Author name: highlandnews

The fleadh returns to Letterkenny this weekend pulling trad musicians together to perform. The packed schedule centres around ATU today with competitions drawing crowds. Speaking with Chairman Joe Gibson this morning, he says weather permitting street sessions are encouraged…

A Donegal TD says the government must make sure banks play their role in the Defective Blocks Redress Scheme. Deputy Thomas Pringle told the Dáil the Defective Block Homeowner Working Group has shown that as mortgage owners, the banks are equal shareholders in the problems faced by homeowners, and they need to be held to

A meeting of Lifford-Stranorlar Municipal District heard the concerns for the safety of students attending St. Columba’s National School in Ballylast. Cllr. Gary Doherty has called for a speed survey to be staged outside the school. He says while there is a county-wide speed review to take place, a pro-active approach must be taken:

The Minister for Tourism and Hospitality says the Government will look at providing additional supports to help the sector. It’s after a leaked Government memo revealed earlier this week estimated the tourism sector could lose around 1 billion euro this year. Minister Catherine Martin says several options are being considered:

A Letterkenny Councillor raised a motion regarding the safety of children at Lurgybrack National School during pick up and drop off times. Cllr. Jimmy Kavanagh says the mechanics in place at the moment are ineffective leading to excessive speed on the road outside the school. According to Cllr. Kavanagh as a result of the unsafe

It’s been confirmed work will begin at the end of the month on a new school building for Gaelscoil na gCeithre Máistrí in Donegal Town. Works on the much-needed new school building were due to get underway earlier this year, when the Department of Public Expenditure called a halt to construction pending a review of

A Letterkenny Councillor is welcoming news that the Cairn-Trentagh water scheme has been placed back on the Uisce Éireann capital programme. Works are due to commence in the final quarter of this year. It follows chronic issues of water outages and burst pipes. Cllr. Michael McBride says it will help the people of the area,

  A former Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon at Letterkenny University Hospital has today questioned the political emphasis on cross border health cooperation, saying in the aftermath of Brexit, he does not believe that is the answer to Letterkenny University Hospital’s problems. On today’s Nine til Noon Show, Dr Peter O’Rourke said the hospital is not receiving

A warning has been issued to rural businesses in Donegal over the presence of Organised Crime Groups operating in the area. Owners of shops and filling stations, particularly are advised that the groups will conduct surveillance and will likely have visited the premises ahead of carrying out the attack. The perpetrators are believed to be

Wheelchair users in South Donegal have been left to use the road due to poor and inaccessible footpath conditions. Cllr Barry Sweeney raised the accessibility and safety concerns in the meeting of Donegal Municipal District. He says due to budgeting and resources restraints, footpaths tend to be less of a priority. He says this must

Donegal County Council is asking that more time be given for farmers on the outskirts of larger towns to check the zoning of their lands. It’s after members expressed concern that because of the zoning of their lands, some farmers may find themselves liable for the Residential Zoned Land Tax, even though they have no

The chairperson of the Mica Action Group says the amendments to the Defective Concrete Block scheme are disappointing but not surprising. Over 350 submissions were made to Government regarding the revised scheme. Just 13 amendments were put to campaigners during a meeting with Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien yesterday. Lisa Hone says the Government continues to

A Letterkenny Councillor is calling for funding to be sought to repair and widen Carrygawley Bridge. Speaking in the Letterkenny Milford Municipal District Meeting, Cllr. Donal Coyle highlighted safety concerns with the bridge which crosses a very deep ravine. He added the traffic that uses this narrow bridge has grown significantly due on going works

The Dail has heard call for penalty free downsizing to be included in the enhanced redress scheme for defective block homeowners. Members of the Mica Action Group met with Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien yesterday for a briefing on the revised scheme which is expected to be published in the coming weeks. Donegal Deputy Joe McHugh

Glenties Municipal District has been told there is a cluster of houses between Dungloe and Doochary where a Group Water Scheme was promised several years ago, but nothing has been done. Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher told an MD meeting this week that the water getting in to the homes at present is so bad it

Donegal County Council’s Director of Planning says decisions taken this week on the new Letterkenny Development Plans will shape the way the town grows for the next ten to twenty years. After a public consultation in January and February, the draft plan came back to members yesterday with 70 proposed amendments from the Chief Executive.

Overnight trips from the Republic to Northern Ireland reached record levels in 2022. The CSO says the numbers topped one million for the first time, with huge increases also evident for spend. Republic of Ireland visitors splashed out more than £233m, up 65% on the £142m spent three years earlier. David Roberts, Tourism NI Interim

The Taoiseach has not ruled out co-funding for the A5. In responding to Donegal Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn in the Dail who called for the Irish Government to reinstate its monetary commitment to the project, Leo Varadkar acknowledged the importance of the Western Transport Corridor project in terms of road safety and connectivity for the North

A Donegal Deputy says there needs to be an increase in development in rural towns and villages. Deputy Thomas Pringle, speaking during a motion on planning and rural housing says the current housing crisis is being exacerbated by the current planning system. He says a review of policy is vital for the development of rural

Much-needed water rehabilitation works are set to be carried out in the Finn Valley this year. The area has been plagued with a range of issues affecting water supply from Lough Mourne with residents frequently left without water. Cathaoirleach of the Lifford Stranorlar Municipal District, Councillor Patrick McGowan says the works will be significantly improve

The Taoiseach is being urged to ensure youth services in Donegal can keep providing for communities. Since the pandemic, securing an adequate number of volunteers to run services and transport for children attending have been significantly affected. Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle believes Ukrainian refugees could play a part in securing the operation of youth services:

After a lengthy discussion, Donegal County Council has agreed that lands to the south of the River Swilly should be zoned as Strategic Residential Reserve in the new Letterkenny Development Plan. Some members wanted that changed to full residential zoning, but others argued that the lack of infrastructure in that area means it could not

We need to get to grips with the fallout of the defective concrete block issue very very fast. That’s what Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty told Finance Minister Michael McGrath when calling on him to impress on the banks the need for support for affected homeowners. Deputy Doherty says many of those affected are being forced

A report launched by Regional Skills North West and Cyber Ireland says the North-West region is a prime location for cybersecurity investment. It is forecasted that the number of cybersecurity jobs in the region will quadruple by the year 2030. Tim Kelly, Strategic Head of TCS Threat Management Centres in UK, Ireland & Europe says

The Northern Ireland Secretary says setting a deadline for restoring power-sharing at Stormont would be “deadly”. The North has now been without a working devolved Government for 15 months. Speaking in the British Parliament, Chris Heaton Harris says there’s absolutely no point in deadlines:

The Government is being told it can’t take action on grocery prices until it finds out where in the food chain the big profits are being made. The Department of Enterprise is holding talks with supermarkets today, to look at how to tackle food inflation. The Government has the power to enforce price caps, but

Ireland’s EU Commissioner this morning referred to her farming husband as an example of how she’s in touch with the challenges farmers face today. Mairead McGuinness was speaking in the European Parliament during a debate on the issues farmers are dealing with including adapting to greener farming practices and ensuring food security in Europe. Commissioner

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association have raised concerns of patient health around the North-West due to long wait times. Over 131,000 people are on a waiting list at hospitals within the Saolta University Health Care Group which includes Letterkenny University Hospital. General Secretary of the IHCA, Martin Varley, says long wait times is evident due

A Donegal Deputy is questioning the Minister of Education if she is aware of what he has deemed a ‘financial crisis’ at Sessiaghoneill National School, Ballybofey. The school enrolled around 150 pupils in September, and then took in an additional 52 students in October who are Ukrainian refugees or from asylum seeker families. Despite repeated