 The road being closed by Garey to allow works to be carried out to ensure the road was passable this morning. The pipes have once again been ripped up and debris strewn across the road. A hair look of Letterkinny and Mulford Municipal District Councillor Donald Mandekele says he simply has no words for the ongoing issue and added that more money has now been wasted. A Donegal councillor has announced he is taking time off from politics due to personal issues. Liford Ansternordler, councillor Gary Doherty, announced the news on Facebook last night citing issues with anxiety and stress as the main factors. He added he loves nothing more than representing the people of Donegal and fully intends to be doing that again as soon as possible. Councilor Doherty's full statement is available on our website at highlandradio.com. And finally, a DUP MP said the party will be keeping a close eye on fresh protocol talks between the UK and EU over the coming days. The party is still abstaining from power sharing until the government's protocol bill is put into legislation. The Prime Minister said she wants to see the storming institutions operating while negotiations and the progress of the bill continues. But Gregory Campbell says that is not going to happen. On a previous occasion, we hoped that a government would actually mean what they said. That's what we hoped would be the case. And I suppose when you look at Boris Johnson's track record, people would say well why would you take him at his word? You have to see and practice that he means what it says. Having done that with Boris Johnson, we're not going to make the same mistake with Liz Truss. As I say, we were prepared to be flexible and we are still prepared to be flexible. But we're not prepared to be taken for fools. To other night, today will be windy and feel cold. There will be a mix of sunny spells and showers throughout the day with some showers heavy, highest afternoon temperatures of 11 or 12 degrees. That's all for now. We'll be back again at 10 o'clock. But until then, good morning. Have you an account with Ulster Bank or KBC? Er, yeah. Do you get a social welfare payment into your account? Yep. Your bank is leaving the Irish market. Yeah, that's right. Have you switched to a new bank and updated your new account details with the Department of Social Protection? Hmm, updated. You need to let us know your new account details to ensure you continue to get your social welfare payment. The quickest way to update your account details is online at mywelfare.ie. Oh, okay. Thanks. Brought to you by the Government of Ireland. Watch the show live now on YouTube, Facebook and at highlandradio.com. The 9 till noon show with Letter Kenny Credit Union, now offering myCU current account and debit mastercard, bringing full banking features delivered with the same local trustworthy service of your credit union. And now, it's time for the talk of the Northwest, the 9 till noon show with Greg Hughes on Highland Radio. Hello, a very good Wednesday morning to you. It's the 5th of October, 2022. You're very welcome along to another edition of the 9 till noon show. How are you keeping, as I mentioned, looking at the window here? It's cleared up a little bit, but some torrential rain this morning again, flooding in the Glen Swilly area by the pipe, that's the message. The workers are ready to do the work. They know what they have to do, but the residents and people traveling through that area being subjected to heavy rain and therefore flooding again this morning. I suspect it may get worse since that was first reported on the news this morning. Anyway, our lines are open for you. Any issues you want to raise, any stories you want to tell us, any information you want to pass on, you can do so by texting and WhatsApping 08 660 25,000 either or. If you want to give us a call, Caroline, taking your calls as always, Donna Marie, working on the program to 07 491 25,000 and your emails to come into islandradio.com. I'm still some of you sending your letters. They're very welcome indeed. Greg Huesl, the 9 till noon show, mountaintop letter Kenny should get us thanks to the great workers within the postal services. They should find their way. All right, let's take a look at the front of the pages finally having to come to some reading glasses, particularly for this one. It's the Finn Valley voice. We get a print off early on a Wednesday. Five years, that's how long it will take to complete the rollout of broadband for all houses for all how those don't go. The classes are working to what are they? Five years, that's how long it will take to complete the rollout of broadband for all those don't go premises desperate to acquire it unless the one fifth of those premises are at the build commencing stage. Say it's National Broadband Ireland CEO, Mr. T. J. Malone. Now, nothing about this surprises me because right when this was first announced, going back a long time now, we asked, and when will the final house in Donegal be connected or the final premises? And we were told at that time, I think it was 2027 or 2028. Mr. Malone, who was speaking last month's meeting of Donegal County Council, received a dismayed reception from local councillors who cannot understand why Donegal is ranked 23rd in priority among 26 counties for broadband. This there's no rationale as to why one counties before another said councillor Patrick McGowan on to the front of the Innish Times now and Donegal County councillor Frank McBritty Jr. is facing public order charges in relation to an incident outside Donegal County Council's offices in Lifford last year, according to the paper, the independent councillors due to appear at Lettacanny District Court on October 17 charged with the obstruction of a vehicle under section nine of the Criminal Justice Public Order Act 1994 on December 13th, 2021 at the car park of County House in Lifford. Mr. McBritty's also charged with breach of the peace under section six of the Criminal Justice Public Order Act 1994 at the same location. On to the Donegal Post now, an appeal has been lodged after 150 meter wind turbine refused and appeal has been lodged against a decision by Donegal County Council to refuse planning for a 150 meter wind turbine. The local authority refused permission due to concerns of the impact of the turbine on the landscape of the area. Pro-Tricy Limited had sought permission for the development at Moulton's in Brooklyn. Let's get on to the nationals now and more bad news for your pocket. Unfortunately, this is what happens when you read the front of the papers. This is the Irish Independent. Thousands of workers will with company cars to be hit with a massive hike in tax. The changes coming in January mean that benefiting kind tax will saw by up to 40% in some cases for those who are given a vehicle by their employer because they have to travel for their jobs. It comes at a time when petrol and diesel prices have surged. There could be as many as 150,000 company cars on Irish roads according to industry experts. One sales rep said benefiting kind rates are increasing significantly in 2023. The detune of hundreds of euro per month along with energy and cost of living crises. Excuse me, many of us are dreading the new year. Meanwhile, the central bank is warning today that real incomes when you take into account the hit from inflation won't recover for a number of years. Even employers give them give pay increases in 2023. It also stated the tech sector is the only major part of the economy to see wage growth at strip inflation in the past year, which effectively means that the majority of people working unless you're in the IT sector, the majority of people working are you're less well off today than you were previously. Right, let's go on to the Irish times now. And of course, there was a debate on the concrete levy in the door last night, a vote will be taken later. It's not going to succeed, but nonetheless, a lot of conversation being had in this forum on it. The T shocks been speaking on this though, a widening of a levy on concrete products to include banks and other businesses would lead to higher bank charges and interest rates, that's according to the government. Now, I posed that question to own or bring yesterday. And he says there are ways in which it could be done that that wouldn't happen. That being said, you just can't imagine any of these companies, they're not massive companies making massive money for no reason. You can't imagine that they'd find some way or other, wouldn't you to sort of pass it on to protect their interests and the interests of their shareholders. Many of them are pension funds in far flung countries. But anyway, to tarnish that the override car again defended the coalition's plan to induce a levy, introduce a levy on some concrete products to partially fund the cost of repairing homes built with defective blocks. Minister for Finance Pascal Donahue said proposals put forward by Sinn Féin for a broader charge also came with risks. The government hopes to raise 80 million per year from the levy to part fund a 2.57 billion redress scheme for homes affected by mica. Sinn Féin brought forward a motion in that all yesterday night calling on the government to halt its plans and instead introduce a defect levy focused on the banks, profits of big developers, and those who were responsible for the defects. The government however said it would press ahead with its own proposed levy and criticised Sinn Féin. I see Sinn Féin's proposing a levy on the banks, the construction industry and the insurance industry, and that would be passed on at least in part in terms of higher bank charges and interest rates, Mr Radkar said. Well, it might be passed on in parts, but it would be across a broader spectrum of people. The concrete levy affects, you know, the housing market directly. And it's not just, you know, private housing. It's also public housing and public developments as well. But anyway, the debate continues. It rolls on. The Irish Daily Mail, just 27% of you, according to this poll, think that Sinn Féin can tackle the cost of living crisis compared with 37% for the government and the Irish Daily Mail extra.ie poll by Amarak has found. This is really quite remarkable. 10% less of you apparently believe that Sinn Féin could do better than the government. The poll of one and a half thousand adults carried out days after the budget found support for Sinn Féin's ability to solve the crisis varied hugely according to age. It revealed that a majority of young people of faith in Sinn Féin's anti-inflation policies compared to just 20% of those aged over 55 who are more critical of their economic policies. The poll was conducted last Saturday and Sunday with a separate opinion poll carried out and then you turn to the inside of the paper on Friday finding Sinn Féin soaring to a record high of 37% suggesting that the party's strong post-budget support is not backed by a belief in the cost of living strategy. Now there's a conflict in polls so you either believe one or other. I can't imagine that the public would be of the view that they want Sinn Féin in power but they don't believe they can fix the economy but they don't they do believe that the government can fix the economy but they don't want the government in power. That doesn't make a great deal of sense to me anyway. Elon Musk a controversial character. He has decided he's going to buy Twitter after all. He's made a U-turn. He wants to buy it and lovers of free speech believe he's going to change everything complete nonsense. Anyone who thinks that Elon Musk taking over Twitter will in some way change what you can say on it are as far out as Fan and Lighthouse. He's already said quite clearly that the policies of Twitter will follow the policies of every given country in which it operates and also lots of people have promised a freedom of speech of expression and still bans and restrictions are imposed. But anyway for a moment there will be a section of society that thinks that thinks that Elon Musk is going to make some sort of a difference on that platform. Well anyway he's also been opining on the war in Ukraine. He's been slown by Volodymyr Zelensky for posting a Twitter poll offering suggestions for ending the Ukraine war. The billionaire was told to f off after asking his followers to vote on ideas which included making Crimea formally part of Russia. He also suggested holding UN supervised elections in four occupied regions following Putin's Sham referendum. What do you think of those proposals because let us not forget that at the moment you know these Russia does not fully own these parts of Ukraine. Why would they stop there? We know that Putin has wants to reassemble really the old Soviet Union. He's many people feel he wouldn't stop at Ukraine. Why would he accept simply the sections of Ukraine that have been flattened and just pack it in from there call it a victory. I mean anyone who listened to the speech he gave more recently it's clear that he wants to rebuild Russia to where it once were. I don't think UN backed elections in those occupied regions would pacify he anyway but he went on to say this is Elon. Russia leaves if that is the will of the people so in other words if I mean but then again another thing that doesn't make sense the majority of Ukrainians that probably would vote in that referendum have left for fear of what may come. He added Russia has three times the population of Ukraine so victory for Ukraine is unlikely in total war. If you care about the people of Ukraine seek peace well if that's the case also the Americans might as well just join China because China has a much greater population than the US. Anyway what do you think maybe there's a lot of sense I've said it on this program before whatever outcome is achieved the sooner it happens the better. I don't know what it is I don't have the answers but the sooner the better because look at the end of the day there are hundreds if not thousands of people dying every week there there will be some sort of solution or we end up with you know mutual annihilation if it really really were to escalate so surely it's time to redouble efforts to come up with a solution that's agreeable as much as is possible to all parties involved. On to the Irish Daily Mirror now and the new life for Jonathan Dowdall will cost you the Irish taxpayer just 100 000 euro and he'll have to stand on his own feet after a few months it's emerged a day after the bombshell news emerged that the former Sinn Fein cancer is to give evidence in the murder trial of Jerry the Monk Hodge sources have confirmed to the Irish Mirror it's unlikely the state will buy him a new home instead the sources who have an in-depth knowledge of the witness security program that Dowdall 424 is being assessed for revealed that it's more likely the state will rent him a property for a few months I thought they provided you with a home in an English speaking country of similar valuable size to the one that you lived in but obviously that's not the case then he will have to give up his life and start again abroad after he dramatically agreed to make a statement to Guardi investigating the February 2016 murder of Daniel Kinnahan associate David Byrne in the notorious attack at Dublin's Regency Hotel but I presume he felt he had no choice in terms of what life he had left all right so what measures have you gone to to find love would you ever consider taking out a billboard that's what one person did we might try and see if we can get this fella on the show to see how it's going for him he's described as a love lawn fella he's never been on a date he's advertised himself on a billboard to try and find a girlfriend now you watch him on some channel for ITV show very soon Ed Chapman is 23 you found apps disappointing so he decided to plaster a giant photo of his face with the words date me next to a motorway and there's an arrow I don't know what the arrow is doing on I mean as if it's not clear who the date me is relating to but anyway they've decided to put an arrow pointing at him as well in case you thought it was a bunch of flowers and they sell up a website take me on a date to mail.com or it's an email address anyway the content creator from Leeds UK said I've never been in a relationship or even been on a date so I thought I'd make a big thing of it and make the search nationwide he says if anyone's interested you can go on go on a date with some drinks or perhaps a nice walk even maybe even maybe where is it crazy golf okay what do you think oh wait 60 25,000 that was a run through what's making get the front of it inside some of the pages I do hope you're all very well this Wednesday morning we've got plenty to keep you informed and entertained but we want to hear from you as I said already you know the contact details don't you right okay let's take a break and our first guest joins us just shortly thereafter you can rely on a gig a home you can gig a stream or gig a weekend you can feel gig as safe as your kids hop online to have gig a fun and you can gig a boogie in your gig a basement Vodafone gig a home combines super wi-fi always connected and secure net for a broadband connection you can always rely on so get on the gig a train search Vodafone gig a home to find out more Vodafone together we can subject to location and availability gig a home is subject to subscription cancel any time eligibility limitations in terms of play see Vodafone dot i e let Kelly's help heat your home this winter buy one bag of coal at Kelly centra in edderkenny and you'll be entered into a draw to win a full ton of coal with the winner announced on the 1st of November there's also great value gas briquettes kindling and home heating oil all at Kelly centra and forecourt mountaintop letter Kenny the county dunny gall blackfish sheep breeders association 65th annual shoe and seal of shirling rams and ramlams will take place at belly buffet and strewnorlar mart this friday the 7th of october at 2 p.m. with the sale on saturday the 8th at 11 30 a.m. keep out the cold, cold, cold this winter and ring Fleming for their full range of garage doors agri doors insulated doors milking parlour doors Fleming 91 48 234 is the appearance of your staff important to your business it's the first point of contact for customers when entering your premises at c&m and broidery and letter Kenny they have a huge range of clothing covering all areas of the workplace it's widely known that customers warm to and trust employees that present themselves well have your company name and broidery printed on all your work uniforms contact c&m and broidery on 07491 28097 and get your staff looking their best the western health and social care trust in northern ireland is recruiting for band 5 and 6 neonatal staff nurses at the south west acute hospital enes killen vacancies are now available for experienced neonatal nurses and for nurses wanting to develop a career in this specialist area we're planning the first northern ireland five care unit and welcome those with experience or an interest in the model if you're not currently registered with the nursing and midwifery council the trust will support you through this process to apply or find out more visit jobs.hscni.net be proud be part of it now i was a very young man when i first heard suggestions and conversations about universal mobile phone charging cables this one seems to have been going on forever but maybe it is now about to come to pass let's see finnegale m.e.p color marke joins us on the program now good morning column how are you keeping morning chris yourself it's good to have you with us right so the european parliament has approved a new law which will see all mobile phones equipped with a common charging port from mid 2024 now we'll talk about the welcoming of it and how this might all work but why is this so important what's the big deal with people having different plugs for their phones you've got different plugs for kettles for televisions for everything why has the EU been obsessing about mobile phone charges for so long well i think the reality is there's so many different charging devices and so many different plugs that it's it's just an inconvenience to the public like you say there's so many different plugs but if you take it now and we've just got one three-pin plug to plug into the world yeah but there you plug you plug the phone charger into the wall the same way this is how you plug it into the device and there's many different ways of it see the thing is is i'm not against this right but there's two right you've got the iphone one and you've got usb-c and there's still a couple of micro usb is knocking about but that's it i know there's more than that like the reality is there's about 250 million in waste every year in terms of disposed chargers like it's not just you have your iphone you have your your android type usb-c which would be typical but also the top of my tablets the top of my earbuds digital cameras headphone sets you know handheld videos it's it's trying to streamline the horror and in reality