Author name: highlandnews

A Condition Orange Fire Danger Notice has been extended until midday on Friday, with Donegal County Council urging people to take all necessary measures to prevent the occurrence of wildfires. Landowners and members of the public are urged to be vigilant and to report any uncontrolled or unattended fires immediately. The Council is also urging […]

The Environment Minister will meet coalition colleagues later in a bid to ease tensions over a ban on the commercial sale of turf. Rural Fianna Fail and Fine Gael TDs have been angered by the move, which is set to take effect in September. Eamon Ryan has since indicated that communities of 500 people or

A Donegal fisherman has warned that enough is enough as the Irish fishing industry is on its knees. Denis Carberry skipper of the Lauren was forced to send his catch of blue whiting to a fishmeal factory on Friday at a loss of €55,000 due to the ongoing weighing controversy at Killybegs Harbour. SFPA officers

A new initiative for the upkeep of the public realm in the Twin Towns is to be rolled out. Donegal County Council along with the Ballybofey and Stranorlar Chamber of Commerce will trial the initiative which will see a proportion of car parking charges used as grant assistance and will go towards; maintaining an attractive

An emergency meeting is being held in Dungloe this evening as the future of the Mary from Dungloe Festival is in jeopardy. Committee members have issued an urgent request for volunteers to ensure the survival of the annual event. The meeting will take place this evening at 6pm in the Ionad Teampall Chróine, Dungloe. Mary

It seems Minister Eamon Ryan is rowing back on proposed new laws to ban the sale and distribution of turf. He now says it won’t apply to rural communities of fewer than 500 people but will instead focus on commercial and retail activities. There’d been clashes between the coalition parties over the issue but Minister

A Killybegs restaurant has been forced to close its doors due to ‘never-ending’ cost increases. Fusion Bistro has made the difficult decision to cease trading as of next Saturday. Co-Owner, Linda Boyle says overheads and staff shortages have become unsustainable. She told today’s Nine til Noon Show, that their decision to close is a sign

The PRO of the Mica Action Group believes Donegal County Councillors need to be stepping up to the mark to get affected homes repaired. In a social media update, Michael Doherty called on Donegal County Council to expedite the process and ensure applications are looked at and processed as quick as possible for homeowners. He

A reduction in economic growth has been forecast by IBEC, the group that represents Irish businesses. Its latest Economic Outlook report predicts growth of 4.3% for the year ahead. This falls short of the 6.1% that was previously estimated for 2022. IBEC’s Ger Brady says this is going to affect both households and businesses alike:

  Micheál Martin says we have to do more when it comes to providing for Ukrainian refugees. The Taoiseach was speaking yesterday at the new refugee centre in Millstreet, Co.Cork. Around 100 Ukrainian families are being housed in the centre, which he says is an example of Ireland’s “innovative” approach to the crisis. The Taoiseach

The Chairperson of Buncrana’s Tidy Towns Committee believes additional measures could be taken to tackle fly tipping. It comes as up to 60 volunteers took part in An Taisce’s Spring Clean from Bridgend to Ballmagan at the weekend – collecting 80 bags of rubbish. Willie McKinney says the rising cost of living has resulted in

The Health Minister says the Government’s planning to fund IVF treatment for potential parents. Stephen Donnelly’s revealed couples who struggle to conceive are expected to benefit from the state-funded treatment in 2023. The Irish Mail on Sunday says IVF treatment can cost from 4,000 euro to 6,000 euro for a single cycle. Fianna Fail Senator

Donegal County Council is to receive over €14m to rejuvenate marine infrastructure in the county. Funding has been approved for a total of 110 projects around the Irish Coast under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. It originated from a recommendation by the Seafood Taskforce, which was set up to examine the impact of Brexit on the

A Sinn Fein TD says the government’s plans to ban the sale of turf have been handled ‘very poorly’. The party will put forward a motion in the Dail on Tuesday calling on the State to scrap plans to ban the sale of turf. The government is working on proposals to bring in the ban

Thousands of Unionists are expected to protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol in Derry tonight. They’ll call for the post-Brexit trade deal to be scrapped when they gather at Newbuildings at 7.30. The British government is planning legislation to override its agreement with the EU that has kept Northern Ireland in the European single market

Sinn Fein says every county in Ireland should be covered by the new Mica redress scheme. Last year Housing Minister, Darragh O’Brien, announced a new compensation scheme for homeowners in Donegal and Mayo – but one that came with many caveats leaving homeowners still unhappy. It may be extended to Clare, Sligo, Limerick and Tipperary

Families affected by Mica in Donegal are being offered training to help improve their wellbeing and resilience. The Community Resilience Training programme is being offered to Mica families and the groups which support them over a four week period beginning on May 5th. This is the second round of community resilience training, which is coordinated

  A former Assistant General Manager at Letterkenny University Hospital believes additional beds won’t solve issues facing the facility in the long term. Paddy Rooney says wards are full of people waiting to access a variety of services which are catered for outside the hospital and the focus should be on facilitating more of them.

Motorists travelling in and around Letterkenny will have to endure a week of potential traffic disruption over works on one of the main arteries into the town. The resurfacing works are taking place between the Polestar and Dry Arch roundabouts with the road reduced to one lane. Yesterday, areas leading off the Polestar roundabout were

  A Donegal County Councillor has said he is prepared to go to jail over the proposed turf ban. The proposed ban on the sale and distribution of turf has made headlines in recent weeks, with conflicting statements from Ministers. While the ban does not appear to be a blanket one, Cllr Michael McClafferty says

  A bid for £1.7 million is being submitted to the North’s Department for Communities for the redevelopment of Harbour Square, at the rear of the Guildhall. Derry City and Strabane District Council has approved the submission of the bid, which will potentially include almost £200,000 of match funding from council. An artist has also

  The number of ads for jobs in travel, tourism and hospitality increased dramatically in the first three months of the year, compared with 2021. Latest data from Irish Jobs-dot-ie found sectors negatively impacted by Covid-19 restrictions saw the biggest growth in the first three months of the year. 7-and-a-half times more jobs were advertised

  A post mortem examination is taking place today on the body of a man who died after a serious assault in Sligo town. 39-year-old Russell Forde suffered a head injury at Rockmount Parade on Tuesday evening, and later died in hospital. It follows the killings of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee in the area

  Coillte has confirmed plans for an upgrade of Ards Forest Park in Donegal. It follows the launch last evening of the body’s strategic vision for the future, which it says will facilitate 100,000 new hectares of woodland, create 1,200 jobs, build more wind farms, increase timber production for homes and offer additional recreation opportunities.

  Families who house Ukrainian refugees could be paid 400 euro per month. The Finance and Social Protection Minister’s have been asked to look into providing some form of allowance to encourage more people to open their homes to those fleeing the war. The Irish Independent is reporting the 400 euro payment aims to cover

  The British government is preparing legislation that will give it the power to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol. The Financial Times says it would give UK ministers the ability to stop checks on goods going from Britain to the North. It’s designed to encourage Unionist parties to restore power-sharing after the Stormont elections