 Thanks Greg, good morning. The health minister has been told that there is an unprecedented crisis in Latter-Kennedy University Hospital's emergency department. At one stage yesterday, 10 ambulances were backed up at the ED. A statement issued by Siltis said that with an average of 120 patients presenting at the hospital daily over the past week, significant delays and pressure on bed-availability was being experienced. Speaking in the door last night on a Sinn Féin motion on health waiting list, and he called Deputy Podrick McLaughlin once again highlighted the impact of a lack of investment in the hospital. Today at Latter-Kennedy University Hospital, there were 10 ambulances backed up at the emergency department and an unprecedented crisis in that department in terms of staffing. Morale is extremely low and this is a build-up of a failure to invest in beds, nurses and doctors for far too many years. At least 21 people have reportedly been killed and 112 wounded following Russians shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The regional governor says homes were among the building's hit. Moscow's urging residents in Ukraine's capital to flee, saying it will strike key security and communication services. Convoys of Russian armored vehicles are edging closer to key Ukrainian cities as the conflict enters its seventh day. A former soldier from Northern Ireland who was deployed to Ukraine in 2015 to help train soldiers says the site of war in the country is got wrenching. Ryan McCready is now a UUP concert in Derry and is helping coordinate donations there. The professionalism and that kind of stalwartness and the resiliency of the Ukrainian armed forces has really made me feel proud that they can stand up to this Russian aggression. On a personal level I feel a bit of a cop-out that I'm not there to help them but what I can do is be here in my constituency and push my efforts towards the humanitarian aid and that's why I'd be better served in this fight. There are big plans afoot for Bridgend with a planned project set to significantly improve the road through the village. It's estimated that the Derry route facilitates more than 19,000 vehicles in both directions each day. The project is geared towards upgrading a 1.2-kilometer section through Bridgend and onto the border. A public consultation is due to take place on March 30th in a greenened hotel in Burt. Can you look off Donygol County Council, Councilor Jack Murray says the area is of huge strategic importance to the wider north-west region. As we know the A2, the June carriage will be coming through Pennyburn on a Bokrana road. That's going to link into Bridgend. We need to be prepared to see how that can adapt. If that road can widen, if we need to bypass it, what can be done. So it's imperative that this decision is not just led by the local authority or by public authorities but very much has the community say at its core. With an eye, it will be a dull and damp day today with party outbreaks of rain and drizzle with highest temperatures of 6 to 8 degrees. That's all from Highland Radio News for now. We'll be back with news again at 10 o'clock. Until then, good morning. We all deserve a better work-life balance, but not all of us have the space to work from home. Connected Hubs brings together flexible work spaces across Ireland on one simple website. So you can quickly and easily find a hub in your local area. Find everything you want from an office without the lengthy commute. Meaning you don't have to trade quality of life for quality of work space. Give yourself space. Visit connectedhubs.ie or download the app to discover a hub near you. Connected Hubs is part of our rural future, a government of Ireland initiative. And now it's time for the talk of the Northwest, The Nine to New Show, with Greg Hughes on Highland Radio. And a very good morning to you. Three minutes past nine on this Wednesday, the second of March 2022. How are you? I hope you're well. And hopefully you're with us now for the next three hours on the show. The lines are open for you right now. Caroline is answering your calls and 07491-25000. 07491-25000. And your WhatsApps and texts, they're into us at 08-6-60-25000. There was more surveying being done over Donegal last night. A flight out of Birmingham, back and forwards, back and forwards across the north of the county, the mid to the north of the county, over at Erkenney. Lots and lots of you contacted me late yesterday evening, wondering what's going on. We tried the last time, they were in a show in the last time, and couldn't get any details as to what's going on or couldn't find out as to why they don't warn people or why they do it at that time of night, why it's such a, I mean obviously we can understand why it's low flying, but why at this time of night, but we're unable to get answers. So maybe someone out there knows the answer, 08-6-60-25000. We know that it is surveying, and it follows a very particular path, but beyond that, we don't know who's responsible for it, why it happens at this time of night, because it did disrupt a lot of people's sleep last night. OK, let's look at the newspapers. The Donegal Post, outpouring of support to help Ukraine. Radik and Joanna Borsak, who own the Polish shop, Sami Swoy and Bandorn, have been totally overwhelmed by the amazing generosity and help offered by the people of Donegal to the people of Ukraine over recent days, since the invasion of the latter by the Russian Federation. It's a similar tale that is taking place in many other locations throughout Donegal, big and small. The Finn Valley Voice, this morning, new accommodation at Cavern College will benefit Finn Valley. Funding of three million has been announced to build new accommodation at Chagisk Valley Hayes Agricultural College in County Cavern. Principal of the College, Finn Valley native John Kelly says it's a fantastic opportunity for Donegal farmers and their children to have better accommodation. The Innish Times today reports that Donegal County Council and the Department of Housing appear to differ on whether the council informed the department that five houses in Bunkrana had tested positive for mica before they were purchased. The department has said it was not aware that the five houses in the Unkrana estate had mica during the purchasing process. In answers to a query from the paper, a spokesperson for the Department of Housing said the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage was not aware. But Councillor Jerry McGonagall, a member of the Council Housing Strategic Policy Committee, said it is his understanding from a verbal report given to councillors, an SBC meeting in February 10 that the department was informed of all the tests that were carried out on the Unkrana houses. So that rumbles on there. The Irish Independent, terror in the cities, Putin reigns death from the skies. It's just overwhelming this news. It's very hard to escape, especially after what we've been through. And of course, that is in no way to not understand exactly what Ukrainians are going through. Russian forces escalated their attacks on crowded urban areas yesterday, bombarding the central square in Ukraine's second biggest city and Kiev's main TV tower in what the country's president called a blatant campaign of terror. Ukrainian authorities said five people were killed in the missile attack on the TV tower, which is a few kilometers from central Kiev, and a short walk from numerous apartment buildings. The Russians had said in a press release yesterday that they were going after these types of targets. And they said, if you're living in the area, clear out because it's going to happen, dozens more were killed in other airstrikes across Ukraine. Meanwhile, a convoy stretching 64 kilometers consisting of hundreds of Russian tanks and other vehicles advanced slowly on Kiev in what the Westfield was a bid by Russian President Vladimir Putin to topple Ukraine's government and install a Kremlin friendly regime. If that is his game plan, we understand from reports that it has stalled somewhat because there are supply issues in terms of food and petrol for those Russian forces there. Staying with that story in the Irish Times, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and support its European ambitions in an extraordinary session during which President Vladimir Zelensky delivered a searing address to the chamber by video link from the front line. The English language interpreter struggled through sobs, as he related Mr Zelensky's words to the gathered MEPs. Many of these were draped with Ukrainian flags or held up signs expressing solidarity with the embattled country. And those are particularly strong during a press conference in Poland. A particular strong argument put to Boris Johnson by a Ukrainian journalist for no flies on to be imposed over Ukraine. But of course we do know what that would lead to, don't we? The Irish Daily Mail, thousands of Ukrainian refugees will arrive in Ireland within weeks with hotels, holiday homes and spare rooms being prepared to accommodate them. Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney yesterday outlined that around 6,000 refugees are initially expected to seek sanctuary in Ireland. This reminds me very much of talk of spare rooms for Syrian refugees going back a number of years and the mood in the country seemed to change. I wonder will it happen this time? It's understood hotels will be preferred short-term housing options. But Mr Coveney said yesterday that the humanitarian effort will probably involve families who are willing to open up their homes. His statement came as the world watched on in horror and fears that Vladimir Putin wanted to reduce the city of Kiev to rubble. And that seems to be what his plan is. He's done it before and it looks like he's going to do it again very, very, very sadly. People under the age of 21 should not be allowed to buy e-cigarettes, vapes or other tobacco products. The Royal College of Physicians in Ireland claimed yesterday. This isn't the Irish Daily Star. It's carried in a number of papers. The RCPI made a submission before the Joint Committee on Health in relation to pre-legislative scrutiny of the public health tobacco and nicotine inhaling products bill 2019. Professor Des Cox, a consultant in pediatric respiratory medicine at Children's Health Ireland, said e-cigarettes and vapes should have the same restrictions as cigarettes and other tobacco products. He said the minimum age for the sale of tobacco products should be 21. And there is a lot of younger people vaping in school toilets and all that kind of stuff. And special alarms and monitoring is having to be done to try and crack that down. The Irish Daily Mirror, horrific story here this one, the guarder who was viciously beaten and doused in petrol is unable to recall what exactly happened in the attack it emerged yesterday. Senior investigators who are haunting for at least two men involved have spoken to guarder Podrick Scott. The officer who has been the victim of two previous assaults in the line of duty is struggling to remember much after being struck across the head in County Cavern. His attackers also pulled a gun on him. As Sol said, it's very traumatic for anyone to have suffered such an assault. And the injured guarder was left in a very disoriented state. Guarder Scott 29 has been discharged from Sligo University Hospital and is understood to be recuperating from his ordeal at home. Now investigators believe he saw a car acting suspiciously near the border village of Black Lion just before 2 a.m. on Monday when he intervened, the thugs produced the weapon, beat him and doused him in petrol near Lochan House Open Prison. He managed to raise the alarm. The accelerant wasn't lit as far as I could determine. But a very distressing, a very distressing experience for sure, very worrying too. And the Irish Sun this morning, journalists last night welcomed a major reform of Irish defamation laws that will scrap juries and aim to crack down on massive payouts. Justice Minister Helen McIntee yesterday got cabinet permission for the shake-up. For years there have been calls to reform the 2009 Defamation Act and the big awards that can result from liable cases. McIntee has now pledged to bring forward new legislation this year to address the crisis. A review of the act hasn't recommended caps on damages, but does propose scrapping injuries, sorry, juries for High Court trials. Instead a judge alone will assess defamation cases, which is hoped will reduce excessive awards, the length of hearings and legal costs. News Brands Ireland, the representative body for Irish news media publishers. Last night, welcome to the proposal. I've never heard of them. Maybe that's a bad one on me, but anyway. All right, 08, 660, 25,000. We've lost coming up on the probe. We want you involved to raise your issues, to have your comments as well, of course, and bring us good news as well as important, maybe less positive topics. 