Author name: highlandnews

Local Property Tax rates are set to remain unchanged in Donegal for the next two years, in accordance with the recommendation of officials. Donegal County Councillors voted today to retain the 15% increase agreed in 2019. The move was opposed by Sinn Fein and a number of independents, who pointed to what they termed the […]

The national broadband plan will cost around €128 million to be fully installed in Donegal, the second highest amount in the country. 33,000 premises in the county are expected to be connected to the plan which aims to provide high quality broadband to all areas. Letterkenny is now complete with around 3,000 premises ready to

The north and west of the country has been downgraded to a ‘lagging region’ by the European Commission. The area, which includes the counties Donegal, Galway, Roscommon, Leitrim, Sligo, Monaghan, and Mayo, has been downgraded as it has been noted as being significantly poorer relative to the European average over recent years. The commission says

Concerns have been raised about refugees from other countries coming into Donegal under the Ukrainian refugee umbrella. Cllr Donal Coyle raised the issue at the latest JPC meeting, asking how many Ukrainian refugees are currently in the county, and how many refugees from other countries are currently here. He believes there may be a number

A Donegal County Councillor is calling for the government to abandon plans to criminalise turf. Cllr John Sheamus O’Fearraigh says he has been contacted by a number of people who are concerned about the fast approaching winter and the impact of the ban. He’s warning that turf could be the only source of heat for

The manager of Donegal Domestic Violence centre believes the introduction of a paid leave for victims of domestic violence will make a big difference. The bill will see the introduction of paid leave for victims of domestic violence and once enacted, those who are suffering or at risk of domestic violence will be entitled to

A Doctor who was involved in the development of the moderna vaccine says seeing the vaccine being put to use was an unbelievable feeling. Dr Susan Whoriskey, is a pioneer in the area of vaccines, and serves as an advisor to the Clinical Translations Research and Innovation Centre at Altnagelvin Hospital, with an emphasis on

For the first time ever, parents will no longer have to pay for school books. From next September, all primary school children will get textbooks for free under measures set to be announced in tomorrow’s budget. Renters will be able to avail of a tax credit payment of at least 200 euro. Political reporter with

A Donegal Deputy says that the cost of living protest in Dublin at the weekend was a success. An estimated 30,000 people marched on the streets, calling on the Government to provide more supports in this week’s upcoming budget to help with the rising cost of living. Deputy Thomas Pringle says that protesters got the

In Donegal, prices in the third quarter of 2022 were 17% higher than a year previously, compared to a rise of 11% seen a year ago. The average price of a home is now €200,000, 24% below its Celtic Tiger peak. Daft.ie’s new report shows the average price of a home nationally is over 311

The IFA say that tax relief measures in place to help farmers need to be protected in Tuesday’s budget. The Irish Farmers’ Association says the current Capital Acquisitions Tax relief rate of 90 per cent for agricultural property gifted to, or inherited by active farmers needs to remain in place. The association is also calling

Wind Energy Ireland wants to see more resources allocated to An Bord Pleanála in the budget to help speed up the delivery of offshore projects. The industry group says the government needs to introduce supports to stream-line the application process for wind energy projects as part of Tuesday’s budget announcement. The Climate Action Plan aims

The problem of so-called “hidden homelessness” appears worse than previously thought. A Red C poll compiled on behalf of Simon Communities Ireland shows 290,000 adults in Ireland have experienced homelessness in some form outside of official Government figures. Head of Policy at Simon Communities Ireland, Wayne Stanley, says one in four of us knows someone

The Tipp O’Neill Diaspora Awards for 2022 were handed out on Friday night in Buncrana. The awards celebrate the contribution of the diaspora to Donegal, and also the achievements of people from the county across the globe. Four awards were given out on Friday night the first of them to a husband and wife who

A public meeting in Annagry tonight will discuss the issue of housing in the Gaeltacht. A number of local activists have organised the meeting to get the views of those living in the Donegal Gaeltacht on how to fix the housing crisis. One of the organisers is Seanin McGee. He says Donegal County Council should

A major protest in Dublin today will call for radical action on the cost of living crisis. The pre-budget demonstration will get underway at half 2 this afternoon at Parnell Square. The Cost of Living Coalition also wants to put the Government under pressure to act in this budget to tackle the housing situation. People

A Donegal Deputy has welcomed the extension of respite services at Seaview House, Mountcharles, but says this must be made a long term service. The HSE has confirmed that funding to extend respite services at Seaview House, Mountcharles has been approved for one year. This will extend respite care from a five-night service to a

There is no funding available for the immediate upgrade of the Letterkenny Milford Road. Cllr Ian McGarvey says the road is the second busiest road in the county and needs immediate work done to improve the standard and safety of the road. However, the Council has confirmed that three sections of the road has been

A Donegal Deputy believes an appropriate bill needs to be put in place to ensure those who abuse people online are held to account to the same extent as those committing in-person abuse. Speaking in the Dail on the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022, Deputy Thomas Pringle said he supports the intentions of