i know from my own perspective like i don't know how many different types of chargers i've gone through in phones over the years and a bag of different chargers there and then you suddenly find a device that's a two years old that you're trying to connect to again and there's no there's no connection for it column how many times if you pulled into a service station and bought a charger because your phone's going flat you must have done that absolutely and if you have the one if it's the one universe it's about it behind you column you left it behind you in the house so you've stopped on page 799 for one to charge in your car you're contributing to the waste it's got nothing to do with the port oh there's a lot to do with the port i think the reality is that there are different types of phone chargers that there has been over the years and indeed the effectiveness of some of the existing ones i won't get into i wonders at the working effectively ultimately if there's only going to one charger like in a hotel room then you could have the charger available in the hotel for instance things like that and you can have a you when it's universal it's easy to make it available across the board and i think the fact that it's bringing more than just phones into the picture is very important like to think that there's that level like 11 000 tons of waste every year specifically from from chargers it seems crazy i i i get exactly where you're coming from right and i i'm not opposed to this at all i use usbc and everything i have so do you know what you can all worry about it i'm all right i don't want to be too selfish about it but the charging cables that i'm throwing out i'm using my phone or tablet while it's charging the ends are breaking it's starting to charge infrequently as i say i've been that soldier too i can't do without my phone i pull into a garage and i buy a cable that i don't really need it ends up in a draw at home as well do you know what i mean any cables i'm chucking out are all usbc cables that because of the quality of them and i've started buying some now that last much longer it's the same cables that i need to just not lasting as long it's not i'm not throwing out an iphone cable a micro usb cable the old fat uh micro usb you know the old usb i'm not throwing out broken cables you've just shown us the different ones that are there the reality that's over the years and i agree with you i agree if you have one standardized cable then you can make sure that the quality of those cables are better i don't think it's necessarily the connection that's the issue i think it's the quality that put into the cables and if you know that the matter of what phone you're going to get down the road that this same cable is going to work you can buy the phone with a cable or buy the phone without a cable so i think to be fair it is just one of these simple little consumer issues that if it's called right it's in the interest of the consumer nobody's suggesting that it's it's going to change the world but it's just going to make everyone's life that a little bit more simple you know that if you go in anywhere it's going to be the same if you look for a charger cable it's just going to it's not going to ask you what type of phone have you and to go in the box and the behind reception to see have you got that type of charger or whatever it is or you go into your friend's house and your phone's flat you know they're going to have the same charger as you you can just plug in so it's just about making life simple and convenient and the whole point is it's not just about in Ireland it's across Europe and even the fact that Brazil and India are looking to do the same thing as well so you hopefully you'll have a universal one worldwide quick enough and that'll be that'll be a positive for everyone it's just an inconvenience and hopefully it does i mean a lot of people charge their phones wireless now as well and new cards of little pads that you can put your phone on to charge wirelessly i get that but i'm just wondering what apple might think about this because they're a charger as far as i'm aware it's very low profile you know and i think phones will get thinner as the years progress usb c's kind of chunky compared to the iphone charger maybe you're not too interested in what apple have to say on this but it will be interesting to see what level of resistance will this be challenged or is this the final word now i think the reality is this was 10 years of making because people were challenging because people weren't going to cooperate and wanted to keep their own unique charger for to sell their own phone and not getting into which brands it was but definitely though i was dragging a feet on certain brands and i think it took if you like a europe wide initiative to push them down the one road and i think that that that probably why it took so long because there was resistance from the phone phone providers i think to be fair that was more in their own interests perhaps than it was in the consumer's interest because i think having like if your old charger it nearly encourages to maintain the same phone again if if if they can have a unique charger from their perspective whereas it's universal then then the interchanger it probably they they they let's say the android type phone or phone that hasn't a business specific brand then isn't in a position in the corner your mark if you like and i think it just adds to competition as well as everything else it's do you know this is quite specific question is usbc intellectually protected is that something now that likes of apple will have to pay for or other companies do we know that or is that you know common free to use technology well i think i'm not 100% sure this but i think to you in usb is universal so i think it's i don't think there's anybody that has no i didn't expect you to know what i just thought it's just a curiosity i had i wouldn't expect anyone most people to know that to be completely honest with you right listen you know that i think phone companies have been trolling us for a decade with you know three-foot long cables that are no use to anyone so i'm not going to jump to their defence too much on this i just wonder how much waste this will actually save anyone out there if you've got a mobile phone get a charger with the l-bend on it they'll last forever if you do where you plug it in so what is the the leading time to this now column i feel this is probably you know be dead by the time i see an iphone with usbc charging port will i well the talk is autumn 24 which is autumn of like i suppose two years time but a that ultimately it's and it would be very much directed to new phone sales will have to be in line with that so i think given that it took 10 years to come this far i think hopefully in the next two years it will be and i think that's the deadline but to see pretty much straight away people will start to engage with it because they won't be leading that to the i could imagine a lot of new phones that will come out in the near future will start to transition onto this and then by 2024 they have to have you can't be selling any more new phones with the old type chargers you know i think a lot of i think if i'm not mistaken i think some of i apple stuff already charges usbc i believe their tablets do or at least the computers do the playstation xbox all of transition to usbc they probably have seen this coming i think an awful lot of companies have already have already made the move a lot of you know different types of products you mentioned earbuds and stuff like that they've already moved to usbc they probably saw the writing on the wall what do you think well i think that's the point that this was signal for the last while that this was going to happen and i think it's good that i i suppose the fact that it's across so many different devices it's not just a mobile phone as you mentioned tablets earbuds digital cameras even there's talk about laptops to come fall down the road to go down the same road i think there's a longer leading to that but the laptops to be covered by the same charger so really it's all your personal devices with all of just one lead that you can plug into them all and i think no matter what you say about it is even for me while i i might have an iphone and i might have an ipad all the devices i have would be usbc so to have the one that would go across all the different devices is going to make life that much easier all right come over to android your battery might last a wee while i'm a big fan of android actually but anyway spend your life in russles charge in your iphone i'm only joking all right thanks for that column take care of yourself i appreciate the chat all right bye bye that's me p column markey there of finna gale so by 2024 everything will be usbc that's new apparently what do you think oh eight six sixty twenty five thousand comments coming in on that already let's take a quick break the nine till noon show is brought to you by letterkenny credit union offering low-rate car loans with fast approval apply online at letterkennycu.ie or in office today oh amy my little one i ask myself a million questions every day when will you give me your first smile how much sleep do you need how can i help you and your big brother to get along at the hsc's mychild.ie and in the free my child books you'll find the answers you need from doctors midwives public health nurses dieticians and lots of other experts mychild.ie expert advice for every step of pregnancy baby and toddler health from the hsc for day to day health care needs generations have trusted the experienced staff at mcgee's chemist in letterkenny from coughs and coals to aches and pains from vitamin supplements to first aid essentials mcgee's have what you need when you need it with a full prescription service available daily mcgee's chemist main street atterkenny for health care help and advice you can always trust inflation busting sale now on at flurrid letterkenny there's 12 millimeter ac5 european laminate starting from 16 euro 95 a square yard eight millimeter ac4 european laminate starting from 11 euro 99 a square yard and engineered plant oak flooring from only 47 euro 99 a square yard but hurry only while stocks last at flurrid collion road letterkenny green shoes in letterkenny and fulcara have shoes for every occasion all your favorite brands from unaheely tommy bow and echo to kate apple beat marcosi and sketches plus many more shop lk and one for all gift cards are gratefully accepted in store green shoes in letterkenny at market square and letterkenny shopping center fulcara and online at greenshoes.com green shoes with the perfect fit for every foot wallet nappies baby boobs all set you'll find expert advice on the convenience of breastfeeding at mychild.ie from the hse now jillian was on to us to say would you mention please that specks savers are having a coffee morning to celebrate them being opened 21 years in letterkenny tomorrow morning it's in the store all donations will be going to cancer care west that on a gold branch as they are our chosen charity this year everyone is welcome to join in and have a copper and raise some funds for the great service that cancer care west offer locally so if you're in and around the specks savers store in letterkenny call in tomorrow for tea or coffee and support cancer care north west a very worthy charity right okay show mclyn joins us on the program now Sean how are we getting on morning Greg good to have you with us right okay now you've been driving around letterkenny and observing change is that it well it's observing change and observing problems I don't know if you know but it might my native of letterkenny have lived here most of my life but I've driven around the last day and I just first thing knows was how difficult it is to get around the time because I mean I know the town very well so I try and avoid at times where most of the traffic is but it's getting very hard to avoid the traffic at this point in time that's not just because of the road works it's just because of the general layout at the time but my main thing is that and I've said this for years is I find it very sad that the main street is the way that it is and has been for many years and nothing really has been done about it what is the problem with the main street as you see it well the problem is is not well we don't have enough businesses in the first start I mean I do have a part of it obviously there's a central part of the main street which has quite a bit of business but outside of that I mean the lower main street is becoming basically a drive-through I mean when I grew up I lived in the lower main street when I was younger and I mean when I grew up then the lower main street was thriving there was lots of businesses in it but at the moment it's basically become a drive-through you drive basically from the square or just below the square to downstairs to wherever else you're going and the bottoms of the main street they always ignore the message there's maybe you have to go to Donegal printing or something but I mean there's definitely nothing to stop there for and many people listening will remember a U2 show and I'm sure lots of different types of businesses small businesses Brick of Bracks you know just little small businesses that really are the lifeblood of any successful town I think at least in a traditional sense maybe that's not the case any longer well I think every town needs a centre it needs a you know when people come in when tourists or strangers come into a town they want to sort of see a town centre where things are happening and sort of the identity of the town which we don't think we have one at the moment now I think it's a good thing that the square has been redone whenever it happens I don't know but like it's a good thing that's been redone because again that's been neglected for years as well because it didn't really serve any purpose and so I think opened up the squares really a good idea because we need somewhere where a gallery and events can take place but let's say we need to not just do the square we need to look at what's around the square as well we need to sort of concentrate on the whole town but if you allow develop Sean whereby you know you have two or three I'm not from another county but you've got two or three shopping centres now do you know what I mean so in other words you have and they've got sort of you know nicknames and what have you but you know what I'm talking about you've got two areas with tons of parking and a whole myriad of different types of shops like there's some brilliant businesses on the main street and I try and shop there as much as I can but there's an awful lot of competition very close by with decent access and lots of parking so really can that be reversed well this is the difficult you see as opposed the problem the main street has as opposed to the shopping centres is shopping centres are purpose built what's the car parking and access for people not only that but they can get it they can park their car get out and they can walk around all the shops what happens in the main street and I've seen this is people go into a shop in the main street they want to park as close as possible to it then if they want to go to another shop they get in the car and they want to drive to the next shop instead of walk into the next shop one of the solutions I suppose would be and this has been on the cards for years is to pedestrianise the main street but to do that you have to have a car park that is very convenient to the main street yes in other words they need to come out of the car park and walk out of the car park if you had a really regular I'm on about a really regular commit to this for five years don't worry about numbers for the first couple of years but a really effective literally hop on hop off boss service like that you would stop at any point you literally get on it you'd go the 100 meters down the road or whatever it is do you know what I mean try something like that there would that be maybe could you tie that into a pedestrianised type of a main street I don't think so because people are so used to using their cars they use the car together everywhere nowadays I mean we were younger we did like we would walk you know in younger days I mean in teenage years and even in your 20s I mean if you wanted to go down the main street you'd go out the door and you'd walk down a lot of older people still do that but people are so used to using the cars I said they can drive they will drive from one shop to another even if it's a couple hundred yards down the road and look for a parking space which makes no sense but it's just a habit but I think if the main street was pedestrianised people would walk up and down it then the shops would have a better chance because you're actually walking past the shops when you're driving you're not seeing the shop that's right beside you you know if you get out of one shop into your car and drive you're missing the three or four shops on the way down to wherever you're going yeah I find my trips to the main street are sort of like appointment based in other words there's certain shops that I want to go to and I will go to I'm not gonna lie and it's not because I'm particularly lazy but I have found myself driving down the main street nowhere to park and as said right you know I can't do another loop here I have to go on yes which is you know which is money that's been lost to business really you could say well that this is this is the other problem now that the main street the traffic problem is that Levy County has become a lip and in other words wherever you go I if I have to go somewhere if I have to go to a few different places in different parts of town I find myself going around the same circuit but that's a necessity because I can't get in the other way so well you could could you not though but Sean you could park in the car park at the back of the shopping center there which is pretty much opposite the square isn't it there's plenty of parking there yeah the travel agent and out onto the main street I mean there is a lot of parking on or near the main street isn't there yeah I often do that but the problem is people coming into the town who don't know the town yeah took me a while to do that it took me a while to figure it out I'm not gonna lie so you know that's what I mean people come in the first the first thing they're gonna park in the shopping center they're gonna go to the shopping center and think oh well you know just catch it we'll use these shops here and then we'll leave them bogging out on the main street because they don't really know where they're going yeah I think I think the days especially when you have alternatives very close by I think the days of walking up and down a street just as it is now I mean maybe look to go away what they're doing in other places I think it has to be more of an experience do you know what I mean I think there has to be different offerings as you say maybe a bit of live music in a square or you know a little bit of a a little bit more of a buzz I think just sort of walking up and down a main street it kind of it seems a little bit old-fashioned does that make sense well I don't think it is because if you go on holidays if you go on holidays somewhere besides the window shopping there's people coming in who don't know the time from before or tourists coming in don't know what's in the town so they might like to walk up and down but they won't only walk up and down once if there's nothing for them I mean if there's different things to do you say like all the way if there's different things to do and different things to see then they may go up and down the street a few times but I mean if you go up and down the street once and there's nothing to see you'll just go somewhere else true there is a plan Sean I think I really need yeah there is a major plan place at the moment I think 18 million euros already been committed to it and is to reimagine letter Kenny I think there is an acceptance that the town is divided at the moment you know and that the likes of the shopping centres need to be bridged not literally but need to be bridged to the main street how we get how people get around letter Kenny needs to be looked at but it seems like a long long way away but even the development you talk of the market square it kind of forms part of that is that really where or do you think some stuff interim stuff needs to be done well I think there'd be no harm to do interim stuff I mean but the other thing is I mean they need to need to make the main street the centre to bring people into it that's something you need to bring I mean in the days when the buses the country buses used to park in the main street either you know an academy court there or near the square or near the main street then the people get not the buses would naturally sort of have to be on the main street to start with whether they went to shopping centres after that was totally up to themselves but at least