08, 660, 25,000 is the WhatsApp. Also the text number. I used to play football here when I was a schoolgirl. Now I'm here coaching the next generation. Being a guarda means thinking quickly, being active and loving the excitement of not knowing what's around the corner. What it also means working as part of a team, guiding young people and helping keep people safe. You'll have plenty of skills that could help you be a guarda. You might not know what they are yet, but they're there. Apply to join as a guarda trainee by the 16th of March at publicjobs.ie. On guarda.ie corner, the difference is you. Your long-com free gift is waiting for you at McElhenney's. Simply buy two long-com products and receive the ultimate beauty routine. Your gift includes a full-size rose sugar scrub, a seven-piece travel set, including many of your long-com favorites. Plus, choose from our Absolute or HydroSense skincare collection to complete your gift, exclusively in-store and online at McElhenney's.com until March 13th. 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. Brothers Tech Donegal provide a complete, private well-water treatment service using the best water treatment equipment to meet your needs. Or maybe you drill the new well and the water isn't satisfactory. At Brothers Tech, their expert team will also service existing problematic systems. If you're concerned about the quality of your water, call Brothers Tech on 087-638-7057. Mike Denver in concert with guests Ray Linem and Brendan Shine at the Inishung Gateway Hotel Bunkrana on Sunday, March 13th. Tickets at hotelreceptionandticketmaster.ie. That's Mike Denver with guests Brendan Shine and Ray Linem at the Inishung Gateway Hotel Bunkrana Sunday, March 13th. OK, you're very welcome back to the program. We welcome on to it now Conner. Good morning to you, Conner. Oh, unfortunately, that's a slight technical difficulty there. Spotify is still playing on my Zoom computer. I don't know what's going on. OK, can you hear me? Conner, I wonder. Yeah. OK, lovely stuff. Thank you for that. Right. OK, Conner, what are your concerns as it relates to the railway crane in Fawn? It should have been returned to Fawn. What is it? Can you describe to us what it is? It was kind of left up. I would have left it. All right, say where you are, because, unfortunately, your line is not fantastic, but we can bring in John McCarran, PRO of West Inishung History and Heritage Society, and we'll give your connection a chance to recover. John McCarran, can you hear me OK? Yes, I can, Greg, yes. All right, as I mentioned, you're PRO of Western Inishung History and Heritage Society. So can you give us just a bit of a background to this railway crane and its history in Fawn and its removal? Yeah, well, it's a railway crane. It was used to lift cargo onto these paddle steamers that ran from Fawn Pier to Rathmullen and Remelton in the early part of the 20th century. It belonged to the Luxfoli Railway Company. It was used to service the steam paddle steamers. The company itself was owned by several... Well, the crane itself and pier was owned by several different companies up until 1877. It was taken over by McCarran and McFarland in 1878, I think. And when they formed the Luxfoli Railway Steamboat Company, the services between Fawn, Remelton, Rathmullen and Port Salon, the steam paddle steamers would have had names like the Lake of Shadows, the Anishoen, the Cape, the Aberfoil. They all docked at Fawn. The pier where the crane once sat was constructed in 1922. The crane was used, as I said, to lift goods to and from the steam ships, the steam paddle steamers, onto and from the railway wagons, which ran out right to the pier's edge. Prior to that, there was another pier in Yusuf until between 1868 and 1920. And it was on this pier in 1879 that the swally board agreed to put a two tonne crane on Fawn Pier. The pier was destroyed in a gale in January 1920, and a new one was constructed. So in the meantime, the Yusuf and Cranup pier. But in 1923, the steamboat company was purchased by the railway company for £7,000. In 1952, the LNLSR terminated the lock services and they sold their interests to Browns of Inche. So from then on, Browns, the well-known fishermen from Inche, they ferried people to go across the lock swally. It's rich. It's got a rich history. It's an Incheon history, too. Well, yeah, I mean, I'm PRO of Western Incheon history and heritage society. And our mission statement is that we were dedicated to preserving local heritage. And I mean, you know, we were surprised to learn that the historic pier crane at the end of Fawn Pier was, you know, that had been removed and turned up and done in all town. When did that happen, John? Well, it was removed in late 2019. Yeah. We was noticed that it was gone and inquiries were made through the LNLSR Times, a local newspaper here in Bancrana. And it was learned that it had been removed for public safety reasons. Now, there had been a storm and it had taken on a slight tilt. The pier now, the pier is now a series of wooden trestles. The pier itself and the platform of the pier is gone. But what is left is a series of wooden trestles. But anyway, after we made inquiries, Donegal County Council told us that the structure supporting the crane is no longer fit for purpose. And in the interest of health and safety in the, sorry, in the interest of the health and safety of the public, the council had removed this crane. It is considered, this is what they told us at the time, is considered that the crane has historical value and its re-election will be considered at a suitable location. And it ended up in Donegal Town, which is a lovely location. But in terms of the history and heritage, is it an appropriate location in your view? I mean, look, we don't consider Donegal Town as a suitable location for an iconic piece of any shown railway history. You know, up until 2019, the crane was one of the last pieces of railway heritage, still in situ. The track and the associated works long, long since disappeared. This is part of the heritage of fawn, it's part of the heritage of lox valley. There's a piece of transport heritage, social heritage, maritime heritage and industrial heritage. A suitable site to relocate this crane would surely have been in fawn. You know, given that the greenway, which is the much vaunted greenway, which is coming through fawn, which by and large, follows the historic L&L sort of rivuling, you know, the crane would have been an ideal point of interest along the way. Well, pardon my ignorance. It didn't have to be on a pier. I mean, ideally you would love it on the pier it was on, but if that's given way and this money that's being announced was not going to be used to repair this pier, it doesn't have to be located on a pier, does it? I mean, it could have been, I mean, there's an anchor in Donegal town, that doesn't have to be out at sea. You know, so I mean, it could have stayed in the fawn area on display. It didn't have to be on the end of a pier. Yeah, I think there's a lack of foresight, you know, a lack of planning, maybe by whoever removed it or not. You know, I mean, like these things need to be preserved. So just like they say, like we have, you know, Donegal Tidy Towns Committee are to commend it for the great work they do, you know, as a community volunteer myself, I appreciate the work and the level of commitment that volunteers put into their work. And Donegal town, like all tidy towns throughout the country are to be praised for, you know, my opinion is one of the most important volunteer sections in the country. I mean, the work that they do in supporting local councils and, you know, and the lift that it gives to the local community and tourists and, you know, feeds into a general sense of well-being if you come into a town and it's nice. So we have no extra grind or harbour any animosity towards Donegal town, petty towns that are committed for their efforts in every way. But we just feel that, you know, it's up to Donegal County Council maybe to find a way forward now, you know. All right, I want to see if Conor can hear me more clearly now. Conor, are you still there? Yeah. Right, OK. You've been listening to John. I presume you agree with a lot of what he is to say. Why is this important to you? Er, I would have a big interest in the railways. So I would. And you believe the place for this is in Farn? Yeah. Or somewhere near Farn. Yeah, where did your interest in railways come from, Conor? Just the thing I just cannot. Just caught your interest and that's that. Yeah, indeed. Go, Conor. Yeah, OK, brilliant stuff. John, in terms of this this this peer itself, I mean, it's almost it's its centenary year. This maybe I'm being a bit sloppy, but it has it has presumably it has historical significance. Is it beyond repair? Is it gone now at this point? Not literally, but or are there any plans or campaigns to have it restored? No, the peer itself, as I said earlier, is a series of wooden trestles now, which is left as the infrastructure, the bare bones of the peer, if you like, beyond repair. But what it what it does is great great interest among photographers. It seems to be a site where people can capture lovely sunsets, you know, and probably over time, a bit like a bit like maybe like Bad Eddy over in Mahler Beach, while it's deteriorating, it still has its own charm. Have you had any success in, you know, contacts with the council? You know, are they saying it's permanent home? Is Donegal town? Are they saying we'll look for an appropriate location around Farn? Or is that conversation just happening now? What's the story? Well, we did flag it up with a couple of local Donegal County councillors and it was raised yesterday with the council and enquiries within the council to be ongoing. But like, you know, we were a historic society, you know, we're not really a campaign group, but while we would love to see it, obviously, in situ and fawn, I don't think it's really up to it's up to Donegal County council to find a way forward. And I don't wish, as I said, to cause any any animosity or bad feeling between us and our friends in Donegal town. No, I get that. I understand that. It's just it's in a shown history. And I get that I think people would understand that. Listen, thank you. Apologies, Connor, for the slight communications