 The fuel allowance scheme will be paid from the week beginning September 25th. This allowance is paid at a rate of €33 a week for 28 weeks. To find out more and check your eligibility, visit gov.ie forward slash fuel allowance. The quickest and easiest way to apply is online at mywelfare.ie One payment per household, a Government of Ireland initiative brought to you by the Department of Social Protection. To help with the cost of heating your home during the winter months, the fuel allowance scheme will be paid from the week beginning September 25th. This allowance is paid at a rate of €33 a week for 28 weeks. To find out more and check your eligibility, visit gov.ie forward slash fuel allowance. The quickest and easiest way to apply is online at mywelfare.ie One payment per household, a Government of Ireland initiative brought to you by the Department of Social Protection. I don't know, being tired. Normally looking like crap. No, no, but you look, I don't know, cleaner or something. Shaved my head. Did you? That's what it is. With a polish to do. But there was never much up there to shave, but it makes a difference. Well, I've a wee fringe. Do you give a wee bit? At the back. Good ads. Good luck to you. Bye. All right, a night till noon show. On the way, it's two minutes past nine, which is ground. Let's get a news update over to Donald Kavanaugh. Thanks, Greg. Good morning. Garthys say traffic is moving normally again following a collision on the Remelton Road outside Letter County close to the junction with Golf Course Road earlier. No serious injuries have been reported. The first Osprey bird chicks from a new National Parks and Wildlife Service program were introduced into the wild at the weekend. Fifty Osprey chicks have been brought into the country over the next five years. The aim is to establish a breeding colony in the Republic. There is breeding taking place in Fermanah, and Ospreys from there have already been spotted in Donegal. Minister of State Malcolm Noonan says the release of these chicks is a significant step toward what he hopes will be their permanent return to this country. Given the fact now that we have a successful breeding of a pair of Ospreys in Northern Ireland, I think the reintroduction program here in the Republic is really going to be very, very important and return these birds to Irish skies for the first time in over 200 years. Ospreys are different. They don't remain in the country. They migrate down to equatorial Africa and then return again. Lots of challenges along the way, and what we're trying to do is make the conditions right for them. A junior Transport Minister says people will still be able to pay for their NCT using Cash Minister of State Jack Chambers. He's out at NCT Ireland for the recent announcement that their centres are going cashless. He says it has not been agreed, nor is it happening. There are doubts this morning over whether November's planned women in the home referendum will go ahead. The government is said to be nervous about the campaign possibly being dominated by debates about the definition of the family and gender issues. There are also differing views about the wording for a replacement article. Last month, T. Schagli of Radger promised the referendum would go ahead in November. That was echoed by the housing minister, Darrell O'Brien, just last week. And a smartphone levy has been proposed as a replacement for the current TV licence. There's been a sharp decrease in households paying the 160-year licence fee in the wake of the RTE payments scandal. It's reported the state broadcaster couldn't require a bailout of up to €35 million as part of next year's budget. Associate Professor of Politics at Dublin City University, Onomaly, says the majority of people have moved to consuming news and videos on their mobiles. In a lot, the reason I kind of suggest a smartphone levy is because that's how we consume it. It's also really easy and quick and cheap to collect. The government just tells the companies that if you add three or four euros onto your bill per month, you take three or four euros away from your pay-as-you-go credit per month. And with a forecast cloudy this morning, just some sunny spells and well-scattered showers. This afternoon the showers will become more isolated, but they'll kick back in again in the evening. Hazy sunny spells in the meantime, but it will turn cloudier later. Top temperatures today 16 to 18 degrees Celsius, light to moderate, westerly breezes. That's Highland Radio News, back with more at 10 o'clock. Sorry, Donald, did I hear correct? Who's calling for that if you have like 20-year-old credit in your phone, three-year-old come out of it every month? That is Ono Mali, he's an associate professor of politics at DCU now. It's one of these things where it's an idea that's been floated. Is it going to happen in the foreseeable future? I doubt it very much. All right, okay, let's hope not. It's okay. Thanks, Donald. The county's number one talk show, The Nine Till Noon Show on Highland Radio. And now it's time for the talk of the Northwest, The Nine Till Noon Show with Greg Hughes on Highland Radio. And a very good morning to you. It is five minutes past nine on Monday, the 28th of August, 2023. How are you getting on? What's it like in your house today? Some of the young ones heading out to school for the first time or returning to school after what wasn't a fantastic summer? How's all going? Hopefully very well indeed. 