they were there but now people commonly spend it to shopping centres and don't go to the main street okay so tell us the plan then Sean if you could do stuff right now tell us what you think God knows you're probably been sitting in traffic with enough time to think about it what if what would you try right now for letter Kenny main street then so what do you think could be done almost immediately to see if it works to try something new well I think first of all one of the first things we should do is try and have some sort of bus stop or bus park where in the vicinity of the main street where the buses actually come in and that would bring more people into the main street and also a car park we need a car park in there I know the courtyard car park is there but I mean and part of that is the council car park but again that I don't think that's very well advertised no it's hard it's not signposted very well if you're not from the area so what about on street parking and cars on the main street would you get rid of those well I think we should you know that there's no real the problem is say the problem of the cars park on the main street I mean it's it's parking for a long period of time I mean it don't mind people stopping and things like that but I mean it's the character park they're near the all day long do you think that's mostly staffed do you I would I think it's probably people working different places or people's spending their time so would you pedestrianize say from would it be from McGatigan's hotel to Voodoo is that the type of area or would it be a shorter area or what what would you pedestrianize no I would no I'd you'd have to go past the square I would say you'd have to come from McGatigan's past the square definitely a decent area but I'd say we want to track any more businesses than us we've got the footfall if you know what I mean that the derelict the derelict building there's a shame on the main street but the lower main street has been neglected as well I think the lower main street we need to sort of we need to designate the lower main street of some sort of purpose in order to get the people to come in and back I mean I see recently there the derelict building think derelict homes I mean that they're giving grants now for turning buildings into first homes for people they're getting grants for them apparently but the need to do that with business premises as well we need to have some sort of center for some to buy up and put new businesses into them because at the moment I mean what's the rates and everything people aren't going in because if you're not have you don't have the business and you're just sitting there paying rates all day long it's no good to anybody Sean do you think it can be reversed do you think it's possible that people and quite understandably are harking back to a bygone era that letter Kenny now as a whole not just the main street has changed and is continuing to change really quite dramatically to the point whereby sort of that traditional letter Kenny town is gone or do you think if certain things were put in place it can be if it is gone I don't know I'm just saying if it is gone can it be returned to its former glory in something that's recognizable as its former glory well I think with the right plan that we can do it the thing about it is I'm not the town planner but in my mind a town has to towns normally go out from the centre and we've lost the centre so I think we need to bring the centre back and grow things out from the centre of the town that's what a town is at the moment we're disjointed we're not really a town of such you know what I mean we're bits and pieces here in there you see what I thank for what we don't have a town is like I think you know you talked about the buses I mean one of the things two would be taxis for example where taxis the taxis ranks are around the market square that's kind of central my understanding is that one of the proposals as part of the market square development was to move the taxi ranks down from the market square which wouldn't make a great deal of sense to me you want people getting out of taxis or buses as you've suggested in what would probably be seen as the traditional heart of the main street and sort of spreading out from there yet the planning seems to be almost as if to take that fault fall away from there now as I say we've reached out to people involved in public transport and I mean kind of including taxis in that say what they have to say about these plans that are being put forward but I think removing people getting out of and into taxis in that sort of central area I think that would be a mistake I think that would be another retrograde step yeah I agree with you I mean when we had the taxis in the square I mean it helped an awful lot and I think we need a taxi rank in the middle of the town and I mean I know we have one there at the moment on the main street but we need a sort of central I think we need a central tax rank I mean if you want to dairy you know there's a taxi rank right there in the middle of the city everybody knows where to go and dairy for a taxi and you're right in the city yeah okay and then can I share the same I mean the tax has been at the buses is all very well for people getting out of buses and that but to say this is the whole thing the buses at the moment are about the bottom of the port road the tax is at the bottom of the port road that's not a central place I mean that's not you know it's not something you land there off a bus or a taxi and you sort of look around at where are going out whereas if you're landing in the middle of the town you've got lots of options yeah exactly and you know you can measure football we're really quite simple us human beings we're not terribly complex you know you drop us off somewhere we'll tend to kind of hang around there for a bit if you drop us off a little bit away from there unless there's a specific reason we won't go there you know what I mean we're quite hive-minded we're quite sheepish sheeples people call us sometimes but you know what we are kind of we are we do we do need to be pointed and directed and led a little bit say for instance making it incredibly clear where car parks are for example and how you access the main street from these car parks do you know all right but we advertise a town like Cathedral is one of our main draws for people we advertise this as part of the tourist thing the cathedral in the centre of town but yet we don't bring people there yeah go figure Sean listen also I just I just hope we can revive it a bit because I think the main street is the shame to see it the way it is in the mean night it's not just nostalgic or anything else I mean I think as Faye has said before I mean we should have a centre of our town to make it a town we should have a centre of our town and I think we should bring it back as quick as possible listen and you know things are changing rapidly the population growth in certain parts of letterkenny at the moment is absolutely huge that all factors into the type of conversation that we're having right now you know so time is of the essence because things change and can change you know beyond reversal very very quickly Sean yeah but yeah but Greg we need to make a plan stick to it what has happened letterkenny a lot of the time as we have plans a five-year plan about a third of what takes place and then we change our minds yeah you're talking about the market square there maybe as well talk about everything yeah I know I know I know listen Sean lovely to chat to you thanks thanks very much thanks very much the couple's been started now we really appreciate it get involved in that chat 08 660 25000 The 90 noon show is brought to you by letterkenny credit union digital loans now available apply online or via our app today and get your loan transferred directly to your current account watch the show live now on youtube facebook and at highlandradio.com Dunstores Double Savers gives you new ways to shrink your bill saving the aisles when you mix and match four multi-packs and soft drinks like Tato six pack and Sprite two liter for just five euro and sort breakfast for less with half price on selected Nestle cereals then save again at the till with our five off 25 grocery voucher shrink your bill with double savers at Dunstores Dunstores always better value turn them editions apply by to be used on next in store grocery shop with 25 euro or more we wish you a it may be too early for Christmas carols but it's never too early to start the Christmas shopping save hundreds possibly thousands of euro shopping online with base hobderry we provide a full virtual address mailbox service for all your Christmas parcels and posts save hundreds possibly thousands on customs charges this Christmas with base hobderry call 04871 878077 for more details listen up pet lovers feed your pets for less at pet value Bunkrana get burn's dog food 20% off James well-beloved dog food 15 kg was 73 euro 80 now only 60 euro Whiskows 40 pouch cat food only 16 euro Whiskows 7 kg complete cat food only 20 euro get more value at pet value St. Mary's Row Bunkrana open seven days a week find us on Facebook thinking of changing your car for a new car get ahead of the queue it's time to order your new 2023 Kia today with an award-winning range of vehicles your next car will be a Kia we are sure of it visit letterkenny or malin or imotors.ie this Sunday the final of the Dunnegal Senior Football Championship will see old rivals battle it out for the Dr. McGuire Cup as holders sent unions face off against Snave Connell you can follow all the action live here on Highland on air across the North West and online at highlandradio.com join Oshun Kelly with expert match analysis from Rendon Kilcoin and Martin McHugh we're throwing at 430 Highland's championship coverage is brought to you by Highland Motors Letterkenny your main Renault and Dacia dealer in Dunnegal with the iconic Dacia Duster the family SUV for all your adventures Highland Radio Weather Updates brought to you by Grant from condensing boilers to heat pumps and underfloor heating trust Grant to heat your home visit grant.eu Okie doke today will be windy and feeling cold any lingering rain will clear quickly eastwards this morning leaving a mix of sunny spells and showers for the rest of the day some showers will be heavy and possibly thundery turning dry this evening as showers ease temperatures today 10 or 11 degrees but perhaps that's the what the forecast suggests there feeling a little chillier than that in real terms alright the real issue says this listener is the main street needs to be pedestrianized and the quicker the council gets some forward thinking and do this the better it's been trialed you know these things get trialed but you have to have other things in place to support that like access for instance for people with a disability or people whose mobility is not once what it may have been you know you can't just pedestrianize an area and then exclude a whole group of people as well there has to be proper access for people of all abilities so just simply pedestrianizing it you know there's a whole swathe of the population then that would be disenfranchised so perhaps it's something you can't rush consideration has to be given to that no one in the right mind says this listener drives down the main street during the day between the traffic and no parking it's nightmare most people only drive down it when they really have to is that the case another caller says at the moment people feel unsafe walking around electrocane at any time not just as night I don't know how this could be addressed other than get in to town do your business and get back home as quick as you can and you're in that for quite some time on to the conversation we're having about chargers and other products a caller said they are designed to break after a period of time so that consumers have to replace them bringing in more revenue for the companies well as I say I've accepted chargers now and I've had them for a very very long time and the difference was just a slight little L well it's not a slight little L it's a 90 degree angle an L shape at the charging point because we tend to use them when they're charging it puts a lot of strain on that wobbly bit just below the connector but that L has made all the difference to me I got a charger that has multiple ends it's so convenient it might be but those I've never got one of those with multiple ends that's an actual fast charger that will turbo charge your phone even when used with the even when used with now I'm open to correction on it but even when used with the plug that came with the phone I've not get a I can't get a fast charge out of one of those chargers with multiple ends and there's always someone then trying to stick their phone on the end of your ends isn't there maybe I'm just a little bit selfish okay let's take a break for the news and a bit terrain notices go nowhere we have a very interesting next couple of hours for you the 9 till noon show with letterkenny credit union now offering mortgages with life cover provided at no additional cost letterkenny credit union 9102127 they're on to the cabri fc website ready to play winner worldy who will they choose they see virtual bandai name our junior to step horton to harry cayne finger moves towards their phone glasses up this could be it yes they're on their way for winner hangout with thousands of prizes to be won see worldy dot cabri fc dot com for more details season see the play the dunigal silage competition with homeland and new trace animal feed says back for 2022 and entries are now open entry is free and includes five categories dairy beef cheap brown bale and new entrant first prize a 300 euro homeland voucher and second prize a 200 euro homeland voucher in each category for full entry details visit homeland dot ie imagine a device so innovative your xf cookies there is a device so forward thinking except cookies a device that is so modern you accept cookies now imagine a technology where cookies don't get in the way of your advertising welcome to radio advertising that's cookie free visit radio center arland dot ie to see what radio can do for your product or brand to find out more about advertising on highland call 91 253 double two or visit highland radio dot com Sheridan security now introducing zero wire smart alarm systems zero wire zero mess and a real peace of mind with a simple press the button your alarm can be set or on set or download the free app and control it from your phone call us today on 074 912 6025 and get your alarm from 299 euro stay local stay safe and protect what you value most with Sheridan security systems Higardy's auto body repairs and that are Kenny have been keeping cars on the road across the Northwest for the past 50 years Higardy's are the only Ford approved body shop in the Northwest would repair all makes and models paintless dent removal windscreen replacement and restoration work Higardy's even mix their own paint approved by most insurance companies and certified steel standards Ireland that's Higardy's auto body letter Kenny for all vehicle repairs see Higardy's.com Good morning it's 10 o'clock I'm Emma Ryan A Johnny Gall deputy has head out at the government for feeling to hold anyone to account for the concrete block scandal as he claims quarries are continuing to produce defective blocks speaking in the dial last night during a motion calling for the 10% concrete levy to be scrapped Deputy Podrick McLaughlin says many quarries are still producing defective blocks to this day he says it is shocking that the government has not held anyone to account but then it gets even worse because we're in the committee in July and we're listening to evidence from the experts in terms of the legislation the government was bringing through and we learned from them that right now there are quarries continuing to manufacture defective concrete blocks even as we speak and you talk about the billions that will cost the taxpayer and everything that has to be done you're still allowing quarries to manufacture defective concrete blocks no accountability no contribution and it still goes on today Meanwhile a Johnny Gall deputy says he has been inundated with calls from people who are close to the income threshold for social housing who are concerned they are going to be kicked off the list Deputy Thomas Pringle raised the issue in the dial during a debate about the housing for all plan which he claims is failing he explained that Dunningall County Council has a target of 878 housing units by 2026 but the realistic output will be around 30% short of that figure due to the lack of funding for land purchases he questioned whether the government is using the new income threshold for social housing as a way to shorting the waiting list and claim it as a policy victory In the budget last week I've been inundated with calls from across the constituency from those near the income threshold for social housing asking where they're going to be kicked off the list did you even consider this at all during your budget preparations or were you hoping that it would be missed and that you get to skim another raft of people off the list and claim it as a policy victory because if you shorten the list surely you're having success and providing housing You increased the thresholds of only five of 31 local authorities last month and there wasn't any reason as to how this decision was arrived at You don't know the true scale of this crisis because you don't want to know I believe Greenway in Moth has been branded as an act of mindless wanton destruction Eight signposts which describe the species of plants and trees planted along the root were pulled from the ground and left damaged the incident as believed to have occurred on Sunday night The signposts had been put in place by a voluntary group and the group have since worked to reinstate the post Councillor Terry Crossen says the vandalism is extremely disappointing and a senseless act This was not the work of children You know it had to be this whole month they had the physical strength to actually pull concrete posts out of the ground and it makes absolutely no sense at all I would encourage anybody if there's any information at all of any kind to get in contact with and guard it made no sense there was no possible gain in it for anybody it was just pure wanton destruction Johnny Gall County Council road maintenance team have worked throughout the night in Glensville after flooding played the R250 road close to Glensville National School last night heavy rain caused major flooding in the area resulting in the road being closed by Gardie to allow major works to be carried out to ensure the road was passable this morning The pipes have again been ripped up as the road was flooded twice in Monday and four times in the past month Cahirluck of Letterkinny and Milford Municipal District Councillor Donald Mandy Kelly says he simply has no words for the ongoing issue A Johnny Gall councillor has announced he is taking time off for politics due to personal issues Lifford Ansternorder councillor Gary Dordy announced the news on Facebook last night citing issues of anxiety and stress as the main factors he added he loves nothing more than representing the people of Johnny Gall and fully intense to be back doing that again as soon as possible Councillor Dordy's full statement is available on our website at highlandradio.com A DUP MP says the party will be keeping a close eye on fresh protocol talks between the UK and EU over the coming days The party is still abstaining from power sharing until the government's protocol bill is put into legislation The Prime Minister said she wants to see the storm and institutions operating while negotiations and the progress of the bill continue but Gregory Campbell says that's simply not going to happen On a previous occasion we hoped that a government would actually mean what they said that's what we hoped would be the case and I suppose when you look at Boris Johnson's track record people would say well why would you take him at his word you have to see in practice that he means what it says having done that with Boris Johnson we're not going to make the same mistake with Liz Truss well as I say we were prepared to be flexible and we are still prepared to be flexible but we're not prepared to be taken for fools Two other now today will be cloudy and big cloud with cold there'll be a mix of sunny spells and showers throughout the day with some showers heavy highest afternoon temperatures of 10 or 11 degrees that's all for now we'll be back with the news update again at 11 o'clock but until then good morning Oh battery notices for Wednesday morning October 5th the death has taken place of Paddy McNamee 22 St Bridget's Crescent Drum King Paddy's remains are opposing at his late residence removal from there tomorrow at 11 30 a.m going to St Patrick's Church Drum King for 12 noon funeral mass followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery the death has occurred