issues we are having on your line. But John, thank you for doing the heavy lifting there and giving us the background to this. And we'll make our own enquiries and see what the council has to say. But for now, thank you very much for joining us. Thank you. All right. Take care of yourself. Oh, wait, six, sixty, twenty five thousand. Is that something you want to have a view on? Oh, wait, six, sixty, twenty five thousand. Or Caroline taking your calls now on 07491, twenty five thousand. Now, some of your comments here. What happens when Russia takes over Ukraine? Do all the sanctions keep going? Then what's the plan? It's hard to know. I presume it's going to take some time. That's where the diplomacy comes in. You know, people other Western countries have done similar invasions and people forget quite quickly over time, it seems. Caller recently priced a hotel in Donegal for two nights, three hundred and seventy euro. Then priced a holiday abroad in Portugal for seven nights in a hotel for two hundred and ninety euro. Prices in Ireland are not for the people who work nine to five and Irish hotels are pricing themselves out of the market. But they've a lot of overheads and the weight structure here might be quite different in Portugal. And there's other factors as well. But look, a lot of people head to the sun for the very reasons you've just outlined. Quoted nine hundred euro for two nights mid-March and a hotel in Donegal got the same in another hotel for two hundred and fifty with a free extra night. OK, so shop around. Another call says hotels are charging crazy prices. We can't travel this year for family reasons. It's a book to hotel midweek for August. Three nights for a family of five, nine hundred and fifty euro, one meal included. A lot of money. OK, I'm not sure if you believe that to be good value. This is following on from the conversation we were having yesterday as it relates to Noel and Nile from Harvey's point saying that hospitality is now a good, a good career path people should consider. But this call says my son is a chef. He found that he found that because of the ridiculous opening and closing of hospitality during the last two years, he found another job with no intentions of returning to hospitality. It's sad, but unfortunately he feels he's been cornered into leaving chef work thanks to Leo Michael and Co. Hi, Greg. Me, all that is, of course. Hi, Greg, in relation to your conversation about people returning to hospitality in Donegal, we stayed in a hotel last week and it wasn't cheap. But my bug bear is that apparently the check-in wasn't till 4 p.m. The restaurant was closed and bar food only. The windowsills were dripping with water and radiators had to be bled for five minutes each on arrival at the room. So if you think that I'm going to pay 250 euro plus a gain for a mediocre double room, you must be joking. This is meant to be a five-star hotel, just COVID rules, etc., etc. to their own benefit to fleece the people. Another hotel's do the usual and price themselves out of the market. It's not often I get away. I tried to book a hotel this weekend and it was 300 euro for two for one night B&B. I could only book two nights at the weekend. It's just not logical for a couple. And lastly, for now, seeing you were talking about hospitality, I have a pet hate about tea. A few times in the past week, I had tea in several places and it was cold. They don't know how important it is to heat a teapot, bitter tasting tea. It's not hard to rinse a pot out. And now, of course, in the wider scale of things, not a big deal. But have we lost the ability to present? Quite simply, a cup of tea. Dairy gold. It's there for you first thing in the morning and waiting for you when you come home at night to fill early starts with goodness and to bring a bit of warmth to your hands after a long journey home. To start your day on the right side of the bread and to finish it with a satisfying crunch for early mornings, late nights and everything in between the deliciously creamy taste of dairy gold spreads the goodness in more ways than one. Dairy gold spread the goodness. Are you tired of waiting for treatment or surgery? Did you know you can receive immediate treatment across the border under the new N.I. Planned Health Care Scheme at potentially no cost? Donegal patients are still being treated with us at Kingsbridge Private Hospital Northwest Post Brexit. The process is easy and our dedicated team will help guide you through it. So why wait? Contact us today to find out how you can skip the waiting lists and receive treatment in Northern Ireland. Visit kingsbridgeprivatehospital.com because life matters. This is the new Toyota Yaris Cross, a new kind of SUV, a new point of view, new compact style, new spacious feel and exclusively self-charging hybrid. The right choice for today. Get a new perspective with the Yaris Cross self-charging hybrid available now at Kelly's Toyota Port Road Letterkenny or drum by Mount Charles. You'll never take a wrong turn with Toyota built for a better world. Donegal Hearing Clinic now open up your short letter Kenny and Bunkrana now offering state of the art rechargeable hearing aids free with your PRSI also pain free micro suction wax removal services. Call 07491-88470 or DonegalHearingClinic.ie. Life sounds brilliant with Donegal Hearing Clinic. Now you're very welcome back. Did you read that Brown Thomas is offering IV vitamin drip treatment at its new store in Dondromp for up to nine hundred and fifty euro? This despite doctors and scientists raising serious concerns about potential health risks, the price of a basic hydration IV drip is eighty five euro with an ADH drip topping the list at three hundred and ninety euro. These there are also two premium four drips or IV drip. Sorry, beg your pardon, available for five hundred and nine hundred and fifty euro. Right, Dr. Kate McCann is founder of MDoc Health. Now it promotes health, education and health literacy for families. She joins us now. Dr. McCann, thank you very much for taking the time out this morning. Good morning. Thank you for having me. What do you think of this? You know, it's it's something that we has arrived to Ireland basically last summer and this Brown and Thomas thing is just, you know, you know, really brought it to people's attention. This isn't completely new to Ireland. It's definitely not new. It's been going on in the US, UK and Australia since 2015. And it's usually been marketed as a real luxury or high end product. It's usually promoted by fashion bloggers, fashion journalists, B-list celebrities as kind of a detox fix. I mean, obviously the the the reality is is they're probably being paid to get this out there. That's exactly the channels you'd be going down if you wanted to boost your business. Exactly. This is part of the celebrity wellness wellness industry and it's a multi-billion euro industry. Yeah. I mean, people would not be unfamiliar, perhaps with a hydration IV drip. You know, people might often end up in hospital and be given one of those and come out feeling a bit better. Yeah. What's wrong with doing it sort of outside a hospital setting in Brown Thomas? I suppose that would be is is your is a couple of thoughts. One is you still when you get an IV drip in hospital, you know, it's it's a decision of doctor and nursing team make saying, look, is it the best option? You still always have the risks of any who's had one will know you have risks of bruising, risk infection, the risk of something called thrombopulitis. That's inflammation or irritation, the veins afterwards. In this case, you've also got the got, you know, is it exploitative? Are patients paying money or expecting a health benefit that actually isn't there? Some of the claims made on this are dubious at best. And it's important to notice that, you know, the ASA, the Adversizing Standards Agency in Britain has clamped down on some of this before when we claim that these drips are, for example, immune boosting or that they can somehow make you thinner or make your hair grow. There's no published evidence that any of this, you know, make you better looking or have better health. Yeah. It's a fad, then. I mean, obviously it's a money making fad at the moment. Are you surprised at Baron Thomas associating themselves with this? And I am in a way, but then again, if we look in what the trend since going back to 2015 and other countries, beauty salons, fashion shows and high end hotels have also associated themselves with this. So round Thomas may see this as a natural luxury good to associate themselves with. So can you see any benefit at all in paying privately for, I don't know what an NDAH, NADH drip is, but that's 390 euro. I mean, do you know what they're promising that might do? I'm assuming that they're there that they are thinking it's going to do some sort of detox. I mean, there's no evidence for this. There's a lot of molecular biology research in this area and for anything from diabetes to Alzheimer's looking at these different substrates, but actually using in a therapeutic context. Again, it's also part of a larger nutrition wellness industry. Things like carnitin, for example, well used by athletes used in diet aids. There's no evidence that carnitin does anything for athletic performance or weight loss. There's no carnitin deficiency and otherwise healthy individuals. Carnitin deficiency is incredibly rare. And yet it's constantly in nutritional supplements. So it's a natural crossover to also offer it in IV drip. I mean, if you feel you are deficient in something or you just don't feel right, firstly, you don't want to do anything that would avoid you going to see your GP, I presume, but, you know, you get your blood screen, don't you? And if you are deficient in something, then you can take a supplement or change your diet or whatever it might be. I mean, do we know, I'm asking you questions as if it's your service, but I hope you understand where I'm coming from. Do we know if they're assessing in advance, you know, if people are deficient in something or they're just pumping it in one way or other? They say they are, but I'm not sure about how rigorous the screening is. I haven't I haven't looked into that. But the question would be is, you know, why, you know, you wouldn't go and get in a proper assessment with the GP in a validated lab with a holistic care plan. If you do have a vitamin B12 deficiency and then getting a quite cost-effective treatment with follow-up rather than paying for an infusion at an exorbitant rate with no follow-up and no holistic care, you know, if you have pernicious anemia, that's a vitamin B12 deficiency, you're probably getting a more of a health screen, looking at everything from your diet to whether or not you have a gastric problem rather than paying three to four hundred euro for a drip that you may or may not even need. Yeah, and again, pardon my ignorance. These things aren't often quick, fixed things, I'd imagine. They're part of, you know, as I say, maybe taking a supplement or changing your diet or making life changes. It can't be as simple as, you know, a three hundred and ninety euro drip session. And then that's it. You're away. We've got your you've passed your NCT. Yeah, and I think these quick fixes. And one of the things that really bothers me of this one is the constant marketing of detoxing with this and that this gives you an idea. And, you know, it's not on the advertising, but the implication is there that you should get one of these drips after a night out. The implication is all over this on the advertising and the and the conversation around it, you know, and as if it will