Author name: highlandnews

ATU will be ‘transformative’ for the region – McNally

The new Atlantic Technological University has been officially launched today. Its the fourth TU in the State, and formally came into being on Friday last following the dissolution of Letterkenny IT, Galway-Mayo IT, and IT Sligo. The new TU will play a pivotal role in the strategic regional development of the West and North West.

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ATU to become ‘powerhouse’ in North West

  The Minister for Higher Education has reiterated that the Atlantic Technological University will become a ‘powerhouse’ in the North West. ATU will serve 21,000 students and will be one of the largest multi-campus universities in Ireland with 8 campuses, research centres and iHubs. The university will be supported by 2,250 staff, delivering practice-oriented study

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Calls for immediate introduction of ‘living wage’ for retail workers

  The Mandate Trade Union is calling for the immediate introduction of a ‘living wage’ for retail workers. It’s delegate conference has heard that the entry point for retail staff should be set at a minimum of €12.90 per hour. The union’s also demanding collective bargaining rights for its 30 thousand strong membership, and heard

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Councils join forces to celebrate the ‘Best of the North West’

  The Best of the North West will be showcased widely over the coming weeks as part of a new collaborative tourism campaign. It has been launched by Donegal County Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council, working in partnership with Visit Derry & Donegal Tourism CLG. The £90,000 domestic marketing initiative is set

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Housing refugees will ‘put society under pressure’

  The Foreign Affairs Minister says the housing of Ukrainian refugees, is going to put Irish society under pressure. Already 18 thousand refugees have arrived here and the process of moving people into accommodation pledged by Irish people is underway. However concern has been expressed about how Ireland will be able to accommodate those fleeing

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ATU being launched today with ‘unique’ online event

The official launch of the Atlantic Technological University take place this morning with events at the campuses in Letterkenny, Sligo. Galway and Castlebar. Higher Education Minister Simon Harris will be in Sligo, and the events in all four campuses will be linked online. Dr Sean Duffy was Executive Lead of the Connaught Ulster Alliance, which

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Councillor says Irish Water have questions to answer about access to fire hydrant

A West Donegal Councillor says Irish Water have questions to answer about fire hydrants in West Donegal, following reports that some hydrants were inaccessible to Fire Service personnel when they were fighting a blaze at a thatched cottage in Mullaghduff on Saturday. Cllr Michael Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig says it’s not the first time questions

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Investigation launched into window smashing incident in Strabane

A number of windows have been smashed in Strabane over the weekend.  Police in Strabane are currently investigating the report of criminal damage to a private residence in the Carlton Drive area of the town. It is believed this incident occurred around 9:30pm on Saturday night where windows in the property were smashed. Police say

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Councillor praises response after Muladuff house fire

A thatched cottage caught fire in Mullaghduff yesterday afternoon, with the local community and the fire service being praised for their quick response. Cllr Michael Cholm MacGiolla Easbuig says there was a lining of corrugated tin underneath the straw, and had that not been there, the damage to the house would have been much substantial………

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PUP to be wound down

Roughly forty-five-thousand recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be moved to jobseeker’s benefit from Tuesday. The PUP scheme was first introduced in March 2020 in response to the initial Covid-19 lockdown – and the last payment was made earlier this week. Nine billion euro was handed out to those affected by the pandemic through

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First certified weaving course in Ireland launched in Kilcar

The first certified weaving course in Ireland has been launched by Udaras na Gaeltachta in Kilcar. The course was developed by Donegal ETB’s Further Education and Training Service to support the preservation of Donegal Weaving as an indigenous craft, to ensure a continuity of skills for the power loom and hand weaving industries and also

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Passengers urged to use regional airports due to Dublin Airport queues

Dublin Airport Authority says “simply bringing in bodies” isn’t enough to tackle its staffing crisis. Ryanair has called for the army to brought in to help deal with long delays at security. Up to 300 new staff are needed, and passengers are being advised to arrive three and a half hours before their flights at

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200 euro grant may not cover an average electric bill due to price hikes

It’s feared the government’s 200 euro energy grant won’t cover the cost of even one energy bill, after a further week of electricity and gas price hikes. Yesterday, SSE Airtricity was the latest supplier to announce an increase in energy prices. From Monday, households are due to begin receiving a 200 euro credit to contribute

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Relationship with North, Britain “strained” after Brexit – Taoiseach

The Taoiseach says the Irish government’s relationship with Britain and the North continues to be ‘strained’, due to Brexit. He attended a peace-building event in Derry last night, organised by the Hume Foundation. He’s calling for concerns over the Northern Ireland Protocol to be resolved peacefully – saying no purpose is served by violence. The

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McIntyre House plaque to be reinstated at old Lifford Army Barracks

The building housing the old officer’s mess in the former Army Barracks at Lifford is to have a plaque reinstated naming the building “MacIntyre House”. That is honour of Captain Kevin McIntyre, who was instrumental in establishing and building up the army barracks. Captain McIntyre was also one of the founders of Highland Radio, and

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gteic@na rosa is the latest Udaras digital hub to open in Donegal

An innovation and digital hub has been officially opened in Dungloe by Junior Gaeltacht Minister Jack Chambers. gteic@ Na Rosa is one 27 hubs which will be open in Gaeltacht areas by the middle of this year. The new hub has gigabyte broadband capability, as as well as meeting and video conferencing facilities, telephone kiosks,

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SFPA says Master of vessel at centre of Killybegs controversy ‘chose to leave’

The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority says the master and operator of a Danish fishing vessel which left Killybegs without landing a catch yesterday chose to do so. The SFPA says the master of the vessel and the operator objected to the process for weighing upon landing, as set out in the Interim Control Plan. The statement

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Ryanair call for emergency meeting on long queues at Dublin Airport

  Ryanair’s called on the Department of Transport to hold an emergency meeting on long queues at Dublin Airport. The airline says passengers can’t endure more weekends where thousands of customers suffer delays of 1 or 2 hours, causing many to miss their flights. Ryanair says Transport Minister Eamon Ryan needs to take some responsibility

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Major boost on way for Gaoth Dobahir, 60 new jobs to be created

A major boost is on the way for West Donegal in the form of 60 new jobs. The former Ostán Glenveigh in Gaoth Dobhair is due to undergo a major renovation and will become known as ‘The Social’. Works will see the development of boutique accommodation, restaurants, cocktail bars, live music venues, function rooms and

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Government looking at “time of day pricing” to curb energy costs

  Households are being advised to use their dishwasher and washing machine at night, to curb energy costs. The Government is looking at the possibility of introducing “time of day pricing”, which would see the cost per unit reduced at certain times. It comes after Electric Ireland became the latest company to announce a price

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Minister McConalogue pressed to intervene as fishermen struggle with high energy prices

High energy prices may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for fishermen. That’s according to Donegal Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn who told the Dail that the fishing industry was in the midst of a crisis long before energy price hikes. He pressed the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue to follow

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Taoiseach commits to address transport issues facing Mica children

The Taoiseach says he will pursue school transport issues that are facing children affected by Mica. Some families have had to live elsewhere as their Mica homes are either unfit to live in or being fixed. Speaking in the Dail, Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle says Education Minister committed to scheme flexibility but Bus Eireann are

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