Author name: highlandnews

  The Chairman of the Green Party in Donegal has insisted that new regulations around selling turf are aimed at large operations. From September, it will be illegal to sell and distribute turf, though bog-owners can continue to harvest peat for their own use. The move has been met with backlash from some rural politicians.

  The housing Minister says properties like old convents, commercial buildings and vacant hotels could be used to house people fleeing the war in Ukraine. Minister Darragh O’Brien has confirmed that a potential cap on the number of refugees arriving here is ‘off the table’, while payments for those who host them is under consideration.

  SIPTU says workers in the private sector need pay increases to meet the rising cost of living. The union is appealing to employers to be creative when it comes to putting additional money in workers’ pockets. SIPTU is calling for the government to raise the tax-free amount from 500 to 1-thousand euro for employee

A leading infectious diseases expert believes Covid hospital numbers could drop below 100 within the next month. Professor Sam McConkey says he’s ‘cautiously optimistic’ given the current rate of decline. 1,081 people with covid are currently receiving treatment, which’s down roughly 33 percent in the past two weeks. 42 people with Covid are being treated

  Households in receipt of the fuel allowance could get an additional three week ‘lump sum’ payment. It’s among measures discussed by senior ministers last night to help with the rising energy costs. A temporary reduction in VAT on gas and electricity from 13.5 to nine percent was also raised, along with a cut in

A Donegal Deputy believes there is a solution to enable fishermen land their catch at Killybegs. Due to SFPA conditions, weighing equipment cannot be industry-owned or operated. Deputy Thomas Pringle therefore says the simple solution is to transfer the ownership of the equipment to the Department of the Marine, the SFPA or a non-processing business

  Ukrainian refugees living in Ireland may be interviewed to gather evidence as part of investigations into Russian war crimes. It’ll be based on a similar initiative in Germany and involve refugees who’ve settled here being given a specialist questionnaire. The International Criminal Court is currently looking into potential war crimes by Russia. 22-thousand people

  Two Ukrainian women have expressed their gratitude to the people of Donegal and Ireland for the support in the crisis. Oksana and Ulyana have escaped the war in Ukraine last month and have sought refuge in Letterkenny. It’s estimated that around 13 thousand refugees are currently being housed in hotels and guesthouses across the

Gifting turf to friends and neighbours will soon be outlawed. The sale and distribution of the fuel will be banned from September 1st, according to the Environment Minister. Bog owners will maintain the right to cut turf for their own use. Independent TD for Roscommon-East Galway Michael Fitzmaurice says the measure will affect vulnerable rural

  There are fears that the fish weighing crisis at Killybegs isn’t going to be resolved any time soon. Around 300 people attended a public meeting over the weekend where they heard presentations from various fishing representatives while a number of TDs were also in attendance. Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue

Serious concern has been raised over what’s been described as a large clearance of trees at Ards Forest Park. The popular amenity near Creeslough is home to a vast number of mature trees and wildlife however it’s understood that a substantial amount of trees have been taken away in recent weeks. It’s not yet known

  A Donegal mother has described the situation in Letterkenny University Hospital as unsustainable following a weekend visit to the facility. Kathleen’s daughter was instructed to attend the ED on Friday night and after a number of hours there, staff told her that it could be a further 14 hour wait because her health complaint

  Questions are being asked over why a Mica meeting wasn’t facilitated between the Taoiseach and Donegal County Council. Michael Martin was visiting Donegal last weekend and met with a number of affected homeowners and the Mica Action Group. However, it’s thought the Taoiseach should have met with the Council too, to discuss issues relating

  Further meetings are to be held in Killybegs today, to discuss solutions to the ongoing fish weighing crisis at Killybegs Harbour. It’s understood that another large Norwegian fishing trawler turned away from Killybegs Harbour on Saturday morning over the issue. That again led to the ship going to Derry to get its catch weighed,

From today, there will be a bus fare reduction on all subsidised public transport services in Donegal provided by Bus Éireann and Local Link. Several towns across the country will also benefit from lower ticket prices. However it’s understood the discounts won’t apply to Expressway services. Dermot O’Gara from the National Transport Authority, says it

  Agriculture and Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue will be in Donegal ATU’s Killybegs Campus today to launch the Killybegs Marine Cluster. The Cluster is one of twelve on the Island of Ireland, and is part of Enterprise Ireland’s National Clustering programme, and is the only one dedicated to the Blue Economy. Minister Mc Conalogue says

The Taoiseach says a “comprehensive” report into Tony Holohan’s move to Trinity College is due tomorrow. Yesterday Dr Tony Holohan announced he was pulling out of the Trinity College appointment, and that he would step down as CMO in July to avoid further controversy. It follows political backlash over the arrangement, which involved an indefinite

The Minister for Housing says he thinks emergency powers on planning will be needed to help provide accommodation for Ukrainian refugees. Darragh O’Brien will meet with construction and property representatives tomorrow to discuss ways to increase supply. The Business Post reports the construction sector’s expected to dismiss proposals to build ‘prefab villages’ to house those

Opposition parties are questioning whether Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is in control of his department. It follows Dr Tony Holohan’s decision not to take up a secondment at Trinity College Dublin – a job where the Independent reported the Government would pay his entire salary as a university professor – a salary believed to be

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation says the views of nurses and midwives should be represented as part of the government’s new Covid Advisory Group. The body will advise the Minister for Health on how the country can continue to respond to Covid-19. The INMO says it was a mistake to exclude them from the

The head of the Department of Health is to appear before the Public Accounts Committee over Tony Holohan’s secondment. The chief medical officer’s due to become a professor at Trinity College – but the government has paused the appointment. Ministers are concerned about the recruitment process, and how the state will continue to pay his

It’s been confirmed that an additional 24 hour bring bank recycling location has been established in Carndonagh. Operational from yesterday, the facility is located on the grounds of the Inishowen livestock mart and follows a long campaign locally. Local Cllr Albert Doherty says the area had been without adequate facilities for quite some time, and

People are being reminded of a public meeting later today over the fish weighing controversy in Killybegs. The meeting is getting underway in at the Tara Hotel at 4pm Friday with all members of the public, fishermen, processors, factory workers, shop & catering staff and political representative invited to attend. The meeting was called by

  Listen back to the main evening news, sport & obituaries for Friday April 8th: 

  The Tanaiste says the coalition leaders will meet next week to discuss further action on the cost of living crisis. Charities are warning some people are close to losing their homes as they can’t afford to pay the bills. Tanaiste Leo Varadkar says they’ll offset the upcoming carbon tax increase – but there’s a