detox, it cannot undo the damage you have done by that alcohol excess. It might ease your symptoms, but it does not remove toxins. It does not undo the alcohol. And, you know, and the statistics are in Ireland, we know are stark about alcohol misuse abuse and the in the end cost to our health system, as well as our society and promoting a product promises in some way to undo that or detox at the morning after it is it is ethically dubious, I think. Yeah. Can you tell us what actually happens? Not necessarily in the Brown Thomas setting, but even in the hospital setting. What what procedure is done? You like what is an IV drip, for example? And, you know, where does it enter the body? What interaction does it have with the body? So again, I don't know what their procedure is in Brown Thomas. I haven't been there and it's not kind of facility I would work in. And but when in a hospital setting, when we have to place a drip, we and we talk to the patient first, they give their consent that you're happy to proceed. And we usually put a tourniquet on the on the usually put in the arm. We put a tourniquet on the arm help help make the veins fill up and be more visible and full and the areas clean with alcohol swab and then an IV cannula. It's a it's a needle with a hollow flexible tube is placed into the vein. The needle part is removed in the sauce and a soft, flexible tube is left in the vein and then it's connected to a sterile single use tubing that's then connected to a bag of fluids that may or may not have additional medications or treatments in it, depending on what you're getting the drip. And why is that more effective than, say, consuming liquid? It's not. And that's really important. We have a we have a mantra on hospital. If the gut works, use it. Right. So IV hydration is used when the gut is not an option. And the same thing with nutrition. If the gut works, we use it. So IV nutrition and hydration is used when we have to bypass the gut for other reasons or there's certain medications that are only, you know, have better accessibility ID, again, that's in a treatment based setting. OK, well, I can I'm not a doctor, but I can say if you want to avoid a hangover, don't drink in terms of, you know, making sure that we are as best we can. Aren't deficient in certain what's the best way for us to look after ourselves without having to go get an IV drip? Is it balanced diet? Is it regular business to your GP? Absolutely. So it's getting there. There are, you know, health experts out there. I mean, if you if you're worried about your diet, your supplement, your absolute best resource is an indie and co-registered dietitian, either through the HSC or privately or your GP. And that's a great place to start if you're worried about your health or deficiency. Yeah, I just feel that sometimes this might be used by people who are avoiding going for medical help, that they might feel that they're doing something that they can tolerate, you know, when really they probably need to go and get themselves checked out. Yeah, I agree. OK, listen, thank you very much. It's been very informative. I really appreciate it. OK, take care of yourself. That's Dr. Kate McCann, their founder of MDoc Health, promoting health education and health literacy for families. Now, maybe you have been and got one of these treatments on your travels or in Ireland or wherever it might be. Did it benefit you? Maybe you're going listening to the doctor there and going, well, I did it and it worked for me. Let us know 08 660 25000 WhatsApps and texts or call 07 491 25000. Now, on Friday, when I wasn't here, there was a big launch, wasn't there? Of a competition to win a holiday of a lifetime with us here at Highland Radio. So it's another fantastic draw this time. You could be the lucky winner of a 10,000 euro travel voucher with five grand and spending money, 15,000 the value in total. It's an association with Atlantic Travel and the lucky winner can choose anywhere in the world to travel. It may be an exotic, all-inclusive holiday to Barbados. Travel Route 66 or enjoy several city breaks across Europe. It's your choice. It's your opportunity to win that holiday of a lifetime, which for most of us, I think, is beyond us. This could be your opportunity to win all you have to do is buy a ticket at HighlandRadio.com, click on Win a holiday and answer a simple question, then choose one ticket for tenner. It gets cheaper then six for 50 or 10 for 80. Again, you can buy one for yourself or maybe you want to get them as gifts. Closing date for entries is Wednesday the 13th of April. So a little over a month and the draw will be live on this program. If you buy a ticket before the 15th of March, which is a couple of weeks from now, you'll be entered into a draw before the big draw courtesy of Sunway holidays. We have a one week holiday for two people in Turkey for this October. That draw will take place on this program on Wednesday, the 16th of March. So if you have spare money and you want to be in with a chance to win, there you have it. Right. OK, we're joined on the program now by Kieran Dunleavy. Kieran, no, unfortunately, I didn't take that line in on time. Caroline, you might reconnect with me there before I talk to Kieran. Greg, in my opinion, there's no point in putting sanctions on Russia because when things get really tight for them, China will just be too happy to step in and help them after all. Who was it that started COVID? You know, the funny thing about COVID is that part of the pandemic, if this were to be planned, you know, Russia had to be complicit in it, as would China, of course. But Russia had to be complicit in it. And I wonder if that was the case, why they haven't blown the whistle since. All right, Kieran Dunleavy joins us on the program now. Kieran, thank you very much for taking the call. Tell us about this unveiling that's taking place later today, Kieran. Hey, Greg, thanks a million for taking the time to talk to me. Yeah, the unveiling is going to be down at Brito Local. It's the sidewall of Brito Local down down there in Leverkenny. And the inspiration for the mural is, do you know just everyone feeling so helpless at the minute when you just see just something so unjust happening? I think we can all agree that nobody ever wants to see war on any scale, you know? And it's just that feeling of what can you do? So I got in touch with Tommy, the proprietor, just to see if we could do something on the wall. So what I did was the pain to them. He's like a local Ukraine national who just decided to defend themselves. His name is Zakhar Nekifer. I probably didn't pronounce that right. But and then in the bottom section, you have Berenia, and she's the goddess of love and protection. It's that statue you see in Kiev, you know? So it's just going to be done blue and yellow. And then we're going to have a vigil this evening and I have five different people are going to speak like Lady Oksana. And she's a Ukrainian national living there in Leverkenny. And she's going to give a very honest account of her family and the suffering of the people in the country over there right now, you know? Yeah, you're a street artist. And you know, street art is pretty impactful, isn't it? It can be impactful. It's it's it's just one of those things that it hits people. I don't know. Do you look to get where I'm coming from? It's just it's powerful. It's powerful. It's the world I'm looking for. It's kind of it's something you have to do fast while things are out there. And it's it definitely has to play still. You know, like you only have to look at Banksy and the power of his artwork and doing different street art and there is this great street art popping up on Instagram and different pages at the minute of different countries who are responding using street art to just anti-war and different things like that. So I just wanted to do something as quick as a possibly code from from us here in Ireland that we could send a message over to the Ukraine that was supporting them. You know, they have our support, you know, so. Yeah, and that image you talk of, you know, the idea that someone in a European city would end up being handed having their government handing guns to them and having to send their loved ones potentially on a bus away to safety and to stand there probably don't even know how to load the gun but prepared to do so in order to defend their country. Yeah, it's incredible. Like, you know, and it really hit an air from when I seen that video, this video was from the New York Times and it was shared to me by Laura Murphy who shared it to me and I was like, wow, and it just kind of hit an air when you can see young men and women just not even knowing what to do. And they're lining up and been handed guns. And it was one of the people from that decided just to portray because he'd a great face, he was an actor or whatever and you're kind of looking at people and there's like their whole lives and hopes and dreams. One day you just wake up and all of a sudden that is all gone to one side and you have to take up arms and try and defend yourself. That's a situation I think nobody ever wants to be put in. And it's always kind of everyday people that end up in these situations. You know, when we talk about it, you know, in a matter of fact, kind of way, but it's it's really actually very hard to comprehend. It is breaking. That's why I kind of just stopped everything on my tracks. And I like it all happened Saturday night and it happened very quickly and a message to Aminus is just we do something about this while, you know, and from that, you don't really know what to do. So you just do something, you know, and from that, I went down and it goes pretty locally. So I was sponsored by her and then Johnson's come in, they sponsored the paint and everyone started to jump in behind it. And now what we're doing is we're going to have a vigil today at half five. And there's a lady there as well, Carolina Ostrowska, and she's from Poland and she's a national and she's coordinating the relief and humanitarian effort to people displaced and that are desperate need of help. So now there's something we can do. What we can start to do is we can start to donate directly to her and she will make sure that any money or any if you want to say any aid or nappies or anything to help women, children, anything at all like that, that people want to donate on any level or if businesses are willing to donate, you know, higher amounts like that. Everyone can do that. She's representing Johnny Gull. So I think she's the only person representing Johnny Gull to accept, you know, help that way. I think there's other groups doing things in different areas, but I take your point and the people of Ukraine and as they arrive in Poland and huge numbers and wherever else they might be able to get refuge, they need all the support because these are people that were living what we would see as perfectly normal lives a little over a week ago with apartments and jobs and schools and all the stuff that we're familiar with. And then all of a sudden it is gone and they find themselves in a neighbouring country or a country even farther away, separated from the loved ones. In 2022, it's really I know it's going on in other parts of the world. And I referenced that yesterday and there's awful things happening. But this is this is right now as well. And OK, so the Muriel is the mural is being unveiled this evening at five thirty. I think if people are struggling, I think if people in the area are struggling to sort of, you know, find the words or what they can do or whatever, I think it's an opportunity for them to get