of Mary Anne Gillespie the line road Carrick Donegal removal from McCabe's funeral home Ardra at 5 p.m this evening to arrive at her son Sheehan's house in Carrick for 6 p.m travelling via Killy Bakes removal to St Columbus Church Carrick on Friday for funeral mass at 12 noon followed by burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery house private on the morning of the funeral please the death has taken place of Jerry Galway Shraff Marching Derry Begg originally from Belfast remains are opposing at his late residence rosary tonight at 8 p.m house private from 9 p.m to 11 a.m funeral mass in St Mary's Church Derry Begg tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m with interment afterwards in Mahra Gallon Cemetery the funeral mass can be viewed live on Kearn Wurty Funeral Directors Facebook page the death has taken place of Colomba Gallagher 20 St Mary's Drive Straban funeral leaving his home this morning at 10.30 a.m for rec graham mass in the church of the Immaculate Conception Straban at 11 a.m interment afterwards in Millmount Cemetery donations in lieu of fliers please to the church of the Immaculate Conception Restoration Fund Care of Quigley Funeral Directors the rec graham mass can be viewed via the parish webcam the death has taken place of Brian Doohun Brian John Dooh Forest Road Bali Bose Fulcara and formerly Maharoti Gorda Hork his remains are opposing at Sweeney Funeral Director Bali Bose Fulcara today from 4 p.m with Rosary at 8 p.m funeral mass tomorrow morning at 11 a.m in St Finan's Church Fulcara with burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery funeral mass can be viewed live on mcnmedia.tv or Sweeney Funeral Directors Facebook page the death has occurred of Hury O'Donnell Mahary Donlow reposing at his home in Mahary today from 12 Nun with Rosary at 9 p.m removal from there at 10 30 a.m tomorrow morning for 11 a.m rec graham mass in St Crohn's Church Donlow with burial afterwards in Mahary Cemetery house private to family and neighbours only please on the morning of the funeral and the death has taken place of Mary Evans Nia Dare 21 the beaches Loddon Bunkrana formerly of Swilly Terrace funeral from her late residence this morning at 11 20 a.m going to Christchurch Main Street Bunkrana for 12 Nun service with burial afterwards in the adjoining graveyard for more details including any family health guidelines for wakes and funerals please go to highlandradio.com have you an account with Ulster Bank or KBC uh yeah do you get a social welfare payment into your account yep your bank is leaving the Irish market yeah that's right have you switched to a new bank and updated your new account details with the Department of Social Protection hmm updated you need to let us know your new account details to ensure you continue to get your social welfare payment the quickest way to update your account details is online at mywelfare.ie oh okay thanks brought to you by the government of Ireland okay you're very welcome back to the 9 till noon show here on Highland Radio your bingo numbers are on the way but first to some of your comments the cables that are being thrown out are they not going to be recycled as copper is valuable I'm not sure copper is used in charging cables I know it is used in like the kettle cables and things like that there but I'm not sure copper in any great quantity anyways used in charging cables open to correction anyone let me know 08 660 25000 another caller says you can guarantee that if they get the same charger for all phones tablets etc then the manufacturers will stop supplying them and you'll have to buy it separately I'm not sure that's necessarily a terrible thing to be honest with you I don't know how much manufacturers put on the price of a product for their cable but they're notoriously short anyway the ones I buy are and also a lot of times you buy a product and you do have a charging cable do you know what I mean you might be upgrading your phone or something and you do have a charging cable so I take your point and I'm not contradicting you I hope it doesn't sound like I am but I don't think that's I don't think that's a major thing for me anyway but as I say your view is yours and I respect it fully a caller says I'm an elderly widow in Bonkranagh and rely on taxis can you thank the taxi driver in Bonkranagh the taxi drivers who are always on time and very courteous to me they do a great job I am more than happy to do so when any more nice messages like that get them into me I'm more than happy to pass them on so if you're a taxi driver in Bonkranagh there's a she describes herself an elderly widow and she is very grateful to you for always being on time and also being very kind to her a caller says there are no shops on the main street for people the taxis are needed around Tesco's new dons and the retail park that should never have let all the shops move away from the main street well you see it's commercial there's a lot of brilliant shops on the main street by the way people shouldn't be discouraged from going on to the likes of the letter Kenny Main Street there are really really good shops and also to I'm not being preachy but these shops too they generate footfall and then they help to make caps busy and news agents is busy and they also employ lots of people from around the area lots of young people for example and particularly in the summer and they also are some of the first to put their hands in the pockets and support local football teams or local charity events too so you know there's a vibrant section of shops we'd love to see more on letter Kenny Main Street very well worth a visit and also to I'm one that shops around and does a bit of shopping online and stuff and I have to say you know really quite decent value I've found anyway in my experience but they are the lifeblood and they it's like a is it circular economy they call it those shops generate footfall for caps and for as other businesses and I say they're always the first to put their hands in the pockets to support local community events too and we really shouldn't I should sorry I don't want to stand preachy again I really try not to forget that rather than me sounds like I'm trying to preach to others another caller says the biggest problem is getting into the town sometimes I'm so stressed when I eventually get in that I just want to do my bits and get home take yesterday a random Tuesday traffic in the town was crazy and well where's the traffic going though if it's not where's all the traffic from the Main Street going there are other ways to get through Letcher-Kennie to go somewhere else isn't there I'm terrible at street names and all that type of stuff but you know if I were going to Glenteys from the mountain top for example I wouldn't go down the Main Street that wouldn't make much sense would it or if I was going to the Aurelèges Centre I wouldn't go down the Main Street so what's all the traffic help me I'm sure it's there for a reason but there's a lot of traffic on the Main Street people are saying though there's not a lot of people on the Main Street so where are all the cars going I was up the new road at the boys school in Letcher-Kennie I saw the man painting a wheelchair accessible sign on it as a mother of a wheelchair user I nearly laughed it's not wheelchair accessible that footpath will have to be changed to make it so how was this allowed to happen if you're in that area take a picture of it so we can so we can try and highlight that more Hi Greg I got the I got this recently in Niddle it's the middle aisle that makes you smile it's a three in one charge so you could say it's one for everyone in the audience I mean has hopefully phones last the whole day but I was given a portable charger once handy for emergencies especially tablets or kids device that comes in from Kevin Kevin fantastic the power banks are brilliant if two things happen and these are two things that I'm terrible at A you charge it and B you take it with you now if I could do both of those things I might have better discipline with charging my own phone but anyway those are the two problems I have with I can't seem to get into the system of charging charging the battery pack and also bringing it with me of course it says you have to be very careful of phone chargers they're not that are not from a legitimate legitimate phone shop a huge outlet sort of phone charger on it it went on fire within a few days of purchase that comes in from Maeve Maeve yeah indeed listen there's power passing through these charges if you kink it if you break it if you compact it and those wires touch you know a fire will begin they're dangerous that you know it's a lower voltage but I've seen the images and I've chatted to people who've had very serious fires in the homes off the back of phone chargers I just wouldn't blindly just the charger that you believe is you know the safe one because a lot of these charger any of these charges they have wires that are separated within them if they come into contact or there's a kink or a break or something any charger can go on fire but I take your points some are going to be more resilient than others aren't they Maeve hi Greg have you any idea who's the cheapest electrical electrical company thanks having a clue having a clue I'm still getting around the fact that I just they just seem to decide you know how much they charge every couple of months just go well you we'll charge you 250 we'll charge you 180 we'll charge you 310 what for it's all random it's it's crazy we accept it maybe it's just the way I use my electricity I mean if you maybe I need to start submitting meter readings every month or so do I because it just seems to me a number is picked from the sky even when there's you know the house is very quiet it's still charged very high maybe it's being predictive billing is it I don't know let me know educate me I don't know because when you go and check on them there's so many variations I find it very complicated the one thing I would suggest there's websites like switcher or others I'm not recommended anyone because I'm not knowledgeable enough there are websites where you can compare different tariffs okay and you can input your tariff at the same time that might be the safest way because it's very specific to each individual and how you use your electricity whether you want a nighttime tariff whether you have a smart meter and so on and so forth so I don't think you can say outright okay the Greg supply board is the cheapest I don't think you can do that maybe you can get in touch with me oh it's 660-25,000 Greg whether you agree or not with Elon Musk at least Musk is trying to do something to end the terrible Ukraine war well I would argue Raymond with all due respect I think the Ukrainians are trying to do something to end the Ukrainian war they're trying to push back Russia from taking over their country I'm not I'm going to read the rest of your points I'm not contradicting you but I think the Ukrainians are literally bleeding on the battleground to try and do something to end the war but anyway moving on whether you're or not you agree with Elon Musk at least Musk is trying to do something to end the terrible Ukraine war something that Dublin has consistently refused to do when you have a high Ukrainian official telling Musk to f off it speaks volumes about Ukraine seemingly owning wanting more war and not peace why is Dublin supporting the warmongering mentality now we can we can get into the conversation of UN poking the bear the UN poking the bear with what they've been doing over many many years in terms of edging ever towards Russia planning military operations in waters very close to Russia you know arguably at times either you know amplifying what Ukraine was doing to their own devices or some might say even manipulating it that has been going on for years a lot has been happening over the last seven years since Crimea was annexed and also in the Donbas regions from both sides right okay we I've discussed that in this program we accept that but at the end of the day at the end of the day it was Russia that did invade an independent sovereign country I don't think that can be disputed whatever led to it was Russia that decided and Vladimir Putin has given his own motivations yes he's talked about pushing back against the UN but he also believes that Ukraine doesn't exist and he wants Ukraine to form part of Russia so that all has to be factored into the whole situation there as well I mean is it the warmongering you could argue was was puking out I don't know the ins and outs of this I don't know if a compromise was reached whereby this 15 16 17 percent of Ukraine was given to Russia in some way to settle the conflict okay do you believe because that's effectively what happened with Crimea Crimea do you believe that that would be the end of it do you believe then that Putin would go back to his people and say right job is done remember what's left there the these areas where the battle is ranging raging at the moment is nothing is desolate whatever was there has been completely utterly destroyed would you be happy Raymond that if that were to happen that that would be the end of it that Putin would retreat in terms of his ambitions and no further invasions would be planned there's a world power struggle going on at the moment North Korea is in there China is in there the United States in their Europe's in there Russia's in there other countries as well there's an awful lot going on in this world right at the moment okay listen your views oh wait 60 25,000 I'm just trying to set a platform for conversation you understand and whatever you have to say get it to us call 07491 25,000 if you wish good luck if you're playing the bingo today it's time for NCBI Bingo on Highland Radio it's Wednesday the 5th of October you're playing on the blue sheet the reference number is s18 it's game number 40 the numbers are 68 64 48 69 34 29 88 67 52 and finally 72 phone your claim to 9104833 before 8 tonight leave in your name contact number and the name of the shop where you purchased your book and we'll call you back the next working day get all your NCBI Bingo information at HighlandRadio.com The Ninetal Noon Show is brought to you by Letter Kenny Credit Union digital loans now available apply online or via our app today and get your loan transferred directly to your current account go full needle and put a smile in your family's faces with four burgers for less than a fiver go Deluxe Irish Angus Beef Burgers just 247 tomato ketchup a sweet 62 cent quality mozzarella just 49 cent burger buns for 89 cent and juicy cherry tomatoes only 49 cent go on shop without compromise go full needle today we wish you a it may be too early for Christmas carols but it's never too early to start the Christmas shopping save hundreds possibly thousands of euro shopping online with Base Hub Dairy we provide a full virtual address mailbox service for all your Christmas parcels and posts save hundreds possibly thousands on customs charges this Christmas with Base Hub Dairy call 04871 878077 for more details dear Daniel ever since you burst out of Dunnegall and onto the music scene I've been your biggest fan and when you came to visit I could have died and when you offered to fix my boiler I could have died Daniel because you're not a registered gas installer I'm returning all your albums and my rhinestone studded I love Daniel jacket goodbye forever from Mary PS Daniel you can find your local registered gas installer at RGII.ie whether you're traveling for business or leisure fly local and choose City of Dairy Airport for a convenient friendly and reliable service choose City of Dairy Airport direct flights to London Stansted Liverpool Edinburgh Glasgow Manchester and New York book now at cityofdairyairport.com voted the number one airport in Northern Ireland unbeatable value unbeatable range unbeatable prices unbeatable customer service whether you're looking for a pre-owned car a new car car servicing or parts find out why iMotors is Dunygall's favourite car dealership visit iMotors.ie or call into our showrooms in Letterkenny or Mallon Get ready for spooky season at Century Complex This Halloween we have a great selection of movies at Century Cinemas delicious food and cocktails in backstage and Century Plays Halloween Funday takes place on the 31st of October from 12 to 2pm Get in touch at 07491 21976 or visit CenturyCinemas.ie for more information Okie dokie very welcome back to the 9 till noon show we're joined on the programme now by two guests Sharon has come into studio to talk to me thank you very much for that Sharon and good morning to you good morning thank you very much for inviting me it's great to have you in and it's a really important issue and also joining us on the phone line so you can relax for a little while Sharon ok is and do you know what it's amazing Sharon and I'll say this and I mean this quite honestly right with what use are going through with mic affected homes the fights that you haven't put on haven't come into radio stations and speak to get the message out there to try and put pressure on politicians that it must feel like they're ignoring you I think it's amazing by the way and I think you're amazing for doing this oh thank you very much I just want to say that from the beginning so you should be really proud of yourself because you should not have to do this yeah yeah you should be doing something else I don't know what you might be doing on a Wednesday morning but you should be off doing that and looking forward to setting your house up for Christmas or Halloween not having to fight to get your house fixed or even find somewhere to live so I really have nothing but admiration for you stay there Sharon we'll bring Paddy in on the conversation as well Paddy good morning Paddy how are you keeping I'm not too bad not too good a little bit I've been honest I'm actually just shocked and just got so I was going to hear them on us right okay Sharon we're going to talk about her situation she's stuck on the scheme and she's getting desperate but you it's more than Sharon there's lots of other people in a very desperate situation beyond what's already desperate Paddy at the moment aye that's an absolute disgrace for you there's at least 10 people you'll probably hear stories today Sharon's included along with other ones and there's totally not really shocking I've seen the lack of leadership for more than we've got according to council that's got the stage is pathetic I've been honest someone has to be done about it so talk to us about these at least 10 people looking for an emergency accommodation we'll hear Sharon's story in a moment but what typically what what position are the in at the moment Paddy well we've got this we we we we've got disabled people here we've got we've a local person out them of all roads right she's got toxic mold in her house now I know a person was out in the house and mold as an absolute different level of the smell so the windows are open at all times during the day and at night time the children are double closed she's been on for emergency accommodation I have an email here in my hand that was simply Joe McHugh Charlie McHunglock and awesome did only go on to council have it she has never been visited by any one of them and she has looked at all avenues to get a house and now she's looking the only avenue she's got is one of her friends is going to let her if she gets a boss a double-decker boss with a night heater on it to put her children on there that's absolute that's that's that's that's just totally not a disgrace that's that's that's one of the stories um she I'm not you know the worst thing about it is Greg see if she moves out of that house she she's going to be exempt from the scheme because it's not our own private residence so what has our councillors doing to stop these stupid blue poles and actually get into an imagine imagine her having to stay in the house with her children and then one of them's got a chest condition with what the mold is one of the worst things for for health and her told that if she moves out well she she lost her house yeah well I mean just to emphasize that above anything else it was it was world long day not so long ago we had one of the leading experts on lungs on this program and I asked him directly what you know what is the impact of of mold in a house on people he said it is incredibly dangerous it can cause asthma it can exacerbate asthma and it's effectively will lead to people with conditions or could lead to people with conditions similar to that of farmers long so I don't think anyone can stand over adults or particularly children or vulnerable people anyone for that matter having to live in that environment that is an emergency get them out of that environment yeah put that side you're saying that's an emergency on the first 10th of July whenever we went to a very forced protest down in Dublin Daryl Breen had come up and turned around and he said yes there's been big problems with the scheme it needs to be fixed emergency