Author name: highlandnews

A status yellow wind warning has been issued for Donegal on Sunday. Very strong westerly winds are expected on Sunday and into Monday morning with coastal flooding possible in places. The warning comes into effect on Sunday morning at 9am and will remain in place until 9am Monday morning. Meanwhile, due to potential flooding on […]

8,593 new cases of Covid 19 have been confirmed this afternoon, 4,821 through PCR tests and 3,772 through positive antigen tests recorded yesterday on the HSE portal. As of 8am today, 591 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of whom 57 are in ICU. Latest figures for Letterkenny University Hospital show 22 infected patients, one of them

A man has died after being fatally injured as a result of a falling tree in Co Wexford. Gardaí and emergency services attended the scene this morning, in the Ballythomas area. It is understood that a man, aged in his 60s, was injured and  later pronounced dead at the scene. The body of the man

  Gaeltacht families hosting students will benefit from the Language Learners Scheme grants. Gaeltacht courses of at least 3 days will benefit from grants from the Irish language learners scheme. Minister Jack Chambers announced the measure today, which will aim to assist the recovery of the Irish language sector. Families who provide accommodation for students

  15 million euro in funding is to be allocated to outdoor activities across rural Ireland. The scheme is part of this year’s Budget, and will promote activities such as hiking, swimming and cycling. Adventure tourism became particularly popular in rural areas during the pandemic. The government says it hopes this investment will continue that

Over 4,000 homes and businesses have had their power restored by the ESB. Outages at Ardnagappry, Derrybeg and Gweedore have been cleared. At one point, there were over 1,100 people without power in Stranorlar – That’s now down to 189, with power expected to be restored within the hour. There are currently outages in Moville

  Storm Eunice is causing severe travel disruption across Donegal this morning. People are being urged to exercise extreme caution following a number of cars reportedly off the road in various parts of the county. Donegal County Council say that the Back of Errigal Road is currently impassable with Drivers advised to use the N56

Over six thousand people are currently without power in west Donegal. Crews are repairing the fault and power is expected to be restored to the Ardnagappary area shortly. Some customers in Gweedore and Kilcar are also experiencing outages. Almost 1150 properties in the Stranorlar area have also been hit with power outages – estimated restoration

  A number of Covid-19 testing facilities have amended their opening times for today due to the storm. Letterkenny and Donegal will now open from 1pm to 7pm. Both Sligo and Leitrim testing centres will open at the later times of 11am. Closing times are as usual. The HSE has developed a webpage that provides

  Parts of Donegal are covered in a blanket of snow this morning as Storm Eunice makes landfall. People are being urged to exercise extreme caution following a number of cars reportedly off the road in various parts of the county. Donegal County Council say that the Back of Errigal Road is currently impassable due

Storm Eunice is set to bring blizzard-like conditions tomorrow. A status orange snow warning is in place from 3am-3pm tomorrow. Some services will be impacted by the weather warnings, including: All schools in Donegal will close tomorrow All colleges and further education facilities in Donegal will remain closed tomorrow An Grianán Theatre will be closed

Blizzard-like conditions have been forecast for Donegal tomorrow as Storm Eunice arrives. A Status Orange Snow warning is in place for the North West from 3am to 3pm tomorrow. A status Yellow Wind and Rain warning is also in place for the county. All schools in Donegal will close tomorrow as directed by the Department

A large sperm whale has been spotted stranded along the coast of Donegal. The whale was discovered stranded today at Malin Head. Marine Mammal Stranding Responders were on the scene. The Ocean Research & Conservation Association say the species are sensitive to anthropogenic sounds and have questioned is the stranding is the result of acute

NPHET’s recommended an end to mandatory face mask wearing in all settings, except some healthcare settings. The move would take effect from February 28th. Health officials have recommenced those who feel they need to wear facemasks will be supported. Testing and tracing will also be scaled back, with the details of such a move to

9,441 new cases of Covid 19 have been confirmed this afternoon, 5,035 through PCR tests and 4,406 through positive antigen tests recorded yesterday on the HSE portal. As of 8am today, 639 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of whom 58 are in ICU. Latest figures for Letterkenny University Hospital show 29 infected patients, one of them

Letterkenny Institute of Technology has introduced a new anonymous reporting tool called ‘Speak Out’ for staff and students. This is part of a national initiative launched recently by the Higher Education Minister. The online and anonymous reporting platform allows members of LYIT’s community to report in a safe and confidential manner any incidents of bullying,

An upgraded Orange Storm warning is now in place for Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo and Roscommon bringing heavy sleet and snow leading to blizzard-like conditions in parts with treacherous driving conditions. This warning will be in place from 3 o’clock tomorrow morning to 3 o’clock tomorrow afternoon. Donegal County Council is once again urging members

A status red wind warning has been issued for Cork and Kerry ahead of Storm Eunice tomorrow. Met Eireann has also updated its orange alert, with 14 counties in the bottom half of the country set to be impacted. The rest of the country will come under a yellow wind, snow and rain warning

  The Parents Association at Moville Community College has expressed frustration over slow progress a long awaited extension at the school. The building, which was first promised back in 2015, will effectively be separate to the existing school but will be linked with a walkway. The main points of the build are to allow for

  The National Public Health Emergency Team will meet today to consider lifting the legal requirement for facemasks to be worn in certain settings. They may no longer be required in shops, on public transport or in schools. NPHET will meet later to consider ending the mask mandate which had been due to run until

The Department of Health has today confirmed 9,881 cases of Covid-19. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been notified of 5,268 PCR-confirmed cases while 4,613 people registered a positive antigen test through the HSE portal. There has been an additional 108 covid related deaths over the past week.

Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle has told the Dail that an investigation into HSE management in the North West needs to be conducted. He pressed the Taoiseach in the Dail today to ensure san investigation would be carried out. It comes following a number of incidents in HSE managed centres for people with disabilities in Donegal

Letterkenny University Hospital says significant delays are being experienced by patients who are waiting to be admitted to a bed on a ward. The hospital continues to be impacted by COVID-19. As of 8pm last night there were 25 patients with COVID-19 being treated in hospital, and four wards are closed due to outbreaks. Management

A total of €253,815.75 has been handed over eight charities following Noah’s Bed Push in August of last year. The four day event which brought a team of seven pushers from Crumlin Children’s Hospital in Dublin to Letterkenny University Hospital  Letterkenny attracted huge interest, with thousands coming on to the streets to encourage them and