together with other people and maybe try and get the head around things a little bit as well. There is a vigil there and there's other artists well in terms of I think music, isn't there's musicians will be in attendance and you're encouraging anyone who can get along to get along. Yeah, absolutely. The more we can get there or anyone who has the free time, we'd absolutely love to see you there. It'd be incredible to just get some good numbers down standing outside and send a clear message over to them that they have our help and support, you know, and it is as you're saying, it's it's it's I think it's everyone a lot as well and it's terrible in other countries. And also I feel guilty, Kiran, about that. You know, I feel I actually genuinely feel and it's not about my emotions, by the way, but I know what the Russians have done in other parts of the world. I know what the UK and America have done. I know what's ongoing at the moment. I know there are, you know, what's happening in Palestine and I am. But I think, as I say, I feel guilty because this has hit me harder. Yeah, yeah, and people have mentioned that. We have mentioned that, you know. You know, as a corner, my friends think, you know, about how we think about ourselves or how we react to something slightly closer to home. Is it reactive to know the question and is it right? Is it different things? You know, they're asking them questions. But I always think I always just think I'd be very spiritual. And so I just think when it gets to that level, I think to something larger than almost any evil, it's dark when that kind of thing happens. You know, it's it could happen here. It could happen anywhere. Well, that's that's this one thing is this is demonstrated, like I know for myself. It's got nothing to do with race or anything like that there. It's just I don't know. Maybe it's just simply closer to home. And it's just me being completely honest. Listen, Kieran, I look forward to seeing that. Haven't seen what you've done. And I'm sure there'll be a good turnout this evening at five thirty. Just at Burrito local there. It's on the Port Road and Letter County. Kieran, thanks for joining me and having a chat this morning. No, it's good. Thanks. Take care of yourself. All right, that's artists, three artists as well. Kieran Dunleavy there, oh, it's six sixty, twenty five thousand. John Foy in Facebook, rightly points out that and this is why I sort of interjected because there are other people doing lots of great things. I know there's stuff going on in Bondoren and I think there's a couple in Ballet Buffet already to that are gathering stuff together for these displaced Ukrainians or even if it can be gotten into. Although as Russia is intent on surrounding Kiev to effectively whoever's left is going to be stuck in there when the shelling starts. I don't think there's any talk of aid corridors, but we'll have to see. All right, then back with more in a moment. Text 086 60 25000. Discover the Dunstores app and put better value at your fingertips. Tap to browse all our latest grocery offers. 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It's the first point of contact for customers when entering your premises. At CNM embroidery and letter Kenny, they have a huge range of clothing covering all areas of the workplace. It's widely known that customers warm to and trust employees that present themselves well. Have your company name embroidered or printed on all your work uniforms. Contact CNM embroidery on 07 491 280 97 and get your staff looking their best. June 2022, August 2022, January 2023. Is that what you're hearing when inquiring about the delivery of a new vehicle? Guess what? That's not the case at iMotors. Call in today and choose your new car with immediate delivery available across our full range of Nissan and Kia models. Drive away in your new 2022 car. Call iMotors in letter Kenny and Malin on 07 491 34567. OK, we welcome on to the program now. Councillor Meeho, Colin McGill and Asperg. Good morning to you. Thanks very much for joining us. Margin White, the director. It's good to have you with us. Right. Tell us what's ongoing at Maharoti pier. We're back to a situation where sand is building up there. And obviously that's complicating its use. Well, I suppose just a small background. It is that Maharoti is a busy fishing pier port. There's people working there full time in the fishing industry. There are a number of ferry services full time to Elanhari and then during the season to enter or to and the Spanish both couldn't think they're and the Spanish both finish as well. And the people of Maharoti and the island community depend heavily on the pier for their livelihood and traditionally it would have been very regularly dredged, wouldn't it? Yes, absolutely. The council has been dredging it since I can remember anyway, since I've come on to the council on a very regular basis. And unfortunately, for some reason, the wisdom of the government or the minister, who probably doesn't even know where Maharoti is, decided what they would do is that they would look for an impact, study on it and also as well as to look for a public consultation. This has been ongoing for a very long time. I submitted my own response to the consultation. And now what we've seen is that now that we've seen is that the government is delaying delay in the report in relation to this. And while they're delaying the report, what has happened is that it's frustrating the fishing and the ferries who are trying to use Maharoti as, you know, their means of work and the fishing on the island community to get access. So as we get this report, we don't really know what future then in its traditional sense there is for Maharoti pier. Well, look, at the end of the day, what I call it, what has to happen here is that we need the pier dredged. We need it done immediately. There are only a number of times during the year that we can do this. And that's in the one modern week on the tide is out fully. And it gives you only a number of hours at best to dredge the pier. And the longer we delay it, the more sand is building up. The storms aren't definitely over. The more storms, the more sand. And I suppose initially when Maharoti was being extended, that pier was extended to many, many months ago. If the state had listened to the knowledge and experience of the local community, maybe we wouldn't be in this position. What we need now is a number of things. We need to get the government to get off as ours and to allow the council to do what the council is there to do is look out to the entire community and dredge Maharoti pier. We need also the government again to do what the promise that they would do for us a number of years ago is to give us our seawall to stop the ongoing build up of sand. And it's not just to build up the sand that this wall would do. This wall has the opportunity and the potential to actually change Maharoti and to know a more developed and a more usable for different vehicles for different vehicles at different times. OK, we'll find out what goes on there. Listen, when you're on with us, when you're on with us, you quickly, sorry, sorry, sorry. One of the difficult fears and this is one of the big fears, especially for what's your hobby, is that now with the build up of sand, one of the fears is that this very service who delivers a good service to the island can no longer give the full service that they want to give because they won't be able to swim in the water. And that has a massive impact on everybody's life. Need that being going to the doctor? Need that be going to your work or whatever every day island life? And this is not acceptable. All right, we'll we'll chase that up as well. Often when you're on with us, you use the opportunity to comment on international matters, just interested in your views and what's happening in Ukraine at the moment, this Russian invasion. Look, look, it's very, very upsetting. There's nobody out there that isn't upset in relation to what's happening. And it will have an impact right across the globe, especially in Europe. Like all wars, there is no winners or losers in this year. There is no right or wrong in here. I think what Russia has to stop, what Russia is doing is wrong, isn't it? Yeah, I think to invade the sovereign country is absolutely wrong. But I think the issue is far more complex than black and white. And I think what has to happen. Do you think in some way it's justified? No, no, no, I think it's even any country isn't justified. We've been evaded ourselves and we see it in relation to the six counties. We see it in Palestine. We see it in the Basque country and we see it in other countries throughout the world. But I think when when you're talking about what's happening in Ukraine and if you look at the role that the British government has had since 2014, the removal of a democratically elected government and replaced. And bear in mind that there is a very strong, very strong fascist element within the Ukraine government and civil service and the army. I remember when I was in Ukraine a number of years ago, there was a lot of discussion around the future of Ukraine and where it was going and in relationship with Europe and in relationship with NATO. The vast majority of people, I believed that I spoke to as well as small percentage, believe that they didn't they shouldn't join NATO. And I think what Russia is doing and I'm not justifying it, because I believe putting to be a scumbag as well is they're building, trying to build a buffer zone. But what the West are trying to do is use Ukraine and use the people who are dying of Ukraine to look after the interest of the multinational. These are wars that have been fought over resources. They're not wars that are fought over hunger and poverty. And I think what we as a state should do, and I think saving combi and from the gale and we've seen from the gale going back a slight bit in the software language, we need to stop the language we're saying. We need to look at our neutrality, secure neutrality. We're not neutral though. We aren't neutral. No, no, but we need to be neutral. We need to be neutral. The vast majority of people need to be neutral in relation to the fear. And I think what is hypocritical and I'll say this very clearly, not yourselves, but I mean the national media in relation to the response to this year, when we look at the starving and the dying in Palestine, when we look at Somalia, look at the attacks in Syria, yet they're saying they're multinational shops out there now doing huge cartwheels at the moment. But yet these are the very shops who continue to sell the products of Israel, who participate, which contributes massively to the occupation of Palestine. I understand that. It's a strong argument, but it doesn't just help the people of Ukraine at this moment by understanding where you're coming from. People of Ukraine at the moment. And I think it's a very complex and I think what you have a great opportunity to do is to give a more balanced debate in relation to this instead of this imperialist attitudes are coming from you. I mean, obviously it's understandable. There's going to be a focus on the immediate situation. But I take your point. Thank you very much indeed. Unfortunately, Mihal, I have to go because it's news time. We'll be back after the news and obituary notices. Live on air online and on the Highland Radio app. This is Highland Radio News. Good morning. It's 10 o'clock. Donald Kavanaugh at the Highland Radio News desk. The IMO is seeking an urgent meeting with senior management at Latter-Kinney University Hospital in light of dangerous overcrowding. In a statement this morning, the nurses union says staff, patients and the people of Donegal deserve better. Well, the health minister has been told there's an unprecedented crisis at the hospital's emergency department at one stage yesterday. 