Author name: highlandnews

A secondary school teacher says students are not accepting college places as they are concerned about the financial implications to their mica affected families. Angeline Ruddy is a teacher at Moville Community College and is also a mica homeowner. She was speaking at and ATU – Ulster University conference on Defective Blocks, which is underway

The Foreign Affairs Minister believes a deal on the Brexit protocol could be reached by the end of the year. Talks between the EU and the UK resumed in October for the first time in seven months. DUP opposition to the protocol has led to political stalemate at Stormont, with no power-sharing executive in place.

A Donegal garage owner says he is seeing cars being damaged by wild deer on a daily basis. There have been several collisions, including one incident involving an ambulance in recent weeks. There are now calls for a cull of the deer population in the west of the county. Noel McFadden has a garage in

A representative of the Housing Minister has confirmed that modular homes are not being considered as a solution to the housing crisis created by defective concrete blocks. John O’Connor says he expects funding for alternative accommodation for homeowners whose properties have been deemed uninhabitable to be available in a number of weeks. Repeated calls have

Gardai have reissued an appeal for information following a fatal crash in Letterkenny last week. Shortly before midnight on Wednesday last, two cars collided on the Ramelton Road. A female passenger who was a front seat passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. Two men were taken to Letterkenny University Hospital for serious injuries sustained.

A quantity of gold jewellery has been stolen during a break in in Carrigans. Its believed entry was gained through an unlocked door to a house on the Main Street on Friday last between 7pm and 9pm. Garda Sergeant Charlene Anderson has more information:  

A special workshop is to be held next week to investigate claims fraud beggars are being bused into Letterkenny. The Cathaoirleach of the Letterkenny Milford Municipal District last week raised serious concerns over reports those purporting to be beggars are intimidating people. The workshop next week will involve Donegal County Council, Gardai, St Vincent De

Donegal County Council is being urged to install more dog fouling bins in Letterkenny. It comes as concerns have been raised over dog poop bags rather than being disposed of appropriately are being thrown over a hedge or left hanging on trees. 150,000 free poop scoop bags were provided by the Council this year as

Air, water, waste and noise aren’t being inspected properly, according to the EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency’s latest report looks at the environmental performances of local authorities in 2021. It found over 200,000 inspections were carried out across the country last year, while almost 81,000 complaints were received by local authorities. Donegal County Council was

Donegal TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn is urging all parties to support a Sinn Fein motion calling for measures to address a recruitment and retention crisis in the Retained Fire Service. Deputy MacLochlainn says the service is not fit for purpose, with fire fighters voting for industrial action and 60% saying they want to leave. A

Councillors in the Glenties Electoral Area are seeking a meeting with senior council officials ahead of next week’s budget meeting to discuss what they say is a major deficit in investment in the area. The issue was raised by Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher, who says a number of initiatives which would benefit West Donegal are

A three day research event to examine Mica and other deliterious materials in concrete blocks gets underway today with a conference at the ATU Donegal campus in Letterkenny. A number of leading international experts from Canada, the USA, Switzerland and Norway will speak about their own research, and meet with local engineers, officials and homeowners.

A Donegal family have had a lucky escape after a charger caught fire in a children’s bedroom. Six year old Donnacha McCauley has sustained injuries after the plugged in charger set his mattress on fire on Tuesday last. His mother Nichola is warning others to be cautious of chargers overheating. She recalled the frightening experience

The Health Minister has been told the need for a 24 hour ambulance service in Buncrana needs to be looked at. Councillor Rena Donaghey met with Minister Stephen Donnelly ahead of the opening of the Buncrana Primary Care Centre on Friday. She says while a daytime ambulance service is in place in the town it

Cervical cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan has died at the age of 48. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2014, three years after a smear test showed no abnormalities which was later found to have been wrong. In April 2018, she settled a High Court action against CPL labs in the US for 2-point-5 million

There’s calls for high visibility crossings to be put in place at a number of locations in Letterkenny. Councillor Jimmy Kavanagh believes a similar pilot to that rolled out in the Twin Towns would greatly enhance safety for pedestrians. He says action needs to be taken before someone is seriously injured:

The Agriculture Minister says precautionary measures introduced to stop the spread of bird flu minimises the risk, but doesn’t make it go away. Despite this Minister Charlie McConalogue says he’s confident the supply of turkey and chicken this Christmas won’t be badly effected. 3 thousand 800 turkeys in Monaghan are set to be culled after

Plans are finally in motion to install public toilets at Letterkenny Retail Park. Donegal County Council has confirmed that a planning application for the Changing Places Facility will be made in the coming weeks. It’s expected works will be completed in the first quarter of next year. Councillor Donal Coyle says it is long overdue:

Donegal County Council is being asked the revisit a proposal to locate CCTV cameras at beauty spots where illegal dumping has taken place. A previous plan was shelved because of legal concerns over privacy legislation. However, Cllr Noreen McGarvey says there have been changes to the law, and the council’s legal team should reassess the

A Donegal County Councillor fears there could be a serious incident unless measures are put in place to safeguard gas cylinders installed in home bars. Councillor Martin Harley says the use of gas in conjunction with beer kegs poses serious safety concerns unless they are regularly inspected. He says it’s important that people are aware

An Inishowen Councillor believes GPS technology would greatly assist the fire service in locating fire hydrants. Donegal’s Chief Fire Officer has confirmed that an initiative to help pin point hydrants will be rolled out. Councillor Nicholas Crossan says it is vital the fire service in responding to an emergency has quick access to water:  

A Donegal Deputy has again raised the issue of hate crime legislation being rushed through the Dail. Deputy Thomas Pringle says that the Dail process was denying what he called “proper democratic scrutiny” of the new hate crime bill as it entered its second stage in the Oireachtas. The bill aims to criminalise forms of

A conference will springboard a new initiative this morning with action on Climate Change in Tourism The Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin is spearheading the campaign. Failte Ireland is putting a Carbon Calculator into place to support the tourism industry on the climate action route. Paul Kelly CEO of Failte Ireland explains what’s being unveiled

Restriction zones are in place in County Monaghan this morning after an outbreak of bird flu. The Department of Agriculture says H5N1 has been detected in a commercial turkey flock in the county after samples tested positive. Poultry keepers with flocks within the zones must comply with the requirements and confine all poultry and captive

The Government is being called on to introduce a lung cancer health check. The call is being made by The Marie Keating Foundation which wants a comprehensive assessment programme to be put in place. The Big Check Up 2022 Campaign by the charity organisation takes place each year. CEO at the Marie Keating Foundation Liz

A new tool is being launched today to help protect people from fraudulent texts. Three quarters of the adult population has a received a scam message, appearing to be from their bank, according to research by Red C. Bank of Ireland is urging its customers to ‘stop, think and check’ – by using their new