Author name: highlandnews

  Stormont chief whips have met to try to find a way to fast-track legislation in the absence of a fully-working Executive. It comes in the wake of Paul Givan’s resignation as First Minister last week – in opposition to the Northern Ireland protocol. Some of the outstanding bills are on topics including climate change,

There’s further calls for the cliff rescue element of the Bunbeg Coast Guard to be reinstated. The provision of the Irish Coast Guard cliff rescue services in Donegal is currently provided by the Greencastle, Mulroy and Killybegs Coast Guard Units. Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle submitted a question to the Department of Transport on behalf of

Elderly people, people with disabilities and parents with prams are being forced onto the main road in Muff because of an ongoing issue with motorists parking on footpaths. Despite double yellow lines in place in certain areas, Councillor Terry Crossan claims they are being ignored. While it’s an issue not confined to Muff, he believes

Elderly people need more assurances that they are safe while living alone, according to a Sligo councillor. It’s after a burglary in the Skreen area nearly weeks ago, which has left a 73 year old man fighting for his life. Thomas Niland suffered head and upper body injuries when three men broke into his home

The Government’s being urged to end single-sex schools within the next 15 years. Labour will publish a Bill this week which aims to discontinue gender discrimination in school admissions. It says the current system is “outdated”, and eliminating single-sex schools would promote consent and tackle toxic masculinity. Labour’s education spokesperson, Aodhán O’Riordáin, says Ireland lags

The PRO of the Mica Action Group says they are more in the dark now than before. It follows a meeting with Minister Charlie McConalogue on Friday evening which Michael Doherty says was positive in terms of voicing their issues but says they are the same issues he has raised time and time again. There’s

The condition of the road on one of the main arteries into Letterkenny has been called into question. Cllr Donal “Mandy” Kelly says there are major issues with the road surface at the Dry Arch Roundabout and the Four Lanes stretch. Major roadworks have been taking place on the Four Lanes for several months, with

A Cabinet sub-committee will meet on Thursday to tackle the rising cost of living. The Government’s planning ‘once of measures’ to help people deal with spiralling fuel and energy costs. It says there’ll be no ‘mini- budget’ and rises to social welfare and tax cuts have been ruled out. People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd

The cost of living is now the public’s number one concern, according to a new poll. The Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks survey, shows 56 percent think it’s the most important issue – an increase of 28 points in a month. Housing’s second on people’s list at 55 percent, up 11 points, while the Covid pandemic has

People looking to retrofit their home could soon be able to apply for a grant coving up to 80 percent of its cost. The Cabinet will consider it as part of a number of measures to making retrofitting more affordable when it meets on Tuesday. It’s expected the grant will be available in a number

There are calls on the Government to reduce the risk of a further spike in Covid cases through key measures. The Independent Scientific Advocacy Group wants high quality masks to be used with good indoor air quality as the main protections. It says the Government must make environments like schools safer by providing CO2 monitors

A new report shows house prices increased by an average of 27-thousand euro last year – and in County Donegal, the average selling price of a house jumped up by over 10 percent in the second half of the year alone. The Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers’ latest residential property price barometer also shows

The British Prime Minister’s being urged to focus on the political crisis in Northern Ireland – instead of controversial parties at Downing Street. The leader of the DUP says Boris Johnson needs to pay more attention to discussions with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol. The North’s First Minister, Paul Givan, resigned this week

Sinn Fein’s calling for drivers to be given an extension to get their NCT test for the next six months. There’s little availability for testing in February and March at many centres due to workers being absent due to Covid. Extensions were given to motorists earlier in the pandemic which is now causing a backlog.

Just over 25,000 Covid-19 boosters were administered here in the past week. Latest figures show 2.6 million have so far been administered, covering almost 60 percent of the eligible population – but estimates suggest as many as half a million eligible people are yet to receive their booster shot. Booster appointments are continuing this weekend,

The Taoiseach says trust in politics has been damaged by the DUP’s actions over the Northern Ireland Protocol. He also claimed that no one party should have a veto when it comes to the shutting down of the Executive. Earlier this week, Paul Givan stepped down as first minister, while DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has

  Libraries throughout Donegal are taking part in “Ireland Reads”, a campaign to get the whole country reading this month in the lead up to a national day of reading on Friday February 25th. Libraries have teamed up with publishers, booksellers, authors and others for the campaign, an element of the government’s Healthy Ireland programme

Listen back to the main evening news, sport, nuacht and obituaries for Friday February 4th:

The High Court in Belfast has suspended an order stopping checks on goods coming from Britain into Northern Ireland. DUP Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots had made the order before the resignation of Paul Givan put Stormont on the brink of collapse. However, a court has now ruled that order should be suspended pending a full

Clarity is being sought on a timeframe for when schools in Donegal may be allocated DEIS status. A number of schools in the county lost their DEIS status in 2017 as part of a review. Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty believes these schools should be included in the newly widened scheme. However, when questioned on the

€9 million is to be invested in Killybegs harbour this year, with €5.5m set aside for the Smooth Point pier extension. Agriculture and Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue says the allocation is part of a €35m programme for capital projects in Ireland’s six state-owned Fishery Harbour Centres this year. He says the government is committed to

A Donegal TD says the HSE must move to address delays in securing vital eye appointments. Deputy Thomas Pringle says figures he’s received show that 45 per cent of people waiting for ophthalmology treatment in Donegal and the surrounding region had been waiting for more than a year. As of November, there were almost 4,800

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue says the resignation of the North’s First Minister coupled with the decision to suspend checks on goods arriving into the North through ports from Britain is ‘unhelpful’. Paul Givan’s resignation resulted in the automatic removal of Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill from her post also. It comes amid ongoing tensions over

The Cathaoirleach of the Letterkenny Milford Municipal believes Golfgate was blown out of proportion. The Golfgate trial ended yesterday with the dismissal of charges against the four men accused of organising the event. The judge said Independent TD Noel Grealish, former Fianna Fáil Senator Donie Cassidy and two hoteliers fully complied with regulations. The charges

The Foreign Affairs Minister has described the DUP’s decision to resign the position of First MInister as ‘unfortunate’ and ‘unwelcome’. Paul Givan’s resignation took effect at midnight, at which point Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neil was also automatically removed from her post. The assembly can continue sitting and individual Ministers can continue with their duties,

More Donegal women are being encouraged to enter the race in the next local elections. Only four women were elected onto Donegal County Council in 2019, equating to an 11% representation – well below the national average of 25%. In the last General Election, no woman was elected across the five available Dáil seats in

Northern Ireland no longer has a fully functioning government. The resignation of First Minister Paul Givan came into effect at midnight, after only 8 months in the role. Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill is automatically removed from her post as a result. Donegal Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn says an election must be brought forward:

The Tanaiste says he would be ‘extremely surprised’ if the enhanced Mica Redress Scheme was not up and running by ‘the end of the year’. Legislation is expected to go through the Dail and Seanad shortly but hopes were previously dashed for homeowners of the scheme being accessible thereafter. The scheme has faced countless delays