 to whistle on that one go do do do I actually don't know I don't know I'm ready to see in your subconscious you were watching there's a power of music isn't it that's a power of great keys music have a great one I see them are thanks Mike all right that's Lee Gage there whistling off into the sunset till he sees you tomorrow morning at 9 it's the 9th of noon show now though and it's good morning with the latest news update to Donald Kavanaugh thanks Greg good morning don't go to the Thomas Pringle is calling for an independent inquiry into instances of sexual abuse at the Art Greening Court complex in Stronau after it emerged at the weekend that 11 more cases have been referred to on guard the sheikhana it's believed the cases occurred between 1991 and 2002 they were unearthed after the HSC internally published a second validation report following last year's partial publication of the Brandon report document the British government is said to publish its plans to scrap parts of the Northern Ireland protocol at Westminster today it claims legislation will not break international law but the IFA says it will be a dangerous attack on the good Friday agreement the IFA says its vital any change to the protocol doesn't interfere in trade between the North and the Republic particularly given the level of cross-border trade in both directions particularly in border counties like Donegal the IFA's president is Tim Cullinan approximately 40% of the milk in Northern Ireland is processed here in the South and on the other side you know we have live castles almost 100,000 castles a year now going north of the border and similarly with pigs and sheep as well so it's important that all those flows of trade can continue a mix of policy measures will be needed to reduce the number of people in poverty by 2025 that's according to the ESRI which is calling for increases in payments to working families and those with children the government aims to have a consistent poverty rate of 2% or lower in the next three years however the ESRI's Dr Karina Dury says if that's to be achieved a number of measures are necessary I suppose not surprisingly the main takeaway is that there is no silver bullet to reduce in poverty so we have options we have lots of options so on the employment side we can reduce barriers to work through the provision of affordable child care elder care and other sort of things that would really prevent people who want to work from actually going out to work and this will decrease poverty rates somewhat letter Kenny has reached its highest ever position in the Irish business against litter ranking of 40 towns and cities cities the town's been deemed cleaner than European norms it's ranked second in the country after nays with more here's Donna Marie Daherty the surveys that inform the rankings are carried out for IBL by Antashka the letter Kenny report is particularly complimentary about letter Kenny University Hospital the Bernard McGlinchie town park and the area surrounding letter Kenny retail park the report says the hospital has been a littered site in previous surveys but that is not the case this time round the retail park it finds wasn't just good with regard to litter it was a very freshly presented a maintained environment the report says the Bernard McGlinchie town park wasn't just beautifully presented and maintained it was spotless throughout letter Kenny bus station is also highlighted as a top ranking site in general IBL says there's a reduction of litter across the country particularly in terms of masks and other PPE however they have expressed concern about the prevalence of single use coffee cups saying it's time to consider a levee with a forecast only spells and well-scattered showers today top temperatures 14 or 15 degrees Celsius moderate west to southwest breezes staying mostly dry tonight but it will be a little drizzly and wet in places in the west and northwest with top overnight temperatures 9 to 11 degrees Celsius that silent radio news we're back with news in full at ten o'clock we don't always know who's at risk from COVID-19 and other viruses but we do know how to protect them keep hands clean and wear a mask let fresh air in get vaccinated and stay at home if you were unwell from the HSE for us all the 9 to noon show with letter Kenny credit union now offering mortgages from 40,000 to 600,000 euro with no hidden fees or transaction charges letter Kenny credit union 9102127 and now it's time for the talk of the Northwest the 9 to noon show with Greg Hughes on Highland Radio and it's a very good morning start of another week four minutes past nine Monday the 13th of June how are you keeping how was your weekend I hope it went well for you if you're working I hope that went well for you too we've a patch show today for you as always and hopefully when we say that we do follow through on our commitment but we want you involved of course get involved in the conversation have you will say 086 60 25,000 what's up syntax that number 086 60 25,000 or give us a call on 07 491 25,000 comments come to us via email comments at Highland radio dot com and don't forget you can always watch the program when you choose you can go on to our website Highland radio dot com and watch us there just click through the links or go straight to our social media and don't forget to give far pages I like there if you don't mind the YouTube channel in particular and Facebook pages and you can also hit the notifications bell and it will tell you when we are going live not just on this show but throughout the course of the week here on Highland radio alright later on in the program president of any will be in there with us he's obviously going to be discussing what's coming up in his podcast but also interest to get his views on Donna Gaul's performance in Clonus yesterday what do you think of it 086 60 25,000 there was a definite turning point in the game wasn't there but there's more subtle changes throughout the game I think most notably from our ma that turned that game and then of course once the game was last the score almost almost becomes irrelevant but not completely what next what do you think 086 60 25,000 have your say on that send so much more besides coming up tomorrow will be speaking to Garth Brooks as well by the way just let you know he will be joining us to discuss his upcoming concerts many of you going to them in September and that's and so much more besides right let's get on to the dairy people don't ago news this story is it's it's beyond shocking you know what's going on here and I think we're up in arms but are we open arms enough and not literally of course but we'll read the story here from the paper will be talking about this through the course of this program as well Donagall TD is calling for an independent inquiry into HSE run centres in Donagall following the emergence of a new report that claims at least 40 40 four oh intellectually disabled residents of a strunala care centre was subjected to ongoing sexual assaults by more than 10 perpetrators now this is horrendous for 40 people but you can imagine and some of them are going to be listening today to the families and friends and loved ones of these people who thought they were in a safe place a place of care and yet they were there suffering these crimes against them Thomas Pringle made the call after a report in the Irish Times about the assaults in the now closed Shawna hair units in St Joseph's Hospital the same centre that was the focus of the Brandon report the assaults dating back to 1991 occurred in the same centre where a separate review completed last year by the National Independent Review Panel found upwards of 18 intellectually disabled residents had been subjected to at least 108 instances of sustained abuse by residents given the pseudonym Brandon between 2003 and 2016 let's just say something very very serious going on that we need to be talking about and getting to the bottom of the dairy news this morning Sinn Fein foil MLA Kiera Ferguson insists the family of Paul Witter should not have to wait any longer for truth and justice Miss Ferguson was speaking following a decision by the British government to release material from the National Archives related to the death of a schoolboy killed by a plastic bullet in dairy on to the national newspapers now and another issue we'll be talking about a little later on Boris Johnson he's going to plow through with his plans to introduce a protocol override British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will risk a trade war with the European Union by today introducing legislation to override the Northern Ireland protocol and break the withdrawal treaty he negotiated three years ago now this is all on him you know because even as we were going through the pandemic the EU reached out to Britain and says look we can delay this you know until such time as we get through the pandemic and see the state of our economies and what have you and I presume there could have been a further delay given the impacts on the economic impacts of the war in Ukraine but no he's insisting on going through with this and insisting on going through with this unilateral decision and all the consequences that might come with it and yet the the economy in which he's control of which he is control of continues to shrink and the consequences for Northern Ireland in this this is going to create uncertainty there's a bit of certainty there now but once they start tinkering with the protocol or even beyond that it's going to create such uncertainty that businesses will go well we can't operate in that environment because it's too uncertain and they'll go elsewhere and that's all very that's all very worrying I'd imagine but anyway he's insisting on going ahead with it the bills expected to give ministers the power to scrap checks on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and to remove the requirement for businesses in the north to follow EU regulations on the pressure from your sceptic conservative back bench to Mr Johnson's understood to have included clauses in the bill that explicitly supply British domestic legislation ratifying the withdrawal treaty right on to the Irish independent now green light for thousands of pensioners to get hikes this on the face of it seems like good news thousands of pensioners are in line for badly needed increases in income to help them deal with rising inflation thanks to a change in revenue rules the pensioners affected are those with immunities that have a cost of living rise built in it comes after the Irish independent exposed has some insurance companies that are supposed to cover rising prices weren't paying cost of living increases for the schemes the companies were restricting what are known as escalator rates for annuity customers because they claimed revenue rules restricted the increase they could pay now I don't know how many people would have annuities I haven't really heard much about this previously by the way but the headline suggests it's good news for an awful lot of people but I don't know if it really is I don't know if many people listen to this program will get benefits from that these annuity schemes had been sold to thousands of people as part of their pension plan to guard against the effects of inflation but the move by pensions firms to limit inflation escalator payments sparked a revenue probe so if you have one of these schemes it's good news for you for the rest of us I'm afraid no good news there the Irish Daily Mail tells us that relations between finnegale and finafoil are crumbling as liov-radcar seek support to slash taxes now this doesn't surprise me really because I suppose you know liov-radcar transitioning into the position once again of T shock you know really we're kind of probably in election mode if not already at that point and finafoil obviously again not performing very well in the polls finnegale continuing to gain some momentum but of course shin fane far and away ahead of both parties even when combined interestingly by the way the latest indication show the social democrats have zero support but anyway finnegale is to table a shunned motion this week seeking backing for its tax cutting agenda the move comes as shin fane surges with the poll published yesterday putting it on 37% and edging towards single party government the shock result leaves finafoil and finnegale engaged in a grim battle for survival intriguingly the paper says in the wake of leader mr. veradkar's outlining of tax cutting agenda finnegale is up three points to 23% edging ahead of finafoil on 22% and although the tarnished as increasingly independent stance has fueled tensions within the finafoil within finafoil his party let's go to page seven his party is to ratchet up its increasingly independent stance on the next budget with a shunned motion seeking the support of the upper house for mr. veradkar's proposals right on to the irish daily star did you know that communities can no longer access information to see if convicted sector sex offenders are living in their areas it comes after the Department of Justice told the agency in charge of keeping an eye on these people to stop publishing annual reports that means the exact location of sex offenders following the release from prison is no longer available to the public data showing the number of perverts living in specific geographical areas had been published each year by the sex offenders risk assessment and management agency now my understanding is is that it wasn't really that specific in terms of counties or specific counties or areas within the county but anyway it showed the 173 paedophile rapists and other sex offenders living in communities under the supervision of sorum in 2020 they were released from prison after serving sentences for crimes including defilement of a child sexual exploitation and aggravated sexual assault but that information is no longer going to be made available interesting to know what's going on at RTE because you know any agent or organization that broadcasts information on news or conducts interviews you know as much as possible you try and do so without going to be beyond the rules of the law in terms of defaming people what have you but there seems to be a particular problem at RTE although that is to say we don't have access to everybody else's information but did you know that RTE has been hit with 29 separate sets of defamation cases over the past six years the cases have cost the broadcaster more than 4.7 million or an average of around 160,000 euro each now those are quite big slips you know there's editorial policies in place to try and mitigate this happening but it's happened 29 times at RTE in a short enough spell six years now it's 160,000 euro each these cases have cost but that's not the full story because not all cases have been closed and the figure is likely to rise still further RTE said in 2017 there'd been eight cases for the following year and another five cases in 2019 according to the records released under freedom of information in 2020 there were seven cases and just one in 2021 however the number of proceedings has bounced back with four already in the first five months of the seer this includes a complaint by Sinn Féin President Mary Lou Macdonald following remarks on RTE radio about historic abuse cases earlier this year so as I say it is well maybe that maybe that what you can say that the rules are too stringent in that regard okay there'll be a big viewership to RTE tonight for a program on Charlie Byrd this is in the sun today it's not going to be for everyone I'm going on this journey with him but as I say there will be a huge viewership for the majority I think Charlie Byrd will visit his own grave in a new TV documentary tonight tonight the RTE legend who's 72 was diagnosed with motor neuron disease last October after hiding his condition from friends and family for months according to the paper and in RTE ones Charlie Byrd loud and clear viewers will see the spot on Inish or where his ashes will be buried when he dies a poignant moment sees Charlie visit the peaceful Arran Island spot with close friend Paderpoil and wife Breed the veteran broadcaster befriended the local pair years ago on his travel to the beauty spot okay so that is tonight on RTE at 9.35 and I say so because I know a lot of you will be tuning in for that oh wait 60 25,000 your whatsapps and texts please to that number we'll give us a call in 0749 125,000 offer us guests join us on the program after we take these messages with letter Kenny credit union is your bank leaving town letter Kenny credit union is now offering my cu current account and debit mastercard bringing full banking features with no appointment necessary to open your account the newspapers are courtesy of Kelly centra 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to form a great sub the game Donegal's Kevin Cassidy and our Mars iron cannon also from a county star now how do we do ponder more not only on the line to give us heartache on Donegal's first good championship game opener against Waterford plus sports journalist with the ABC Times and Donegal native Keith Duggan will be on line to round up all the weekends GA action it's a deal debate just after CMPM news this Monday in Highland Middle and podcasted on HighlandMiddle.com the DL debate with sister Sarah's Ladder Kenny serving food you'll love till 9 p.m. daily in Sarah's kitchen okay so as I mentioned looking through the papers the latest news beyond words really a new report claims at least 11 newly uncovered instances of sexual abuse at the odd Grandia Grandia court complex in Sturnawler are being referred to on Goddess you cannot for investigation the report from the independent claims that the abuse will they've covered the findings of the report the report for claims that abuse cases which are believed to have occurred between 1991 and 2002 to be referred to Guardi after the HSE internally published a second validation report into abuse at the facility at St. Joseph's Hospital independent deputy Thomas Pringle has been vocal on this issue of course and joins us on the program now Thomas thanks for taking your time out this morning. Morning Greg how are you? I'm okay did you have any indication that that there was this level of abuse ongoing? No not not not to this level at all Greg I drive I was I didn't have the suspicion that there was additional cases that there may have been additional perpetrators but I wasn't sure and it's a bit shocking over the weekend to read of the actually the extent of the of the abuse that was ongoing and you know 11 perpetrators including Matt Brandon that's people that carried out abuse up to over 40 cases and then further 20 of people who have have since died passed away. It's absolutely shocking like I think they think that there's actually more shocking in relation to this Greg is that this was all on the files in the centre so I mean the staff had been reporting this issue up the line and had been gone dead. So some HSE management the whole way knew this was going on so the brand report was nothing new to them so they've obviously known what's going on and they did nothing about it. Yeah that's a really important point this is they've been able to go through paperwork to discover this information and as you mentioned to sadly other potential victims have since passed away the extent to what was going on it is it is shocking this was at the one facility is that correct? Well as far as I know it's at the one facility I haven't seen the report myself so we're supposedly we're just talking in the blind at the moment and I hope to raise it in the doll this week with the minister to get some more information in relation to it. And I know that the minister is intended to publish their own to our own report at the moment because the HSE wouldn't even allow the minister to have a look at or to publish the branding report as it was at that time. So the ministers is doing our own report trying to get to the bottom of this as well. I think we have to go further and we have to take this out of the hand of the HSE because I think it's this clearly shows how they've behaved in the branding report and this is going on for many years they've showed