08, 660, 25,000. That's the WhatsApps and text if you want to let us know. Get involved in the conversations. We've got lined up and race your own issues as well, of course. 0749125,000 is the telephone number. Caroline and Nev taking your calls this morning. And you can also email, of course, comments at highlandradio.com. And from time to time, we still receive a letter through the post. And if that's what you want to do, feel free. The Nine Till Noon Show mount in top letter. Kenny will get us. Right, okay, let's start with the fronts and inside some of the newspapers today. The Dairy People, Donegal News. This is a topic I think we're covering a little later on as well. Donegal enjoyed a bumper weekend of tourism business with many hotels at full capacity, thanks to an influx of visitors over the northern bank holiday weekend. However, as the summer season draws to a close, a leading hotelier has warned that many hospitality businesses in Donegal will be forced to reduce their opening hours, or in some cases close altogether, because they can't cope with rising costs across the sector. There is, of course, a third alternative which isn't mentioned, and that is to provide accommodation for refugees or immigrants. Paul Diver, the Donegal branch chair of the Irish Hotel Federation, said many in the industry have genuine fears for the future of the sector. He said that if government fails to agree to a further extension in the reduced vac rate of 9% for their sector, many tourist operators in the county will be in trouble. But that seems to be now off the table. It's not one the government is gonna wobble on, I don't think. And I suppose when we have this ongoing controversy of some of the rates charged by some of the hotels in some parts of the country, I'm not sure there's a great public appetite for that 9% to be retained for hotels. Maybe it's different for restaurants and what have you. But I don't know, it'd be interesting if there was a national survey on that provision. It did seem to be just out and about and around the place. It did seem to be a much quieter summer, not just the staycation trade, but also in terms of people coming into the country. As I say, I have nothing to back that up other than a sense. We spoke to Danny quickly on the program last week. He was midway through or maybe two thirds through his epic swim challenge. Well, he completed that and there's a huge crowd welcoming him as he did. Derry's own Iron Man, Danny quickly has completed his latest epic challenge. The local mental health campaigner took on his biggest challenge to date as he swam the length of the river foil then out to the Atlantic Ocean, called the Celebration of Life. Danny took on the mammoth challenge to remember people who've died by suicide in a positive light by remembering their lives instead of how they died. Danny's father, Colin, took his own life in 2011 and Danny, as you heard on the show, was looking to swim a kilometer for every one of the people that he'd been notified of. Their families wanted their lives celebrated and he achieved it, fair play to him. On to the Irish Times now and you would have heard over the weekend another devastating loss of young life in Ireland. It's just the latest, it seems, in a series of awful events. Thousands gathered in collective grief in the centre of Clonmel, Cantitipperary yesterday evening in a vigil held to mark the tragic deaths of four wonderful young people. Nicole Murphy, Zoe Coffey, Grace McSweeney, all 18, and Miss McSweeney's brother Luke, just 24, were killed when, during a heavy downpour on Friday evening, the vehicle they were travelling in overturned and hit a wall on Mountain Road in Clonmel. And it's just absolutely devastating and I suppose particularly for those of you out there who are parents, especially parents of adults, you know, you do everything you can to protect your children and to make sure they're happy and safe and, you know, to get them to 18 really. Now, I know the responsibility doesn't stop at 18 but, you know, that is a really important part of their life. It's like, right, well, now it's over to you. We have your back. I'll support you in everything you do but I've got you to 18 and then as they went to celebrate another very important part of their lives, all of their lives were extinguished. Just like that, absolutely. Heartbreaking, it's terrible, it's awfully tragic and there are simply no words that you could offer the family and friends of these four lovely young people who are no longer with us. Miss Coffey and Miss McSweeney, pupils at Clonmel's presentation, secondary school, as well as Miss Murphy, a former student