Donegal is set to host Ireland’s first mountain running World Cup event.
The Seven Sisters Race – a gruelling run over some of Donegal’s highest mountains – has been given silver label status and will be the first event in the 2022 World Mountain Running Association calendar and is scheduled to take place on May 21st.
Donegal start the new year with their opening game in the Dr McKenna Cup this Friday evening in Ballybofey.
Declan Bonner’s side will face Down at MacCumhaill Park and there will be full match commentary with Oisin Kelly and Martin McHugh from the 7.30pm thrown in – right here at highlandradio.com.
Click on player to listen:
Coverage is in association with Highland Motors……..
Letterkenny University Hospital is dealing with 62 infectious cases of Covid-19.
That’s down slightly on yesterday’s figure but remains the second highest in the country.
4 infectious cases are in ICU.
Nationally, 941 people are being treated in hospital with the virus and 90 are in ICU.
Questions are being asked of Bank of Ireland as to why a local ATM cash machine was removed in Glenties.
It’s understood that the machine was taken away in recent days without any prior warning from the bank.
The move comes after the Bank of Ireland branch in the town closed in recent months as part of a series of closures nationwide.
There are still two other ATM machines in the town, but local Cllr Michael Cholm MacGiolla Easbuig says the BOI one was in a prime location on the Main Street and was being frequently used:
https://www.highlandradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/MichBOIweb.mp3
Work to alleviate flooding issues in Strabane is due to begin in the coming weeks.
A short term flood alleviation scheme is scheduled for the Pearse Gardens area of the town which has been badly hit by flooding issues in recent years.
A new storm sewer is to be laid along St. Colman’s Drive which will connect with the existing storm sewer in Ballycolman Avenue.
New gullies and manholes will be installed in Pearse Gardens and connected to the new sewer.
The Department states that the longer term solution will be linking in with the planned provision of a new sewer required to serve the major housing development at the old Adria site.
This work is programmed to start in mid-January 2022 subject to the necessary approvals.
In a statement, West Tyrone MLA Maolíosa McHugh says residents will breathe a sigh of relief when the work is finally complete.
He says that it has been a long battle and that hopefully this interim scheme will mean light at the end of the tunnel for the long suffering residents of Pearse Gardens and not least for those residents whose homes are being repeatedly flooded.
Nphet is not recommending any new restrictions, after a record number of new Covid-19 cases.
23,817 cases were reported yesterday – the highest daily figure since the pandemic began.
941 people are in hospital with the virus and 90 are in ICU.
Nphet’s also understood not to have recommended any changes to the close contacts rules for the moment.
Infectious Diseases Consultant, Eoghan de Barra, expects case numbers to get even higher this month:
https://www.highlandradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/debarra7am-1.mp3
Motorists should prepare for icy stretches this morning, with a Status Yellow Snow and Ice warning in place for the country.
There has been scattered showers of hail, sleet and snow overnight, which has left hazardous conditions in some areas.
The alert’s due to last until 11am.
Cathal Nolan of Ireland’s Weather Channel has the outlook:
https://www.highlandradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/nolan7am.mp3
From the 1st of February, people travelling within the EU will need to be fully vaccinated or have had a booster within the past 9 months.
The Department of Health says people started to receive updated Digital Covid Certs yesterday.
The updated certs will reflect a person’s booster status.
However People before Profit TD Paul Murphy feels the government isn’t doing enough:
https://www.highlandradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/murphy7am.mp3
On the return of the Score programme, Oisin Kelly looks ahead to the return of the Gaelic Games action this weekend.
We hear from Donegal football manager Declan Bonner as his side open the year in the McKenna Cup against Down on Friday night.
The Donegal hurlers play Antrim on Saturday in the Conor McGurk Cup, Oisin has been speaking with senior county boss Mickey McCann.
The LYIT start their Sigerson Cup campaign next week against IT Carlow, the side that beat the Letterkenny college at the semi final in 2019. Maxi Curran tells us how their preparation have been going.
Listen Here:
https://www.highlandradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/SCORE-060122.mp3
Listen back to the main evening news, sport farming and obituaries here for Thursday January 6th here:
https://www.highlandradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/news12.mp3
https://www.highlandradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsNEW6pm.mp3