that they're not capable of dealing with this and we can't expect to get the truth from them either. I'm asking these questions to get them out there more than expecting you to know the answers. But do we know if the families of these victims are aware or do we have people listening here who had a loved one or has or had a loved one in this facility that go well does that include me like have families been fully briefed and informed of what's going on. As far as I know they haven't. I've been had family members contact me where I've contacted the HSE for months to try and get them to talk to them and eventually they have and also other family members who have got the HSE have spoken to them and have told them that their family member wasn't abused by branding but could they have been abused by these other perpetrators as well. We can have a situation whereby what we need to know is if a loved one a family member thought there's something going on here. Did they raise their concerns and were they told no everything's fine but at the same time something was written down at odds that by staff. Do you know as I say I'm not trying to throw fuel on the flames here but those are really really important because if there's 40 40 victims potentially here you know that has a huge ripple effect right across Donegal. Yeah it's huge again. I mean it's shocking and sadly I don't think it's unusual either in the context of the whole national picture I think you know and the very least the families deserve is to be told the truth and we can't even rely on the HSE to do that at the moment and that's if they were if they were telling families and if they were talking to families and letting families know what would happen you would say well okay let's move it on but that hasn't happened and this is all being hidden behind though ongoing investigations. We can't comment on individual cases. Matters are being referred to the Guardi you know I'm not saying I'm not saying people are actively covering it up okay I don't know that but the facts are the facts. Okay well the facts are being obscured from us in our living memories this is not historical right now we're not getting to the bottom of this when I able to because you know there's blockers in place. Yeah and that's the problem with it and I was just made when I read in the Sunday Independent yesterday that this has been handed over by the HSE to the Guardi because in my mind the Guardi have questions answered as well because I know the Brandon case was reported to Guardi in 2011 by the whistleblower and he was told by the Guardi that they were already aware of it and then in the Brandon report we see itself that in 2020 the Guardi said that they couldn't do anything with it because they hadn't the information hadn't come forward so they waited nine years before they decided what to do with it you know and now it's been handed over to the Guardi. I mean is this not something that's worthy of a specific task force you know not to just go into the general Guarda Shia Khanna you know machine and I'm not I'm not questioning that right but surely the level of what's going on here and how it's not just about perpetrators here it's about everything that was going on around it right this requires a task force surely or whatever our equivalent of that is this requires a special team to be appointed solely to this this is the level of a scandal we're talking here in my view. Yeah I think you're right Brandon but I think what we need is a public inquiry and you look if you look at them in order for like the Mokomor inquiry that's taking place now at the moment I think we need something like that and I think this has to be done in public because the families deserve nothing better and I think the people deserve nothing better as well because you know like and it's bizarre they get through this whole process I think the HSE have forgotten this as well that the HSE actually worked for us they work for the people of Ireland on their behalf. Well I think they've forgotten that they worked for the Minister of State for Disabilities and Robert. But she represents us the people of Ireland. Yeah and you know so there's there's something badly wrong here and I think it needs to be followed public inquiry to investigate this and bring it forward. Also what was the culture that allowed these decisions to be made and as that is how have things changed like we really, really deserve very clear answers in this regard there needs to be a root and branch look at this to at least give people some assurances while the rest of the procedures are ongoing. Yeah and we have to be sure that you know and look what's the best will in the world and sentences will happen even if you have the best procedures in any in any place. But what we have to be sure of is that the family members will be made aware of it and that that stuff will be put in place to try and make sure that doesn't happen again. I mean that's the very least that we can expect and we could hope for you know and families have been left behind and I know many families today and don't evolve will be distraught listening to us here today on Highland Radio and reading the reports on the paper over the weekend and that's not that's shocking they shouldn't be allowed to happen. Now they should have all of the details and if they choose to give reaction to this rather than what we're having to do and we've no alternative is to comment on a newspaper article who and they're trying to see who happened to get eyes on this report. It's not the way things should be done. We complain about leaks from cabinet meetings and all but this is on a completely different scale. But what can you can't ignore it either because it's out there in the public domain? It can't be ignored and the HSE have tried to ignore it for many years already and we have to put an end to that system and that's what we need to do and I think we need all politicians to be pushing the minister to support and fairness supporting minister Anne Robert and what she's doing and to bring forward and I think she's going to have to go a bit further when she publishes her own report that'll be very welcome. I think that'll be and should point some of the direction to go forward but I think what she'll have to do is go for a full public inquiry and public so that we know once and for all that these issues are being dealt with and we know as well that a system will be put in place that if these things happen in the future that families will be told and families will be actually supported through it as well. In terms of the Brandon case you would have thought as well and pardon my ignorance if this in this question if it doesn't sound right but at some point you would have thought right this is there's an ongoing report here the facts are going to perhaps eventually come out we probably need to widen the scope of this and you know that someone make a decision say right we're going to try and investigate everything and get everything out there because there's clearly more than one individual involved here it's like the facts have to be dragged out of the situation kicking and screaming in other words like have we any faith that you know what else is what else is there right we've almost stumbled upon more information off the back of a further investigation following the Brandon well what else is there that we haven't uncovered yet do you get where I'm coming from yeah I know exactly where you're coming from Greg because like I mean I've been involved in the the Brandon case since 2016 and it was only last year that we brought it to the doll because the whistleblower and myself wanted the HSE to deal with this they wanted it to be sorted out and they wanted it to be sorted out in a way that it could be dealt with and moved on I mean I didn't want to raise this in the doll and I don't want to be continuously raising this these issues either as well but I will until that actually the HSE and deal with this and deal with it properly once and for all OK well the the minister said she'll speak to us after she's spoken to the HSE but that might take some time but in the meantime Deputy Thomas Pringle thanks for your time this morning thanks very much Greg all right it's just it's it's beyond shocking genuinely is all right we'll be back with more after these Pete that cost of Brexit with no customs charges do you need a UK address for your limited company or personal use? Spishob in Derry can provide you with your own mailbox have your post and parcels delivered to Spishob and collected your convenience there's brand new 20 foot shipping containers now in stock ideal for all your storage needs at our Springtown and Coomor depots find us on Facebook at spishobderry.com or call 04871 878077 for more details do you need a little extra help staying in your home? at Bluebird Care we offer a wide variety of Qmark approved personalised home care services across Donegal and our 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 Bingo every Monday night at Halfway House Bingo Burnford doors open 730 with eyes down at 830 2500 euro must go the snowball is now 5,650 euro on 45 numbers or less if you're not in you can't win that's Halfway House Bingo tonight at 830 new this week in home store and more all summer duvets are half price but better hurry because when all our half price summer duvets are gone they're gone also all outdoor cushions are still half price but when all our half price outdoor cushions are gone they're definitely gone order online before 2pm for next day delivery or drop by your local home store and more home store and more a happy home walk the line once again with the multi-award winning Johnny Cash and June Carter tribute show Cash Returns celebrate the music of the man in black at the Millennium Forum Derry on Saturday 18th of June limited tickets are available now at the box office that's Cash Returns Live at the Millennium Forum Derry on Saturday the 18th of June OK, we are joined on the program now by Brian McCormick joint chair of letter Kenny Tidy-Tans Brian, good morning to you Good morning, Greg nice to have you with us I don't know these I'll buy I'll buy bowel surveys they're a bit random if you just look at the Hey, boy, you don't know what you're going to get sometimes exactly and, you know, I've called into question when they've described our tans as literate and I suppose but we'll take the good news of when it comes letter Kenny in second position among 40 Tans and cities what I think is that we crack on with it up here and we do our best and, you know, I think we do really, really well but I suppose if we get some national recognition we'll take it, Brian Yeah, 100% we let a Kenny's belt in a collaborative approach and I think that's a good day today and as I wouldn't to get nobody excited if we got an extremely bad one albeit you would look at it and examine it I think we just take the good today and the people who are responsible for this they acknowledge it and, you know, and wish them well and that includes, you know the elected banner plant there, James and the team and our volunteers led by Neil Blockley they do a very good job and others that do everything maybe they do it quietly and they just get on with it Yeah, and they get on with it all the time I mean, have we put in that those people operate at over 100% all the time? Have we put in a particular effort, though, ahead of this or did they just happen to land on the right days? I think, you know, there's a collaborative approach as I said, every Sunday morning there's, you know, outside the work and week people or volunteers turn up and I think the spring spring clean is just over as well so I think the town's in good condition we're ready for the tidy town's judges to arrive or they've possibly arrived already and that are Kenny and Goodnick and we're sort of I suppose it's a positive outlook when you see this Greg, yeah? Yeah, for sure. They highlight coffee cups as being one of the problems. That's nationwide kind of an issue. I think we're perhaps hopefully learning but we've a bit of a way to go not just locally, I mean, just as a society, you know, throwing stuff on our back sides. Yeah, I see that in my homework place. I mean, I see a lot of them coming in with their own cups and, you know, it's not going to be long until we're bringing our reusable cup down to a coffee shop and filling it up in your own container. And that'll happen naturally. And it's common and it's going to happen. You know, people, I think, will be happy to enjoy their own comfort and be more prepared, I think. All right, well, listen, congratulations to you and all at Letter Kenny, Tidy Towns, not just for this, for what you do all year round because there's amazing people that clean up the local communities right across our county despite the best efforts of others, it seems a minority to litter it. But as I say, we'll take it in the round, but it's nice to get a bit of recognition to Brian. Yeah, I think so. And I think it's only right to thank the council for their support and they're dedicated to Letter Kenny. And this is a good day for them, too. And it's a good day for the team, as they say, Greg. All right, listen, good stuff. Thank you very much indeed, Brian. OK, we're joined on the programme now by Roshin Galahar and Michael Doherty. Michael Doherty, the PRO of the Micah Action Group. Roshin Galahar, who is an affected homeowner, of course. Good morning, both of you. Thanks for joining us. Morning. OK, Roshin, your signal is not fantastic, but listen, we'll batter on with it. You've been commenting about this five thousand euro emergency fund, which has been made available. What are your concerns about it, Roshin? No, OK, well, listen, I will... Well, it's a string. OK, Roshin, listen, I might get you back on it on a phone line, if that's OK, we'll try and reconnect. Before we talk specifically about that, I might ask you, Michael, where we are at, as it relates to pre-legislative that situation, scrutiny, because there's a big campaign online at the moment to draw in pressure the government and TDs to back this. Any indications as to if it's going to happen? Indications at the minute would just on the grapevine, which suggests it's not going to happen, Greg, that we'll have the government post this on through. We know that they dominate that joint housing committee. There's nine in it, and there's five that are in power representatives, and that leaves them with a majority there. Unfortunately, so it looks like they're going to try and ram this through, and that's a real concern for us. And I suppose if you tie that back into what you were just going to talk about, that 5K emergency works, I think that also highlights the need for pre-legislative scrutiny. We just cannot trust them to go do the right thing. Has been our experience to date. And we see whenever we get into the devil of the detail, which is the case again shown by the department and the 5K and how they have construed that, that there's a missed opportunity to do something in good spirit that we all thought at face value should be happening. It was it was listed as one of four things that were seen as enhancements by the by the the minister to an letter that he sent to me on the 23rd of December, and it was 5K emergency works. But the reality is you've got to spend 12K to get 5K back if you're not already stage one approved in the scheme. All right, so stay with us and we'll tease that further. I think Roshin's rejoined us. Can you hear me better now, Roshin? I can hear you. Yeah, great. Can you hear me? Yeah, loud and clear. OK, so from your perspective as a homeowner, talk to me about this 5,000 year emergency fund and the flaws in it. Well, as Michael said, the the rule out of this and how it has come about or how it's been ruled out doesn't bode well for an extremely. All right, I'll tell you what we will do is we'll get Roshin on the telephone line because her internet connection there just isn't up to grabs. And I want to focus on that, too. But I want to just cover a few things with you more broadly. Michael and Caroline's going to get Roshin on the phone line for us. You're sort of trying to put the pressure on TDs as well. You know, the government majority in this is very narrow. You have the likes of Minister Joe McHugh on the record saying that if there's any nitpicking here, if this does not satisfy the micro action group that, you know, that they will not that he will not support it, that he would not support the government. And your fathers that have made, you know, strong commitments. Are you getting anything back from these people to say, will they back homeowners when it comes down to the nitty gritty as it relates to seeking pre-legislative scrutiny? You know, they've all gone very quiet, Greg, which is, you know, which isn't isn't surprising to us. But what I would say is that I suppose if you're in their shoes, they'll be sent to themselves. We're hoping that we don't have to declare a side here between the homeowner and the party. We hope that the party will do the right thing. We'll not know the outcome of that until the 21st of June. And I would imagine at that stage that they haven't spoken beforehand. We will certainly be demanding a position from them afterwards. But I think what they're trying to do is put the pressure on or what they really should be trying to do is put the pressure on their leaders to ensure that they are not not forced to choose between party and other people, get the leaders to do the right thing. And then there's no conflict of interest. There's no choice to make and everyone's a winner. But if the government keep on the path that they have been on to date and this is the and this turns out to be a second failed attempt by this government to do the right thing by us, then we will be calling out these TDS and they'll have to make a stark choice and they'll be remembered for that when it comes to next time around at the at the doors and at the elections. And what is the situation on some basic stuff, right? Because, of course, on this program on a number of occasions now, we have Charlie McConnell stating that foundations are included. And then we hear reports saying that the housing minister doesn't want them included. Now, I'm only covering the story. And, you know, I find it really, really quite confusing. I can only imagine what a homeowner might feel where their whole life's work and their future and their family homes is at stake and they're hearing different bits of information. So on something as fundamental as that, do we know what the clear position is with this new scheme and foundations? Absolutely. As we as we have in black and white, and that's the only thing you can work off, Greg, is black and white because words change all the time with these guys in black and white. Foundations is not included. That was in the guidelines that accompanied the new enhanced scheme that was published on the 30th of November last year. Clearly in their foundations are listed on on the page on on exclusions. Foundations are listed in there. So we have had Charlie McCombley. Come on, it has been on on your show and others talking about foundations will be included. That may be the case when it's announced on the on Tuesday week here. But as it stands right now, foundations are not included, nor are the other deleterious materials that everybody knows needs to be. Yeah. And which are quite prevalent in samples in Donegal? Exactly. And we have got loads of evidence now that says we have pirate tight and abundance here in many of the petro lab results are coming back, and yet we have got, you know, we've got the department and we have others within Engineers Ireland that are peddling this story that they believe it to be a pirate issue or Australia, Micah or pirate deal only. And they're refusing to accept the evidence and the overwhelming evidence is coming from Europe and elsewhere to say that pirate tight, if it's in there, pirate tight is a game changer and it doesn't suit the narrative of the department who are still held bent on making sure that they can cost the checker as little as possible until we get the pirate tight issue resolved independently. OK, because we can't expect the government