at Loretto secondary school in the town had received their leaving cert results just hours before the crash yesterday evening at Kickham Barracks Plaza in Clonmel. Members of the clergy led prayers and eulogies offered for the four victims. May they all rest in peace and the days, hours, days, weeks, months, years, their families. Hopefully they just, as I say, get every bit of strength that they will need to get them through that. Elsewhere in the newspapers this morning, the Irish Independent tells us that a second electricity price cut has been announced by fast-growing supplier Pinergy in a move that's likely to herald a raft of price cuts from its rivals. It already did a price cut but it was one of the more expensive in the market so it reducing its prices was not going to necessarily make the other big players feel like they had to do so but a second price cut might make some difference. It comes days after new energy supplier UNO launched cut price deals for households. The Irish Independent understands that the large players in the market are weeks away from announcing modest cuts in the electricity and gas prices for households just as we head into the more energy-hungry winter months. Now again, we talked about this a lot last week. And I said this last year, the year before, it's very high, I find it very hard to understand the electricity bills. So like the people that we've been speaking to who were getting bills around 200, 250 and there are bills tripled in the last couple of months to five or 600, like will they even notice this evening? Where did that? We don't really even know where this massive surge in prices for some people came from. So how do you even recognize when you're making a saving? Is it going to be saving off the huge summer bill or is it going to be saving off the previous bills? Do you get where I'm coming from? That's the problem with the market. It's not really very clear. At least if you put petrol or diesel in your car, you drain the tank, you know how far you got and then you put it in. The electricity seems to be almost, sometimes it feels like they pick a number. I'm not saying they do, but the lack of transparency there means that, you know, where is the saving or how do you recognize you've even made a saving? I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. They're 08, 6, 60, 25,000 if you do or don't. Big story for the world of sport, of course, recently, was Spain winning the Women's World Cup. But I mean, that was completely overshadowed because I'll tell you what I might do. I might come back to that because I want to speak to a person who's obviously incredibly busy. And I'll come back to the newspapers after I speak to Father Michael Toomey, who's a chaplain at CBS High School in Clonmel, who was at the scene of this devastating crash on Friday night. Father Michael, thank you so much for joining us on what continues to be a very different time. How are you, Father? Are you okay? Thanks for asking, yeah, Greg. I've had a lot of people texting me and saying, are you okay? Mind yourself and everything. Yeah, I mean, unfortunately, Greg, this is my area. I've dealt with sadly a number of tragedies, particularly with young people over my years. And but obviously never to the extent that we've had to deal with four young people. But this morning at 4.30, I actually went down. We had a vigil last night, which you can talk about at the moment, and the candles and everything still lighting in the dark. And it was my moment, I think, just to kind of pause and actually shed a tear, because it was important to me to just realise this is impacting everybody. And I've encouraged people, including the young men, it's okay to cry because this is massive for us to deal with. It was very clear very early on that this was going to be just a devastating tragedy. Father, you could tell from the tone of the emails coming through from on Goddess Yukana that this was just going to be a most horrendous tragedy. And that's how it unfolded. And I can't imagine what it must have been like for you and the emergency services and others who came upon the scene. Yeah, I mean, obviously on Friday evening, well, Friday morning, South Stop so well, because the leading set results came out. I met a few of the lads under the school chapel in the high school, where two of the brothers of those who died, David and Ryan are students, but Luke had been a previous student in the high school. But obviously the lads knew the girls Grace, Zoe and Nicole and great expectations and great excitement. And then to get this call on Friday evening, say there's been a major incident in place. So we have a kind of a contingency plan to hold hands on deck. So I rang the guard and I said, look, am I needed because you don't want to impede anything. And they said, yeah, come up. So I was at the scene. In so far as I met two of the families who arrived at the scene. Now, they didn't see the full scene. Obviously they were just kind of at a cordon. I then was at the hospital and I met all of the families involved