accommodation as top the list which it has to be and there's been there's been nothing the doors is closed to me as a homeowner I can't get talking to an overpriced house but our leaders in our Donegal County councils what are they doing they're like the invisible men they're doing nothing this cannot be happening after four years four years since that 90 times came more or less we still haven't got a module at home like there's a 50 acre site up in Barrick Health and I don't want the council to come on to you and you turn around to them and say where's the situation us oh we're locking them to it just how we ever freaking here we're locking them to it we haven't even got a home or a fridge do you know at this point is if there is a team or people working actively with micro home owners to to locate spare houses maybe to progress the the much because we know modular home listen let's get let's get it out there we know for a fact at this time now and it happened very quickly modular homes are being built elsewhere in this country we know that's happening right we're not trying to pitch one group of people against another but that is happening heaven and earth is being moved to get these homes up as soon as possible we know there are plans to accommodate people fleeing war-torn countries right around the country to get them into safe secure accommodation there's a massive urgency and billions of euro being spent on that to help and assist people affected by the mica scandal the defective blocks concrete block scandal do we know if there's any individual or department actively trying to help and home these people Paddy as far as you're aware I suspect the answer is no but I just want to know from someone involved in the campaign do you know if anyone is trying to help these people as we speak no there's nobody trying to help these people these people are left completely out in limbo they have turned every every single avenue that you can that you can mention and the next one the next one you'll hear her story is crazy because she went every avenue you could get all the Donegal country all the Donegal county councils represent us and I'll get back to the stage of of what do you ask is there any homes out there listen and one day in Facebook we find out where there's loads of loads of homes there's a woman passed away a year ago down in Bokkan in Kedaf there's no family on us the council took her back that's still empty and six years there's a house in closed fabric that's empty over six years now it's got make it yes but they're telling all the other people that fix your outside skinny housing they'll be grand listen if they want to fix the outside skinny the council has us to make them temporary lovable for what they say is the government will give me a 15, 20, 40 year state guarantee just that temporary fix in these houses that's in closed fabric there's two there's one in Abbotswood up in Letter Kenai there's four in Forest Green out in Mavall there's a Mulligan estate there's eight on there up in Letter Kenai again Glendale Manor you have Mountaintops the Bourne Fort ones at the Flowing lots of them there's plenty out there up in Letter Kenai that's the problem is say for instance say for instance and I don't I don't have anything but say I had a three-bedroomed house in Enishone right and I said that I want to make this available through the council for someone who is about to be chucked out of the house or can't live in it no one should be living with children in the house with this mold in it either by the way there is no mechanism in place where the council will will agree to make that house available and suitable for a family there's no plan like we do have that for we do have that say for instance to deal with the refugee crisis that's ongoing but we don't have that to deal with the the defective block crisis I mean that's that's no you're a million percent right there's somebody somebody not doing their job like there's somebody that's definitely not doing their job good enough that they've got the fundings there the schemes there and I've been told by Donagall representative that see all the houses that I've mentioned they're they're they're lined up for for families that need social social homes so I said so you're not you're telling me a homeowner's not going to get on us I said so you have no plan for these people I says it's an absolute disgrace I says there's going to be a protest outside the Donagall County council officer someday I says and it's going to get to a stage there's a chairs can be fired around the room there's no way in there that people can sit back and they just diddly daddling and do nothing because the next story here is Yvonne Shublums every councilor has been up with her place to help she and and and they try to tell her oh listen you apply for HAP and we'll get you an emergency accommodation for HAP knowing rightly she says I'm over the threshold for HAP I should listen put you down and we'll see if we can do they they dried her on down the road down a year down the road and whenever she put it on she was she wasn't far over the HAP threshold the HAP threshold was 27 000 that's not much she was over it and actually she was told not on not on they can do the Donegal the one of the main leaders the Donegal County Council told her well so there's nothing we can do about it as councilors we can't do nothing the only person can do something about that as Daryl as Daryl bring he can wave that there and she has just been left completely in limbo she she when she the final stop of her was her dog's a house dog the dog wouldn't get into the kitchen one day and she she just got a sick sense of what's going on what's wrong so she went down to the back of the chimney her inside wall had fell on and collapsed and the dog's got sick sense the dog wouldn't get in that was the final straw so she had to move her family and take her mother-in-law's now no disrespect you know just like your mother-in-law at a certain age has got her way of going stuff you might end up pulling a family and they're there and disrupting both people's lives and then probably all fall out you know yourself the way that that goes and somebody from the council has to be on and explaining how has this been allowed to happen and on us four years and all these people I could go on and go on why has there not been why has there not been an emergency meeting of the council called for this specific issue so the council on mass could hear these stories invite these homeowners that you're talking about to address the council get it all on record so that the local authority stands behind the people even if they're not capable of fixing this at least the council stand behind the people to put the pressure on Dara O'Brien regardless of what people's you know what go ahead yeah yeah yeah yeah you would like to think that'd be right but you're like not to be picking parties but sir is that not what our councils are there for the councils will go out and look to see if you need to be dutch folk but they're they're they're they're taking a step back they do want to get not hundreds of make-up homes at all so they don't they're not coming out and looking at the house looking to see you where that Fiena Fáil council had something down in Dublin there that are what do you call it that Arakas Sorrells or something they need to be done why are they not down there fighting for for the donning all people and a modular modular homes they don't go out and visit houses and look at the mold and see what's going on but they're not acceptable like at the end of the day there's some leadership at the top that's got their head buried in the sand and they don't want to get involved they don't want to they don't want to yeah but so no on this issue though Paddy the the leaders at the top are prepared to move heaven and earth to deal with some other issues why are why are mica home owners defective concrete block homers seen as a different class as some sort of a problem as some sort of a draw on the tax player why is this crisis that we're facing here being framed like that whilst we are we're so and correctly so we're so open to to move heaven and earth for everything else like if I I will listen I'll be tell you this here and that's that's the gods on us too I would be one of the first ones to turn around and I listen I give one of the one of the the Ukrainians family a lot from turn down to down to Sadler's house no problem at all of no problem my heart goes out to them but when it comes done ago how's this situation has done a crisis and see if I see one modular home been built up and then been put on to it I'll stand in front of it and let it happen we need to start looking after our own and we need our countries start looking after it because it's an absolute disgrace if I see a visa outside of modular homes been bought and Ukrainians plundered now I'll not stand for us and that's not to say that I don't might don't sympathise with them it's just us can't let us go through this country is going through a mica crisis and we can't stand back and let it happen just in relation to it and people will text in but from someone so heavily involved in the campaign like safe for instance a hotel was made available in a show and for microaffected families because some people would will make that comparison that's not what we're talking about here this would not be a short medium or long-term solution to the housing crisis this is to get and people affected by defective blocks into normal in inverted housing in other words oh yeah the collective housing the hotel housing that's not what we're talking about here we're talking about these these vacant properties that are lying there for them to be taken over if we have to part regs like we've done with other housing issues at the moment for the time being just get people into safe mould-free homes for the winters that that's the solution here is it patty yeah that's that's that's definitely a solution but you see Michael Dordy and Martina Hagerty they put the groundwork that these people have done and our councillors haven't as as as as totally should never be underestimated they went and they found a man that can overturn modular homes in a certain I'm certain a month of time and it was a brilliant timing and for Barrick Hill and for Lerner Kenny and from Cairndonna and they done all the work put it till the council and now sure it's just where is it now it must be lying in a bun somewhere because they've done it they put it all tell them about the modular homes and got something to do it they've got the ground yeah like where's where's there there's somebody has to be held accountable well let's this is this will be really easy really easy to find out I think the first person to suggest Mike modular housing was Michael McBride I believe it was this is going back months so he had a motion in asking the council to explore that we should well contact contact councillor McBride and see what feedback what costing what plans if any he's got from the executive of the councillor and I think that will tell us everything Paddy because as I say it was official motion it was past second discussed in the council chamber let's see what the executive have done on that motion since it was put down it must be six or seven months ago and then we'll know then we'll know what's what and we'll know what's being done and not being done I think that's all right Paddy listen thanks for laying the groundwork we've got the guests to tell us their personal situations as well unless there's anything that you want to add briefly Paddy I have to take a break and then check no no no we'll all hang out briefly as well everybody out there get on to your local council what are you doing how has that's been allowed how has that's been allowed to happen and please people don't give up the fate because we've lost because we've lost Michael which is a massive loss massive loss but we have to keep chipping away and keep getting the stories out there especially last wonder because last wonder we had hope and I know people had plenty of hope last wonder because we thought the scheme was going to be good enough and we all know the scheme's not good enough us here I just want people to try and keep the channel plus here last wonder because people have lost the world to love last wonder because they think the scheme's crap the government council's not standing up for us and the government's turning their backs on us but and they can't heat their homes I mean they can't heat their homes they've got children in their homes and they can't heat them because the homes are so drafty and the cost of fuel is so high you know this winter is far far worse than last winter well what I would love what I would love for you to do when you get one of the Dono Go County the county will represent you if they're high up there or the Michael committee whatever one of those somebody should be on there every two weeks and update the people on what's going on because if not there's some seriously drastic going to happen on the Dono Go County county so on it's not just going to be something I'm talking stuff that's going to be like people's the anger's going to come out to the people hmm okay right Paddy thanks very much for that we are going to be joined by Sharon I introduced her but we have to take a quick break and others on this issue stay right where you are commercial bus operators too students who are in full time education and are over 23 can also avail of these savings with a TFI student leap card so save 50% on fares with a young adult or student leap card across the transport for Ireland network and participating commercial bus operators see leapcard.ie for details and to order yours today it's back the furniture show N.I. is now on at CFC Interior's Camp C.Derry CFCFCF with massive discounts from leading brands in furniture and interiors from sofas beds flooring and design CFC have it all reduced in their biggest sale don't miss the furniture show N.I. now on at CFC Interior's Camp C.Derry the Donegal stylish competition with homeland and new trace animal feeds is back for 2022 and entries are now open entry is free and includes five categories dairy beef cheap brown bale and new entrant first prize a 300 euro homeland voucher and second prize a 200 euro homeland voucher in each category for full entry details visit homeland.ie the award winning genesis aesthetics and skincare clinic adore now offers a wide range of skin boosters the injectable moisturizer for under eyes that improves dark circles fine lines and wrinkles also treating the face, neck, chest and hands this amazing treatment works from the inside out resulting in brighter smoother plumper skin for help choosing the right aesthetic treatment for you contact Mary Ferry your aesthetic practitioner you can download the Genesis app or call 0749532575 our US health assessed income taxpayer the October 31st pay and file deadline is approaching fast the quickest and easiest way to file your return and pay your tax is by using Ross revenues online service it also gives you until November 16th register for Ross today at revenue.ie don't miss the deadline pay and file on time when it comes to pensions we all need some guidance in making the right decisions at John F. Lowry financial services you'll get expert advice on all aspects of pension planning like how much you should contribute ensuring you're going into the right contract for your employment circumstances and claiming the tax relief our team of highly qualified advisors have access to all the insurance companies so we truly can be your one stop pension provider to arrange a personal consultation visit JFL.ie or call 9124002 John F. Lowry and Associates Limited Trading is John F. Lowry financial services are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland all right to you okay staying on this very important issue Sharon's in studio with us I introduce you a little earlier on good morning to you good morning thanks for being with us thank you right you're an example of what we've been talking about to Paddy you're on stage one of the mica scheme I am yeah and you just stuck you're in limbo we are stuck on the scheme we put out all our information in March this year thinking that things would be moving after the new scheme started but it's not really started we've we thought we would get money back but we've 6000 euro still to come back to us we thought maybe things would start moving we thought we would be entitled to 15 000 are you on the scheme of fishing have you been accepted onto the scheme we are on the scheme but we are stuck on the scheme yeah but you're on it though you've been accepted okay haven't been approved and we haven't had the money back we thought you could get the 15 000 that's the emergency accommodation that's the emergency accommodation money you cannot get that money as far as I know until you are approved so we're not approved on a scheme because I phoned in May this year we were with the technical department at the time application I phoned again in August because we really just we didn't hear anything and we thought we would have got money back for our son's college fees for his accommodation but we got nothing and they basically said that nothing was really moving at the minute they were waiting on advice from the department which I assume is the housing department and basically you there's 5000 euro for emergency remedial work yeah but you have to pay that yourself we you can't fix our house with remedial work you have bricks crumbling on the back by the back door plaster coming out let's talk about that back door because we're going to go in to describe what your house is like that back door I'm only trying to imagine what the crumbling blocks is like at that back door but the power is to be know what it's like because Dara O'Brien stood at that back door yeah well I had Dara O'Brien's advisor and Dara O'Brien's advisor sorry so he was at the door what did he do at that back door well I mean they put there was an engineer as well that came with them he put a bread knife through to see what insulation was from the crumbling bricks it's not even bricks they're crumbling gravel dust really isn't it gravel and dust is what house he's made of basically he put a bread knife through to see you know what the insulation was like you could see the inside bricks as well it's that bad yeah so that's just so another word this is not something that we're trying to convince Dublin about what I'm trying to say is a very higher up with Dara O'Brien in the housing department saw this with their own eyes they saw this in May stay where you are because we also want to get an update here on what I mentioned this is Councillor Michael McBride because this is an important part of this story as well Sharon and I'm not going to talk about your house in detail in your situation Councillor McBride when did you first put the motion before Donegal County Council as it relates to modular houses good morning Greg Greg I just don't have the date here at hand here at the moment but it was sometime in the earlier practice here yeah we were saying the first couple of months of the year wasn't it right now you asked the Council to check where you've asked tell us what you wanted the Council to explore you weren't calling for it immediately you were calling for the Council to explore the possibility of modular homes weren't you that's correct you know I've been speaking to a lot of people who have to make out there and I think one of the biggest concerns that they have is where they're going to be re-housed when their own houses are being repaired now we know that since that has happened that we have almost 4,000 Ukrainians that have moved on to Donegal and I think that is just you know it's going to leave people in a more desperate situation but at that time that motion was passed and I know that we have people from the Executive from the Council making with the department talking through the maker scheme and I've asked them at the time to talk to them to see if we could get some you know temporary sites developed we'll say in like the letter Kenai and the letter Lippard you know spread right across the whole of Anishinae so in terms of that motion and it was passed as well what is do you know what has been done since to explore the options well I haven't heard anything back you've heard nothing back not we haven't heard anything back to say whether the department you know were considering it whether they've knocked it on the head but I mean this is fairly typical of what's gone on all the time because as councillors I've asked a few times that we would be circulated with the minutes of the meetings of the maker meetings on the council we don't all sit on the maker's committee and I asked for regular updates you know from the council on what's happening with making we're just simply not yet from them you know it's very frustrating from a councillor's opinion so you haven't been told how much it would cost the practicalities of it or