to just accept the views of experts in Europe or wherever they might be. They're going to have to source that information themselves. Like, are we looking at stalling this then till we actually do that and get this right? I think we can we progress without do it. Can we progress this, Michael? We can progress with that. Yeah, we can. We can. Well, the way we progress at Greg and in anybody's common sense language would say, if in doubt, take it out. So when the science is there to say that less will do, then we'll accept that. But in the meantime, without that science being there, you can't expect a homeowner to accept a half baked effort at remediating their home. It has to be done right, and it has to be a demolition rebuild until there is evidence, scientific evidence that says that less will do. Right now, the overwhelming evidence that we have to our disposal is saying that it's it's it's going to be beyond salvaging once you've got piratite or these other sulfides in in abundance, which is what our reports are saying are happening. So when that is the case, everyone right now, including the testing labs, would tell us that that's there's no way back from that. So until there is research and design and science that says less will do, then the the way we progress the scheme right now is the failsafe option, which is take the house down and rebuild it and that whatever time on down the line. If there's something that says less will do, that's appropriate then, but it's certainly not appropriate now. All right, listen, thank you for that. Stay there rushing. Third time lucky. Sorry about this because you've got really important points to make and I'm sorry, the tech led us down right. So you have been speaking about the 5K emergency funds from your perspective. What are your concerns? What are your questions? Well, as Michael said, there's a 5K emergency fund. You know, when when it was announced that when now that it's been ruled out, we know the details, as we say, the devil in the details. It doesn't bold well for the announcement on the 21st of June of what will be included in the scheme. It doesn't vote well whatsoever. So basically, we have to come up with the 5K up front, which I was totally shocked at. I had this through your show being raised by Martin Mcdermott. If I had been asked to announce this, I think I would have refused just to come to this with homeowners as absolutely it was so shocking to hear the details of it. So people are waiting, as you know, desperately needing repairs. Chimneys need to come down in the mean, especially in this current climate, with people having to struggle this winter to heat their homes. They're going to need their chimneys, but people are afraid to light their fires because their chimneys are so bad or the chimney might fall down on top of somebody and kill them. But they can't avail of that 5K emergency funds now because it turns out you must have the 5K up front, 5K up front. You must have entered the scheme. So you obviously have to come up with the money to enter the scheme, so you also have to have your property tax up to date to enter the scheme. And you also have to be stage one approved and you also have to get this work certified by an engineer. So I want to know, first of all, where the engineers, what engineers can we use? Can we use any engineers or most of the list from the list of registered engineers, which in that case, how long will we be waiting to even get an engineer? What is their fee and where does that be come from? Does it come from the five thousand emergency funds? When all is done and if anybody can even access this five thousand emergency fund, is that five thousand taken from our overall grant for our final work? It is as far as I'm aware. So the whole thing has been a complete. When you look at all those criteria, Roshin, the question you have to ask is how many people are actually eligible even if they were able to to front load the money? How many are actually even eligible for this five thousand euro? Well, that's exactly it. So I did ask that question and Zach Murray had said he has asked Patricia and he's going to come back with a figure. But the true number is not people that are eligible for this. People that are actually able or that this will even even if you are eligible for it, if you're close to doing your main work, you're not going to need the emergency fund. So those people do not even count people that are eligible, but are close to repairing their entire property. They're not going to be a villain of this five hundred five thousand emergency fund already. You know, so there is even a smaller number than the actual people that are on paper eligible to apply for this fund. And of those, you know, the least resource you are the less like you are to be able to I mean, what do you do with the expect you to go and try and, you know, get a loan or something? I mean, how many people in all honesty, how many people have five or six or seven thousand euro just sitting in their account? I'd say very, very few. Well, maybe there's more than I think, I don't know. But I very, very few and even trying to get a loan from the bank. I mean, I've tried myself and it took weeks and weeks and weeks. The paperwork is not straightforward and even the person that I was dealing with locally was, you know, apologetic of how long the process took. And, you know, he was dealing with us as like a homeowner. So as much as the banks are standing with the help of the nightmare for trying to get some funds to process. Yeah. And Michael as well. And I'm coming back to you in a second, Roshin. I mean, if we can't get, if we seemingly can't get a five thousand euro grant right, if it's a grant. How in God's name can we get a multi-billion euro scheme? Correct. Especially without pre-legislative scrutiny. I mean, this is clearly a scheme. Some might feel that is designed to look good, but you can't get it. Well, this is this has been our issue all along, Greg, here. And I feel for Roshin and the rest of them out there. And, you know, I will give as best I can a weekly update that'll tell us where we're at. But it's so disappointing to have to go back to people then and say, well, listen, this is what it looked like and now this is what we've got. And the two don't match on too many occasions. And that's the that's the problem we have here. So if I go back to that five K, that was something and Patty Diver and Farniston was the first man to shout about that at the working group meetings for the short time that he was at it last summer, that we had families in danger by rights, these families should be relocated. But there were no place to relocate them to. And on the back of that, we said we need to get emergency funds at least. The short circuits, all the other drama and the long wanted process by which you become eligible for the scheme and get these people in some sort of a safe environment. So that was the spirit of it. And then when it wasn't happening, we pushed hard for that. And I said, we needed some good news for these homeowners coming into Christmas and I appealed directly to the minister on a WhatsApp message to him. And I worked with him and we got a comeback with four things coming into Christmas very quickly, first one, very importantly, was the SCSI independence that he guaranteed us as opposed to the slide and scale that was introduced. And the second thing was the refund of the funds, which was massively important. And that did go well, but they had the fly in the open again, where they made it to the 24th of February. If you had your application and after the 24th of February, it no longer applied. So that was a backward step. And that was clearly a step designed at stopping people or at least discouraging people from applying in the old scheme and holding people off to the new scheme. The third thing was the involvement of the homeowner's engineer in the assessment and categorization, which we will see what detail that pans out like on the 21st year Tuesday week. And the last one was the 5K emergency funds. Now, the 5K emergency funds was meant to be something that fast-tracked through everything and got a chimney taken down or got something like a canopy over your front door if there was danger of parts of the masonry falling off over the top. It was meant to be something that was fast and easily accessed. What they have done is they have that 24th of February clause has now meant that for you to get into the old scheme, you're going to have to pay six or seven grand. So if you're not already in the old scheme, you've got to find six or seven grand. You've got to wait the three or four or five months is going to take for results to come back, and then you're going to have to wait on the council to pay the money back. Now, in this occasion, I'm not blaming the council, to be honest with you, because what they have been given is a set of guidelines by the department carefully thought out that minimizes the number of people that can available, which is absolutely I mean, this is why we need PLS. Roshin, it feels like it's being designed to frustrate that they're taking a hand out of us now at this point. Roshin. Absolutely, and the most worrying part about all of this is the impact that it has on people's mental health. And I keep saying this all along. So if you promise people that they're going to get a fast-track five thousand emergency funds to fix anything that urgently needs to fix. And then you come back with this. This is absolute trauma and top of trauma. And I'll tell you what, what I believe it is bullying on a mass. This is going to have detrimental effects, serious detrimental effects for our community, right the way to do my goal. So obviously, we're not going to expect them to come to that by giving us help for that, because they're the ones that are causing the problem. That's why they would want to come in and help us with. OK, well, we're going to try and get some clarity. I just want to ask you one other thing too, because I know you'd spoke previously about a micro hub to work with the community. And then I note it was mentioned yesterday that a meeting had taken place with some councillors whereby a micro hub was being discussed and you hadn't heard anything about that. Can you explain what was going on there? Because I thought this was something that you had been working on. And yet you seem surprised to hear that it had been discussed at a meeting between some councillors and the council. What's going on there? OK, well, I won't say I did know that a meeting was going to take place at some stage, but I mean, I feel like I have to take all the time to find information when it was the homeowners myself, Joy Beard and James Beard, who have been working on this for between almost 10 months. We've come up with a proposal for a community hub. So the community hub is home on an edge, which is extremely important. And the whole basis of it is that it's home on an edge so that homeowners don't see that they're walking into a government office. You know, that sort of thing. So that's extremely important in the whole thing. So we have been working on this and trying to get funding with this. We've been speaking to the council like this and they have said, well, to date, we haven't had any promise of funding of this. So it would cost in the region of seven days, five thousand, seven days per year to run this properly. And this is going to be this is going to have to be wrong for several, several years, but the hub itself is absolutely anything that you can think of that you need help with. That is what the hub will provide up to date information, which is more beneficial than information falling down on use feed support for mental health, for families and actually everything to do with your suppliers and information about how to contact suppliers, what offers they might have on every single thing you can think of would be in this hub. So I myself, Joy and James have come up with a proposal we did on the costume and then we did a presentation and we presented that to Martin. But are the council discussing your proposals or are they coming up with their own their own counter proposals? Well, I'm not exactly sure. I mean, in my mind, I would have expected that myself and Joy and James would have been invited to end it because I was very concerned that the whole premise or the whole concept of the community hub, a home on an ad hub might be lost without these meetings. And I was very concerned about that. So I did not know that last week that a meeting had taken place and nobody had contacted me to tell me I would come up with that law. Rassheen, OK, thank you. I was going to say to you, Michael, if we can't get the communications right at the local level, what expectation can we have for the national government to do? But anyway, what you're going to say in the last minute, please. Yeah, Greg, I was going to just say to you, Rassheen, I was at that meeting. I got invited to that meeting. I didn't set it up, but I got invited to it. But I did make your points very clear, loud and clear on it. And I'm expecting Liam Ward to come back with another meeting set up. I believe it's for a fortnight's time. And I've made the points very clear on there, regards that. So it was a good meeting. And I think we made the point very clearly about when we saw what could be set up for you, Ukrainians, and we have no issue with that. But the fact that you can mobilize, if they have been mobilized, we need to have a parallel for that set up and it needs to be home on our legs. So that points me right and clear. All right. Just one last thing, Greg, if it can, just on the 5K, there's 350 applicants that are stage one approved that can avail immediately off that 5K just to put a balance to this whole thing. Right. But do they not need to have the need to have that money themselves already, don't they? No, well, if they're already stage one approved, that means they'll have got at least their funding money back on the starter for 10. OK, so that might help them. And for people that are not even on the scheme whatsoever, their difficulty. Well, the good news is that you can still avail of the 5K to get your work done, but you don't get your money back into your stage one approved. I'm also in consultation with the credit union for the three branches and any shown to see if we can get something in place for affected homeowners. That's a package that's very attractive that would at least allow that 5K to be paid back over a period of time and so on. So that works for some progress. The compensate for something that the department has not got right once again. All right. Listen, both of you, thank you very much. Indeed, Roshi and Galahar there, Michael Daharty. We'll be back with more after the news at 10, which will be a minute late. My apologies. The Ninetyl News 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. 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Live on air, online and on the Highland Radio app, this is Highland Radio News. Good morning. Just on 10 o'clock, Donald Kavanaugh at the Highland Radio News Desk. Donegall T.D. Thomas Pringle is calling for an independent inquiry into instances of sexual abuse at the Orgrenia Court complex in Stranora. After it emerged at the weekend that 11 more cases have been referred when Gwadar Shiekona. It's believed the cases occurred between 1991 and 2002 and were unearthed after the HSC internally published a second validation report following last year's partial publication of the Brandon report. W. Pringle says the figures that emerged in newspaper reports at the weekend are truly shocking. I didn't have the suspicions that there were additional cases and that there may have been additional perpetrators, but I wasn't sure. And it's a bit shocking over the weekend to read of the actually the extent of the of the abuse that was ongoing. And, you know, 11 perpetrators, including Brandon, those people that carried out abuse, up to over 40 cases. And then for the 20 of people who have since died, passed away. It's absolutely shocking. Deputy Thomas Pringle, they're speaking to Greg on the Lentil Noon Show this morning. You can hear more of that interview on our website, HighlandRadio.com. The British government will this afternoon publish its plans to scrap parts of the Northern Ireland protocol in parliament. It claims the legislation won't break international law, but that's denied by Sinn Féin and by the Wales, European Spokesperson, among others, the thonest of Simon Coveney. Excuse me, the former thonest and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney says that the relations between Ireland and the UK are at an all time low. He's accused the British Home Secretary of his trust of making no effort whatsoever. We'll hear the Irish Farmers Association says it's vital that any change to the protocol doesn't interfere in trade between the North and the Republic. Its president is Tim Cullinan. Approximately 40% of the milk in Northern Ireland is processed here in the south. And on the other side, you know, we have live cattle, almost 100,000 cattle a year now going north of the border and similarly with pigs and sheep as well. So it's important that all those flows of trade can continue. Irish passport applications from Northern Ireland have tripled in the space of three years in the first six months of 2019. There were over 20,000 applications that skyrocketed to almost 57,000 last year. The figures were released by the Department of Foreign Affairs. The Irish Daily Mail says the threefold increase is due to Brexit. A mix of policy measures is necessary to reduce the number of people in poverty by 2025. That's according to the ESRI, which is calling for increases in payments to working families and those with children. The government wants to have a consistent poverty rate of two percent or lower within three years. But the ESRI's Dr. Kruna Dooley says if that's to be achieved, a number of measures are necessary. I suppose not surprisingly, the main takeaway is that there is no silver bullet to reduce in poverty. So we have options, we have lots of options. So on the employment side, we can reduce barriers to work through the provision of affordable child care, elder care and other sort of things that would really prevent people who want to work from actually going out to work. And this will decrease poverty rates somewhat. Letter Kenny has reached its highest ever position in the Irish business against litter ranking of 40 towns and cities. The town's been deemed cleaner than European norms. It's ranked second best in the country afternace. With more detail, here's Donna Marie Doherty. The surveys that inform the rankings are carried out for IBL by Antashka. The Letter Kenny report is particularly complementary about Letter Kenny University Hospital, the Bernard McGlinchey Town Park and the area surrounding Letter Kenny Retail Park. The report says the hospital has been a littered site in previous surveys, but that is not the case this time round. The retail park it finds wasn't just good with regard to litter. It was a very freshly presented and maintained environment. The report says the Bernard McGlinchey Town Park wasn't just beautifully presented and maintained. It was spotless throughout. Letter Kenny bus station is also highlighted as a top ranking site. In general, IBL says there's a reduction of litter across the country, particularly in terms of masks and other PPE. However, they have expressed concern about the prevalence of single use coffee cups, saying it's time to consider a levy. For the forecast sunny spells and well scattered showers today in highest temperatures of 14 or 15 degrees Celsius with moderate West to South West breezes. Tonight it will be mostly dry, but the West and Northwest will see some drizzle and some wet weather in places with overnight highs of 9 to 11 degrees Celsius tomorrow. It will be dry in the East, but it will get predominantly wetter the further West you go. West to Northwest again, some potential rain and drizzle again. Top temperatures hitting 15 to 17 degrees Celsius tomorrow. That's how it's really in use. We're back with news again at 11 o'clock. Good morning. Obituary notices for Monday