and just give as much pastoral support as you can. And said to them from the very start, as I said last night, I have no words for you. I actually don't know what to say, but we're here for you. So as the evening progressed on, we were able to go in and say a prayer with the families and the deceased and then to put in our critical incident plans across our four secondary schools. Even though the girls had gone to the two girl schools, the boys school has been impacted as well. And the other mixed school that we have. So it was kind of from that, it was kind of just automatically putting in our critical incident plans, which we obviously every school has and anyone who works in the school knows what that is. But never to the extent that all schools had to collectively work together and unify themselves to deal with this as a whole community. And that community came out in great numbers yesterday. And I think people who were there or have seen the pictures would be struck by the amount of young people that came out. Yeah. I mean, in regards to our young people, we have been providing support in the schools, the NEPs team and the teachers and the principals opened their school doors. A time for them to come and light candles and say prayers and cry and hug and laugh. So great support there. But the mayor of Carmel, Richie Malloy and I were discussing that we needed something for everybody because this has affected absolutely everybody in Carmel, every single person. So last night we gathered, it was a vigil service. While there were prayers, it wasn't overly religious, which was the intent. We also had the Bishop of Borsig and Nismal was with us, Bishop Cronan. We had the Church of Ireland ministers with us. The man from the Muslim community was there. So it was very much a unified kind of standing with people. And it was young and old there last night. And I've said it already, you know, for 45 minutes, you could hear a pin drop, even though there was about 3,000 people there. The silence was deafening with that crowd. I've never, ever witnessed anything like that. And, you know, we did reflections and prayers. I just encourage the young people, as I have been from each other from day one, to say, look, be there for one another. You know, the best support you can be is to be there for each other. The person who can support you the best is probably beside you. And I think as a community, we just were able to do that last night and to just acknowledge that before, obviously, the long week which we have ahead of us, which is now to look to plan the funerals and the liturgies for that. Yeah, and that's why the supports, Father Michael, need to stay in place, don't they? Because even just listening to some of the amazing words of some of the friends of those that died, you can see they're very early in the process of dealing with this. So the supports are going to have to be there for the medium to long term, I think. They are. And in fairness, like the schools are open today, like schools, they have to get back to normal, whatever normal is. Most of these students have now left school because obviously they're leaving certain results, but the schools are still there for the students, whether they're there or not. So there will be support available there. Obviously, the supports will be there long term afterwards. We have a wonderful group here in Chalmer called CSOR, which is a kind of a drop-in center. People can just have a chat. Their doors have been open. And the pastoral support and care we do here, I do a lot of work, not just within my own as a priest, but in the community with listening support groups and mental health groups and everything. So I'll obviously be kind of trying to coordinate and help people and guide people there as best we can. I've been in touch with seven people already today, just touching in with them, making sure they're okay with their parents. They're worried and that. So look, that's kind of an in one-to-one support, but there's a bigger support there as well. But yeah, the supports will be there a long time because Greg, as I said last night, we will never get over this. We will learn to live with it and it actually will, I think, make our young people stronger in time to come. But at the moment, we have to deal with what we are dealing with, which is an unimaginable tragedy that we've never, ever dealt with before. But the people have come together. We've done our very best in a very, very difficult situation. I do pay tribute as you, I think people have done already the emergency services but also, can I just say, to the press as well. I mean, the press coming into any town, they did exceptionally well. They were very respectful. I was kind of guiding them saying, look, don't take a photo here or, you know, be careful of this. And they were very respectful and they have been very, very diligent to get the story out because obviously this has affected the whole country, Greg. You know, parents are saying, it could have been my child, it could have been my grandchild, it could have