Author name: highlandnews

  If Donegal is to retain Blue Flag status on its beaches, Donegal County Council has to comply with new criteria set out by An Taisce. As a result, new rules are coming into force which include restricting access for dogs and other pets, other than assistance dogs, to blue-flag beaches or in the blue-flag

A status yellow snow-ice warning has been issued for Donegal. Met Eireann is warning of wintry showers and icy conditions from 5pm this evening. The alert will remain in place until 11am tomorrow morning.

We’re in for a cold few days with temperatures dropping to as low as minus 3 degrees. Met Éireann says the north and northwest is expected to see sleet and snow showers tonight. Frost and ice are also expected over the next few days before the weather becomes milder again over the weekend.

An Garda Síochána has announced a number of national and local events to mark the centenary of the force. Today marks 100 years since Michael Collins formed a committee to establish a police force for the 26 counties of Ireland. The inaugural meeting, which took place at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin 100 years ago

The man accused of murdering Ashling Murphy is due back in court this morning. Jozef Puska, with an address at Lynally Grove, Tullamore, Co Offaly, has been in custody since he was charged with the school teacher’s murder. Ashling Murphy died after being attacked while out running along the grand canal in Tullamore on the

Gardai have made a fresh appeal on the 10th anniversary of the murder of Andrew Allen. The 24 year old was murdered by a group of individuals at his home in at Links View Park Buncrana on February 9, 2012. Andrew Allen was shot in front of his partner at approximately 9.20pm and pronounced dead

  This year’s Leaving Certificate will begin on Wednesday June 8th. The State Examinations Commission has released the timetable for the tests, which will run until June 28th. The Minister for Education has previously announced major adjustments to the exams, in place to recognise the disruption in class time caused by Covid 19. The Junior

  The Emergency Department at Letterkenny University Hospital is very busy this evening. Management say that there is on-going pressure on bed availability in the hospital and as a result patients are facing long delays being admitted from the Emergency Department to a bed on a ward. There are currently 19 patients on trolleys in

9,365 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed today. There are 3,780 PCR-confirmed cases, while 5,585 people registered a positive antigen test through the HSE portal. 646 patients are in hospital, which is an increase of three on yesterday. 72 are in ICU, which is down from 76.

  A feasibility study for phase 3 of the Derry railway line has been completed. The study was ordered to get the improvement works on the Derry to Coleraine rail line back on track and has ring-fenced funding so the work can take place as soon as viably possible. Funding has also been allocated for

A number of motorists have been caught speeding in Letterkenny. Gardaí conducted a speed checkpoint on the Leck Road in the town yesterday in response to recent reports of vehicles travelling in excess of the speed limit in the area. A number of vehicles were detected travelling in excess of the 60KPH speed limit –

  A life ring has been stolen from Moorlough, Donemana. The theft is believed to have occurred between Wednesday 2nd February and Saturday 5th. In a statement, police say that these are a vital piece of life saving equipment and should not be removed unless for an emergency. People are being urged to contact police

Investigations are continuing into a number of criminal damage incidents across Donegal. In the Glentain Manor area of Letterkenny a resident discovered that two tyres had been slashed on their vehicle which was parked at their home overnight on Tuesday night last. Elsewhere in Letterkenny, between 1:15am and 1:30am on Saturday, a front window at

Gardai are investigating a burglary in Letterkenny last night. Between 9.30pm and 10pm the door of an apartment at the Sunnyside Apartments on the Port Road was forced open and entry was gained. A black Alcatel mobile phone, a BOI card and a small sum of cash was stolen from the property. Gardai are appealing

Junior Minister Sean Fleming says it was not his intention to imply that people shouldn’t complain. He’s issued a statement following controversial remarks he made yesterday, when he said that people should shop around rather than complain about the cost of living. It led to accusations that the Minister of State was out of touch.

Police have reported an increase in reports of sexual offences in Northern Ireland last year. They have, in part, attributed this to more victims’ having the confidence to come forward. Sexual offences’ reporting in Northern Ireland has been steadily increasing over the past five years, with 3,864 incidents reported in 2021, an increase of 16%

Coalition leaders met last night to look at further ways of addressing the rising cost of living. It comes ahead of an expected announcement on the issue later this week. An increase to the €100 energy credit’s believed to be among the measures being considered.

A range of measures aimed at supporting a recovery in the tourism industry will be announced later this morning which will include an increase in marketing spend to encourage staycations. Failte Ireland will also outline findings of research which will point to the difficulties experienced by businesses who are trying to recruit staff. It’s understood

  Donegal County Council is to initiate High Court proceedings against one of its members after its monthly meeting was adjourned today for a second week without any business being done. The council is now seeking an order enforcing the suspension of Cllr Frank McBrearty which was agreed last week. There were gardai present in

  8,453 new cases of Covid 19 are being reported today. NPHET’s also published weekend figures, showing 8,736 new cases yesterday. On Saturday, there were 10,977. As of 8am today, 643 patients were in hospital with the disease, 76 are in ICU.

  Donegal County Council’s monthly meeting is due to reconvene around now. Councillors gathered at Aura Leisure Centre for the second week in a row, after last week’s meeting was adjourned following the suspension of Cllr Frank McBrearty. Last week’s January Meeting of Donegal County Council was adjourned and reconvened six times over a four

The Government’s looking at a “range of charges” that could be reduced, says the Taoiseach. There’s calls from Sinn Fein to scrap a proposed increase of the carbon tax in May – however Micheal Martin has said that the increase will come in. New measures to tackle the increase in the cost of living are

  The adjourned plenary meeting of Donegal County Council has been suspended until 3pm. The meeting held last Monday was adjourned six times following much disruption. It was then subsequently suspended after a recorded vote saw Councillor Frank McBrearty suspended from all Council Municipal District and Committee meetings for one month. Despite his suspension, Cllr

The Garda uniform is being updated to provide more protection, durability and functionality. The new uniform will consist of a soft shell jacket, a waterproof jacket, blue polo shirt, operational trousers and practical base layers. It will be delivered to over 13-thousand uniform members at 560 Garda stations nationwide, and it’s expected to ‘go live’

People are being urged to have their say on an iconic cross border community park for Donegal and Tyrone. A consultation is ongoing in relation to The Riverine Community Park which aims to connect both sides of the border at Lifford and Strabane. Donegal County Council are in the process of developing plans for the

High speed broadband is on the way to over 3,000 properties in Cresslough. National Broadband Ireland has confirmed that fibre build works in Donegal are well underway. In Cresslough, over 3,200 premises have been surveyed to date with network designs completed to deliver the new Fibre to the Home network in the area with initial