10 ambulances were backed up at the hospital's ED. A statement issued by South said that an average of 120 patients are presenting at the hospital daily over the past week. Significant delays and pressure on bed availability is being experienced as a result in the door last night. Deputy Patrick McLaughlin once again highlighted the impact of a lack of investment at the hospital today at Letter-Kinney University Hospital. There were 10 ambulances backed up at the emergency department. An unprecedented crisis in that department in terms of staffing. Morale is extremely low and this is a buildup of a failure to invest in beds, nurses and doctors for far too many years. Ukraine's second largest city has come under fire from Russian forces this morning with one official saying at least 21 people have died during shelling in Kharkiv. Russian paratroopers stormed the military hospital while missiles have caused damage to government and university buildings. Russian forces have reportedly moved into the centre of Kursan in the south and have taken over control of the region's railway station and port overnight. A Dairy councillor, a former soldier who was deployed to Ukraine in 2015 to help train soldiers there says the site of war in the country is gut wrenching. Councilor Ryan McCready is now directing his efforts toward coordinating aid locally. The professionalism and that kind of stalwartness and the resiliency of the Ukrainian armed forces has really made me feel proud that they can stand up to this Russian aggression or on a personal level. I feel a bit of a cop out that I'm not there to help them. But what I can do is be here in my constituency and push my efforts towards the humanitarian aid, and that's why I'd be better served in this fight. A South Donogol deputy has questioned if Ireland has done all it can amid the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. In the dull, W. Marion Harkin said Russia's invasion was premeditated and well planned, while Ireland announced sanctions on Russia. In previous days, Marion Harkin is unsure if enough is being done. I believe many of the actions taken by Ireland as part of the EU contribute to a strong response. But Minister, I have one question. I'm not sure if all the loopholes are closed. We know that money finds a way to move oil and gas finds a way to move. And it has to be paid for. So I'm just asking, Minister, genuinely asking if we have done all we can. There are major plans for Bridgend with a planned project set to significantly improve the road through the village. It's estimated that the Donogol dairy route facilitates more than 19,000 vehicles in both directions daily. The project is geared toward upgrading a 1.2 kilometre stretch through Bridgend and onto the border. A public consultation will take place at the end of this month in Ongrinan Hotel in Burt. The Coher look of Donogol County Council. Councilor Jack Murray says the area is of huge strategic importance to the whole of the Northwest region. As we know, the A2, the June carriage would come through Penneburn on a Bokhrana road. That's going to link into Bridgend. We need to be prepared to see how that can adapt. If that road will widen, if we need to bypass it, or what can be done. So it's imperative that this decision is not just led by the local authority or by public authorities, but very much has the community say at its core. Bali Shanan is to receive a share of 1.75 million euro in funding announced today for 13 historic towns under the Heritage Council's Historic Towns Initiative. Two hundred and fifty thousand euro has been sanctioned for Bali Shanan in a bid to conserve the historic built environment. And MS sufferers in part of Donogol are effectively being left stranded by a lack of accessible transport. The Sweety Mulroy MS support group says it has a number of wheelchair users who have been unable to attend their weekly support group because of a lack of funding for accessible transport. The Milford and District Resource Centre has donated one thousand two hundred from the Milford Development Fund toward transport costs for the group. However, the Centre's manager, Declan Meehan, says that money is only a temporary measure. He says a more permanent solution must be found. This donation is just a short term fix covering private transport and taxis that allow people with wheelchairs to get into them. But a national response is needed. Now, there has been clear funding announced to address this issue. And they are for voluntary groups. So we're working towards, I suppose, an application for that fund to service the whole Milford-Sanard-Rossgill area. Looking at the weather forecast and Metair and Telus apart from a few bright spells in the morning, it'll be dull and damp with patchy outbreaks of rain and drizzle spreading from the south during the day. More persistent rain moving in from the southwest of this evening. Highest temperatures today, just six to eight degrees Celsius in light to moderate south-easterly winds. And that's Highland Radio News. We're back with news again at 11 o'clock until then from the news team. Good morning. The obituary notice says for this Wednesday morning, March the second. The death has occurred of Grace McGonigal, Gortness Seed, Kinkashla. Her remains will be reposing a McGlynn's funeral home today from four until six o'clock, with removal at six o'clock going to Gortness Seed. Rosary, both nights at nine o'clock. Highest private from ten o'clock until ten o'clock and on the morning of the funeral, funeral mass on Friday morning at 11 o'clock in St. Mary's Church, Kinkashla, with interment afterwards in Crutch Cemetery. The death has taken place of Philip Doherty, 21 St. Columbus Avenue, Bunkrana, funeral arrangements to be confirmed later. The death has taken place of James Jimmy Farn, Kinkashla Crock, Karen Dunne, and formerly Govan Hill, Glasgow. You're leaving his home on Friday morning at half past 11 for 12 noon requiem mass in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Karen Dunne, with interment afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. Highest open, all welcome. Rosary, each night at eight o'clock, highest private from ten p.m. until ten a.m. Family flowers on a place, donations if desired, to the Karen Dunne Community Day Centre. The death has taken place of John P. McBride, Cronford, highest private to family, neighbours and close friends only place, funeral arrangements to be confirmed later. The death has occurred of Colm Gallagher, Ballin Temple, Fulcara, County Dunne Gaul. His remains are reposing at his late residence. Rosary, tonight at nine o'clock. The wake is private to family and close friends and relatives. Funeral mass tomorrow afternoon at one o'clock in St. Finnean's Church, Fulcara, with burial immediately afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. The mass can be viewed live on mcmedia.tv or Sweeney Funeral Director's Facebook page. The death has occurred of Annie Gallagher, Derry's, Glendys. Remains are posing at her home with Rosary, tonight at nine o'clock. Funeral mass in St. Connell's Church, Glendys, tomorrow afternoon at one o'clock with burial afterwards in the local cemetery. Funeral mass can be viewed live on ChurchServices.tv. It's private from ten o'clock tonight and before the funeral tomorrow. The death has taken place of Bridget Hume, Naye Hagen, Six Iona Park, Derry. Funeral from her home tomorrow morning at half past eleven for twelve o'clock requering mass in St. Columbus Church Long Tire and term it afterwards in the city cemetery. Family time plays from nine p.m. until eleven a.m. The mass can be viewed live via the church webcam. Family flowers only please donations in lay of flowers if wished to deeds that care of the old library trust Central Drive, Craig and Derry. The death has occurred of Rose Irwin, Naye Quinn, Bali Arl, Kill Gordon. Funeral from her late home tomorrow morning at half past ten for requering mass at eleven o'clock in St. Patrick's Church Crossroads, Kill Gordon and term it afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. The requering mass will be streamed live on the parish's Facebook page. The heist is strictly private to family and close friends. The death has occurred of Patrick Porter, Balin Locke, John Fries, Clamane. His remains are opposing at his family home. Funeral from there tomorrow morning at half past ten, Gordon to St. Mary's Church, Coughill for requering mass at eleven o'clock with interment immediately afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. Heist private to family, friends and neighbours, please family time from ten o'clock. Patrick's funeral mass can be viewed live on church services dot TV. The death has occurred of James Gallher, Cron Road, Kill Carr. His remains are opposing at his home. Remable from there tomorrow morning at half past ten for funeral mass in St. Carthage, Church, Kill Carr at eleven o'clock while by interment in Kill Carr Cemetery. The death has taken place of Philip Hurle, St. Bowden's, Cull Doth, funeral from Collins's funeral premises, Cull Doth, this morning at half past eleven for twelve noon requering mass in St. Mary's Church, Boken, Cull Doth while by burial in the adjoining graveyard. Philip's funeral mass can be viewed live at Cull Doth parish dot com. The death has taken place of David Mullins, Lighthouse Road, Armour Island, Heist strictly private to family and close family, friends, place funeral mass tomorrow in St. Crohn's Church, Armour Island at twelve noon with interment afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. The death has taken place of Kevin Harper, one column kill close, Kerry Kale, formerly of St. Mary's Terrace, Remelton. His remains are opposing at his home. Funeral mass tomorrow at twelve noon in St. Columbus Church mass mined with burial afterwards in St. Mary's cemetery, Remelton, Heist private place on the morning of the funeral. And the death has taken place of Mary McGee, Mary Bella, Mahara Klocher, Ghidor. Her remains are opposing at her residence. Funeral mass in St. Mary's Church, Derry Begg this afternoon at one o'clock for by burial in Mahara Gallon Cemetery. Weigh private to family, close friends and neighbors, please. Funeral mass can be viewed live on the Gillespie Funeral Director's Facebook page and on the Chappapubble We're at webcam. Family flowers only please, donations and leave desired to R.S. For more details, including any family health guidelines for wigs and funerals, please go to highlandradio.com. And we're into the second hour of the nine till noon show ahead of the bingo numbers for you. Some of your comments, can you help this listener? They're in Creasler and they've had no Vodafone coverage since the 7th of February. They're wondering if anyone else is having the same issue. If it's not, it's worth maybe you need a new SIM card or taking the SIM card. I've given it a wipe, popping it back in. If it's an isolated issue, that sometimes can fix those problems. A call assist should the council want to extend Kili Beggs and Burton Port and ignore the other peers, watch and see, they say. In relation to Maharotti, the bigger concern is the need for a seawall for coastal erosion. The last storm had a big impact on the area. If the remaining piece of it goes, it'll destroy the beach, they say. Hi, Greg, isn't it great that these tough leaders like Putin stay nice and cozy and safe while they send their