otherwise the motion was passed and you've had no update as of yet you have no idea what happens to that motion it's in the abyss effectively yeah as far as I'm concerned that's where it's at yeah all right there was great anger out there there were people that have you know maker because they are looking for answers we're something not yet from the information that we need I feel glad anyway and when we talk to people who have it you know they've got a lot of questions answers are not both okay particularly surrounding rental properties people are one drop and then when they find them they make social property and then they find that they can't take it for different reasons so look it's very frustrating for everybody involved all right listen I just wanted to get an update on that so we're talking about facts here all right thanks very much Councillor Michael McBride back to Sharon here right so talk to me about the state of your home what it's like living in and at the moment at the minute we are living in half our house every room has mold and that is a serious thing as you said earlier you cannot get mold off we have bleached rooms we have tried to get it off with different you know vinegar and all that kind of stuff you have to scrape the paint off so we've had to scrape the paint off underneath that paint is cracked you know our kitchen is all you can do in that kitchen diner is cook you cook the dinner the electrics are pretty much off in the kitchen apart from a cooker switch you're using extension cables we have extension cables for the washing machine for anything in that back wall because it is just damp this started off a long time ago where our boys had a games console and it kept tripping then the dishwasher started tripping seven years we haven't used the dishwasher in our kitchen so each room has mold damp cracked as son is at college he's 19 he's away in Galway his room is just so damp so destroyed he can't sleep he sleeps in the front room he sleeps in our front room on a mattress he did that all summer that was his room so we were left with no room to eat in we had to you know that was his bedroom effectively he has nowhere to come home to really from my privacy even I know this is not the issue but I mean just in terms of just base I mean it's it sounds like in your own home you're painting the picture of squatting yeah we are do you know what I mean like that you've been reduced to effectively squatting in your own home yep yep definitely um we haven't seen the worst of the weather yet clearly no what about heating so heating we have a stove that's heats upstairs heating is basically you know you're cold the stove is put on you know it's expensive the oil is huge money and you know you cannot heat at home if you're all say you put the oil on for an hour yeah you're cold in after 10 minutes later it's back to because you are living in a damp house yesterday because it's rained a good few days yesterday the rain you can see the water coming in the dining room already it's you know the wetness the condensation the dampness because it's coming through cracks you know it's you're cracked outside you're cracked inside I mean you know a lot of the focus at the time and maybe it was to get the the point across was about houses falling down on top of people yeah yeah but the damage here is the damage here is is constant yeah this this this mold that you're trying to attempt to control the coldness yeah the impact on your physical and mental health by no metric should anyone especially you know people that are trying to do the best they can in terms of keep going you know trying to put people through education and all that kind of stuff that goes with it no one should have to live in these conditions and let us remind people as well that in good faith you've invested all your money in building this house you built with materials that you expected and were told were built to a certain standard that the government that the all agencies involved followed certain standards to ensure that this was your forever home yeah and you did nothing and you were you were failed your house is falling down and all of this is happening through no fault of your own and you can't live in this house and there's no help for you besides that you can't even get the 15,000 euro for the mobile home option you are literally jammed could you would you be off the scheme if you moved out of that house I wonder do we know if that's been fully clarified I don't actually know I don't think so but we cannot afford to move out you know a mobile home is what our next option we are looking at a seven grand for a mobile home a grand for a crane to get it over into the back garden but at least we'd be safe cooking you'd be safe you know in there for cooking you could use it for cooking we have to live in our house we have no other option and I just wanted to paint the picture for listeners as well those that aren't directly affected by this with everything else that Sharon is going through and also just trying to keep everyone happy in the house and have a normal life and stress keep stress as as limited as possible Sharon is living all of this son on a on a son on a mattress in the front room while he's trying to study for college and bedroom self the kitchen virtually unusable electric cables extension cables being run around the house water coming through the house dangerous black mold formed all over the house and as well as that Sharon you've been one of the more vocal ones in sharing your story on twitter all the time to try and get this new scheme God knows there was a point we thought maybe this would so every which way you're turned this is taking over your life and it just must be so so tough Sharon it is because you wake up every day and you think oh my goodness and or you go out somewhere and you come back and you think is there another bit of plaster off or you know is my back door going to shut you know today or when is that back door going to stop closing you know when is there going to be a huge hole in the back of the house um you know it's just when are you going to get your home back when are we going to do this when are you going to be able to open the door for home that you've worked really really hard and to have I think every time somebody comes we had Sinn Fein councillors came every time you have somebody to the house you think oh that's great you know maybe something and I'm speaking on behalf of everybody in this situation you know that we can all get sorted you get kind of like oh let's hope it's you know tomorrow that we can get through the scheme and it's not and do you know I feel a lot of people and myself and my husband we've kind of given up we really are because we've no other options at all there's no light at the end of the tunnel and this is not about option this and option that and our our uh our foundations included and I mean that's all really really important stuff do not get me wrong I'm not in any this is literally about having somewhere it's safe to live for this safe to live and trying to get on this moving on this scheme it's just disheartening I can't even phone the council anymore because they I'm so upset with them and so distraught that they just seem to can't move anybody on it's so unfair I don't know why you get your strength Sharon I think because do you know I'll tell you why we've all the stuff that we all have to work you know about your health yeah your children's well-being buying school books school transport keeping a car on the road all at brexit we've all that to deal with but on top of that yous have to deal with this as well which amplifies everything else I don't know where you get your strength from I really don't and maybe some people don't have the strength yeah I mean I think people on the mica scheme on the Facebook page they have got us through this completely Paddy Divers that you know all these people have helped us along the way and you have to be there for the people who maybe I could help someday you know in our situation and you know because it is so hard and you know the living in these conditions I mean well they're on about mould but our son in the summer took very sick he was in A&E he was tested for allergies and we said could you test for mould now we've not results back yet I mean he's 19 and you know he it's ridiculous we know mould causes very serious conditions it causes it can cause asthma as well so in other words like and we have to be really careful with what we say I don't want to exaggerate in either direction but we have young people that could actually end up in their adult life bearing the consequences of this in action of this yeah this is mine and that is a reality so again out there to people you want nothing bad to ever come of your children we could be talking about families here of children they can't do anything there's nothing you can do whose their children could carry conditions into their adulthood because of the inaction in getting people out of these unsafe homes yeah go on do you anything else you want to add to that just to say you know we've got to keep going we've got to fight for this it's very very hard and with you know we need help there's not you know there's no one we can I feel I can't phone the Donegal County Council anymore because they just I'm so upset let's put it let's phrase it like this so it's really really clear there are people Donegal people today begging the local authority for help they're living in houses that are unsafe yeah begging they are begging you for help to do something begging the housing minister begging Micheal Martin Lee of Radcar Amen Ryan they're begging for help in pure desperation if that's what it takes Sharon I hope I'm not putting words in your mouth but you know what that's how desperate this situation has got for some people affected by this I emailed Lee over at Cook because he was so frustrated that no prosecutions had taken place last week I emailed him last week because if he was frustrated then what are we you know sitting here where's the emergency tax task force to sort this out all right listen again you've done brilliant Sharon you've thank you so much throughout all of this and it's not just speaking on behalf of yourself it's speaking on behalf of others that yeah a lot of are public speakers do you know what I mean and you're giving them a voice lots of people are ringing in with their support for you and I back you a hundred percent but what we actually need is you and your family in safe accommodation for this winter yeah we do and for people who are desperate you know there's worse off people than us out there and you know but there are and we just we just haven't got a you know nobody's listening I don't know okay listen well how could that be ignored thanks Sharon thank you very much take care of yourself thanks for that alright it's 11 o'clock let's get a news update say good morning now to Emma Ryan thanks Greg good morning and make a homeowner who says it looks like her house is built with gravel and dust has appealed for immediate action to be taken for those affected by the defective block scandal Sharon from an insurance says the blocks at the back door of her house are crumbling plaster is coming off the walls and every room has mould her son is currently sleeping on a mattress in the front run room and they are scared to use the electric in the house Sharon is at stage one of the mica scheme and she says she feels like she is stuck in limbo she has called on the council to act immediately to move the scheme on Meanwhile, a Donegal deputy has hit out at the government for failing to hold anyone to account for the concrete block scandal as he claims quarries are continuing to produce defective blocks Speaking in the dial last night during a motion calling for the 10% concrete levee to be scrapped Deputy Podrick McLaughlin says many quarries are still producing defective blocks to this day A 23 year old man from County Meath has been killed on the front line in Ukraine Rory Mason enlisted in the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine at the outset of the war last March The Mason family learned of his death last Wednesday from the Department of Foreign Affairs and are currently in the process of repatriating his remains A Donegal deputy says he has been inundated with calls from people who are close to the income threshold for the social housing who are concerned they are going to be kicked off the waiting list Deputy Thomas Pringle raised the issue in the dial during a debate about the housing for all plant which he claims is failing He explained that Donegal County Council has a target of 878 housing units by 2016 but the realistic output will be around 30% less He questioned whether the government is using the new income threshold for social housing as a way to shorten the waiting list and claim it as a policy victory Vandalism at the New Greenway in Muff has been branded as an act of mindless wanton destruction It's same posts which describe the species of plants and trees planted along the root were pulled from the ground and left damaged The incident is believed to have occurred on Sunday night and Councilor Terry Crossen says vandalism is extremely senseless And finally a DUP MP says the party will be keeping a close eye on fresh protocol talks between the UK and the EU over the coming days The party is still abstaining from power sharing until the government's protocol bill is put into legislation The Prime Minister says she wants to see Stormont institution operating while negotiations and the progress of the bill continue but Gregory Campbell says that is not going to happen That's the headlines for now We'll be back again at 12 o'clock But until then, good morning All right, thanks very much indeed for that huge reaction as you can imagine To our last piece there with Sharon and with Paddy and as much as I possibly can trying to lay bare the reality of what people in this county are facing it's not just this county we're worst effective I think aren't we There's 13 other counties in the country that are going to be if they're not where we're at now they're going to be there and they all should take note of Well firstly the likes of Sharon and Paddy trying to drive a path through for everyone else as well but it's just a dire situation and even if you've seen the pictures of Sharon's house she's been really brave in sharing them as well opening her door and showing people what her life is like you know it takes an awful lot of bravery but you have to be in such a place to lay your life out and your family's life out as Sharon did to help us understand exactly what's going on All right, of course we're nowhere near finished with that story yet but we do have to take a break stay where you are The 9 till noon show is brought to you by Letter Kenny Credit Union offering low-rate car loans with fast approval apply online at letterkennycu.ie or in office today Look, you've heard by now that there's something major happening in the banking industry which will mean thousands of businesses up and down the country will have to move banks This means that as well as change in banks suppliers and customers will need to be notified it's certainly not something you want to leave until the last minute So, for a step-by-step guide on moving your business banking search Bank of Ireland Big Move Begin There's audio-visual equipment integrated PA systems and even a private bar Dylan's Hotel perfectly located in Letter Kenny Town Centre with a award-winning food and five-star service call 911-229-777 Are you renovating or extending your home and looking for quality products at a bargain price? Gunning All Tile Centre together with Rossview Interiors are having a mega two-day sale this Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th of October with wall and floor tiles at less than half price Vanity units, bathroom suites and bathroom furniture all at ridiculously low prices get a massive 40% discount of a huge selection of light fittings and pictures Also see the range of real leather sofas dining sets and occasional furniture all at rock bottom prices So come along to Rossview Business Park just offer a poll star round about Letter Kenny this Friday or Saturday and pick up a real bargain There's a lot to consider when buying a used car so consider this The Audi Approved Plus range gives you unrivaled reassurance a 12 month warranty and roadside assistance age and mileage verification all original Audi parts for repairs and replacements and that's all after our rigorous 110 point check Audi Approved Plus Living progress in every detail Contact your Audi dealer and choose your used car today Highland Radio Weather Updates brought to you by Grant from condensing boilers to heat pumps and underfloor heating Trust Grant to heat your home Visit grant.eu Radio's are the weather forecast for today windy and feeling cold any lingering rain will clear quickly eastwards this morning leaving a mix of sunny spells and showers for the rest of the day Some of those showers will be heavy and possibly thundery too and turning dry though this evening as those showers ease Your temperature is today 10 or 11 degrees Now we heard any vandalism or anti-social behaviour there's never any excuse for it but there's certainly no excuse for attacking a church and unfortunately a church in the St. Johnston area has been attacked and several windows smashed and you heard from Garty yesterday here first on the 9.10 noon show during the Community Guard information item that they're appealing for information Reverend Reverend Cannon David Crooks joins us on the programme Reverend, good morning to you thanks for speaking to us I'm okay, I'm sorry for it it must have just been sickening turning up the church to see this damage Can you explain to us what happened? Fortunately it wasn't as bad as I had expected when I was informed the little diamond panes some of them are very pale green colour those were the original ones dating back to 1869 but over the years some have been broken and replaced with uncoloured just plain glass but nevertheless there was no actual pain itself completely removed from its puttyed surroundings but there were holes in several of them there's obviously been there were two stones found in the sanctuary area and it looks as if they were fired from a sling and there were just little holes and cracks so anyway it's not sort of the amount of damage there was glass lying everywhere all around the place it's the fact that a building which is dedicated to the glory of God is being attacked by some vandals who obviously have no faith or religion of any kind in themselves that is most frustrating and disappointing The incident happened between Friday and Saturday last September September 30th, October 1st anyone who has any information bring it forward we don't know who is responsible but they need speaking to it if they don't understand the consequences of their actions they need educating in that regard Reverend don't they it's important that they're found absolutely yes indeed I want by the way to say very grateful thanks to Garda McConnelogue who came on he was very professional and very helpful he knew he was about and gave his great confidence that the culprits will be caught and properly dealt with yeah because it feels personal doesn't it Reverend because it's an attack on you know anyone who attends the church the likes of yourself and others you know it's not just a an unknown object it's a very important and sacred building and as I say you know it feels it's going to feel personal I'm not saying targeted but it's going to feel personal like it with your own house you know it's Craigie Dewish church it's between St. Johnston and Ruffo on the old road yes okay so any with information bring it forward but Reverend thankfully the damage not giving very much indeed for letting us say that and that's very very kind of and I hope the people who do this can wake up some time to realise that there are things of the spirit as well as just the flesh as I say and come to some kind of faith but you'll pray for them Reverend won't you thank you very much for letting us say all that you'll pray for them Reverend won't you and nonetheless such as your faith let's all do so yes indeed okay all right any information to the guardie Reverend have a great have a great day and thankfully the damage was small but still all right take care thank you that's Reverend Cannon David Crooks just lending his voice to that appeal let us catch up just on this one break so I didn't want to interrupt the flow of the conversation too much when speaking to Sharon with it being such an important issue but many of you have texted in and continue to do so and we'll get to some of those comments after this short break for some messages to get that job done call Gortley Sills and Hire and letter Kenny generators portaloos and lighting towers also diggers dumpers rollers and much much more with short-term long-term and weekend special rates available call Gortley Sills and Hire on 9 