morning, June 13th. The desk has taken place of Daniel McGonagall, Carol Mina McCannay. Removal from the Eternal Light Chapel of Rest, Mountaintop, Letter Kenny, today at 6 p.m. going to his home. Funeral from there on Wednesday morning at 10.15 for 11 a.m. The death has taken place of Margaret McGee, Broad Path, Convoy. Her remains are opposing at her residence. Funeral leaving her residence tomorrow morning at 10.30 a.m. going to St. Mary's Church Convoy for 11 o'clock mass. Burial afterwards in the Old Cemetery. The death has occurred of Katherine and the death has occurred of Mary's Church Convoy. Funeral from there tomorrow morning at 11.30 a.m. going to St. Joseph's and St. Connell's Church, Brookless, for 12 Nunn Requiem Mass with Burial in the Adjoining Cemetery. Family flowers only please. The funeral mass can be viewed online for 12 nuns. Funeral from there tomorrow morning at 11.30 a.m. going to St. Joseph's and St. Connell's Church, Brookless, for 12 Nunn Requiem Mass with Burial in the Adjoining Cemetery. By the Brookless Church, St. Joseph's and St. Connell's Facebook page. The death has occurred of James McMeneman, Bali Bunn, Castle Finn. James's remains are opposing at his late home. Funeral from there tomorrow morning at 11.15 a.m. for Requiem Mass at 12 Nunn in St. Mary's Church, Castle Finn. Entearment afterwards in St. Mary's Cemetery, Castle Finn. Family flowers only please. Donations in lieu if desired to the Donegal Hospice, Care of Charred Lynch Funeral Directors or any family member. The death has taken place of Robert Coyle, 40 Greaves Park, Sturban, and formerly of Bali Fatton. His remains are opposing at his home. Funeral leaving his home this evening at 6.30 p.m. to St. Mary's Church, Millmount. Requiem Mass tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. Entearment afterwards in the Adjoining Cemetery. Donations in lieu of flowers, please, to the Alzheimer's Society, Care of Quigley Funeral Directors. The Requiem Mass can be viewed live at millmountparsh.com. The death has occurred of Sean Mungan, four Greystone Avenue, Castle Derg, and formerly of 27 Tully Carr Road, Ahayarn. Funeral from his late home this morning at 10.15 for Requiem Mass at 11 o'clock in St. Patrick's Church, Ahayarn. Entearment afterwards in the Adjoining Churchyard. Family flowers only please. Donations in lieu if desired to the Fund for Ukraine, Care of Charred Lynch Funeral Directors or any family member. The death has occurred of Mary Gillespie, Dromahi, Broccolis. Her remains will leave her late residence this morning at 10.30 a.m. to the St. Mary of Visitation Church, Kelly Beggs, for 11 a.m. Funeral Mass. Burial afterwards in the local cemetery. Mass will be streamed live on MCNMedia.tv. Family flowers only please. Donations in lieu if desired to Kelly Beggs Community Hospital, Care of any family member or McBirdie Funeral Directors. The death has taken place of Marian McDead, Cabri, Quigley's Point. Her remains are opposing at her home. Funeral tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. in St. Columbus Church, Drone, Quigley's Point. Entearment afterwards in the Adjoining Cemetery. Family flowers only. Donations in lieu to Cromland Children's Hospital, Dublin. For more details, including any family health guidelines for wakes and funerals, please go to HighlandRadio.com. OK, you're very welcome back to the 9 till noon show here on Highland Radio. And if you're just joining us, you're very welcome along to the programme. Where have you been? OK, tomorrow on the show, we have Garth Brooks, by the way, if you have any questions that you'd want to ask of Garth, get in touch with us, 08 660 25000. I'll try and put them to him for you. But that's coming up on the show tomorrow ahead of his gigs in ahead of his gigs in September. Right, let's get to some of your comments this morning. Pardon my ignorance on the mic issue, but has it been taken to Europe? If not, then it's time to take it through the Court of Human Rights in Europe. There is a process that has begun where that eventual leads. We do not know, I suppose it has to be determined really how the government responds here before you might sort of contest that at a European level. Or maybe those two things can go in tandem. As I say, people have been over there. They've been listened to and their views taken on board. And we'll see where that goes. A caller says, I can't believe how what went on in these institutions has been covered up. I have had a family member in long term care. I couldn't have faulted the staff. And now to think that this was happening, it's heartbreaking. This is that's the what I was trying to get across. It's, you know, you know, obviously it's the victims first and foremost, but it's so many people who have had loved ones in care. And they might be asking questions themselves this morning. This caller believes it's time for an election. I spoke to a woman this week that had four euro left when she had her bills paid. She contacted a charity for support. And they did indeed come out and gave her 40 euro. But they also said they are a way down on funds and are getting very little in themselves and are not able to support those in need in this crisis. Greg, the price of petrol and diesel is crazy and the government is loving its tax. Yeah, indeed, as we heard in the show last week, the only at the moment unless there's a delegation from Europe, the government could only if they wanted to or any government, for that matter, at the moment could reduce petrol by 13 cent and diesel by nine. And driving to work today, I passed a station, two stations, and the difference between the two was greater than that. A caller wants to know is the micro action group being unreasonable. The scheme can't be opened up to everyone that would just lead to a debuse of it. You have to have proven you have defective blocks to avail of it. Are there being objection for the sake of it now? A lot of you want to comment on the football and we appreciate it. The RMR supporters refereed that match. I think the ref eventually just copped out. Is that a fair assessment or is that sort of like an excuse? I don't know. When did this booing, though, of players and free kicks start? We've seen it in a couple of games more recently. It's not nice to see. I don't think there's any need for it at all. I think let someone kick a ball respectfully and then cheer or boo or whatever you want to do, but this booing and whistling and hissing. Well, so why didn't you go to the game yesterday? I mean, RMR supporters outnumbered the Donagall supporters greatly. What reason? There was some roadworks up there. Did you have other things on communion's confirmations? Or are you just a wee bit disinterested because of the style of play? It's not the players themselves, of course. They're fantastic and give their all. But, you know, maybe the style of play, although yesterday was a little bit different than the game that went before it. Also, too, and I don't know the ins and outs of this. In fact, I won't say it, so I'll be accused of being an armchair pundit. But all I will say, I just don't what I don't understand yesterday. I asked Brendan because what I understand yesterday is when the black card was issued, why you would not just put an outfield player in the goals for the last 10 minutes, 12 minutes of the first half and write it out until the second half. And even if you sort of tried to maintain the status quo, you could kick on in the second half when you had a full compliment to gain. What was the what would be the logic? And I'm not I don't know the answer to this is a genuine question. What would be the logic, effectively, having to make three substitutions to put in a goalkeeper for the last 10 minutes of the first half and take off take off a key player in the process of doing so, as I'm not saying that was the turning point. But someone who knows an awful lot more about football than I would, if you could explain what would be the logic in a decision like that. This is how I'm just as a supporter, just would be curious to know. If they added another ball every time there was a foul, then it would lie from the game up and Ditto to soccer. I'll gladly pay per view. Right. OK. Disappointing game for Donagall yesterday, the constant booing from the Armour fans was very poor sportsmanship. Yeah, we lost. But where was the Donagall support? Well, that's what I'm asking. Why didn't you turn up in great numbers? Someone said to me that they didn't because they knew what was going to happen. I'm sure why put themselves through that. I suppose it's very expensive to cost a travelling. I don't know. Right. OK, let's take a break for the bingo numbers. And what we'll do is we'll come back with more after that. 08 660 25000. Your WhatsApps and texts keep them coming to us. But I will say good luck if you are playing the bingo today. It's time for NCBI bingo on Highland Radio. It's Monday the 13th of June. You're playing on the green sheet. The reference number is S16. It's game number 24. The numbers are 81 89 51 79 13 4 54 19 1. And finally 45. Phone your claim to 910 483 before eight tonight. Leave in your name, contact number and the name of the shop where you purchase your book and we'll call you back the next working day. Get all your NCBI bingo information at HighlandRadio.com. The night on the show is brought to you by Letter Kenny Credit Union with monster loans available up to 60,000 euro for all occasions. Visit letterkennycu.ie. Too many lives continue to be lost on our roads. There is still a cohort of motorists who drive dangerously and risk the lives of all road users, driving at excessive speed or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs will destroy lives. We all need to take personal responsibility and not take unnecessary risks that put our lives or the lives of others in danger. Slow down, never drink or drug drive and keep the race in its place. A message from the Donegal Road Safety Working Group. The award winning Genesis Aesthetics and Skin Care 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 07495-32575. The final O'Neill Sportswear massive warehouse clearance starts at 9am on Friday, 17th of June and ends Sunday, 19th of June. For the final time, County GEA Jersey's Leisurewear, including T-shirts, tracksuit bottoms, half zips, hoodies and jackets all reduced to clear. The sale will take place at O'Neill Sportswear warehouse of the Melmond Road Straubach. Derrick Best, Castle Derrick, Saturday the 30th of July. Featuring Sigma, KC Lights, plus support acts all under the big top tent. For ticket information, check out Derrick Best Music Festival Facebook page. This ad is kindly sponsored by McKelvie Construction, Castle Derrick. If you're thinking of changing some furniture, a huge sale is now on at McGinley's furniture in Aberkenny. It's a chance to save hundreds of euros on floor model suites, beds and mattresses, dining and occasional furniture with reductions in all departments. It's a great opportunity to grab a real bargain in the big sale now on at McGinley's furniture on the Joe Bonerlink Road, letter Kenny. See McGinley's furniture dot com. OK, so legislation giving ministers in Britain power to scrap parts of the Northern Ireland protocol is going to be published today in the House of Commons. Ahead of the publication, foreign secretary Liz Trost is expected to speak to European Commission Vice President, Maros Sekovic. And she also, I think, spoke to our foreign Affairs Minister a little earlier on Deputy Neil Richmond is Phinegal spokesperson on European Affairs. He joins us now. Deputy, good morning to you. Good morning, Greg. Right. Boris Johnson and his government seem determined to plow head with this. And still, we don't really know on what legal basis they believe that they can. That information is being kept very close to their chests. Absolutely no legal information has been published. It is well known that a previous attempt to do this, the Attorney General couldn't get legal advice to say this was legal for the British government to do so. Then sought secondary advice and there's all rumors about lawyers to the Trump campaign. But I know Minister Coveney spoke with Liz Trost this morning. I said, Maros Sekovic, the Minister's conversation only lasted 12 minutes. And sadly, the report from Simon is that this marks a low point in the British government approach to the entire Brexit process. It's a really disappointing day. And we don't know what this might lead to either, because I'll start with Northern Ireland here, because this throws in a great deal of uncertainty on the most basic level as to how you might do business there or how you might invest there or what the future might hold. This is just leaving it so gray that no company perhaps would want to expand or invest into Northern Ireland. Absolutely. And that's why we hear all the business groups, be it manufacturers, N.I., the CPI, again today, Farm Groups, all screaming from their lungs that they don't want unilateral action. They don't want this proposed legislation. Northern Irish businesses were briefed last week by the Secretary of State in Northern Ireland and they made it quite clear that what is being proposed. And of course, we like the final detail, but it's no great secret. But what's being posed will just add mass confusion and increase instability to a part of the world that really needs political and economic stability. Like we hear all these reports about, you know, dual regulations and in-market surveillance and a company can choose to go by EU rules or UK rules. That's simply not acceptable. And if there's a large scale level of diversions that leaves a lot of companies exposed, I think if you remember, Greg, a couple of months ago, when Edwin Poots, his agriculture minister in the north, ordered the stopping of checks, businesses didn't didn't go far at all. They still wanted the checks to continue because they knew they themselves as businesses, as individuals, didn't want to be in breach of international law, even if politicians and ministers thought it was OK for them to be. Yeah, this gives ministers the power to scrap parts of the Northern Ireland protocol, but do we know their intention yet? Do perhaps in a misguided way, does Liz Tross and Boris Johnson believe that this is the negotiating power that they need to get the EU to the table on their terms? Oh, I've no doubt that is that is one of the many four processes going through the minds of the British government. And it's been said to be by British government officials only in the last couple of weeks that every time the UK goes strong, as they like to call it, the EU comes back to the table. But the big thing is Greg, the EU has never left the table. In fact, it was the British government that left the negotiating table. Liz Tross hasn't engaged in negotiations since the 24th of February. Up to that point, negotiations have actually been going quite well when she took over as lead negotiators from Lord Frost. But the UK has gone missing. And the EU, after presenting an extremely detailed package of proposals following Mara Sheff's visit to the North in autumn, the UK hasn't responded in kind. And instead, what we're getting is no engagement from a British government, but rather a threat to actual athlete to break international law. And then that brings into the wider, more cynical thoughts that this is really more about the internal battles in conservative politics, which, unfortunately, has dogged everything to do with Brexit so far. Yes, as an onlooker, what I see here is that when I hear reasons why this doesn't work, things like trees and turnips are mentioned. And yet, on the other hand, you hear that Northern Ireland's economy is growing faster than anywhere else in Britain and Northern Ireland as far as I can determine. And then also you hear there seems to be quite a bit of agreement in terms of that this needs to be looked at, maybe the needs to be different pathways for produce into Northern Ireland. I find it all really quite confusing and an awful lot of it, really, the information quite conflicting. Well, the information isn't necessarily conflicting. In my mind, sorry, I'm not saying purposely, because I'm on about my interpretation of it. No, unfortunately, the issue that's come into this, Greg, is that politics and domestic British politics has come into the arena. And that is seen as being far more important than the practicalities. As I said, the implementation committee, prior to the 24th of February, we're actually doing really difficult work, not particularly glamorous, but going through individual product lines and, yes, talking about seed potatoes and all other things like that and going through what's at risk, what isn't at risk. However, that isn't necessarily of agreement to politics. And of course, we do accept there are elements of the protocol that isn't working, but overall it is working. Northern Ireland's economy is growing faster than anywhere else in the UK. And business groups like us, a majority of people in the assembly, back to protocol, it provides stability. But that doesn't allow for political expediency or for the political wins be they at Westminster or within DUP circles in Stormont. So, unfortunately, what I'd much like to see is the UK to stop with the threats, stop with the threats of unilateral action, just allow the negotiators, very talented European Commission officials, foreign officials, foreign office officials who've been doing this for decades in other realms, actually do their job, remove the politics. Now, unfortunately, the side thing and it's being used as a convenient excuse from the British government is the continuing boycott of the DUP of the executives in Northern Ireland, but also the Northside institutions which are increasingly important. Nothing will be achieved by those who decide to stand outside the room. In fact, if Northern Ireland actually had a functioning executive, there will be a way for Northern Ireland's ministers to feed into these implementation discussions to address those actual issues that a very small minority of businesses are feeding in Northern Ireland with the protocol, but also to maximize the huge potential. The mad thing is a couple of weeks ago, we had a DUP minister for the economy in Northern Ireland, undertaking a trade mission to the Netherlands with invest in I selling the protocol. A DUP minister who opposed the protocol despite boxing Brexit was making it quite clear that the protocol is Northern Ireland and indeed the entire region, the best of both worlds, full access to the European single market and indeed full access to the United Kingdom's market with only checks or maybe 3% of goods at three or four ports of entry. Right, OK, so I mean, we're on the brink of this now. So the timing, the question is not inappropriate anymore. What would, if this does trigger a trade war, what could it look like and what could the implications be for us here in the Republic of Ireland? Well, I think we're a bit away from that. And I think it's to be fair to the process that legislation be announced that has to be today. Realistically, it won't be passed through Westminster for 12 to 15 months. There will be opposition to this amongst the Tory back branches and it will be decided in the House of Lords would eventually push through. But what we're looking at immediately, I'd imagine the European Commission wouldn't pause existing legal action that they've taken against the United Kingdom. They're probably launched new legal action. And what this all leads to is not necessarily a trade war, but the collapse of the existing trade deal and the British government voluntarily deciding to have a no deal Brexit, that no deal Brexit that we all warned about and that we were all told was project fear. And all of a sudden that means tariffs. That means, quote, as it is a really, really worrying economics vector at a time when we're dealing with escalating costs of living issues, an actual war in Europe and so many other things. But this sadly is a choice of the British government, a choice based solely on political expediency. Bizarre stuff really. Yeah, we're living through it. Thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it. Thank you. All