foot soldiers in to die? Indeed. And what premise do the soldiers really know what's going on and why they're being sent in and what awaits for that? What awaits what is awaiting for them when they arrive? But yeah, that's the people that make the decisions are always well insulated. It's not just in war. Greg, in my opinion, there's no point in putting sanctions on Russia because when things get really tight for China, China will just be too happy to step in. I think I've read that one already. I have been waiting three years to have my heating looked at in car and on a council bungalow, send lots of letters and phone calls. What do I do? They won't even return my call. It makes me feel it must be personal. Anyone have any similar problems? They want the council to look at their it's the council's home, isn't it? Effectively, they own it, sorry. But they're waiting three years to have the oil heating. Look, is it heating the oil heating looked at or whatever type heating it is? What's going on there? I call a son at a bug and went to a GP's office in Tenerife and was put on a drip in the GP's office and did not need to go to the hospital. Why can't GPs here in Ireland provide similar services instead of people having to go to hospital that are already overcrowded? Has the national use stopped providing the daily numbers of covid cases in the country? This does not seem to be provided the last few days. Are they stopping this all together? The bottom line is is you are not really very few people have to go for PCR tests now. It's only if you're over 55 pregnant. I mean, you compromise living with someone who is so the figures are meaningless, the pointless and they have been for quite some time. That's why I stopped doing the update. They weren't reflective of what the situation was, especially when you had a mixture of PCR tests and antigen tests. So the data is there, but it doesn't tell you anything because the vast majority of people who have covid or suspect they have aren't getting PCR tests. Why does the railway go to Bonkranagh instead of Donegal Town? It doesn't belong in Donegal Town. It belongs in Bonkranagh. So it's not the railway. I guess it's the item we're talking about taken out of farm. It would make sense. I don't know. I'm looking forward to hearing an explanation as to why it was located in Donegal Town, which has its own rich maritime and rail history, of course. But this item is its home is in any shown, isn't it? Why is it all about the Russians, what the Russians are doing? What about the ongoing war for the last eight years? What about the grave with 15 Russian children, which was found? There are two sides to this war and Russia is not getting a mention. Just a wee question for your listeners. Pre-pay fueling pumps. I'm of the opinion that if I select 20 and my car holds 10, that the 10 will be debited from my card. No, it won't. I'll be the 20 selected. That will be debited in my experience anyhow. Listen, I know that I've used the ones that you're talking of. And if I feel like it's going to take 25 year old to top up the fuel tank or whatever it might be and put in 30, in my experience, it only debits that whatever the car takes, it doesn't it holds the card to make sure that you've enough for 30, but it doesn't even charge your card until such time as you replace the pump. That's been my experience. Great. Can anyone tell me why done Fana? He has no boss shelters last week and this week. I've left my grandchildren to the bus stop and only realized there is zero shelter. The weather there these last few days has been particularly rough. Surely every bus stop should have the basic, which is a shelter. And that was a big issue in other parts of the county and they ended up getting provided. I haven't heard Don Fana. He mentioned before. There's no reason why it shouldn't have a bus shelter. Anyone out there with an insight? I'll wait six, 60, 25,000. I was in a hotel in letter Kenny at the weekend. Good on the service. Excellent staff, constantly checking if everything was OK. Sometimes, though, if you're asked for the fifth time, does it bother you at all or the more they ask, the better? I don't know. We are still trying to track down what the situation is. Listen, it's no it's no mystery other than we don't know precisely what this plane is doing. It flies from Birmingham. It's done it before. It was back and forwards, back and forwards over south in a shown a couple of months ago, then it went out to sea and turned its way back in again, following a very, very specific pattern. It was up again last night at about half 10, 11 o'clock. It disturbed people because it's quite a noisy, propped, low flying plane. And it was back and forwards, back and forwards across Bonkranas. One of you listening in Bonkranas probably heard it north and south of Bonkranas and then north of letter Kenny backwards and forwards. As I say, it's surveying, it's doing something, but we are still trying to find out what precisely it's doing. Who it's doing it for and why is it happening at nighttime, particularly presumably when it's calm? Lastly, now, just before we go to the bingo numbers, I want to let you know that the Donegal Vintage Club is holding a tractor and vintage car road run. It's in aid of Rocco's Road to Recovery. It's on Sunday, the 6th of March this coming Sunday. It starts at Ray Community Centre at 1 p.m. registration from 11 30 a.m. And you can contact Hugo or Billy. And if you want numbers for them, we can pass them on to you. I don't think there's much point in reading them out without prior warning. But if you want to put it in your diary Sunday from 1 p.m. register from 11 30 p.m. Is the Donegal Vintage Clubs tractor and vintage car road run. Some beautiful vehicles, you know, will be there. And that's in aid of Rocco's Road to Recovery. Right, good luck to you today if you are playing the bingo. Here are the numbers for you. It's time for NCBI bingo on Highland Radio. It's Wednesday, the 2nd of March. You're playing on the blue sheet. The reference number is S3. It's game number nine. The numbers are 34, 13, 67, 18, 42, 77, 43, 62, 25. And finally, 24. Phone your claim to 9104833 before eight tonight. Leave in your name, contact number and the name of the shop where you purchased your book. And we'll call you back the next working day. Get all your NCBI bingo information at highlandradio.com. Highland Radio wants to send you on the holiday of a lifetime. Plus five grand spending money. Get your ticket now at highlandradio.com. Answer the question and start packing. Draw takes place April 14th on the nine-toned show. Get your ticket early and enter a bonus draw for an extra week's holiday in Turkey. Who for the price? Who for the price of one? Start planning your ultimate getaway only on Highland Radio. New this week in home store and more. All bath mats are half price, but better hurry because when all our half price bath mats are gone, they're gone. Also, all our plant pots and garden planters and all our frying pans are still half price. But when all our half price plant pots and garden planters and all our half price frying pans 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. Cars Ireland.ie presents when car buying becomes catfishing. What do you think? I wasn't expecting the interior. You don't like it? Well, it's a lot of leopard print. Cheetah, actually. Cars Ireland isn't just fast and easy. We only work with trusted dealerships so you can find the right car without the unwanted surprises. Cars Ireland.ie. Click, click. From, from. Do you suffer from high cholesterol, menopause symptoms, digestive issues, anxiety, aches and pains or a lack of energy? 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And you welcome back to the 9 till noon show. Keep your calls, comments coming into us or requests. By the way, if you want to say hello or happy birthday or anniversary to someone as part of our musical break at 10.30. Get them into us right now. Many of you continue to watch across our social media. Caroline says, as usual, it's the innocent that are sacrificed for the benefit of politicians and big business companies. And yes, we need more balanced information from all media as this was a time bomb waiting to happen. And it's interesting in that, you know, why did the West in inverted commas hand the initiative to Russia as they did? They knew what was coming. Their intelligence, the American intelligence in this regard was very accurate. Why did they not say, for instance, move NATO forces into Ukraine prior to President Putin's attack? Because what that would have done, of course, it would have taken the initiative and he perhaps wouldn't have taken the action. He did. There's lots of questions. Very little worried about China who were backing Russia and waiting quietly in the background to step in. I'm not sure they're backing them as such. I think they're not in favour of sanctions. They don't believe sanctions are working. And did they not, did they not abstain on that U.N. vote? I'm not sure. OK, we'll check into that. Hi, Greg, please can't get in to see their GP. People can't get in to see their GP. That's adding pressure to the emergency department. I also think an internal audit would need to take place on the hospital as overcrowding in letter. Kenny is an ongoing issue. Right. Hi, Greg. Can staffing retail stops, shops be still made to wear masks? I'm not 100% sure of the answer to that question. It can be company policy, perhaps. When you say made, where are them? I don't know. Hi, Greg. That man, Michael, is talking. It's me, Hall, is talking since he's right. It's very complex. Yes, President Putin should not have invaded without trying the very best-defined solution. I listened to a young Irishman speaking on radio last week from Russia. He'd only praised for his life as a teacher in Russia and felt the media were to blame for all the bad press in regards to Russia. Now, let's not forget, though, that Russia, the Russian government are very much in control of the news that the Russian people consume. And I referred to this last week, you know, it's happening all over the place. But anyway, a caller says people are so quick to forget Tony Blair and President Bush lied to the world when they invaded Iraq, telling the world Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. They are to blame for the killing of thousands of women, children and men being killed all innocent using cluster bombs. Horrific destruction of their lands and home. What did the rest of the world do? Very little. ISIS was born. Ireland needs to remain neutral. Our country is such a mess. But are we neutral when you hear really, really strong language coming from senior politicians in this country? I mean, I don't think politically we aren't neutral. I don't think they make any bones about that now. But politically we are not neutral. Right, Fonsi O'Donnells, owner of the Tavern Pub and Restaurant in Mount Charles and O'Donnells in Donagol Town, Fonsi. Thanks for taking the call this morning and a very good morning to you. Same to you, Greg, not a problem. Right, now, have you closed the tavern? I closed the tavern on Monday night. And is it something you've been thinking about for a while or was it a snap decision? We've been tossed around with it for a while now, because since we reopened again back in, I guess, the end of the year last year, there wasn't something that we're planning on. There was just something that kind of happened quickly there in the end, because as you know, we have the place in Donagol Town as well. And staff was my biggest problem, to be very honest. I have to try and float my boat