Author name: highlandnews

A Donegal Deputy says its imperative mental health services for children and young people in Donegal are properly resourced, fully staffed and provide support when and where needed. Sinn Fein brought forward a motion in the Dail last evening on the back of serious concerns over patients currently accessing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services […]

Donegal County Councillors have passed a motion opposing the granting of licences for prospecting anywhere in Donegal. Cllr Michael McMahon told members this week a strong resolution has been passed by Leitrim County Council, and he believes Donegal must follow suit to protect its clean waters and its reputation of a tourist destination. Officials noted

People living in the most deprived areas of the country have a 28% higher risk of dying due to cancer within five years of diagnosis. The National Cancer Registry’s report also found men and women living in deprived areas have a higher chance of developing cancer. Dr, Niamh Bambury, co- editor of the report, says

Garda body-cams are a step closer as key legislation is before the Dáil to allow the use of the kits by members of the force. It’s claimed the Gardaí are about three decades behind comparable police services when it comes to equipment. Donegal based Garda Brendan O’Connor is president of the Garda Representative Association. He

The Taoiseach has been asked to clarify exactly how much money is being allocated for pier improvements and other projects in Killybegs. The issue was raised in the Dail by Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle, who said large amounts of money are being announced every year, but he believes the actual amount of new funding being

Donegal County Council is being urged to intensify its public consultation on new Zebra Crossings without beacons which are being piloted in the Twin Towns as part of a national Department of Transport & NTA initiative. The issue was raised at this week’s council meeting by Cllr Patrick McGowan, who told members that the strength

Cathaoirleath of Lifford-Stranorlar Municipal district, has confirmed retrofitting for 47 social houses which he describes at ‘Life Changing’. Houses in Railway Avenue in Killygordan and Hilltop Cresent in Stranorlar are to be renovated under government funding. Cllr. Patrick McGowan says the first step he says is to survey the properties with hope for works to

Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious activity in the Milltown Business Park area of Buncrana on Tuesday night to come forward. Entry to the premise was gained through a rear door and a sum of money was stolen sometime between 6pm on Tuesday evening and 10am the following morning. Sergeant

A West Donegal Councillor believes recycling and waste facilities in Donegal need to be enhanced. It comes as in recent days 6 bin bags were discovered discarded at a bottle bank in Glenties while a significant amount of rubbish was dumped over a scenic cliff on Arranmore Island. Both incidents have been reported to Donegal

Donegal needs more burial spaces. That’s according to Councillor Jimmy Kavanagh who says Churches are fast running out of space for burial plots. Donegal County Council yesterday adopted its service delivery plan with the need for more burial places in Donegal, particularly non-denominational public cemeteries. Councillor Kavanagh says particularly for the minority groups in society

The HSE has confirmed that the Cashel na Cor Day Service in Inishowen continues to operate at reduced capacity. The service is still awaiting the appointment of a manager and staff nurses. In a statement the HSE says all efforts continue to be made to recruit the required staff in order to facilitate the operating

Hairdressers are asking the Finance Minister to scrap plans to hike VAT on hair and beauty services. The rate is set to jump back to 13 and a half per cent from 9 per cent on March 1st. Lisa Eccles is from the Hairdressers’ Federation, she believes the proposed change will heap further unfair costs

An Inishowen Councillor is calling on the HSE to use available beds in Carndonagh Community Hospital immediately. Cllr Albert Doherty recently asked the HSE for clarification on the situation regarding the completion of work there. He was told that the works are complete, but HIQA has raised a number of questions, and five beds are

Donegal County Council is being urged to submit a detailed proposal to the Department of Housing for the use of Modular Homes to house those families most in need when their homes are being demolished or remediated due to Defective Blocks. Service Director Patsy Lafferty told members that to date, the indications are that homeowners

A new video campaign to encourage people to relocate to Donegal for a more connected and balanced life has been launched today. The ‘Donegal Is Calling’ campaign, highlights the county’s vibrant culture, modern infrastructure and world-renowned scenery which Donegal County Council says makes for the perfect remote working location. Donegal County Council today launched the

The Donegal County Coroner says suicide can be difficult to determine due to inconclusive evidence and the stigma attached to it. There are aproximately 500 deaths by suicide each year in Ireland. An ongoing research project to determine more accurate figures is underway which will give a more accurate county break-down. Dr Denis McCauley says

Up to 60 new jobs are to be created in Lifford with the reopening of Lifford Greyhound Stadium. The first race in almost four years will be held at the track on Sunday April 2nd. The stadium is being rebranded and relaunched with a new tote model to be rolled out there. General Manager of

2,132 knives were seized by the gardai last year. It’s a 16 per cent increase on 2021, when 400 fewer were recovered by the force. In total, over 17,000 have been seized over the past decade. Aontu leader Peadar Toibin says the rise is knife-crime is very concerning:

A meeting is being held this week on progressing the campaign for redress for defective block homeowners in Donegal. The Mica Action Group is urging people to attend on Thursday at the Station House Hotel, Letterkenny at 7:30pm. The group issued a letter to all Donegal County Councillors last week to put pressure on the

Significant damage has been caused to Buncrana Golf Club after the green was vandalised during what has been described as a ’14 minute period of pure havoc’ on Friday evening. CCTV footage shows two young men on an electric scooter entering the grounds shortly after 5:30pm and damaging an area around the 8th green. Francis

The Housing Minister says he expects the enhanced Defective Block scheme regulations to be published in the coming weeks. Minister Darragh O’Brien has confirmed that affected homeowners are to be consulted this week on the draft regulations. He says that he intends to include a provision in the scheme for costs for certified works already

Today marks the 51st anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians. 14 people died following a protest in the Bogside area of Derry, on what is regarded as one of the darkest days of the Troubles. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood yesterday said he would nominate the families of those killed for

Figures from the National Ambulance Service show it took over an hour to respond to 2,600 individual calls last year. The target time, set by the organisation, is nineteen minutes. High volumes of calls and long distances between emergencies were attributed to the long wait times, according to the Sunday Mirror. James Murray, CEO of

There are calls for transparency from the Taoiseach over an alleged strategy to deny families refunds of illegal nursing home charges. Sinn Fein’s health spokesperson David Cullinane is making the call on Leo Varadkar and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to make statements on their knowledge of the secret plan. The revelations in the Mail on