right, that's Finnegell Spokesperson on European Affairs. Deputy Neil Richmond 08 660 20 08 660 25000 Greg to 24 litre. Sorry to 26 now seems to be going up by the hour. P.S. So glad a hardworking politicians can claim their travel expenses. Back courtesy of us, the taxpayer. Indeed, every time to get a new delivery, it goes up, up, up. And well, it's worrying, it is worrying. What do you announce on the program that the Donagall IFA County Executive meeting planned for Tuesday the 14th has had to be cancelled and will be rearranged to another date. So if you're intending on going to that tomorrow night, it's off. Could you please get some information on why the Irish government and the justification of treating Ukrainian soldiers in Irish hospitals, i.e. Dublin and Cork, when we are in the worst health crisis in the history of the state, letter Kenny Hospital is 19,000 alone waiting on day services. Why is this not highlighted on the broadsheets? Answer, please, is any politician from any party able to justify this? Well, I mean, you justify it because it's to be in solidarity with the Ukrainians and I imagine I'm not open to correction. I don't believe the treating of these five soldiers will in any way extend waiting lists, but I take your point. Hi, Greg, I was out for a walk and was shocked to see two primary school children going to school on e-scooters on the footpath without helmets on a very busy road. I'm not sure they have to wear helmets, but I'm not sure what the law is. In fact, even in them using them on the footpath to begin with. They're at the fresh air, though, at the on footpaths. I don't know. I call us this time of the change in management in the Donagol team. Declan has done a lot in Ulster time. He stood aside and someone else get a chance at it with fresh ideas. But what the fresh ideas be as well, you know, let's not have a knee jerk reaction. You know, there's a lot of good in there. Maybe the way we played against Terry's the way we had to play and they dragged us to that style of play. I don't know. Brendan Devaney will be an after 11. We'll get his views on that. I attended the match yesterday as I tend all of them. We need to support them during the bad days as well as the good. I have to say the arse mass supporters are the worst ever for booming. I really hate being in the stands with them. Yeah, the only thing I would say is that, you know, if you take a family of four to a game now and probably stop for something to eat on the way, it's really, really very expensive. Obviously, the game is being televised as well. If you've been to previous games and you don't really like the style of play and you find yourself checking your phone rather than watching what's on the pitch, maybe that's why people made the decision not to. But this caller says, cost a fortune to go to the Ulster final. Can't expect people to pay again two weeks later. OK, maybe that's it. Greg, the Maville Vintage Show was on for far more to see there than traveling to a match that we knew they were going. They weren't going to win lol, they say. Well, hopefully everything went well with the Maville Motor Vintage Show. A caller asks, what's the story or who's to please all the dogs on blue flag beaches as all I can see over the weekend was dogs. Well, those rules aren't in place yet. They're at public consultation, though a dog on a beach must still be kept under control and so on. All right, OK, let's take a quick break. The Ninetal 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. If you are 65 or over or you have a weak immune system, you can now get your second COVID-19 booster vaccine. Your vaccine is due four months after your last vaccine. It will improve your protection from COVID-19. You can book a vaccination center appointment on hsc.ie or contact a participating GP or pharmacy for more information on your second booster or to book an appointment, visit hsc.ie or call our team in HSE Live on 1800 700 700 from the HSC for us all. Are you worried about trees on your property? Northwest Forestry Services Bully Buffet are fully insured and have over 40 years experience in dangerous tree removal, tree felling, surgery and stump grinding. For peace of mind, call Northwest Forest Services Bully Buffet for no obligation quotation on 9132033. 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This ad is sponsored by Kilpatrick Brothers Contracting for all your angry needs, mowing, raking, billing, GPS sewing, slurry or manure spreading, call Ray or Davion 087 212 1760. New this week in home store and more. All summer duvets are half price, but better hurry because when all our half price summer duvets are gone, they're gone. Also, all outdoor cushions are still half price. But when all our half price outdoor cushions are gone, they're definitely gone. Order online before 2 p.m. for next day delivery or drop by your local home store and more home store and more. A happy home. Due to continued expansion, Mekuse Tires, Willowie Street, Straban are seeking to recruit experienced tire fitters and vehicle technicians. Excellent package rates are available. For further details, contact Mekuse Tires on 048 713 822 38. Stick to the road with Mekuse Tires. OK, today the HSC is encouraging men to take action as Mental Health Week 2022 kicks off the theme. This year is Mission is Possible and the call to action is the action starts with you focusing on asking everyone, men themselves, service providers and policymakers to take on realistic and achievable missions, tasks, actions, goals and objectives which will improve men's health. And it is Bill Vaughan from Mental Health Ireland who joins us now. Bill, good morning to you. Morning, Greg. There's ongoing work needs to be done here then, isn't there? Are we making are we making progress? Do you believe? I think we are, yes. I think men are becoming more interested. All right, I'm looking after their health, but statistics research would say there's still a good bit to go. Yeah, there's a strong connection, obviously, between good mental health and good physical health as well. And one feeds into the other. It's that they both work very well off each other if you can get one of them right. Yeah, and I think men are inclined to be more interested in the physical health side of things rather than the mental health and the emotional health. So therefore, when it comes to checkups and things like that, it tends to go down the priority list with men. And that's why we have lower life expectancy. We were more prone to things like cancer detection at later stages. We leave it too late to go to doctors and things like that, because it's just not on our radar. Let's just repeat that. Let's repeat that because I mean, obviously, the statistics are collective, but it's all individual decisions we are making. So men listening to us today will have something niggling. The body's telling them something and they'll ignore it and they'll put it off off off until such time as really they feel like they have to go to the GP or maybe they go into the GP for something else and they'll mention, oh, by the way, now, what that means is is that we're presenting much later to the health services and that is leading to a large number of problems which become untreatable. Now, problems if we'd have, you know, said right stuff and I'm going to get this checked out, would have been very treatable. And that's the net result of that is people die, die younger than they should, and that what feeds into the statistics. I mean, that's the reality of it. That's exactly right. That's exactly right. And I would say it's comparable to, you know, owning the car, but not really kind of taking responsibility for getting the service regularly, getting it checked up, changing oil and stuff like that. And then when serious problems come along, men then kind of flag up the serious issues and hope the doctors, surgeons, people like that will be able to do something about it. And unfortunately at times it's too late then, you know, whereas if we if we took more interest at early stages of even just go for checkups to doctor, getting getting blood pressures, check things like that, it can, it can, you know, we can detect this more serious stuff earlier on and do something about it. Yes. And a lot of chronic illnesses are very preventable as well. Our lifestyles play a big role in us developing chronic diseases, smoking, drinking, lack of diet or our diets are in lack of exercise. These are all things that we can work on. And many of us do it fantastically and many of us actually completely ignore it all together. Yeah, yeah. And it's it's something, as you say, it's something, you know, part of us know that we should be doing and we would love to be doing. But it just kind of it doesn't set high enough on a priority list until then it becomes something more serious that we feel right and really should need to lose a few pounds now, weight-wise, or I need to be doing more exercise now. And we tend, you know, we tend to kind of go at it sporadically for a while until all habits then creep back in again. Yeah, but life is busy, isn't it, you know, but we can always make time. But, you know, I think people know where I'm coming from here. And I think when you get to a certain age, like days running to days and weeks running to weeks and months and one minute you're you're 36 and the next minute you're 52. Yeah, you wonder what I've done over the last 13 years to try and improve my physical and mental health. I mean, that's kind of what life is like. And that's where, you know, especially when we get the middle age, we need to prioritize time to sit down with each other and let's look at what we've done over the last 20, 30 years and slow things down. Appreciate the moment, enjoy life a bit more and realize that, you know, looking after our health, it's supposed to be enjoyable. It's supposed to be something we prioritize. You know, when we talk about mental health, people have concerns about the services that are available. And we have to give people a platform to express that because we're always fighting for more services. You know that if you make that call, there's someone there to answer that. If you get that referral, the appointment is not two years down the line. So, you know, I just want to ask you if people, you know, want to look after their mental health and go, you know what, just haven't been feeling OK. I want to chat to someone or even maybe, you know, they're feeling in a worse situation, there are supports there. We can always improve them, can't we? But there are supports there and things people can do to improve their mental health. And I think actually it's not just to improve it. I think it's like exercise as well as to maintain good mental health. Yeah, yeah, there's there are fantastic supports out there. I'm always saying that statutory, you know, through the formal approach like GP and on to whatever mental health services or even physical health services. But then there's also the informal like community services, you know, family resource centers, you know, things like Peta House. You have resources online as well, MindYourMentalHealth.ie. There's some fantastic resources out there. And the below all that is the message of taking responsibility for looking after our own mental health. And that, you know, at the core of that, I would always say, is your relationship with yourself and that's where a lot of us struggle, you know, so consciously we, you know, we don't. All right, we seem to have lost James there. Whilst we wait for him to connect James, not James, sorry, stay right where you are there for a moment. I want to bring James in. James DeVenny is from the letter Kenny Community Development Project. They have a mental health event in the courtyard shopping center on Wednesdays from noon until four p.m. Thanks, James, for waiting till my show's finished before you host your event. Good morning to you. Martin, Greg, how are you? I presume it's a coincidence. I'm only messing. Right. Tell us about this event at the courtyard shopping center in letter Kenny. The event is on on Wednesday from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. And it's a lot more than a mental health day. It's looking at mental health, physical health, psychological health, spiritual health, it's looking at all aspects of men's health. It's part of International Men's Health Week. And the theme for this year's International Men's Health Week is the action starts with you. And after the pandemic, where some things, maybe I heard Bill talking about during the pandemic, maybe some parts of our mental health or physical health or any type of our health has maybe taken a back seat or wouldn't be as high on the priority list. And this year it's about trying to motivate men in particular to start the action about looking about their their mental health. And, James, I think that the reason this is so important is that our minds are incredibly clever, aren't they? And if we try and work this stuff out ourselves, our mind can put we barriers in place. You know, if you know, whereas if you talk to people or talk outwardly, you know, you can start to see the wood for the trees or you can start to see a pathway to where you want to go. But our own mind, if we just try and work it out ourselves, can work against us sometimes. Yeah. And actually, on the day where a lot of things that we would put maybe to the back burner or we would try and block out when we're on the day and go around, like we have 25 information stands going to be there on the day. And maybe the one thing that maybe we forgot about or let's slip. Well, here's my chance now today. On top of the 25 information stalls, we also have six health care professionals coming on the day to do free health checks. We have two nurses doing blood pressure checks. We have a dietician. We have the diabetes service there that would be doing some screening for diabetes that could maybe on that day, it might be picked up early where we have somebody there from connect hearing going to be doing free hearing tests. We also have a holistic therapist going to be there for three hours to giving free holistic therapy. So if you don't know normally where you could go to get this kind of information or how you might go about it, or maybe you're wee bit nervous of going to the GP or you've said to yourself, oh, well, you know, I can't afford it. Or I might not get an appointment. Here's some of the basic services and some of a wee bit more than basic where you can go in and get it sorted there in a different type of environment. Yes, all pulled together in the one day in an open, free, non-judgmental environment. And where some services are also between three and four, we're going to have guest speakers. One of them actually has been on the show this morning with you, Bill there. He'll be doing a piece on it as well, where there's guest speakers going to be there talking about their services and other services that's offered within the community. Like we have somebody from the Wellness Cafes coming to do a wee piece. We have people from the interculture platform. We have people from the Traverse Project. We have people from a whole raft of different sections of the community, all under the one roof on the one day for four hours. All right, James, well done. And you just turn up and meander through presumably on the day. Turn up meander through. There's going to be free non-alcoholic cocktails on the day as well. They're being made by Letter County CDP. There will be tea and refreshments there as well between three and four for the guest speakers. I just want to also mention as well on the day, it's in conjunction with the LDC, the LDC would be providing some of the funding for the event on the day as well. And you know, you mentioned GPs as well, like, you know, where you can come on the day, there's no witness, there's no because sometimes now and it's no fault of the GPs and I'm not having a sit at them. Sometimes it may take a fortnight to get them to make an appointment. And sometimes by the time the fortnight comes round, as you say, we've talked ourselves out of it again, it's all there on the day for anybody. The free health checks are also available to females, it's open to anybody. Youths, meals, females, it's open to anybody on the day. Yeah, so drag him in if you need to. All right, you can get checked up to. All right, James, thanks. I think Bill, sometimes when I speak about things like this, people might think, you know, that, you know, everything's rosy in my garden. And that's why I sort of have this kind of an insight. But I'm one of the I'm one of these people. I'm one of these people that's tries to put things off. I'm one of these people that, you know, erects my own, you know, mental barriers to do things that I know I probably, I probably should do. You know, so like we all have, I think we all have a wee journey and it's funny, Bill, James mentioned lockdown, you know, some people became athletes effectively during lockdown and then some of us went the other direction. Yeah, yeah, the it's that kind of struggle we have with ourselves. And, you know, the there's a connection. We all can love a connection with each other, that whole community sense. What James talked about there, you know, the event we're having there, this bringing together over 20 different organisations. And there's a there's a feel good factor with events like that that we really missed over covid and men in particular love doing rather than being, you know, we feel more comfortable when we're doing something. We have a walk in football event this evening in the community centre and you're welcome to come along and try that great. That's a bit fast paced for me. When you start when you start doing standing football events like we'd be with Sabuteo, let me know, not Sabuteo, but that first ball. Where is that taking place, Bill? Where is the event tonight taking place? It's in the community centre in Lennykinny on the Astor Torf pitch. Yeah, I've driven along past it since the bird trees were taken down and I just keep sending myself in well in my 50s and I just keep saying to myself, I would love one more goal. There was never any Astor Torf pitches and we were young, it was just muddy fields and it just looks so so well when you're looking down in it. So I just there's actually grow. It's a growing sport, walking, football and the community centre and the sports partnership are looking to see about having future events and walking, football. So this is just a tester for anyone. It's not about competitiveness. It's about having a laugh, getting a bit of exercise, having a chat with the rest of the rest of the men who come down. All right, listen, and there's so much more besides, I'm sure we'll touch on more of this throughout the course of the week. You just mentioned, Greg, if anyone wants to know more about the International Campaign, if they just go through Men's Health Forum Ireland or ORG, a brilliant website and it can give you lots of supports and links for anything to do with men's overall health. OK, Bill, great stuff as always. Thank you very much for your time. I really appreciate it. Take care of yourself. And thanks to James as well, 086, 60, 25,000, your WhatsApps and texts to that to that number. You can also watch us go on our website, HighlandRadio.com, and you'll see the watch live there and you can see most of our guests coming on the programme. Now that fuel and electric has gone up, I think the government needs to give people a rise in money to help us survive. Yeah, and that's going to be a political football in and of itself. Don't you know? Right, let's take a very short break. We're going to be speaking to one listener about yesterday's football match. The Ninetal Noon Show with Letter Kenny Credit Union, now offering mortgages from 40,000 to 600,000 euro with no hidden fees or transaction charges. Letter Kenny Credit Union, 9102127. Have you bought your NCBI radio bingo book yet? Contribute to this fantastic charity and be in with a chance to win dilly cash prizes of 400 euro. Books are now available from your local retailer. This time of year, we're all thinking about freshening up the paintwork in our homes, bringing colour and vibrancy to our living spaces. 