Author name: highlandnews

The Chief Constable of the PSNI will meet with Stormont leaders later as one of his senior officers remains fighting for his life in hospital. A fourth man’s now been arrested in connection with the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell – who was shot in Omagh on Wednesday night. The 22 year

A Donegal Deputy has accused the Government of repeatedly delivering generic responses to calls for insulin pump services to be rolled out at Sligo University Hospital. There have been repeated calls for the service to be put in place to benefit people right across the North West. Deputy Thomas Pringle says the Tanaiste committed to

An Inishowen Councillor has called on the HSE to make the filling of vacant positions at Cashel na Cor a priority. The service has been operating at a reduced capacity for some time now. The HSE has confirmed that there are still a number of staff vacancies including a managers position. Once the required management

Its one year to the day since Russian forces invaded Ukraine. The country’s intelligence service is being warned to expect increased missile attacks in the coming days to coincide with the anniversary. More than 8 thousand civilians have died, while as many as 13 thousand have been injured. According to the UN the true number

The HSE spent over €1.1 billion on agency staff in less than two years. The bill came to €568 million in 2021, and €543 million in the first 11 months of last year. According to freedom of information figures, almost a quarter of the money was spent on nursing staff. Beaumont Hospital consultant, Bill Tormey,

A fourth arrest’s been made by police over the shooting of a senior detective in County Tyrone. John Caldwell was targeted at a sports centre in Omagh where he’d been coaching children on Wednesday night. Dissident republican group, the New IRA, is the “primary focus” of the investigation. Tony Blair, the British prime minister who

The Transport Minister says Donegal has suffered because of lost connectivity. Minister Eamon Ryan says it is vital the Government gets connectivity to the county. He was responding to Donegal Senator Niall Blaney who has called for cross border talks to take place to expedite the publication of the All Island Rail Review:   Minister

Donegal County Council is applying for a foreshore lease to facilitate the instillation of a 20 metre by six metre landing pontoon at Meevagh Boatyard. The council has been working towards the development for a number of years, as the previous pontoon is no longer usable. As part of the application, a public consultation opens

Residents, community and voluntary organisations are being encouraged to assist in formulating Donegal’s PEACEPLUS Local Community Action Plan. Donegal County Council has been awarded an indicative allocation of over €7.6 million for the plan from the European Regional Development Fund with match-funding provided from the Executive Office NI and the Department for Rural and Community

The government has been told a policy of positive discrimination in favour of the North West and West is vital if the widening income gap between the region and the rest of the state is to be addressed. In the Dail this morning, Sinn Fein’s Rural Development spokesperson Claire Kerrane called for a significant investment

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told the Dail the Department of Transport will look into the recent series of flight cancellations at Donegal Airport in Carrickfinn. Deputy Thomas Pringle told the Dail that a number of recent cancellations were explained away as ‘technical issues’ by the operator, but that he argued needs to be explained more

Serious safety concerns have been raised about the safety of school children in Burtonport, who are forced to walk along a busy main road due to the absence of a footpath. There have been repeated calls for a footpath to be developed on the route in Burtonport between the local school and community centre which

Police in Tyrone have launched an attempted murder investigation after an off-duty officer was shot just outside Omagh. The shooting happened at a sports complex on the Killyclogher Road. The senior off-duty PSNI officer was shot multiple times at a sports complex between Omagh and Killyclogher shortly before 8 o clock last night. It’s understood

The Carndonagh community have rallied behind the Carndonagh Traders Association after it fell victim to a scam at the end of last year. The association opened just before the pandemic and has gained great significance in the community through lockdown and beyond. A go fund me page and St. Patricks Day draw initiative have seen

A Donegal Deputy has hit out at the Housing Minister for being unable to meet the ‘shockingly low’ housing targets he sets. Deputy Thomas Pringle says the housing crisis has affected every single person in the country and contributing to cost of living. He says children are suffering greatly as a direct result of the

Donegal TD Joe McHugh says until the defective blocks scheme includes those who are financially vulnerable, he will keep his position outside of the parliamentary party. The TD stood down as Fine Gael Party whip last July after opposing the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022. He says he does

The Donegal Road Safety Plan has been published. The Donegal Road Safety Working Group recently published the 2022-2030 plan which is designed to ensure a collaborative, coordinated and consistent approach to improving road safety. A ‘Vision Zero’ to achieve no road deaths or serious injuries on the roads by 2050 has been set out by

The Chair of the Buncrana Leisure Centre Committee is seeking clarification on proposals to submit an application for funding for a new facility under the Repowering Buncrana Project announced for the shorefront last year. Cllr Jack Murray recently announced he believes funding for the pool can be secured under the scheme, with work possibly starting later this

There is an opportunity to clamp down on the stealing of sheep. That’s according to Adrian Gallagher, head of the IFA Donegal branch. Speaking on the Nine ’til Noon Show this morning, Mr. Gallagher said that unless thieves are caught in the act, farmers are quite restricted. However, he added that the purchasing of a

Some people with disabilities are still waiting for the clarification as to when they will be able to make their own decisions. Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle raised the issue in the Dáil this morning with Disabilities Minister Roderic O’Gorman. Deputy Pringle told the Dail the Assisted Decision Making Act passed last year still hasn’t been

There are further calls for regional inequalities to be addressed with a focus on the North West. Such inequalities have been highlighted further following latest CSO figures which revealed that people in Donegal have the lowest disposable income in the country at just over €18,500. The Northern & Western Regional Assembly says the gap in

The Dail has heard an appeal for the Housing Minister to meet with Donegal County Council to allay the concerns of Councillors over redress for defective block homeowners. A cross-party delegation of Councillors travelled to Dublin yesterday to protest outside Leinster House in a stand for equality for defective block homeowners. Speaking in the Dail

Donegal hoteliers have welcomed the Government’s decision to extend the 9% tourism VAT rate and reform the energy support scheme for businesses. Paul Diver, Chair of the Donegal Irish Hotels Federation Branch, says the industry is sighing a breath of relief following yesterday’s announcement. He says while the proposed rate of 13.5% is unjustified, hoteliers

Donegal Senator Eileen Flynn is calling on the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to make a statement on the roll-out of the Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Scheme to the traveler community. She says that many travelers have not received any energy credit to date due to their type of accommodation despite communications being

The Garda Representative Association say more needs to be done to protect members of the force. A male guard received medical treatment yesterday after he was surrounded by a group of youths and struck with a missile in Ballyfermot. Gardai say a number of patrol vehicles were also significantly damaged. GRA President is Donegal based

Donegal County Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council have reaffirmed their strong commitment to progressing the Riverine Project. Elected members and senior officials from both Councils met this week after the development was approved by An Bord Pleanála. An application for funding through the upcoming Peace Plus process was discussed. West Tyrone MLA