1 2 6 2 7 6 want unbeatable value from sky here's the deal get sky broadband plus our award-winning sky cue box for the amazing low price of just 39 euro a month super fast super reliable broadband and sky cue with your apps and recordings that's sky broadband plus sky cue for just 39 euro a month for 12 months now that is unbeatable value go to sky.ie availability subject location offer does not include sky tv subscription new sky customers only set up fees minimum term and further terms apply for more info see sky.ie slash speeds let Joe McGee butchers feed your family with their five for 20 euro a day choose from our fantastic deli range lasagnas cottage pie chicken curry and soups just a sample of refined products all made in store only at Joe McGee butchers letter Kenny and Glenn Carr shopping centers find us on Facebook and Instagram okay um sorry I literally was just messaging someone there on social media in an absolute desperate I know I shouldn't be doing it whilst I'm on air and I apologize for that but they're in just such a such a desperate situation it just can't be ignored right okay Lynn McDevitt's with us now hi Lynn hi Greg how are you getting on how oh I'm grand today just a bit jet lag and tired all right tell us why what happened to you what was your experience our experience we went away for four day break with Mises and all to have a good time and when we got back to the airport we were delayed at the airport for 17 hours with Ryan air we were at the airport at five o'clock the morning our flight was 7 30 we've done all what we had to do go through passport control everything and down to where we were getting the plane they started calling out names when we got to the plane one name at a time then two names anyway the plane only took about 50 people and the rest of us was told we weren't getting on the plane what there was space on the plane though wasn't there yes but they only had a certain amount of staff something to do with striking Ryan air only had a certain amount of staff so they could only take the people who the staff could look after this is what we were told throughout the day not at that minute we were told to run up to Ryan air desk to get on another flight which we ran to Ryan air desk it didn't open 75 people waiting on bags to come back out man golf clubs everything and we stood in that queue must have been an hour and a half just for a Ryan air representative to tell us they wanted us to go to Savala on a train to get another Ryan air flight which was two hours away everyone you had to pay for yourself by the way and they were reimbursed if you kept your receipt a lot of people go on their lingus to come back anyway we were about the fifth last in the queue and we did get a flight for 5 30 that flight didn't leave till around 10 past nine and they wouldn't give us vouchers because our flight wasn't delayed it was it took off but it didn't take because they give us flyers to reimburse or you know when we get home they wouldn't give us a voucher but our second flight then that we were so to go to it didn't leave till then 10 past nine so we got a four euro voucher if they 10 past five to 10 past nine that's why we knew that flight might be going because they give us all four euro to get a coffee and then when you finally got on the plane which left at 10 past nine stuck in Dublin how did you get home from Dublin wait to hear Greg we were on the plane and then we were told sorry we have to open all the doors again because we have one more member of staff coming running to get on this flight to help out that's how short they were and the wee fella said to me we're one staff member short so we're waiting 15 more minutes and I said I'll help out in any way I can as long as you get me back to Dublin we got we changed our bus in Dublin the expressway bus three times right and then the last bus I think was 11 25 or 11 30 there was no way we were getting that bus the next one was six after six in the morning so we had to phone a friend to one of my niece's partners to come to Dublin to collect us and the other niece she got the Galway bus she was very lucky she ran like mad and she was able to get her bus but the couple of people also missed the Galway bus they had to wait and we had to get new transport to come to Dublin for us and this was all off the back I think we're in to recharge the batteries Ryan here as a disgrace their staff didn't even know our five but we knew it four o'clock because our friends here were telling us this flight hasn't left Dublin so you's aren't they getting on that flight or it's delayed we knew we went to the desk again the number 32 desk or whatever one went to and we showed the boy that's quite delayed and he didn't even know the fella telling us to queue up on priority that's when they said then three hour delay but we seen it on our phones or my niece did because she was you know somebody that was keeping an eye on Dublin and we were able to tell the Ryanair staff it was delayed they didn't even know so I think Ryanair executive yes go ahead Ryanair executive it should be ashamed of their self treating their staff and the people that's flying on their planes like that they didn't know if we were sick people diabetics no money after spending it on our holidays you know like there were a lot of people there in the same situation as we were but they expected us to sit for 17 hours on the airport and we had to go back outside and come back in through the security and anybody bought duty free they were going to take off them if the bottles had been open because they put them through scanners have you seen the lines we were in it was unreal but anyway we're here now but I'll never be back on the Ryanair flight yeah you're lying to us all the way there's grace to treat the people the people that's going for a wee break and this recession I'm only saying a lot of them gear saved up for two years to get away and that's what happened the wee break they had was always difficult we're all shattered sitting on hard seats at an airport yeah absolutely ruined and you you it was very pressing for you to get back as well Lynn for medical treatment too wasn't it oh by technology me my family like I just went on a wing and a prayer at the end I didn't go till the day they were going and you know I had to boot and I kept saying no I'm not going I'm not going that'll tell you this Greg for all the improved people on that flight older than me you know tired it was unreal and I don't care but Ryanair shouldn't get away with it yeah okay the government again should see what they can do about that but Ryanair shouldn't get airspace if that's the way they're treating the client yeah I get you okay well keep us updated in terms of I mean obviously there are schemes because this was delayed beyond your control hopefully there are schemes that you can claim your expenses back on well I don't like that they would only get tell us to keep our receipts from the airport but after you come back home I don't know you still like to claim anything I think well we'll check into that I'll do a bit of work on that Lynn there is an EU well there were four of us and two didn't get to work the next day because I mean I didn't get home here before in the morning I was lucky like but the other gears they had to one work day home at half 10 and the other one put on a sick day you know but as I say that's just us how many more there must have been 150 more people at that year there was a poor lady three Thursday couldn't even get a flight but she or niece lived there she was able to go to the nieces but the two of her they weren't getting her out to Thursday so as I say I don't know what they're playing at but it wasn't a nice experience because as you say a lot of people would have put a lot of side to try and make that happen it was a short break to try and recharge the batteries and you're coming back much worse off than when you left Lynn thanks for speaking to us and sharing the story all right take care of yourself Lynn they're telling her story The 9 till noon show is brought to you by Letter Kenny Credit Union offering low-rate car loans with fast approval apply online at letterkennycu.ie or in office today if that sounds good so will this save up to 300 euro off your car insurance cover when you buy online at libertyinsurance.ie that's based on a 25 discount for new policies up to 300 euro off your car insurance that's money for living that's liberty future proof subjects to a minimum premium and applied before optional covers acceptance criteria terms and conditions apply Liberty Sigouris accompanied a Sigouris area trading as liberty insurance is authorized by the general directors of insurance and pensions funds in spain and is regulated by the central bank of Ireland for conduct of business rules you might think you know Ireland's ancient east but maybe it's time for a closer look uncover stories bold and brave where vibrant city nights follow action packed days set course for countless adventures at carlingford adventure center or roam wild in wonder in the glen of Ahrlow and become captivated by the culture and craft of Kilkenny's cobbled streets Ireland's ancient east yours to explore keep discovering at discoverarland.ie hi marty freel here hope you can join me this and every friday night from 8 to 10 p.m. with rock and hits on island radio in association with arena 7 letter kenny book a kid's party at laser quest arena 7 combine it with bowling and great food for a day to remember for packages and bookings visit arena 7.ie Cullen's fun fair is back in letter kenny for 10 days only come along and enjoy the high flying sky glider the spinning energy and the super sizzler twist plus much more Ireland's largest touring fun fair Cullen's fun fair in letter kenny from the 7th until the 16th of october a port road letter kenny just opposite the pennies roundabout wild atlantic way adventures away to this autumn with a midweek escape to the luxury raddison blue hotel and spa sly go from just 125 euro with complimentary breakfast each morning indulge in afternoon tea overlooking sly go bay relax with the treatment at the spa enjoy a delicious meal in the brasserie sit back and relax in waves bar or surround yourself with the best of sly go's outdoor pursuits right on your doorstep book now at radslygo.com for the perfect autumn midweek escape sometimes it's just bad luck but sometimes it's negligence from minor bumps to life changing injury every accident is a story time to call macklehenny and associates they'll assess the situation advise on solutions and lead the way if any litigation is to follow from motor accidents and workplace accidents to slips trips and falls call today on 0749175989 or find us online let's get you started on the road to recovery macklehenny and associates solicitors turn order how can we help in contentious business a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage of proportion of any award or settlement all right our wellness wednesday focus today is on breastfeeding because we are in the midst of the hsc national breastfeeding week which began on saturday it's encouraging parents to take up free expert help and celebrating rising breastfeeding rates in arland let's talk to two guests as part of this for now professor michael golden is a pediatric and advisor to the world health organization now resident in donny good morning to you professor thanks for your time today good morning good to have you with us okay so what what where are we at it is good to see breastfeeding rates rise but then there are mixed messages as to the level supports new moms might get in terms of you know wanting to breastfeed from your perspective as an expert where are we at in that story we're not doing well at all we've been at this for more than 40 years and the breastfeeding rates have remained extremely low in ireland particularly in donny good and have crept up people do not realize just how important breastfeeding is that the breast milk is the single most important gift that a mother can give to her newborn babies and in in donny go they the the infants the babies in donny go are almost routinely denied this absolutely free gift from their mothers why so though why have we low rates in ireland compared to other countries there are some countries their rates are through the roof and and then why particularly in in donny go there's various theories it's skipped a generation maybe people buying what the the milk powder companies are selling but what do you believe the reasons are why have we got such low levels well donny go is an extremely conservative county if you look at the at the referendum we've had in the last decade or so every county in ireland has voted yes except for donny go which is voted no so we have a conservative population that looks upon breastfeeding and breast and things like that or something needs to be hidden not talked about not preached about and then we have the nursing and midwifery and medical professions who really are not taught during their training the importance of breastfeeding we do not have breastfeeding counselors in every hospital we do not have breastfeeding counselors in health centers we pay lip service to breastfeeding but really very little tangible direct promotion of breastfeeding so I mean to me what's happening in ireland at the moment is terrible so you think there is an actual link between breastfeeding and conservatism yes in this country absolutely okay right stay with me professor I want to also bring into the conversation Dr. Sarah Brennan who's a GP and a specialist with especially interest in women's health and lecturer in NUI Galway not the first time we spoke Sarah listening to Professor Michael Golden there do you agree or do does your opinion vary in any way? yeah well I agree in ways and I also think there are so many factors that feed into this maybe conservatism has an impact on our exposure to breastfeeding for sure and certainly I think practices of the church in the past may have had a negative impact on breastfeeding which sometimes goes with conservatism but if you think about the churching practice that happened previously where women had to be kind of brought back into the church and they needed to be cleansed or their sins after having conceived and had a baby that that would have been you know it kind of maybe made people feel like somehow dirty to have a baby or to to breastfeed so that kind of had a negative impact and that can be a conscious or that could be a conscious or subconscious influence as well absolutely it's really interesting yeah and that's really important though unconscious stuff is really important because there's so many things that feed into our unconscious mind and we know so much more about this at the moment behavior of psychologists are all on top of this and helping us understand that we have these unconscious biases against breastfeeding maybe and towards about the feeding are really important in helping us understand our own resistance to breastfeeding and I think the causes are myriad that's the myriad of causes but we can leave the causes aside and just drop into ourselves and notice this resistance towards breastfeeding and really question that and like Michael said you know it is breastfeeding is amazing it gives so much benefits to our children and actually has a real positive impact on our own health that we have to understand you know I feel resistance to breastfeeding why is that I saw myself and it's paraphrasing and I don't want to identify anyone but obviously our baby was in neonatal care and it was it was seen as incredibly important that he got breast milk at that time you know whatever might happen with someone who's full term or there aren't any complications but it was clear how important it was to the team that breast milk was given in one form or other during those critical days let me ask you in the HSC press release in the first line they're celebrating rising breastfeeding rates in Ireland do you think that's the right tone is that a bit previous have we something to be celebrating at the moment do you think Sharon oh Sarah sorry if I could bottom Sarah yeah no that's okay no problem absolutely a lot has happened recently and I think the employment of lactation consultants throughout the hospitals and also this commitment to employ them in the community is a wonderful move and that will help change practices over time but that's you know there are increasing rates but like Michael says they're really slowly increasing and we have to actually try and make significant cultural changes to help to accelerate those changes and certainly the extra support is really important but we also have to think about the promotion of breastfeeding and the protection of breastfeeding so support is essential but unless we we protect breastfeeding and this is where the code is so important so that's WHO recommendation to regulate the marketing of infant formula and it's not about reducing people's access to infant formula not at all that's a really important product out there but it's to stop this manipulative marketing and like you were saying earlier on that that drops deeply into us and affects us at an unconscious level and maybe makes this resistance to breastfeeding arise and makes it turn towards infant formula so that is so important and that's a protection piece and that's a legislation piece and that's something our government is looking at and that's really to be commended so that's so important and then also that promotion piece so when do you see beautiful you know ads about breastfeeding on tv you see loads about formula but not about breastfeeding so they're things that we have to look at and other measures and some of the tactics employed including using babies that were born premature so that the baby appears you know fuller and healthier they are ticking the box of the baby is this age but the baby has been around for longer than the viewer might realise all right stay with me Sarah because I want to ask both of you this question because I take my guidance from professionals as much as possible Professor Michael in terms of how we talk about this then a lot of the conversation is very much in terms of ultimately of course it is the parents choice okay we want to very carefully encourage people but at the same time we don't want to heap on any additional pressure and it's a very softly softly conversation is that the right approach to maintain or do you think perhaps maybe the messaging needs to change no the messaging needs to be reinforced and maybe expanded the the value of breast milk for the baby is really not preached I mean what we do is we say you have to breast feed and stamp our feet and people say well I have a choice all my neighbours are breast are bottle fed and my family wants me to bottle feed and so on so the pressures on mothers to bottle feed are really quite severe the benefits of breastfeeding are really not under plate there is no formula from any manufacturer which comes close to breast milk even banked breast milk is not as good as your own mother's breast milk because the antibodies in that breast milk are designed for the organisms within the environment that that mother lives the whole thing is designed for the baby indeed a premature baby the mother will produce a different quality of milk for that premature baby than for a full-time baby the milk is actually manufactured by the breast to suit that baby all you need to do is to look at the poo of a breastfed baby and a bottle fed baby a breastfed baby produces this lovely buff coloured poo that pellet with almost no smell and a bottle fed baby produces stink a stinky poo now you know that the bacteria and the things inside the intestine of those two babies is completely different so we have a substance a beautiful substance coming from the mother which is designed for her baby for to bring the best of health to her baby to bond with her baby and what do we do we say oh you can't breastfeed in the shop you have to go to the toilet to breastfeed you know when I was lecturing I used to have my students bring their babies into class and they would breastfeed as I was lecturing the class we need to get back to the attitude where breastfeeding is natural normal and it's not being sexualized at all okay yep dog no no that's fine Dr Brennan do you agree in terms of the messaging because I sometimes think you know people feel you have to pull back if you overemphasize the importance of it then some might say well you're putting pressure on women or mothers or parents who choose to bottle feed because it suits them they talk about you know allowing the father to bond though there's other ways around that of course the pressures of having all the children in the house or whatever you know if you over I think sometimes overemphasize the benefits of it then you get this pushback in terms of pressure and some of the other things I've mentioned there Sarah well certainly I think this is the thing I think people do feel resistance to breastfeeding and interestingly I