ins at holiday homes which were empty for a number of weeks in the Ardara, Kilcar and Glencolmcille areas. In one instance, substantial damage was caused to the house after being ransacked.

The Minister of State for Disabilities says people have a right for the Brandon report to be fully published. The report outlined 108 incidents of serious assault carried out by a resident, given the pseudonym Brandon, between 2003 and 2016 at Ard Greine Court in Stranorlar. Minister Anne Rabbitte remains committed to ensuring the report

Gardaí have issued a renewed appeal for witnesses to a fatal crash at Tooban, Burnfoot on Friday afternoon last. Michael Jim Quinn, who was living in Letterkenny but originally from Buncrana died in hospital after the car he was driving struck a ditch at around 4:30pm. He was aged in his 60s. A female passenger,

The All-Island rail review set to be published later this month proposes Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan be connected to the national rail network for the first time in decades. Transport Minister Eamon Ryan last week in confirming that he will be bringing a memo to Cabinet in the coming weeks said moves are already being

The Taoiseach says it would be unusual for the government to reject a recommendation from the low pay commission. It follows reports the body is set to recommend a rise of more than 12% in the minimum wage. If the measure is adopted it would mean the rate going from €11.30 per hour to €12.70.

A High Court in India has ordered that the trial of the man accused of the murder of Donegal woman Danielle McLaughlin be expedited. The 28 year old was killed in Goa on March 14th 2017. The orders to expedite the trial were issued by the High Court while rejecting the bail plea filed by

Ireland is becoming wetter and warmer according to a new study by Met Eireann. Climatoligists have compiled a report based on the last 30 years showing how Irelands climate has changed. Every county throughout the island has experienced weather pattern shifts. Climatologist with Met Eireann Dr.Ciara Ryan says we are also getting an increase in

A Donegal Deputy has warned the Marine Minister that the negative experience of the development of offshore renewable energy in the East of the country cannot be repeated anywhere else in Ireland. Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn asked Minister Charlie McConalogue to outline what steps Government was taking to maximise marine space for fishing communities for renewable

The North West City Region has been selected to join the Intelligent Cities Challenge programme as a step towards creating a sustainable and low carbon region. The city region will now commence a two-year journey to create an impactful strategy and develop innovative solutions that will place it at the forefront of the green and

A major conference on dereliction is being held in Letterkenny this week. The ‘Derelict in Donegal’ conference will feature a range of speakers with a tour of Letterkenny’s Lower Main Street taking place on Thursday ahead of the main event on Friday at the Station House Hotel. There are currently around 8,000 vacant homes in

  Donegal County Council is being urged to look to other countries to see how they provide waste disposal and recycling facilities. It comes after large bags of rubbish were found dumped at roadsides in Gweedore in recent days. Councillor Micheal Choilm MacGiolla Easbuig believes a different approach is needed to combat illegal dumping across

469 members of An Garda Síochána left the force in the last year. Officials fear it’ll be tough to police new Government legislation without an increase in resources. Justice Minister Helen McEntee hopes to introduce laws in relation to hate speech and hate crime in the autumn. General Secretary of the AGSI, Antoinette Cunningham, says

There are concerns over the lack of Mná an Tí and Fir an Tí offering accommodation for Gaeltacht courses. Many stopped hosting students after the pandemic, with others choosing to retire and citing rising food prices. A number of courses between now and the end of the year are already fully booked, with growing waiting

Countries in Southern Europe have been warned to expect the heatwave to become even more intense this week, after temperatures hit 39 degrees celsius in places. Wildfires in La Palma in the Canary Islands have forced thousands of people to be evacuated. Red alerts for extreme heat have also been issued across Italy. Professor John