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Spice Hub in Derry can provide you with your own mailbox. Have your post and parcels delivered to Spice Hub and collected your convenience. There's brand new 20 foot shipping containers now in stock. Ideal for all your storage needs at our Springtown and Coomor depots. Find us on Facebook at SpiceHubDerry.com or call 04871 87 8077 for more details. Derrick Fest, Castle Derrick, Friday the 29th of July. Featuring Derrick Ryan, Johnny Brady, Jimmy Donnelly, all under the big top tent. For ticket information, check out Derrick Fest Music Festival Facebook page. This ad is kindly sponsored by Sears Engineering Castle Derrick. The band everyone is talking about, The Seager Sessions Revival, the 13-piece band playing the music of Bruce Springsteen's Seager Sessions at the Abbey Hotel, Donegal Town on Father's Day, Sunday 19th of June, three to five p.m. Tickets available now at eventbrite.ie. OK, Mark, you watched the game yesterday. You didn't go to the match. Do you normally go to games or do you normally watch at home? Well, it's the last few years I've always watched them at home because I like the commentary and the interviews at halftime and that. I get you, and a bit of punditry and what have you. Right, so what's your read of the game yesterday then? Achme read the same as the type of football we've been playing this last four or five years like we're not with no defensive structure at all. Like if you go back four or five years with the county team there, we the amount of scores we're considering and the amount of scores that we have to get to home games in the last three, four or five years is unbelievable. Like we have no defensive structure. I mean, there are no tackles going on around the party in the 50. We're retreating in front of and coming forward all the time. And I mean, it's, I don't know, it's just not on the way we're playing. You don't enjoy watching it or you just don't like how we're playing. I mean, like a stand up for itself. Like, I mean, it's not working like. And did you watch any of the other games over the weekend? Did you watch Claire Ross common? I mean, that was a cracking game. I mean, did you see in that game what you'd like to see have seen from Donagall, for example, go attack the game more? I can get more men on to play. I mean, we're playing we're playing rugby league type. Gaelic football match where you're playing across the park and cross the park. And then the lateral play. It's like in it's like in we're playing in sequences. Yeah. And did you find yesterday that I mean, there was a turning put. Did you feel like the black card was a turning point? Or there was a point whereby, you know, our kick-outs, we started to get it wrong and our mass started to get it right. No, I don't I don't know. But when you look when you look back at it, we scored four or five great long range points like. But even at that stage when we were at the top, we weren't getting men free in the inside where there'd been a chance of a goal. See, our mouth got their men inside us all the time. It was a complete difference. So I mean, the talent is there, though. Isn't it? You believe it's how we have the talent? There are no doubt about it, but we're playing that caveman football now. There's four or five years that's not on. All right. What do you think of our Mars chances now having watched them yesterday? I think they'll give us a 50 50 game between them and go away. Yeah, I think so. I think it's a great result. It's a great draw for them to progress. I think it's actually slightly better than 50 50. For those who aren't aware, by the way, Derry have been drawn to play clear. That's actually going to be a great game, I would say. A cracking game, but Derry should be favorite there. Yeah, I think so. Dublin versus Cork. You'd have to back the dubs there. Ah, the dubs, aye. And Kerry versus Mayo. Kerry versus Mayo. Kerry there too. Mayo won too. Impressive one, sadly, either. All right. Well, there you have it. So you've picked it. We'll see how we see how we go on. It'd be lovely if we were still in there, but we're not, Mark. You know, it's hard to believe we've no interest really in obviously we've got listeners in Derry who have, but we've no interest in Donagall football. But it's tough, yeah, OK. Don't get me wrong, like, I know management's a hard game, like, and it's a hard job to do. And I mean, you're trying to keep maybe 25 players happy all the time, like, and I know it's a hard job to do. But I mean, you've got to have a plan B. We're playing the one style of football all the time, but we're not playing with our own intensity either, like, because there were no men running off the shoulder, like, we used to do in 2012, 11, 12, like. Did you feel that our Mar had a plan B and put it into action yesterday? That's surely I, I mean, I. Yeah, OK, you believe they did it. I mean, our Mar learned a lot from the game in Baba Pay and from watching us against Gavin and Derry, like. All right. OK. Listen, Mark, thanks for that. Take care of yourself. I appreciate it. Mark, what do you think? Do you agree with him? The 9 till noon show with Letter Kenny Credit Union is your bank leaving town. Letter Kenny Credit Union is now offering myCU current account and debit MasterCard, bringing full banking features with no appointment necessary to open your account. Your energy savings start right here, right now with Bored Gosh Energy. New and existing customers can save up to 988 euro with our best fuel fuel offer. Find out more at BoredGoshEnergy.ie. Discounts on our standard unit rates for 12 months with fixed term dual fuel contract annual savings figure compared to BGE standard rates offer available to new and existing single fuel customers. 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With a Skoda service, you get a complete vehicle health check, genuine Skoda parts and free roadside assistance for 12 months. Your local Skoda dealer is DMG Motors' Clairo Dunigaltang telephone 07497 21396 or visit dmgmotors.ie PatValue have a brand new store at St Mary's Row, Bunkrana. I called in at the weekend, the animals are incredible. Plus they have so much on offer. They know a lot about what is best for your pets. From the smallest fish to the largest dog, PatValue Bunkrana. They care about your pets. Bingo every monday night at Halfway House Bingo Burnford. Doors open 7.30 with eyes down at 8.30. 2,500 euro Moscow. The snowball is now 5,650 euro on 45 numbers or less. If you're not in, you can't win. That's Halfway House Bingo tonight at 8.30. OK, some of your comments here, bringing us up to the news at 11. Bill is such a great speaker, that's Bill Vaughan. Always there to listen, did a few courses with him and they were brilliant on the football. Greg, as a listener, I'm very disappointed that nobody from the Dunigalt team of management spoke to the media after the game. This needs to be brought to the board. I think somebody should come out to comments when your supporters do so much to support you. Yeah, I can understand it, to be honest with you. You know, it's they're going to be gutted and devastated. And what do you say in the heat of that moment? And you know, the obvious questions that might be asked, not from the likes of our team here, but nationally, you know, straight on to not talking about the game or what next is going to be like, well, you know, are you going to resign, you know yourself. Greg attended these games, attending these games to get more and more expensive. I think that should be noted with the cost of living becoming on the rise. Indeed, I get that, of course. So a lot of you were saying finances was part of the issue as to why you didn't turn up, but we'll be talking more about that in the second hour. You are tuned to your number one local radio station, Highland Radio. We have a busy hour. Stay with us. You don't want to miss it. But at 11 o'clock, it's time to take a break for the news now. And we say good morning to Donald Kavanaugh. Thanks, Greg. Good morning. The Foreign Affairs Minister says the UK's intention to scrap parts of the Northern Ireland protocol mark a new law in relations. Simon Coveney spoke to his British counterpart, Liz Truss, in a seven to 12 minute phone call this morning. He reiterated his warning that the legislation to be announced in the House of Commons today will break international law. Meanwhile, former Taoiseach Bertie Hearn says relations between Dublin and London at present are deplorable. Donny Goltedey, Thomas Pringle is calling for an independent inquiry into instances of sexual abuse at the Argyrania Court complex in Stronnor after it emerged at the weekend that 11 more cases have been referred to one gore de chiakona. It's believed the cases occurred between 1991 and 2002. They were unearthed after the HSC internally published a second validation report following the partial publication last year of the Brandon report. W Pringle spoke with Greg on the program this morning. You can hear a large portion of that interview on our website, hideandradio.com. A sudden protest is taking place today between 12 midday and 8 p.m. in St Bridget's Hall-Lecture Mac-Award to show local opposition to proposed wind turbine developments. The Gorbarra Conservation Group says 5,266 people have already signed a petition opposing what they term industrial wind turbines in what is a special area of conservation. Simple cases brought by the families of nine people killed at Balli Murphy and Belfast in 1971 against the British Ministry of Defense have been settled. At the High Court in Belfast, Mr. Justice Humphries said the settlement represents the end of a very long process for the families. The amounts paid out in each case were not disclosed, but the judge ordered the Ministry of Defense should pay legal costs. A statement from the families said they had secured significant payment in damages. And Letterkenny has reached its highest ever position in the Irish business against litter-ranking of 40 towns and cities. Letterkenny was deemed cleaner than European norms and ranked second in the country afternace among the areas which were highlighted as being particularly good or improved where Letterkenny University Hospital, the Bernard Medenchi Town Park, the Letterkenny Retail Park, and Letterkenny bus station. And we're back with news headlines again at 12 o'clock. OK, Donald, thank you very much indeed for that. As I mentioned, Brendan Daveney will be on previewing the DEAL debate podcast. And also, and hop on to our website. You can watch the show, by the way, you can see Brendan in studio, but we'll also have in studio Angela Turish, who is the former manager of iCare. We're going to be having a sit-down chat with Angela, talking about how she got involved with iCare, established it effectively, what that journey was like, and why she decided to step away. I'm looking forward to speaking to Angela, a real hero, you know, and I don't bandy that word around, but these people are absolutely amazing, and chief amongst them is Angela Turish there. OK, right, Dr. Denise McCartney is psychologist and author of Parental Alienation, an evidence-based approach, a clinical psychologist. That is good morning to you, Dr. McCartney. Thanks for joining us. Good morning. Hi, Greg. It's Denise. Thank you. Sorry, I thought I said... What did I say? Oh, you said Denise, but you were calling me Dr. McCartney. I thought I'd called you something else altogether. Sorry about that. I understand, Denise. I get exactly where you're coming from. Thank you very much for joining us. Right, so, I mean, should we start off with a description of Parental Alienation? Like, what is it? Parental Alienation is a situation where parents have, typically, have separated, and one parent is influencing the child or children so that they no longer want to see the other parent. And they're not shallots, what it is. And this could be regardless of the gender, or do we see it more prevalent in certain relationships after the broken up, or what's the situation there, Denise? Yes, well, traditionally... There is no gender difference, I should say, before I begin, but traditionally, it has happened more frequently with women influencing the children because the children were typically left in the care of women after they separated from their partners. These days, sometimes, you know, it's generally accepted that there's no gender difference in the likelihood of someone alienating a child, but I'm seeing more cases now where men are alienating their children. And sometimes, from, you know, the male is a residential parent, but also sometimes from contact, which is a bit of a worrying trend. They can look like, yeah, because they don't have full-time care, they can look like, you know, the best in the world, you know, and then make the parent who has primary custody, being the one with all the rules and the restrictions and having to go to bed and you have to do your homework, whereas you can look like a hero at the weekends. Yes, exactly. Oh, whatever it might be, okay. Is this weaponizing children, you know, as part of the breakup of a relationship? What would motivate someone to engage in parental alienation, do you think? Yeah, a few studies have looked at this, and one of the main issues is revenge, unfortunately. And so, I mean, I don't think it's about not knowing the harm that people are doing when they do this, because when you tell them how much harm they're doing, it doesn't seem to change anything. And so, most of the research, that's in my clinical experience, but most of the research suggests that this happens out of revenge, really, people want to... But is there a psychological space, though, whereby, you know, what ordinarily really, really caring parents would probably give their own life for their child, would be prepared to, you know, emotionally damage their child as a means to an end? Like, I mean, there has to be something that allows those two things to sort of live in the same space. Yes, I know what you mean. I think that sometimes parents don't accept that they're harming their children. So they're dismissive when you try and tell them they disregard everything you say, or, you know, they just can't accept that not seeing their ex is going to be in any way harmful. And sometimes parents say, oh, well, I've got a new partner now, and they follow that rule. But in my view, you really only have one mom and one dad, or, you know, you can have two moms or two dads, I know, in some families these days, but, you know, not everyone. You can't just replace someone with, you know, another human being and think, well, this is okay. We've got a new person now. You know, it's not really... But how do we resolve this, though? Because, you know, it's so subjective, too. Like, you might have the mom or dad who believes what they're doing is the right thing. They might believe that the other person or the other parent, sorry, is not a good influence. They might not like their lifestyle choices. Maybe they're not paying the maintenance that they should. You know, but still, all the while, by withholding, say, for instance, access to the child and maybe their grandparents on that side, they're still inflicting potential damage on the child as well. So how do we, you know, we talk about it, but how do you... It's so complicated. How do we resolve it? Well, it's very complicated, which is why it's been recognized for a couple of hundred years, really, now. But a resolution hasn't really been found. There have been lots of attempts to try and fix things. And a child has a right to see both parents after a relationship has broken up. So it's about the child's needs. And part of the child's needs, or one of the child's needs, following a breakup that the resident parent has to meet, is the child's need to have a relationship with their other parent. And that's, I think, where resident parents in these types of situations struggle. Does this need to be positioned in law? Well, there have been some attempts to position it in law. I'm not a lawyer, obviously. I don't come from a law background. I do know, however, that the child has a legal right to see their other parent and that that is something that the resident parent has to... You know, it's a need that they have to fulfill. I suppose I'm repeating myself a little bit there. No, we understand. That's as far as I know with it, really, in terms of law. Well, in terms of, are we more likely to see parental alienation outside of a court-decided access? In other words, is there enough oversight and follow-through on, say, for instance, court orders as it relates to access to the children that someone who believes they're being alienated can raise this and this could, you know, work against the person alleged to be, you know, engaging in parental alienation. Could that be a way to sort of try and reduce it? Well, yes, that's what's been... That has been done, really, for many years. That has been happening. But is it working? Yeah, well, that's the problem. I don't think it is working, really. It's helping and raising the awareness of parental alienation, which is why programs like this are very important. And it's about really about for everyone to know, because the thing that parents say over and over again is that they feel very alone. And when this situation happens to them, and they feel like they're the only person that ever happens to, and it takes them quite a long time to connect with other parents, typically in my experience anyway, takes quite a long time for people to understand that they're not alone and that other parents have similar situations. And there are support groups available for them if they want help. Right, so this webinar is taking place on Monday the 20th of June at 6 p.m., Dublin, Ireland time. And I presume people can go on to Eventbrite or alienated.ie to gain access or to send in questions. Yeah. How much of the questions or how many of the questions do we know the answers to? Or are we still working through, Denise, precisely where we're at? I think we are beginning to look at some answers. I think we're beginning to improve the recognition of the issues associated with parental alienation. I think that for a long time, it wasn't, you know, people were dismissed and weren't listened to. And I think now there is a general acceptance and understanding that this does happen. It's just what do we do about it as the next thing really. And there have been some moves and some, this is a worldwide problem, you know, and there have been some moves and some countries to try and introduce things to try and bring about change, but it's not very easy and it is very complex. And, you know, if someone, a resident parent accuses an ex of mistreating the children, of course, no one wants to think that children have been mistreated. So everyone is very anxious then about trying to recommend contact to someone who's been accused of mistreating children. Yes, there seems so many pathways to a stalemate rather than a resolution. Yes, there are lots of pathways to stalemate rather than a resolution. That's exactly right. And can we address that though, or is this just going to be, well, what we can try and do is influence people not to, you know, to put the child first, you know, is this really campaigning to people's better judgment rather than us being able to come up with some sort of, you know, court or legislative solution to this? I think there is, my understanding is there is a, sorry, there's two answers to that question. So sorry, my understanding is there is a movement, a move to try and bring about change in court to try and improve the situation. And I believe in Brazil, parental alienation is against the law, you know, but I don't know how they define it there. But the main problem we have in this country is that we have problems defining parental alienation. That's a main problem across the world. That's not just here, you know, that's everywhere. And I feel that there, this is just a personal view. I feel that if we had tighter definitions of what it meant exactly, it reduces the amount of time and effort and energy spent on arguing about whether this is something or it isn't something. For