been anybody. And it was just a freak accident that has happened. Sadly, it's come to our town. Yeah. And it's so true. And things are so immediate now. There were parents who had sent their young ones off for their celebrations and they'd yet to return and the parents were learning of this news and it just really struck home for so many people. And you quite rightly point out, this was felt by everyone across the country. And in interviews like this, Father Michael, I'm sure you're asked, you know, what can you say or how do you make sense of this? But at this time, there are no words and there are no sense to it. So, you know what I mean? Yes, go ahead, Father. So that was the thing I said to the two of the families other night. I don't know what to say to you. I have no words. And I said the same thing last night to everybody. I said, there are no words. And we've all said that. I said, but I said, all we can do is just to, as we have last night, we gathered we're there just to show solidarity. Some of the family members were there last night. I spoke to one of the brothers and he was just, I think he's still obviously in shock and it's not coming in. He's not taking them. But he just said, I can't believe there are so many people here. We've never seen a gathering like that before. But I think that just itself, even without saying anything, will help the families. That's all we can do at this time, you know. Yeah, of course. And you would be fully aware, of course, Father. And we had our, we have our fair share of road tragedies, of course, but we had our own awful tragedy here less than a year ago, the Chrysler tragedy. And I'm sure that was the first thing that came to my mind. The other day, I do mass on RT News every Monday morning and I pay tribute to people of Chrysler. This morning, I'll be paying tribute to our own people. I never thought I'd have to do it from one of my own. We always say that and people have said that. But unfortunately, when it comes to your door, you have to kind of, for me, it's my faith. It keeps me strong, keeps me going. But it's also the support I know that people will give each other at this time, which we just have to be very careful with one another and, you know, and that's what we're doing for the best we can under these extraordinary circumstances. Okay, Father Michael Tumel, you continue to get this strength and guidance and support that you'll need as well. Thanks very much for your time. Yeah, and thank you. And thank you to all your listeners for your support and prayers as well. It's much appreciated. Okay, thanks very much. That's Father Michael Tumel, chaplain at CBS High School, Klon Mel. Mass will be offered for the repose of the souls of Luke McSweeney, Grace McSweeney, Nicole Murphy and Zoe Coffey at a mass to be broadcast on RTE News Now at 10.30 this morning, if you want to break away from this and if you would get some comfort from that, that's okay too. Right, the rest of the remaining stories that were in the papers will dip in and out of them as the morning progresses, but we'll take just a short break. The Ninth All New 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. Wonder Room presents Ireland's biggest indoor dancing festival, the World Matchmaking Festival, in four venues for 10 days, 10 nights. September 29th to October 8th, starring 35 bands including the Tumbling Patties, Derek Ryan, David James, Declan Ernie, was blind date and speed dating. Book now for accommodation and entertainment package deals. Log on to showtours.ie or call 0818-300-888. Meet your match in Wonder Room. Very special guest from Liston, Varna, the word-famous matchmaker, Willie Daly. It's the big brand sale at Super Value, and there's great special offers like, selected Nestle and Kellogg serials now half price, selected goodies like Cadbury Large Bars and a Donald's Sharing Crisps and a three for five euro, and money off vouchers every week on the app. So don't miss our big brand sale and pop in store or online for great savings at Super Value. Log on to 08 for an immediate reservation or harvyspoint.com. Want to live a more sustainable lifestyle, but not too sure how to start? Join me, Don and Marie Daugherty, every Tuesday at half past 12, for its hours to protect to learn all the tips and tricks. Ours to protect is funded by Commission Le Mans with a television license fee under the partnership between Highland Radio and the independent broadcasters of Ireland. Check out hours to protect.ie for more info. Highland Radio time checks with Expressway. Travel Route 32 from Letty Kennedy Dublin when you book online and travel for less. Expressway, bringing you the time, Matt. 9.25, a caller says, did I hear right? The government are going to bail RTE out in the next budget. Correct me if I'm wrong. Well, can I correct you? And you're not wrong, of course. You're right. It's you bailing them out. It's not the government. It's your money, you see. They gather up all our money and then decide to what to do with it. And they've decided that RTE is going to need a 50 