Category: Old Donegal

 

Hundreds of people in County Donegal are still without power this morning, following high winds last night as a result of Storm Arwen.

According to the ESB, the biggest outage is currently in the Dungloe area, with almost 500 homes affected there – power is expected to be restored in the Dungloe area by 12:30 this afternoon.

There is also a major outage in the Derrybeg area, with over 170 residences currently without power, and a fix expected around 2 o’clock this afternoon.

There are also smaller outages in the Milford and Carndonagh areas, both of which are currently expected to be fixed by midday today.

Live updates on any power outages are available on the ESB website at this link: https://powercheck.esbnetworks.ie/index.html

 

Gardai in Donegal are urging people to drive carefully in the stormy weather this evening.

A number of motorists were stopped and issued with fines and penalty points by members of the Letterkenny Roads Policing Unit today.

In a social media post this evening, gardai say with a wind warning in place until 6am tomorrow morning, people should be driving with extra caution, and constantly keeping an eye on their speed.

4,620 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed this evening.

571 patients are in hospital with the virus, with 118 in intensive care.

Latest figures for Letterkenny University Hospital show there were 15 Covid infected patients being treated there, one of them in intensive care.

Northern Ireland has recorded over 2,000 cases of Covid-19, for only the third time since the pandemic began.

2,004 people have tested positive in the latest 24-hour period.

Nine Covid related deaths have also been reported.

There are 370 Covid patients in hospital north of the border, 33 of them in intensive care.

 

 

News, Sport, Nuacht, Obituaries and Nuacht on Friday November 26th………….

https://www.highlandradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/frinov26.mp3

Snow is expected to fall in parts of the north and north-west later today.

Status yellow wind warnings are also in place for Donegal, Mayo and Sligo until tomorrow morning.

Storm Arwen is approaching Ireland, and Met Eireann meteorologist Joanna Donnelly says bad conditions are in store with Inishowen set to get the worst of the wind…….

https://www.highlandradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/15donnelly-weather-2.mp3

 

ALL routes will be gritted from 4PM on Fri. 26/11. Donegal gritting route index as follows:

06: Inishowen West
04: Inishowen South
01: National Primary North
02: National Primary Central
03: National Primary South
07: Milford South
08: Milford North
09: Cill Ulta East
10: Cill Ulta West
11: Na Rosa
12: Binswilly
13: Stranorlar North
14: Stranorlar East
15: Stranorlar West
16: Donegal West
17: Donegal North
18: Donegal South
19: Donegal National Secondary
05: Inishowen East
BT: Buncrana Town
LT: Letterkenny Town

Check Donegal County Council’s interactive map for gritting routes
Assume that no road is ice free.

 

The Agriculture Minister has announced the commencement of advance payments under Year 5 of the Sheep Welfare Scheme.

Almost €16 million is now being paid to some 18,000 farmers participating in the Sheep Welfare Scheme.

In a statement Minister Charlie McConalogue says these payments reflect the change to the reference year, bringing it to the higher of either the farmers’ existing reference number or their 2017 sheep census return.

For those who joined as new entrants the reference year is being updated to 2019.

The Minister says the change to the reference year better reflects the level of activity on participants’ farms given the passage of time since the introduction of the scheme in 2016.

It will mean an increased payment for 11,500 farmers under the scheme and no-one will see their payment being reduced because of this change.

These advance payments at a rate of 85% of the full annual payment are an important support to sheep farmers in the delivery of key welfare actions and provides a financial boost to the individual farmers and the wider rural economy.

The balancing payments for the scheme will issue in the second quarter of 2022.

 

 

 

NIAC has given the green light to roll-out booster vaccinations to everyone over the age of 16.

People will still have to wait 5 months after their second dose of the initial vaccine course.

NIAC has approved the use of booster vaccines for almost everyone.

They will be rolled out with pregnant women given priority, followed by those aged 40 to 49, and then the 16 to 39 year olds.

People will still need to be at least 5 months after their second dose of the initial vaccine.

The HSE will work through the currently approved groups of over 50s and those will underlying conditions first.

People who got the Janssen vaccine will be eligible for a booster three months after their first vaccination.

The 16 to 39 group will be done in descending order of age – but those who got Janssen will have an exemption to this.

So a 20 year old who got Janssen may get their booster before a 35 year old who got Pfizer, due to waning immunity.

Meanwhile further meetings are ongoing in Government today to discuss a travel ban from southern African countries given the emergence of a new Covid variant.

 

Hundreds of jobs are to be created at Penneys stores, that are to be expanded and redeveloped over the next decade.

250 million euro is being invested in the much loved Irish brand, with 600 new roles in shops over the next three years.

A hundred positions will also be created at the retailer’s HQ in Dublin.

Paul Marchant is Primark’s CEO;

https://www.highlandradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/penneys1pm.mp3

 

Serious concern has been raised over what’s been described as an accident black spot on the Milford to Carrigart road.

The area overlooking Mulroy Bay is said to need safety barriers installed there as a matter of urgency after a number of crashes there in recent years.

There are also calls for a non-slip surface to be put in place on the stretch of road.

Neil Cullen, Chairperson of Miford Aontu says the road in its current state is clearly dangerous and is calling on Donegal County Council to carry out the necessary work:

https://www.highlandradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/neil1pm.mp3

Mairead was involved in the most recent crash; she counts herself very lucky to have come away with her life:

https://www.highlandradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/mairead1pm.mp3

 

Walk-in booster vaccination clinics will be available for healthcare works and those aged 60 to 69 in Letterkenny this weekend.

The booster jabs will be administered to those in this cohort who have reached an interval of at least 152 days since their second dose vaccine.

The Letterkenny Vaccination Centre on the Kilmacrennan Road will be holding walk-in booster vaccination clinics at specific times this weekend.

Healthcare workers and those aged between 60-69 who received the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine can also get their booster at the walk-in clinic if they have an interval of at least 3 months since their vaccination.

However, anyone who has had COVID-19 since their vaccination should wait to get their booster dose at least 6 months after the positive test result.

The walk-in clinic will be available tomorrow from 8am to 3.30pm for people who had second dose on or before 28 June.

And on Sunday, the clinic will be open from 8.15am to 5.20pm for those who had second dose on or before 29 June.

People are being asked to their PPS number and a photo ID while healthcare workers are to bring evidence of their place of work.