sure. But all in all, while whilst, you know, because this is about children's first, whilst we figure it out or what we put in place, we have to ensure that we're not even maybe worst in the situation for a child. Well, exactly. Yes, that's very true. And being involved in conflict, of course, is very bad for children. And everybody, I mean, I think that's general knowledge now, but of course, there's lots and lots of research to support that. But if children are exposed to their parents' arguments, that has a really negative effect on them, a long-term impact. So there's a move to try and stop that. OK, well, it's good to see it being discussed and it's good to see this webinar is coming up. Solutions for Parental Alienation is part of the focus of the discussion. On Monday, the 20th of June at 6pm, you can go to eventbrite or alienated.ie for more information. Dr. Denise McCartney, thank you very much for joining us. Thanks, Greg. Take care of yourself. Bye-bye, OK. It's a complex one, isn't it? And there's different points of views. Louise Cooks, an independent researcher, and joins us now. Hi, Louise. Oh, hi there. Am I on? You are. You're live with Greg here. Good morning to you. Oh, excellent. I've never been on the radio before. No problem. All right, Louise. What are your concerns? Well, so what I'm saying is nobody sensible argues that mothers never unreasonably or maliciously obstruct contact between fathers and children following separation and divorce. But the international evidence, particularly Joan Mayer's research from the United States and certainly my own experience researching this, reveals that parental alienation ideology is used overwhelmingly by abusive, controlling and dangerous men to silence the voice of the children and cast themselves as the true victims and the protected mothers as perpetrators of serious emotional child abuse. But if that is our starting point, Louise, right, then if we are going to look at this and because you don't want this to happen, I don't want it to happen, then we have to deal with that and weed that out as part of this process too. Don't we rather than that just being a hardened position from us to begin with? Yes, you're probably right, Louise. You've done the research. But just fixing that need not to be part of this process and that makes this process worthwhile. Well, if you look at the actual parental alienation ideology and where it came from, it came from a man in New Jersey called Richard Gardner who had some very, very disturbing ideas. He used to represent lots and lots of fathers in custody battles who were accused of child sexual abuse. Now, I have him on video saying that if a child discloses to a mother that they're being sexually abused by the father, the mother should chastise the child. I mean, we don't accept that, Louise. Well, well, no, no, no, because a lot of these parental alienation experts actually still explicitly or implicitly follow Gardner's rules, okay, and Gardner's ideology. He wrote that children are naturally sexual and may initiate sexual encounters by producing child. And that fellow's got a problem. He's got a problem if that becomes that point of view. But I know there's a psychotherapist who says on her blog that she's working in Ireland. She's from England. And she is a follower of the Gardner ideology. Right, well, let's let's us say, for instance, we get down a different route. Let's just talk about two situations. If there's two people listening to us right now. One is a situation where, and we'll go with the mom and versus the dad for the purpose of this example. So a mom and dad split up, right? Parents split up and it was, it wasn't an amicable split up, but the man's a very good man and loving father. And the woman is a good mom and a loving mom. But because of that breakup, okay, she maybe wants to punish the father and withholds access to that child. I think we could both agree that that's not good for the child and needs to be looked at. Second scenario, second scenario, which is one you're probably talking to, a woman was in an abusive relationship. She left the partner. The child says that dad has been hitting the child and mom says, right, I don't want this child around that person because he's continuing the abuse against that child that he started on me. Two very different situations. Surely we should have a system whereby for the child in the first case, they get access to both parents and it's good for everyone. In the second case, keep that man as much as is possible out of that child's life. And then we approach it like that there and we weed out the type of stuff that you're talking about, dismiss that, but we realize and recognize that there is a problem and what's best for the child is for us to find a way to fix that without throwing in maybe the extremes with respect, Louise. Well, you certainly do not want to throw out the baby with the bath water because as I said, I do not deny, nobody sensible denies that this can happen. But what is happening is that these parental alienation experts, some of them are unregulated and I know that there are some unregulated ones working in Northern Ireland and I believe in the Republic of Ireland over from England, but also regulated ones sometimes. They hold to an ideology which is very problematic. Yeah, and we have to write that out. No more sold to Louise than we have heard awful cases of charities that we send money to and they go out and help people, allegedly help people. They most of them do very well in far-flung countries, but that is used as a means to buy someone that they've been before the courts to actually not help children but to abuse them. But that does not mean that we still don't have very good children charities that we support. Do you get where I'm coming from? It's the emotive arguments, Louise. I just don't think we get anywhere. Yeah, it's incredibly, incredibly complicated and but I need to draw your attention to the international stuff on this. So if I just explain to you that internationally, people are starting to come out against this because, as Denise said, it is an international problem but she's approaching it from the other perspective of, oh, it's a problem. And we're saying this ideology is becoming a worldwide threat to women and children. Parental alienation ideology is explicitly condemned by the United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women. The United Nations Committee for the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women to which Ireland is a state party and the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention to which Ireland is a state party. Now, there is a group of experts with the acronym GREVIO which monitors the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in all the countries that have ratified the convention. Each country has to undergo an evaluation by GREVIO. Ireland is about to undergo its own evaluation and Ireland is going to be absolutely hammered in the GREVIO report, particularly if Helen Mackenty, the Justice Minister, decides to criminalise so-called parental alienation, effectively criminalising mothers for supporting and protecting their children. Or fathers as well because it's not specific to mothers. Well, I need to point out that Denise is saying, yes, yes, yes, it's gender-neutral, we shouldn't exactly say that. That is a core plank of the ideology and more of the campaigning and the lobbying that they say it's gender-neutral. It is not gender-neutral. Last summer, Spain outlawed the use of parental alienation ideology by all public bodies following a damning critique from the United Nations and the semi-autonomous government of Catalonia in the northeast of Spain formally recognised the use of parental alienation ideology as state violence against women. The Italian Supreme Court last year ruled the Court of Parental Alienation Ideology inadmissible. And I was not convinced. When I started looking at this two years ago, I was not convinced. I was sceptical because, like anybody else, everybody knows women who behave inadvisably in a case of separation or divorce. It can become messy. Nobody denies that. However, what convinced me was going on Twitter and being subjected to the most horrendous abuse. OK, I'll have threats, trolling, malicious complaints. Not just me. OK, I've had malicious complaints made about me, about my mental health, about me to the police. Yeah, OK, I guess. And this happens to the London Victims Committee. And I'm not diminishing that at all, but Twitter is a cesspit in any case. We're trying to Twitter is a cesspit that these people go beyond that. They are incredibly aggressive. I understand. Any academic who stands up against this gets vexatious complaints made to their employers. And people try to hound them out of their jobs. They're incredibly aggressive. And that's really actually entrenched. I don't want to say I'm entrenched. I know, but you see, the problem is, and this was from the start off, is it's difficult because obviously, your conversation was talking a bit about the ideology and talking about some of them that might push it, might be involved in child abuse or something along those lines, right? And then they, from the other side, will say some of the accusations against you and it gets us nowhere. Like the word parental alienation, maybe if we had a different way of describing it and move forward in that direction, if so much negativity has been associated with that terminology, all I want is that what's best for children? What's best for children is absolutely, but if people are having a real problem in their separation and they're so angry and ranker us towards each other that they need help, but they're basically both acting in good faith and they are capable of putting their children first with help, I absolutely accept that they should be getting assistance. But people, I'm sorry to say, people who specialise specifically in parental alienation are usually linked with... I understand, we have with the sweeping statements because like there's some people involved in this movement in Donegal that may have none of the connections or probably don't have that you talk of, but I understand... I suspect I know of them all and I would be able to provide substantially... Well, OK, I don't know precisely who you're talking about, but anyway, Louise, thanks for your time this morning, Louise Cook there, to say I just... That issue is... There's very strong views on both sides there and you're trying to get down the middle, but it's very, very difficult as you can hear. All right, sir, we heard two sides to it there anyway. The 90 Noon Show is brought to you by Letter Kenny Credit Union with monster loans available up to 60,000 euro for all occasions. Visit letterkennycu.ie Start playing NCBI Radio Bingo today. 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OK, Brendan Davani is in studio with us. He's preparing his DL Debate podcast and has called in to go through, I suppose, you know, what we're all talking about is yesterday's game, you know, we all chat amongst our mates and all and, you know, this sort of, everyone was talking about this sort of negative style against Dairy. And then yesterday it was like, it was like, you know, wow, this is great, you know, we overcome the early setback, playing really good. It was a good game to watch. But then things changed. What happened? Yeah, do you know what? I was trying to find out that from the Aramaa ones yesterday. Was it a tactical change from the line or was it just how the game kind of evolved? Because in that period you're talking about, after that goal, Donegal were absolutely brilliant. There was space over the pitch. The match itself was brilliant from a neutral perspective. You know, we are from Donegal fans and very few Donegal fans are again yesterday. And I'm just wondering how much of that was the style of play from the Ulster final. But it wasn't a huge crowd, that Ulster final, particularly, you know, look Dairy on the way up, Aaron Aramaa on the way up, completely outnumbered us. But whatever fans were in front of us, I was covering a game we read in Ulster yesterday. There was a lot of Donegal fans in that Gery Arthur stand. And they were getting really vocal. And I think as much as they were excited by what Donegal was doing, the game itself was brilliant because after the horror show of the Ulster final, we suddenly had an end to end game. The best of schools we've seen at Donegal in that period where he had six points in a row, almost went 10-5 up. It was nine points to one-two. And you thought, wow, this Donegal team is coming again. But after that, great, the swing. Well, what was the swing? Because early on, you know, Aramaa weren't scoring. I think they scored just the goal in the first 10 minutes. There were, you know, two scores in the first 15, 20 minutes, maybe a bit more than that. But Donegal seemed to be scoring quite freely. And then the tables turned. Yeah, if you go back to, I suppose, the two previous games against Aramaa, and then Lerner-Kinney towards the end of that match, Aramaa sent on their better players, squeezed up on Donegal, and really put the panics on our kick-out. And I lost boxing. Should have actually won that game, Lerner-Kinney. I was looking at that going into Balbuffet then, I thought this could be, these boys are going to be hard to work with, you know, championship should be different, but they're going to be hard to work with. But when Aramaa came to Balbuffet, they played with fear. Because Donegal's record, they think at Balbuffet, they wanted to maybe work themselves in the game. They allowed us for a kick-out, and they didn't go for us in terms of what they did at the weekend. Now, so we beat them by seven points. Now, bear in mind, we lost by 10. That's a 17 points win, Greg, which is unbelievable. You think a two to close all-star teams. The fact that we beat them so well, and the fact that we got hammered in the end yesterday. But when they squeezed up on us, going physically with Dallas, you look at our back line, we don't have physical power at the back. And when they went for us, and even went for us all over the pitch, and we talked about our midfield dominance the last day against Aramaa, Jason McGee, and Felsi, I guess, had a brilliant game, you know? With so much hype when he looked at Langan and Murphy coming out on it. But I think they're just attitude towards the kick-out and squeezing up on us when they went long, they hoarse us all around the pitch. I mean, if you look at Falker did to Murphy in terms of how he was all over them. And the same me, Morgan and Connelly Spurs, they were getting about her lads. And when her lads got in there 45, after that 20-minute period, there was two or three Aramaa wins round them. At the other end of the pitch, Aramaa were mixing up their game with kicking. But one-on-one, every Aramaa forward could engage in their defenders. We don't have physical power, we just don't have it. Yeah, but you have the ability to look at this in a far more analytical and informed way than I do as a former player in all. But the black card seemed to be a turning point for me, right? And I obviously don't know enough about the game. But what I thought would you not in that situation is put an outfield player that's already on the pitch in the goal, right? And sort of try and limit any damage till you get to halftime and get back to full complement. Instead of taking inferential players off, using up three substitutions to sort of make that happen. For me, as a safe as someone who doesn't know as much as you do, that seemed to be a turning point. And what would have the logic have been there? Well, I think the turning point was more, listen, that we didn't learn from our kickouts against Deri. The game swung for me with short kickouts that Deri squeezed up in us. And it happened again. And the thing I suppose the most worrying about is, the first one we got away with, Keeley-Marth somehow saved when Aramaa burned down goals. There was a man inside, Keeley-Marth saved it with his leg, so we got away with it. The next kickout, we went short again, but Cole loses it, three Aramaa boys converge on him. The ball ends up with that whole incident. So your black card would lose a keeper penalty, right? So that, why we didn't go long with that next kickout is because when Lynch come on straight away and furnished him, he goes right, put the ball out long, Langen ones the ball, out the pitch, calls the mark, we end up getting a free and we get a score. So that's, I suppose, a lot of fans will think, why would we chance going short? Because if we lose it out the pitch, we're not going to concede a goal. Now, we did get that last point then, and we didn't have time four points down. I thought we were lucky to be four down because Aramaa really went at us. But then the start of that second half is where I think the tail was tall because we're going to go against Derry, the last day of going on the point at the start of the second half. This time, we conceded two quick ones and then we conceded another, it was three points in a row. And at that point, we were really thinking, you know, we're, no, a few times, our boys didn't come back, they did try. But you're talking about Aramaa switching it up, right? Yeah. And a lot of people were sort of critical, say, for instance, towards the end of the Derry game that we didn't switch it up to suit what was happening on the pitch at that time and the score positions at that time. Like, are we lacking the ability or the motivation to change mid-game or in phases of play when it's the right time to do it? We're a bit better team yesterday. Sometimes you've got to just hold your hands. So there's no point in analysing it at all then? Well, I'll tell you this, you can analyse all you want. Everybody's playing the same way to a degree, right? And what Aramaa did is, physically, they had too much power for us and they had too much pace. And when the man to the man on our back, and we can't handle power like that, we just couldn't handle it. You look at Ri and O'Neill, the point that he had in the second half, he was dovetailing around. He was like a senior player playing in another 16-game. No one could get near him. And at the end of the day, or blanket defence, sometimes because teams have backed off us. You look at Derry in many ways, he's now backed off us. They didn't actually go for a jugular until they went for those kickouts. And Aramaa looked at that and realised that in Balbuffet, they didn't go for us. So when they went for us in, we were shaking. Right, so the Donegal puzzle then has been solved. What next then? Well, we need to on earth a few powerful players at the back like this. And physicality is one of the biggest things in GA now. And I just say that particularly with our defenders at the back, we're not able to handle. Everyone in Aramaa was causing their players one-on-one trouble at the back. And I think at the other end of the pitch, when McBurdy or Murphy or anybody got the ball, there's three or four of our mass players swarming around them. So the only way you get around not having physical power is to be swarming players and everybody tackling. We didn't have enough of that happening. So you talked about our kickouts there, right? Donegal's kickouts, sorry I should say. A decision was made at some point to for us to start doing short kickouts or to stick with that strategy. Who makes that call? Is it the goalie? Well, it has to be down to Pat. Now, the two kicks before them short ones were both won by Aramaa when we went long. So these things really, you're not really blaming this. Pat was one of the things. I'm not blaming anyone, by the way. It's just to... If we've lost two, we need to go short to get possession, to get ourselves a bit more back into the game. So it's not to say that it's a right or wrong decision. You know, the two ones went long, we're lost. And then the two short ones, the only difference is to say, if they go out, the pitch will be losing. At least you're grouped down there. That you're not going to concede a goal because both of them... But that call's made on the pitch, for example. And the only reason I'm asking these questions is to try and