Author name: highlandnews

Gardai are investigating two thefts from churches in Donegal. A money box was opened with bolt cutters last week at St Bridgets Church in Ballintra, while an oil tank was emptied recently at Knowehead Presbyterian Church near Muff. Garda Claire Rafferty made this appeal for information on today’s Nine til Noon Show………..   More details

Nursing Homes Ireland CEO Tadgh Daly says the vacant beds in Irish nursing homes can form part of the solution to the health crisis, and the HSE and hospitals should be having discussions with operators. He says while Nursing Homes are associated with long term residential care, short stays and convalescence can be easily accomodated.

Farmers say they recognise the climate challenge and are keen to play their part. But they say it must not come at the expense of their livelihoods. The IFA’s holding a Farming & Climate Summit in Limerick to look at how the sector can address climate issues. Association President, Tim Cullinan, says much greater engagement

A Donegal GP Committee is welcoming a proposal that empty beds in nursing homes be used to alleviate pressure on the health service. Dr. Denis McCauley, who chairs the IMO’s BP committee was speaking after Nursing Homes Ireland encouraged the HSE to procure nursing home beds. The number of people on trolleys in Irish hospitals

Irish fishing representatives say it’s time to put growth on the agenda for our seafood sector this year. The call comes as seafood exports in Ireland delivered less than 1 % growth over the last five years while running costs and decimating quotas are impacting the fishing industry here. Aodh O Donnell, chief executive of

Ballyshannon Workhouse is in a ‘critical condition’ and urgent works need to be carried out on the building. Thats according to Cllr Barry Sweeny who is planning on raising the issue at today’s meeting of the Donegal Municipal District. A large section of the workhouse, which is a protected building, is derelic while major work

It has been claimed that there are plans to halve the opening hours of the National Driving Licence Service (NDLS) office in Letterkenny. Their office would close from Monday to Wednesday and only open from Thursdays to Saturdays from late February to early March. This office services North Donegal from West Donegal across to Inishowen,

A Cloughaneely councillor saysd the water system in Falcarragh and Gortahork is facing collapse. Cllr Michael McClafferty is urging Irish Water to deploy a senior computer technician to the treatment plant at Gortahork as a matter of urgency after the facility was hit by lightning the week before Christmas. Cllr McClafferty says today, there is

There were 489 admitted patients awaiting beds in hospitals across the country this morning, according to figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. Of those, 37 were at Letterkenny University Hospital, with 16 of them on Emergency Department trollies. Sligo had 30 people awating beds, 17 of them in the ED. It comes after

Protests are to take place outside Letterkenny University Hospital and other acute facilities across the country as part of a National Day of Action to highlight the overcrowding crisis at Emergency Departments. Local Aontu representative Mary T Sweeney says the demonstration will be an all party, non partisan event, and is calling for a large

Concern has been expressed at what’s been described as persistent reckless driving along the Strabane bypass at the Orchard Road junction. The Vice Chair of the Derry and Strabane Policing and Community Partnership Paul Boggs, has urged the drivers involved desist, and show consideration for residents and other road users. He says he’s been contacted

Sinn Fein is repeating its call on the Government to open a passport office north of the border. It comes as the passport office has temporarily suspended posting passports to the North and the UK due to Industrial action by Royal Mail. Up to 50 thousand applications for Irish passports are being made from the

A South Donegal deputy claims that plans for Coillte and a British-based investment firm to purchase large amounts of land in the West and North West for tree planting will decimate local farmers’ livelihoods. Deputy Marian Harkin has raised the issue, after it was revealed that Coillte plan to purchase over 50,000 hectares of land

A Glenties Councillor claims that a Donegal man arrested in connection to an explosion in Randalstown in County Down that happened over 30 years ago is innocent. 53 year old Gweedore man Eamonn O’Boyle was arrested on Friday night at Belfast International Airport, and charged with two offences in relation to an explosion at French’s

The state is paying up to €138,000 more to build a home than other European countries, according to a new report. A confidential document by the Land Development Agency completed in April 2021, was published by the Business Post today. It measured the cost of building social housing in Naas compared to similar housing projects

A new opinion poll reveals that healthcare is now the most important priority for voters in Ireland. It comes as the overcrowding crisis in the country’s hospitals has intensified in recent months. New HSE figures show there were 258 people waiting for acute hospital beds nationwide this morning – up 24 percent on last year.

The government will be forced to focus on finding solutions to the overcrowding crisis in the country’s hospitals if nurses agree to take industrial action over staffing levels. That’s according to Professor Anthony Staines, the Head of Health Systems in the School of Nursing in DCU. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is consulting its

  A Derry MLA says the lack of an Executive is causing more stress for cancer patients as Northern Ireland cancer waiting times are now worst on record. New figures have revealed that cancer treatment times continue to miss their target by a staggering 58 percent as under 40 percent of patients begin treatment within

The vaccination programme lead in Donegal has called on people to get their second booster vaccine as the ongoing surge of winter viruses is putting the county’s health services under unprecedented pressure. The North West region is seeing a significant rise in respiratory infections including flu and Covid-19. Sinead McConnell, General Manager of the Covid

Safety works are set to be carried out at the Glenswilly Chapel Junction following a minor collision over the Christmas period. The Council’s Road Maintenance Team is set to begin work there next week to widen the corner and pipe and stone the ditch. During the recent cold spell, there was a collision on the

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is to begin consulting members at Letterkenny University Hospital on industrial action over unsafe staffing levels and overcrowding. This week has been the worst on record for overcrowding in hospitals here with almost 3,000 people on trolleys between Tuesday and today. The INMO say what happened this week was