Author name: highlandnews

Cllr. Gerry McMonagle says factors such as the defective blocks crisis, influx of refugees and students attending university has added pressure onto Letterkenny. He raised his concerns regarding the lack of adequate short-term solutions for families in particular who are presenting as homeless. He is calling on the Government and Donegal County Council to form

A Donegal deputy questioned the Tánaiste on what the government plans to do to support families who are suffering the most under the cost-of-living crisis. Deputy Pearse Doherty presented stark statistics from Barnardo’s and accused government of choosing to not implement proposals to aid those most in need. The Tánaiste responded saying deputy Doherty is

Derry Cllr. Emma McGinley is voicing her concerns about the plans to build 100,000 houses in the North. While welcoming the construction that is underway of 119 homes in Derry, she is seeking the affirmation that building plans for the next 15 years will still go ahead. She says the lack of a Northern Ireland

A Diversity not Division Rally is taking place in Letterkenny this weekend. It’s part of a national series of rallies taking place across the country on Saturday. People are being encouraged to bring flags, posters and banners for a peaceful celebration of diversity and inclusion at the Market Square, Letterkenny at 1:30pm. Paul Kernan from

The Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council is urging people to have their say on the Town Centre First Plan for Milford. A planning and design company has been appointed to prepare the plan which has now gone to public consultation. Councillor Liam Blaney says the plan will set the precedent for future town centre plans.

Senior Ministers will meet later to discuss fresh cost of living supports. It’s expected an announcement will be made after next Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting to help families cope with rising prices. An extra €200 energy credit is one of the measures being considered. However, the Green Party seems to be against such a move, arguing

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment says delivering high speed broadband to the North West is a priority for Government to facilitate remote working opportunities and the opening of new businesses in the region. Minister Simon Coveney is hosting a ‘Building Better Business in the North-West’ event at the Atlantic Technological University’s Letterkenny campus

Plans to cut the opening hours of the National Driving Licence Service office in Letterkenny have been paused. Minister Jack Chambers has confirmed that he has requested the closure of the office on a part time basis does not go ahead at the moment. He says the office will currently continue to operate as normal

The Minister for Higher Education has given assurances that the Killybegs campus will play a critical role in the Atlantic Technological University. Minister Simon Harris confirmed also that he expects a regional campus support fund to be established shortly which he says will be very significant for the smaller campuses. He was responding to Donegal

75% of farmers remain deeply concerned about rising input costs. But Ifac’s Irish Farm Report says over half of them could improve their resilience with greater financial planning. Philip O’ Connor is head of Farm Support at agribusiness firm, Ifac. He says fuel and transport costs were also a key concern along with regulations and

A West Donegal Councillor is calling on the Government to ensure adequate roads funding is delivered for the Glenties Municipal District. Cllr Micheál Choilm Mac Giolla Easbuig says the area is receiving the bare minimum in terms of funding. He says more investment is urgently needed:

Donegal County Council is being urged to expedite work to address flooding on the Trentagh Road between Kilmacrennan and Churchill. The issue was raised by Cllr Ciaran Brogan, who welcomed the inclusion of the road on the Regional and Local Roads programme announced this week. Cllr Brogan says there is a welcome focus on the

The Regional Director of the Donegal Youth Service says getting put to all areas of the county is a challenge, and securing a permanent and publicly owned home for the service is vital. Lorraine Thompson told councillors this week that the service has 30 staff and over 300 volunteers, reaching 11,000 young people annually. She

A Donegal Deputy claims the Government has subsidised energy companies at the expense of citizens. Deputy Thomas Pringle has told the Dail that despite gas prices returning to pre-war levels, consumers bills continue to soar while energy companies make eye-watering profits that is being facilitated by the Government. He says unless action is taken against

A former government minister believes Ireland should host a major event for foreign leaders on St Patrick’s Day, rather than send ministers abroad. Ministers and Government representatives will travel to 74 cities across the world for the national holiday. Agriculture, Food and the Marine Minister, Charlie McConalogue is set to travel to New Zealand to

A Midlands North West MEP has warned that the region is falling behind economically. When EU regional funding was calculated for the period 2021 to 2027, the Midlands North West was classed in the middle, with a below-average GDP. But according to Fine Gael MEP, Colm Markey, the region is now lagging even further behind.

The government will NOT be introducing a ‘mini budget’ to help with the cost of living crisis. Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe says decisions have yet to be made on exactly what supports will be provided and whether they’ll be targeted or universal. Opposition parties say the scale of the crisis calls for an entire

  Donegal sheep farmer Liam McLaughlin says farmers do not feel represented. Speaking on the Nine ’til noon show this morning, Mr. McLaughlin says representative groups do not work together or receive enough support to make an impact on the lives of farmers. He said traction in the ‘Irelands Farms Discussion Group’ resulted in a

A Donegal grandmother is appealing to young people to be weary of TikTok challenges after her granddaughter’s hand was left severely burned. After attempting the hand sanitiser challenge, Kathy O’Connor’s 13 year old granddaughter needs to go to hospital every second day in order to get 3rd degree burns on her hand treated. Kathy says

The Social Protection Minister, Heather Humphreys, says Deputy Pearse Doherty’s Dáil motion on a Spring bonus and cost-of-living supports was nothing more than a political stunt. It was tabled by the Sinn Fein Finance Spokesperson amid claims the Coalition is out of touch, and has failed to tackle the crisis. Minister Humphreys says no political party or

The Minister for the OPW has agreed to meet with Councillors in Inishowen to discuss a way forward in terms of a flood relief scheme for Burnfoot. Five years ago, the area was devastated by unprecedented flooding. As a result, eight families were put out of their homes for safety reasons. The Minister in a

Members of Letterkenny Milford Municipal District are to hold a workshop to discuss what can be done to secure and repurpose derelict buildings in the town and district. Members agreed that in the first instance, potentially dangerous buildings need to be made safe, and then decisions can be made in terms of what buildings the

The cost of putting on local shows in An Grianan Theatre could lead to the loss of the annual pantomime in Letterkenny. The issue was raised this week at municipal district level by Cllr Kevin Bradley, who said there hasn’t been a pantomime in the theatre since 2018, and the issue of cost must be

Campaign group, Into The West has released a video today to mark the shutting down of Donegal rail on this day 58 years ago. On February 14th, 1965, Donegal lost the last of its railways and its direct rail link with Dublin. Up until then, the railway line ran through the border with stops at

A further bid to restore Stormont today has failed. It means an organ donation law cannot be enacted. The father of a young boy, who’s story has spearheaded the proposed law in Northern Ireland, is vowing to take their battle to get it enacted to Westminster. In Belfast, the former Health Minister Robin Swann said