sort of have the same conversation as people had in the pub last night or around lunch. You know what I mean? Try and get to the... There's a deeper thing here, Greg. If you really want to look at where football's at, now, don't go all to me playing the same way they're playing. A lot of teams are playing it now. In terms of everybody dropping back and going forward, they just look a bit jaded. Mollin looked the same. Turun, I think, got a lift off their management last year, but they looked the same again this year. And if you look at the two teams that are coming with all the energy, Derry and Aramaa, because they've been down there for so long. So I think that energy of them, teams on the way back up, is driving them. So do you think, then, we should maintain the current setup and we need to look for more physical players in certain positions, because I'm not going to don't want to sort of add to it, but you know yourself what a lot of people feel should happen. Maybe a change of management, but from what you're saying, you don't seem to think or do. You don't put words in your mouth that it's the tools you have to work with. So what's your feeling as to the future? We've got a long time now, unfortunately, to reflect on this. Do you want to see things kept as they are and go out and search for the players that you talk of? Or does it need a fresh pair of eyes? So I don't know, what? As I suppose, there's always a bounce off a freshener. I just think that it'd be very difficult, I think, to take the bonus decision to do it. And it's something because the weight of what take the bonus put into GA in this world, we have to give the man his respect. One of the best underage players from right back to his youth, don't think I've ever had. We've given an awful lot. Then through his whole playing days to all his management underage, twice to his senior. So listen, I'm not going to say anything to take a bonus around what he wants to do. That's his decision. Listen, everybody's playing in a similar fashion. It really comes down to the players that you have at your disposal. And if you think back to your brilliant teams of the past, when Neil and him and McGee, Frank McGann, Karelassie and these boys were in their pump, we don't really have those type of players in there at the minute. And that's just the way it is. I think the blanket defense of some ways with players dropping back, masks, what we have been when a team really goes for it, and they have the quality of grooving, grugging, Steph and Karelassie and Neil, those players are top top. Do you think those involved in the game that likes yourself, and I say this with absolute respect, Brendan, are circling the wagons a little bit, right? And having a different conversation to what the general public is? Well, I don't know what conversation I'm having with because there's nobody there just to be supporting Donagall. And you're upset about that? There's another thing, well, I'm a bit disappointed with the crowd that came the last couple of days, but then I couldn't blame them after the last final because it was so poor. But the Donagall fans, particularly in that first half, would actually love what was happening there from a football perspective. You've seen a game start to happen. It just then, our match took over so much, it was hard, it was very difficult for you to be a Donagall fan in the second half, but we've seen glimpses of what we can do. We have individual brilliance in our team. Greg, we just, Armah and Derry played like two very together cohesive teams. Credit to them too, yeah? We play in Futs and Stars, Greg, and we don't have that cohesion that those teams have. And we've no right to victories either, you know? I mean, we have to give the opposition credit where it's due as well because they... They were top-class yesterday. Listen, look at it now, Greg. The balance of power is switching. Derry and I beat the three big teams in Ulster, the three Division I teams that were Ulster dominating. Derry beat the three of them. Now Armah have beat two of them in us and Theron. So you'd have to say those three, those five matches were all well-deserved. Greg, you'd have to say Armah and Derry are certainly, and what they're doing are on the way up. And at the minute, by question mark of where we're Donagall's at, the question mark is where Marlon's at. And like Theron, what happened to Rhone this year? So it's not as if we're the only ones in this boat, you know? Armah will go in his favourites against Goalway. That'll be a good game, would you agree? Yeah, certainly. I think that's a draw they would have been happy with. Derry versus Clare, Clare were involved in the next game of the week. Yeah, Smash and Grab, they were five points down a couple of months to go. There's something about Clare, real, real plucky side. You really love them in Championship. They're a never-say-die team. So the game will change now very much when it goes to Crow Park. But I think that'll suit a team like Armah. I think they'll revel in Crow Park, not so much Derry. I think it could hamper Derry's progress, getting into a big fast-playing pitch. They play that defensive. But certainly, the way Armah played yesterday in terms of going for a team, that'll suit a game in Crow Park. Well, look, the DL debate's going to be very interesting this evening, as it always is. There's a lot to unpack there. And it's interesting in that it'll... There's an interesting cut, as I said, about the conversations going on. It'll be interesting to hear how aligned the conversation that you have this evening is to sort of, you know, the type of stuff people are saying as well. Do you get where I'm coming from there? It's very easy, just to say, all tactics, or we should have done this or should have done that. At the end of the day, we're completely outplayed by Armah after that opening 20 minutes. So sometimes that happens in football. The problem is with Donegal, I think, because of the manner of the poor, austere final game and defeat, it's left a bit of a cloud was hanging over us. And I think you've seen a bit of a spark. You've seen Michael Murphy was pumped up. A lot of criticism came out of Donegal. And they did give it their all in that first half. But as I say, physically, Armah just clamped us on. And how you deal with that, Greg, you've got to fight power with power. We hadn't got enough power yesterday, and I think that's what is coming down there. All right, listen, brilliant stuff. The show's on after the seven o'clock news this evening. It's Aaron Kearney, Kevin Cassie, Keith Duggan of the Irish Times, and of course, Romo Donald. Donegal ladies, of course, winning. They flew the flag for us, beating the water for us. It's squeaky bomb time towards the end, but not a bad game of football. That's it, they were six points up when they came back, and so fair play to Max and him. Another tough trip they're playing. Cork in the second group game this week. So we've morrowed online as well to give us our views on that, and they will continue to keep the championship flag flying for us. Keep the old debate on there. That's for the club championship. Actually, it'd be interesting to see what the impact of... I mean, there's a few teams we'll be glad to have. Third player's back. See, if we start talking club championship now, we've already been a bit of a negative feeling. Come on, let's get out of here. This is the club championship. If something happens to score more than 10 points, we'll be happy in the game. There's been a few dodgy league games coming in, Greg. So I'm hoping that our club football is actually very representative of what's happening. Club teams need to get out and play here, Greg. At the end of the day, the diamond indictment are senior, junior and intermediate finals. They're still losing teams at a combined total of 12 points. So club football, don't really go all-in. There needs to be, like, a mini-revolution, and their teams need to start to play, because this is affecting everything, and people are switching up. Some might think, though, that you're quick to comment on the club setup, but not so much the Donegal setup. Well, you see, I'm not saying Donegal didn't have a go yesterday. I mean, they still post it. Listen, did you see some of the league results coming through there? Greg, I mean, the Units and Gilcharity of our top teams, the other week, I mean... I get where you're coming from. It's unbelievable what's happening there, Greg. So listen, that's a generalisation on the whole club championship. If we're talking about Donegal, listen, we're beat by a better side yesterday, but there's a lot of head scratching, figuring out how we lost by that much, Greg. Seeing as we beat them by seven, we then lost by 10. Our man... The home was a point in the game, though, where it's out of your reach. Yeah. The goals killed us. Yeah, exactly. So we never looked really like scoring a goal, and I think that was probably a big marker. But any of that, Greg, is small in terms of the general vibe of the game. Our man took over, and we weren't able to cope with him. Well, here you just have to seven times, Brandon. The 9 till noon show with Letter Kenny Credit Union. Is your bank leaving town? Letter Kenny Credit Union is now offering myCU current account and debit mastercard, bringing full banking features with no appointment necessary to open your account. Is your water safe to drink? If your water tastes unpleasant or has a foul smell, it may be a sign that something is in your water. 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Choose three deluxe-sized complimentary beauty treats with the purchase of two or more Clarence products one to be a moisturizer or serum, plus take on two makeup must-haves with a third purchase. Available at McElhane's in-store or online until June 25th. Shane Connelly Car Sales has relocated to Drum Loma, her Dunnygold town. Besides offering quality used cars, we have a brand new state-of-the-art workshop for all your car service needs. At Shane Connelly Car Sales, we deliver straight to your door and offer excellent finance packages. Check out our social platforms or visit ShaneConnellyCarSales.com. Bingo every Monday night at Halfway House Bingo Burnfoot. Doors open 7.30 with eyes down at 8.30. 2,500 Euro must go. The snowball is now 5,650 Euro on 45 numbers or less. If you're not in, you can't win. That's Halfway House Bingo tonight at 8.30. OK, we're joined in studio now by Angela Tourish, centre manager, former centre manager of iCare. Angela, thank you very much for coming in to us. Thank you for having me. Really appreciated. And I suppose thank you on behalf of all of those that you've helped for all your service over the years. Well, I suppose I did it for my own ends as well. It started off because my daughter was diagnosed with autism and there were other parents in the area who didn't have any help or services. So we gripped together and we formed iCare. Which is amazing because you knew yourself the gap was there and yet whilst you were doing everything you had to do as a parent, felt the need to get together with others to fill it. Absolutely, yes. And it's a constant journey, isn't it? You don't just establish it and they'll write we've done that. No. Talk to us about what iCare was when it was first created. We gripped together in the year 2000 and there were eight or nine families back then and we worked closely with our local Sky Leaseagon and the principal she named McLaughlin and we helped, I suppose, establish autism classes in the school and she would tell you that she had no funding to do that. So we were working closely with her, setting up the autism classes and providing her with maybe extra services for those classes that she otherwise wouldn't have had. Maybe therapies coming in and she was open to everything that we could sort of try. She was very open to let us try things. And we were so lucky to have a brilliant teacher as well, Doreen Freel, who was paramount in establishing the autism classes in the school. And we were very lucky in that respect. Yeah, and you could see the progress in the schools. But then there came a point then outside of school and there was a vacuum there. There was a vacuum in the fact that our children couldn't go to a youth club after school or they didn't have play activities. So we established an activity centre then with the help of an initial partnership who gave us some funding. Plus I tackled my brother Kearn, who did a concert for us. Alton fame, isn't it? Yeah, and they did a concert for us which enabled us to buy some soft play equipment. And then the youth club let us use their premises to house all the stuff. And then we were lucky the GAA after that let us use their premises for maybe three or four years. But it got to the stage that we needed somewhere ourselves. And there was a car park that was there vacant from through to the loom times. And I approached George McLaughlin, who's now one of our directors. And he let us plunk three big prefabs on it, which are still there to this day. And it has just grown. Like it was eight families to begin with then 50, now over 100. And you talked about the progression. That was because of the success, the demand that was needed and say, hold on, we need to do more, we need to do more. And yet before all of this, there was nothing, very little. Yeah, exactly. Funding has always been a challenge, hasn't it? Which I can never understand because the money involved to support iCare is significant, it's pittance. It's absolute pittance. And yet annually, there's always this as if there wasn't enough to be done, caring for your own families, putting these facilities in place. It then fell on another small group of individuals to try and keep them going through fundraising and going back to the same well of the local community. And that well never ran dry. Never, our local community have sustained us through the whole procedure. They have been fabulous. We've had brilliant volunteers who've helped us through the whole thing and still to this day, you know, they dig deep. People do events for us even during COVID where two fellas cycled in 24 hours from Mozambique Mall and raised nearly 15,000 euros. Amazing. You know, you just can't quantify how good our local community have been only for them. Only for you. No, I wouldn't say that now. Well, it was you set the ball, you set the ball rolling and I know how much the local community and wider community think of you and what you've done. What is the situation with funding now? Is anything improved in that regard in terms of the HSE seeing the fantastic work that I care do filling the gaps it's left itself? Is funding still an issue? It has improved funding from the HSE is definitely improved. Good. But it's still not enough to sustain us for a year, but I suppose COVID too has stopped the fundraising a wee bit. But hopefully now again we're able to keep things going. How tough a decision has it been for you to step away, Angela? I think it has been very tough because I love my work, but my health sort of took a downturn two years ago and stress was the main reason for that and I've had to just step back. Trying to keep so many balls in the air. All right, and are you finished up with I care now when you're official capacity? Yeah. And how long has that been for? Just nearly two weeks. How's that been for you? Well, I retire on the 31st of May and then we had an event on the 3rd of June. We opened a lovely sensory garden that Donegal County Council funded. So I was sort of involved in that. I suppose this week and maybe the end of last week has been the first few days that I haven't had to think too much. Do you feel less stressed? Maybe I will in time. Because there's a responsibility on you, isn't there? Because you're such an integral part of this answer that you feel, well, if I step away, will other people maybe consider? Because I've spoken to people involved with I care and others and it's intense and it's constant and there's no respite. You know, it feels like there isn't. So you give it a hundred's not enough. You have to give 150% to it. And it's not a lot of people that we're talking about here. No, I know, I know. I hope other parents will step up and help. Yeah, and do you think that needs to happen? It has to happen, doesn't it? Sometimes I think when we set it up, there was no precedent for us receiving a service, if you know what I mean. But parents are now bringing their children with an already established service and maybe don't realize the work that went on to setting it up and maybe the work that's needed to keep it going. So maybe they're unaware of how much is needed to be done. So maybe they might try and help a bit more, you know. Do you see a future where the likes of the HSE goes right? You know, we can see what's happening here. It's a proven model, it works. We should be doing this and they take over, run and fund this type of work in communities. Or do you think there will always have to be a space for the likes of your iCares and your Bluestacks? I can't see the HSE will do it. From what I can hear from parents, even generally, services are worse than they were when we were in our younger years. I mean, that's worrying. It's a terrible indictment of our system, isn't it? Because it's not just in the work that iCare do, there's so many other areas, even caring, whereby there is this expectation that the public will do the work that the state or its arms aren't doing. Yeah, yeah. You know? Even for services, for assessments and for speech therapy, OT, physio, all those services, they have diminished so much. And you hear individual stories of what people are going through and it's just absolutely heartbreaking. And it's individuals, but there's hundreds and thousands of families that need supports that they're not getting. Even though if you looked on paper, they're there, but you can't get them and you can't access them. What do you plan to do with the more time that you have? Is it just to regroup and recharge the batteries, Angela, or...? I have to rest. I've been told by doctors that I have to rest and try and not do too much. I can't see myself being able to do their own thing. You're saying that's if to say, yeah, in case the doctor's listening. No problem, I will do that. But it's tough for you too, isn't it? Because you've got going on outside of the... The eye care work was on top of everything else that you deal with, isn't it? Absolutely, yes. I'm still living with some of the autism at home. But it's not an easy task either. That's all it, isn't it, obviously? Okay, and how is Aura now? She's great. She's good. She's in a great day service. We established Eye Adult, which is the adult day service side of eye care. And it's going fantastic. Again, though, through the initial idea to right where we are now, what would be there for Aura if you hadn't established it yourselves? Absolutely. Well, I had to take her out of a HSE service a few years back because it was totally unsuitable. So this is going really, really well. There's six adults in it now, and more to come in September. Well, Anja, I'm sure I can, without fear of contradiction, on behalf of all of the families that you've helped and are helping over through the establishment of Eye Care and all your efforts and everything that you've done for the fundraising, for the sports, whatever, to thank you for everything you've done over the years and best of luck with the extra time that you might have. Thank you so much. And thank you for all your help as well. No, well, compared to what I've done very, very little. You've done a lot of campaigning for us and a lot of publicity, which was much needed at the time. Well, anything I can do, I will. And Anja, thanks for calling in. And again, thanks again for everything that you've done and enjoy the extra time that you have. Father, I've just this feeling you're going to find something else to do in its place. I probably will, I probably will. Listen, what a fantastic person. Angela, a tourist, former manager of Eye Care, in a show on autism care related education. OK, we're back with you tomorrow at nine. Enjoy the rest of your day. The Ninetal Noon Show with Letter Kenny Credit Union. Is your bank leaving town?