million euro bailout. So it is the government that's spending our money on it. But anyway, I'll go on to read. Does RTE not receive more revenue from advertising than from the license fee? There must be one of the only national broadcasters globally that can receive a license fee and advertising for profit. They buy in most of their shows because they produce very little programming of any quality that caller believes. It is a joke. I think Channel 4 has a mix of advertising and license fee money. On Wednesday, we're going to find out what the status of Donegal will be for the next general elections. The Election Commission is going to make its findings known. And we're going to get more TDs. The number of TDs in the next door could rise by 21 from a current 160 in response to a rise in the population, which is really quite interesting because we said it out here that there should be one TD for every 30,000 people. But our nearest neighbors, of course, Britain, their rate is somewhat different. They've got one MP for every 92,000 people. So I don't know why we've set the bar so low in terms of the level of representation that we need. Normally, we look to what's happening across the water and follow them quite closely. But anyway, it is believed by the powers that be that we need a single TD for every 30,000 people. And as I say, in Britain, it's one for every 92,000 people. Well, the Electoral Commission established in May this year will report on Wednesday on how many additional TDs are required and on the makeup of the constituencies that elect them. To take account of Ireland, its growing population, the Commission has been given a remit to create between 11 and 21 additional seats. It'll be the first time the number of TDs has grown since 1981. Now, in order to accommodate all the extra TDs, every one of the country's 39 constituencies is likely to change. So we don't know what the makeup of Donegal might be in its relationship with Sligo Leacham and North Russ Common and so on and so forth. But we'll know on Wednesday, we'll have analysis of that. Also, just to recap that story about RTE, it'll need a state bailout in the budget of at least 50 million. If it's to survive as increasing numbers, refuse to pay their TV license over the recent payment scandal. But before the government will even consider any request for funds, the national broadcasts will have to enact major reforms and drastic cost-cutting measures. While no definitive figure has been agreed, it's been reported that RTE will need at least 50 million or more just to keep afloat in 2024. But media minister Catherine Martin will demand that radical changes are put in place before any state cash is handed over as concerns grow that the broadcaster is already finding it difficult to make reforms. But what kind of reforms are they looking for? Transparency, accountability, all that kind of nonsense, culture. I'm not saying those things don't have to change, but how do you even sort of determine that's happening at all or rated? Either way, they'll get the cash and it's going to come out as a say of your pockets. Just on a slightly more positive note, laughter is cheap, do we laugh enough? But apparently having a good laugh twice a week could help reduce the risk of heart disease. This was in the Irish mirror today. The first-ever trial measuring its effects on symptoms has found a fit of the giggles, cuts inflammation, and increases the heart's capacity to pump oxygen around the body. Of 26 coronary artery disease patients with an average age of 64, half were asked to watch two hour-long comedy shows on TV each week and the rest watched documentaries. After 12 weeks, the comedy group had a 10% boost in their VO2 max test, measuring how much oxygen the heart can pump around the body. So all you have to do if you want to improve your heart is to have a laugh as much as you can. Right, okay, we are going to go now to a beautiful riffle, but unfortunately, someone saw fit to vandalise and temporarily take away from that beauty we joined on the programme by Chair of Riffle Community Action. Rolling out the community scheme, Mary Hart. Mary Hart, thanks for joining us. Good to have you on the programme again, of course. Good morning. Good morning, Greg. So what did you just wake up to and when? Well, it was Sunday morning, but so overnight on Saturday a group or one or several vandals ripped up the flowers out of the pots and pulled off branches from the trees. You know, so the tiny towns who cleaned the town every morning, you know, came along and this is what they were faced with. Normally they just come along just the weekends and you know, clear up whatever debris and rubbish that people might have dropped along the street. It's the first time this has happened to this extent here. And just so that, you know, your listeners are aware, you know, we have been working for the last two years very hard in the town, under the town and village and you'll programme to try and enhance the look of the village on the town or even the city as we call it as well.