have five kids I've fed for about 13 years in total and I used to feel this resistance towards toddlers breastfeeding and I was also very curious about that and it's in me I feel like stress in my body when I see a little toddler run around in breastfeed even though I breastfed toddlers so this is interesting you know and that's what we have to look at is ourselves and our own resistance trying to understand this because we know breast milk is amazing I mean the more I learn about this in medicine and you know experientially myself from breastfeeding the more I understand how amazing it is it's a miracle food and I think that's so important yeah but what we need to do so me as a doctor what I try to do is help understand a person's perspective and why they have a resistance to it to help them to untangle that and another thing that I do is try and understand what their motivation might be to breastfeed so someone has a history of allergies in their family I'll explain that breastfeeding really helps reduce allergies and maybe that might help you to consider breastfeeding and if they have a resistance to maybe help you to overcome that resistance and we're going to speak to you so that's how we motivate people I was hoping to get the testimony of a mom who's breastfeeding at the moment but unfortunately she had something came up right but what was an interesting line in just a brief note that I have is that it was difficult to begin with but by the time the baby was seven weeks old we got it managed and I just wonder you know whatever about getting a bit of support in the hospital or maybe a little afterwards how many might commit to trying it for seven weeks because you know yourself you'd be so conscious of how the baby's doing, its weight you know if it's getting the best start and I wonder if people would last it out for seven weeks before going you know what well we know he or she'll drink the bottle do you get where I'm coming from doctor? I do absolutely breastfeeding is not easy Come on Michael, sorry Don't yes it is not easy to breastfeed but you need support and you particularly need support from your own mother and your sisters and your husband I think that part of the problem Michael is it enough to mention this in the program if we're talking about historically low levels of breastfeeding that possibly particularly maybe the aunt or the mother may themselves have bottle fed and we sort of skipped a generation of experience and support maybe That's absolutely true absolutely true they say bottle feeding was all right for you and for your siblings you should breastfeed my grandchild we have to get away from that we have to not only teach mothers but we have to teach grandmothers and grandfathers and husbands and husbands should be demanding that their wives breastfeed in terms of bonding and the youthfulness of the father I know when my children were being breastfeed my wife said I look after the top half of the baby you look after the bottom half Dr. Sarah Brennan do you want a quick word on that question Yeah absolutely support is essential and we know this from the 10 steps of the baby friendly hospital initiative which is now being rolled out in Ireland which is wonderful to see but we know that when people have support they have whole warm chain support and this is people helping you holding you guiding you because it's not easy but it's so worth it well let me ask you this I just want to very finally Sarah put this question to you this quote says this conversation is really annoying me yes breastfeeding is great when you can do it a lot of pressure is put on mothers that they have to breastfeed I had four babies and never produced milk mothers are left feeling they are letting their children down and not doing the best for them but we have to find a space don't we Sarah to have this conversation even if maybe that was nature in this mother's case even if it does upset people a little bit I don't know what do you say to that text yeah and that's really hard trying to breastfeed and you know not producing milk is really difficult and this is where I think there's a role for doctors and breastfeeding medicine specialists because physiologically we should produce milk and if we're not producing milk it's like a kidney spin why is what can we do from a medical perspective to help address this and also can I say kind of controversially as well like that woman on a different level maybe a lot of men can relate to that too because you know like you can feel a bit inadequate in the early stages you try your best to help but you don't have the equipment to you know so I think maybe a lot of men might be able to relate to that mother feeling a little bit sort of you know inadequate in some way or other yeah but it's our job to help help you know people navigate this difficult time and certainly from a woman's perspective and a breastfeeding perspective we do have a lactation consultant in the hospital she's excellent and it's really important that people who have that difficulty are seeing a lactation consultant and if there's breastfeeding medicine need that that's accessed as well and then for the dad and I think Michael's comment is great you look after the top bit feed them I look after the bottom bit man that's amazing and that's in my husband's just you you take it up change the baby and then give it to me and as he said you plug the child in I'll fix the nappy you know and that's so important lovely yeah but that's a role and then yeah and then when they're older that's when the baby wants to leave the safety of the mom and go out and plant trees with the dad and and that's the way that's natural that's life evolving as it does but but certainly people need help we all need support ask for help and it's our job to provide us but the Lallet League is there and quid you there's loads of voluntary sector support out there for breastfeeding who do an amazing job and you know it's our job as well as healthcare professionals to give those details to moms and they're leaving the hospital so they have that support and then public health nurses are great and they also run community groups breastfeeding support groups so there is a lot out there and it's all part of this 10 this 10 step plan the baby friendly initiative and we're working on it and I'm really sorry to that lady who who didn't produce milk and and and that's really important to acknowledge like you said and to build on that and to provide the services so that we can address that Dr Sarah Brennan thank you so much for your time again this morning Professor Michael Golden lovely to speak to you as well my pleasure have a lovely day okay take care of yourselves business matters is coming up shortly The Ninetal Noon Show is brought to you by Letter Kenny Credit Union digital loans now available apply online or via our app today and get your loan transferred directly to your current account a weekend of dancing at the Clenery Hotel Letter Kenny Friday the 7th Rubber Moselle and Jim Devine Saturday the 8th Jerry Guthrie and Declan Ernie and Sunday afternoon it's dancing to Jerry Guthrie and his band you can pay at the door each night with doors open 9 15 imagine a better way to manage your energy with a smart plan from board gosh energy our smart plans like free time Saturday or free time Sunday can help you lower your bills and reduce your energy usage find a smart plan that works for you and your home at board gosh energy.ie slash smart free energy units are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday each week with this tariff customers can choose Saturday or Sunday smart meter required terms and conditions apply see board gosh energy.ie are you completing your UCAS application Calfree offers degree courses in food agriculture equine and horticulture come along to Calfree's October open days talk to students meet staff and explore the practical facilities at Northern Ireland's specialist agri food and land based college book now to attend an open day at Greenmount campus and a skill in campus and Lockery campus register online at cafre.ac.uk or visit Discover Calfree on Facebook do you need a little extra help staying in your home at Bluebird care we offer a wide variety of humark approved personalized home care services across Dunnegall and are fully trained and committed staff will always meet your care needs with kindness compassion and dignity to get your personal home care assessment plan visit bluebirdcare.ie or call our care team today on 07491 29562 and bring care home casual shirts, jackets and fleeces just 24.95 we'll get two for 40 euro casual shirts and knitwear for 29.95 or two for 50 euro a selection of super dry now half price there's also 25 percent of selected suits and many more great savings in every department in the final clearance sale at Watson men's wear Main Street letter Kenny business matters in association with the faculty of business at ATU Dunnegall looking for a career in financial services consider the level 9 MA in governance and IT in financial services take the next step in your career and contact the exec ed coordinator on 9186206 or email exec ed ex e c e d at atu.ie today now we're going to be returning to the defective block scandal and people in need of emergency housing tomorrow and all of your texts are going to fit in with that by the way so I will get to them tomorrow because it's such an important issue of course we're going to have to go back to it and give people an opportunity to let everyone know what's going on in their lives all right so it is now business matters time the podcast live for you right now and I'll you did send it off let's hope uh the podcast check there it's the last you're you you you're figuring the controls you can tell me it's not there it's the last week I'll have a wee poke at you on that one uh the the producer and presenter of the podcast is Kierno Dunnell it's live for you right now on our website highlandradio.com so let's start with some news before we talk about the latest episode and this is a nice chunk of cash for the Donegal Sports Partnership yeah it's just a review from last year Greg and it's coming off their annual general meeting was held last week the Donegal Sports Partnership secured a total of eight hundred and sixteen thousand euro and funding last year the report which was presented at the RAGM also showed the five thousand six hundred and twenty six people participated and three hundred and forty one locally delivered initiatives throughout Donegal so the people took part in education training that included safeguarding youth leadership disability inclusion northwest athlete seminars building positive clubs and female leadership programs I suppose just the importance early Greg is the link between I suppose the funding and what's where it goes and Donegal through Donegal Sports Partnership has benefited greatly through that all right we're talking about the 2023 small business might as well just put up the Christmas tree the 2023 small business awards are already on the horizon I had to take a second look let me sure I had the right year yes the 19th small firms association national small business awards for 2023 were officially launched by awards patron Tisha Camille Martin so the aim of the awards is to celebrate the achievements of small businesses in Ireland and to recognize the vital contribution of the small business community to the Irish economy so small firms Greg are classed as companies that are employing 50 people or less and they can enter the competition by logging on to www.sfaarge.ie and the deadline for applications is Thursday October the 27th a huge import of the economy important part of the economy particularly the part we access we plug into the data centers the it foreign direct investment that's all brilliant very important don't get me wrong but the small businesses the small firms hugely important to the economy that particularly affects us I think a bit through 2023 certainly and beyond right smart northwest conference what's this about yeah the first session and the smart northwest conference which takes place on Friday October the 7th we'll hear from the minister for for their entire education Simon Harris and he will outline the Irish government's plan for a unified education system he will be joined by John Kilpie chief executive of the Derry city and Samantha's council and John McLaughlin chief executive of Donegal county council it's an online event that gets on the way at 9.30 and it's a collaboration through Donegal ATU and you can check out their social media platforms for more details on that yeah I still have never glamping podded or podded or glamped in a pod me and you me and you together yeah exactly right but there's a new site coming up in Burtonport yeah Donegal county council has given approval for the development of a new glamping pod site in Burtonport you know why I've never because I snore and no one will stay with me in a pod go on your own I want a plan the new site that's to be located next to the wheelhouse cafe and the development has been applied for by businessman John Relie and it also includes pathways and service buildings on the site by the way I just genuinely believe I don't snore right Joanne Sweeney has a new publication out yeah I just saw this last night online Greg Joanne Sweeney's latest publication public sector marketing pro will be launched at the public sector digital marketing summit on Thursday October the 27th so speaking ahead of the launch Joanne who is CEO of public sector marketing institute said she wrote the book on how governments and the public sector can successfully navigate the digital age for better citizen engagement to build trust and to save the democracy so the book is retailing a 25 euro and pre-orders are now being taken radio we'll hear from this week's podcast guests it's after this break the 90 new show is brought to you by letterkenny credit union offering low-rate car loans with fast approval apply online at letterkennycu.ie or in office today imagine a better way to manage your energy with a smart plan from board gosh energy our smart plans like free time saturday or free time sunday can help you lower your bills and reduce your energy usage find a smart plan that works for you and your home at board gosh energy.ie slash smart free energy units are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on saturday or sunday each week with this tariff customers can choose saturday or sunday smart meter required terms and conditions apply see board gosh energy.ie we wish you a it may be too early for christmas carols but it's never too early to start the christmas shopping save hundreds possibly thousands of euro shopping online with space hub dairy we provide a full virtual address mailbox service for all your christmas parcels and posts save hundreds possibly thousands on customs charges this christmas with space hub dairy call 04871 it's 7 it's 077 for more details happy news from aldi we've topped the leaderboard at the national parenting product awards with 22 wins making us the most awarded retailer there were goals for our organic mamiya baby food range mamiya ultra dry junior plus nappy size 5 plus and mamiya premium newborn mini size 2 nappies voted the nation's best nappies by parents in Ireland so mum and dad not using mamiya nappies yet poof could be time for a change aldi every day amazing massive stock clearance promotion now on at Hagerty's home interiors boncranah see the best selection of sofas beds and sliding robes all at unbeatable prices with free delivery included our best sale items include four foot six bed set mattress base and headboard was 499 now 379 euro for the lot get an extra 100 euro off any recliner suite electric or manual see the best selection and the best priced sliding robes in Ireland with lots more offers throughout the store Hagerty's home interiors boncranah grid furniture always better prices Highland radio weather updates brought to you by Grant from condensing boilers to heat pumps and underfloor heating trust grant to heat your home visit grant.eu okay today windy and feeling cold that lingering rains cleared the region at this point we'll have a mix of sunny spells and showers for the rest of the day they'll die out but in the meantime some might be having possibly thundery feeling a chilly 10 degrees okay so this week's podcast Kieran yes great my guest this week is Liam Porter a lifelong member of our full football club and secretary and director of our full community sports development which won the 2021 national lottery good causes award in the sport and recreation category Liam has held every position on the club's office of board and has recently taken a step back from the day-to-day running of the club Refoe FC now has 14 teams and moved to its purpose bulk facility at Drumini in Refoe in 2020 Liam says while Refoe FC is an amateur club for it to succeed and progress it has to be run like a business there's no money changing hands we're volteers here running running the club so it's not professional but it does have to run in a business like fashion something because sport has very much changed since those days I was talking about like you couldn't have a 13 or 14 year old in charge of a team now there's a huge amount of governance for the better it might may add you know around safeguarding and guard of vetting and you know all there's lots of different governance issues and it takes a lot of time and dedication behind the the scenes and away from the play inside to keep any club going in relation to that so you do and then obviously there's the day-to-day running costs and insurance and light and heat and you know fees for registrations and you know all of those things have to be looked after and you have to look after them like a business and I suppose the last thing you are really a service provider in the sense that you know your members and are your customers what a really interesting approach to come at it yeah okay you know it's a sports club but it's a business it is a business but not in the traditional sense where you'd instantly think of we talked to this one they'd kind of when we were forming a rabble one of the shows here a couple months back I'm usually I was kind of bounced throughout for you so we'll go and do it so look I know Liam and Raphos is one of the the long-established struggle clubs and don't they go all with a great tradition and look it was a really a really really it was a conversation and it's a conversation I really enjoyed I came away from the conversation with a lot of things and I think if there's the club management has become like a business and the whole area of running the club has evolved Greg as Liam alluded to there but you know for any club or volunteer organization or community group they should sort of tune in to Liam because he's got a great perspective on what it takes and I was thinking of this before I come on you know the old that is you know build it and they'll come this is nearly the reverse Greg because they had they hadn't got a home they were from power to post that played their games away from home a lot of time because they're not happening but the one thing they had they had the people and they had the passion and the one thing that Liam talked about Greg they had the purpose but you know funny thing is you look at some of the most successful businesses in the world and they probably take some of the sporting club ethos into the traditional business great environment okay and what Liam has done then Liam has worked with Donegal Local Enterprise have as well he's studying for a master's degree in business as well so he's taken all the facets of things that he's learning as well and he's put that into Ruffo and look it's a great success story and that culminated last year and the award they got for the good causes award that they won this way right the full interview with Liam Porter is available now on our website as we mentioned highlandradio.com or wherever you get your podcasts but listen to it on the website you'll see it there in the in the on demand playback section it's broadcast after Sunday evening after the six o'clock news there's extra time could be on the offing on Sunday but the chances of that are pretty slim surely they'll bang a few points in score a few goals lads we don't want a six six after after full time the chances of extra time could be could be very real great but anyway but anyway I'm hoping that St. Eulans will be on the on the on the one again it could be a low scoring affair though very very tight who's to say anyway listen it's broadcast as we speak for after the six o'clock news on Sunday but look at it might be a little bit late if it goes to extra time all the people that seem to know stuff seem to think it's going to go to extra time anyway if you want to get in touch with the show email businessmatters.highlandradio.com cure and see you next Wednesday cheers take care of yourself thank you and we'll all see you tomorrow on the show at nine have a wonderful I gave you the wrong day yesterday