one way or the other. And to keep the two places going wasn't, for me, wasn't the option. It just wasn't there. I didn't have the staff to do it. So unfortunately, the decision has been made and I have to close my charges. Yeah, and staffings one issue. What about people socialising habits post-COVID? You know, I think we all expected lots of people to go out when they could and that there'd be a big rush. But that seems to have, I don't know what it's like in every part of the county and country, seemed to die off a little bit. Well, we didn't see that now in Berners. We didn't see any rush of people after the doors opened when we reopened again. But my charges had been steady. I'm not closing the door basically because we didn't have customers. We had some very good loyal customers. But not enough, obviously. Not enough. Well, not enough. I think maybe we could have just an argument to be made and possibly maybe a little bit supported, a little bit better. But that wasn't the only thing. I also had accommodation out there in that place in my charges as well. There's nine bedrooms lying vacant upstairs, unable to turn the key or turn on a light net as a result of dealing with the fire department. You know, these are buildings that are 100-200 years old. They're asking you to comply with all the rules and regulations. And it's just not possible, you know. We could not justify that investment. That's really why Greg, most of us, every small town in Ireland has commercial buildings boarded up. People are not buying them because they can't afford to do the works that are needed to be done. And then to comply with all the rules and regulations. It's easier to just walk and build a new building or buy a new one. And I mean, you know, as you say, this is not just the tavern in Mount Charles. We're seeing these important businesses that keep, you know, that are an important part of the town as soon as they start fading away. I'm not saying this of Mount Charles, by the way, but the town can start to fade away. Well, I mean, I think Mount Charles, I can only speak for Mount Charles because, I mean, there's plenty of other towns that, you know, probably in a similar situation. Mount Charles really is, you know, it's a town that's certainly... Well, I don't want to say something that's... But it's definitely not a town that's... There's a lot of empty buildings on it, and now there's another one out there too. So I don't know what to say, you know, it's... Did the bypass help or hinder the situation? I don't know that because I didn't, you know, I'm only in Mount Charles for four years, you know. So I don't know what effect the bypass might have had on it. I mean, that happened in every town and, you know, still places, you know, places seem to survive that, you know. I don't know if that's the reason why it's quiet or whatever, you know. There's no foot trade in Mount Charles, you know. Yeah. And obviously too, a big problem facing rural pubs now is if you go and have a drink, how do you get home? How do you get there? You know what I mean? You have to get a lift there, then you have to get a lift home. That's a huge competitive disadvantage. Because I'm in this business for the last 20 years, and yeah, that's a big change in 20 years, but it's the most operating change you've moved on in 20 years. Yeah, I guess the drink driving and, you know, there's always, those things definitely didn't help the business, but, you know, then COVID said, and so who knows, you know. How has Donegal Town fared post-pandemic? Sorry? How do you feel Donegal Town is faring post-pandemic in terms of busyness in the bars and restaurants and what have you? I think it's going to be okay. Like, you know, I think Donegal Town's going to survive. It's no problem, you know. That's why I'm expanding here in Donegal Town and that's why I had to sort of back off in Manchalis because yeah, I think I'm fairly positive with Donegal Town. Right. And do you own that premises or just leased it? Like, do you know? Where is that? In Manchalis? Oh, I own that, I own that. So what are you going to do with it then? Because you know yourself as soon as something's not being, you know, being used on a regular basis, you know. That's a big worry, like, you know, that's a big worry for me. More than likely, it's probably going to hit the market and I'm not so sure that it's a seller's market, but I would say that's probably the route you'll be taking with it, you know. No, it's a big... I don't see myself go back, you know. I think I might have a person, I think anyone, when you close the place, it's very difficult to kickstart and go back and do it again, you know. Especially that a lot of the reasons for you doing so in the first place, they're not really going to have changed. So why would you go back flogging a dead horse, so to speak? No, I mean, yeah, it's hard to say, you know. But if you're operating costs outweigh your turnover, then, you know, the choice is not yours. You really have to be something, you know. All right, well, listen, we wish you continued success with your premises in Donegal Town. It's always sad to hear of a significant offering in a particular area, like for Manchurals to be lost, but sure, maybe someone's listening and they'll want to take over, at least an offer. There's got to be someone out there that's as mad as I am and they'll probably take it on. But, yeah, I'm very positive. I tell you, I wouldn't go into, I wouldn't go into property sales. Fonzie, if I were you, stick to the pubs. If someone's mad as mad as me, they might talk. All right, anyway, listen. Whatever. Good man. Listen, as I say, continued success in the town. Sad to hear, but okay. That's Fonzie O'Donnell, their owner of Tavern Pubs, the Tavern Pub and Restaurant in Manchurals and O'Donnell's in Donegal Town. O'Donnell's, he's expanding that. But he has decided enough is enough at the Tavern and it's an opportunity there. I'd say you'd be easy negotiated with, on at least, by the sounds of things. All right, we'll be back with some music on this Tuesday. What morning is it? Wednesday morning after these messages. Need a new part for your Ford car or van? Why not call to OMS Auto Parts in Bonkrana? With a massive stock of Ford parts, you're sure to get the part you need. Free next day delivery on orders over 50 euro. Call 074-936-1924 or shop online at omsautoparts.ie. There was a monster who lived in the trees, in the house that would rattle and shake in the breeze. It was cold and small with a terrible leak that would drip on her head and her hands and her beak. She needed it fixed and all in one batch because she had an egg that was ready to hatch. So she went to the credit union for a renovation loan and got new windows, insulation, and extended her home. Monster loans from the credit union. Imagine more. Loans are subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply. If you do not meet the repayments on your loan, your account will go into arrears. This may affect your credit rating, which may limit your ability to access credit in the future. Credit unions in the Republic of Ireland are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. That's Mike Denver with guests Brendon Shine and Ray Lanham at the Ineshaun Gateway Hotel Moncranah Sunday, March 13th. All children aged five and over are being offered a COVID-19 vaccine. Their vaccine will help to protect them and the rest of the family too. The advice from the World Health Organization is that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe for children this age. So if you have questions about their COVID-19 vaccine, we have answers you can trust. For information and to book an appointment for your child, visit hsc.ie. From the HSC. Adidas Copa sends football boots in soft ground and firm ground from only 80 Euro. Adidas Classics, Copa Mondial, World Cup and Kaiser Cup SG. Just arrived, the new Predator Edge 0.1 FG in black. Football boots, gloves, shorts and socks in store or online. Click and collect on BMC Sports.ie. Hello Grace, where are you heading? Time to make to measure fireplaces in Chrysler. You made to measure fireplaces? Didn't you just buy a fireplace there? Yeah, but I'm going now to pick my kitchen worktop. Create the kitchen and living room of your dreams. Ad made to measure fireplaces and granite worktops. They've been in business for over 40 years. So for help choosing granite or quartz for your worktop fireplaces or stove, visit the Made to Measure showroom at Casual Chrysler or see mtmfireplaces.com or on Facebook. This is a truly interest message from Dunnegal County Council. It's the time of year when poor driving conditions are causing accidents. But did you know that a scratched wing or dint for a pier which needs a respray can only be done legally by a certified operator who holds a valid certificate of approval from Dunnegal County Council? The body shop or garage must display a valid certificate proving they have been inspected and meet the requirements of the deco paints legislation. Best practice guidelines for vehicle refinishing and the air pollution act. For an up-to-date list of certified operators check the council's website or phone us at 9153 900. Dunnegal County Council, protecting the environment. OK, now I want to say a happy birthday to Anne McDermott and Byrne Foote from Liam and Bridget McLaughlin. They are in Bon Crana. Please play a happy seventh birthday. Unfortunately, this is a little late. This was for Rory's show, but look, I'll play it anyway. Please say a happy seventh birthday to Liverpool's biggest fan, Jay Connolly in Ballon Drake. Jay's second birthday. It's the first birthday I've ever seen. It's the first birthday I've ever seen. He's the biggest fan, Jay Connolly in Ballon Drake. Jay's heading to Clark Finn National School this morning. He's already there. Have a great day from Mummy, Daddy, Hannah, Charlie and Heidi. Look at Mom and Dad who can play it back on the podcast if they want it later on. Happy seventh birthday to Ellen McMahan in Trento. Hope you have a lovely day, Ellen. Lots and lots of love. Your favourite daughter, Karen. OK, I wonder are there any other daughters listening that might contest that. Can you please be a big happy 40th birthday to Granny Gallagher from Carregard, our very own Gigi. Love from Evelyn and John. We celebrate at the weekend with you up the jive. OK, well, you might not jive to this one, but anyway, it's a nice one. It's Bonnie Tyler. OK, that was Bonnie Tyler there. Total eclipse of the heart. OK, I'm joined on the programme now by Spokesperson for the Finn Wheeler cycling club, Brian McElhenny. Thanks for joining us. Thank you very much, Greg, and thank you for having me on the show. No, it's our pleasure and it's an important issue. Now, for anyone travelling between Balibuffet and Donegal Town, that stretch of road, they'll notice two really impact, and congratulations, by the way, on the way you conducted this campaign because it is very impactful. Major signs on the approach of McGorrie's Bray, isn't it? That's what we call it, Brian. Calling for hard shoulders, cycle lanes, whatever it might be. Because there was a real missed opportunity, there was a new road built there, and for some reason, the hard shoulders stopped at the bottom of the Bray. So, Brian, tell us what has driven you to your club to take this on board? Well, Greg at Donegal Town, a lovely route that's a national primary route, and what has driven us to launch a campaign is on the 2nd of October, a Saturday morning, a member of our club was cycling up from McGorrie's Bray, and Mike and his own business getting on with it, looking forward to a lovely cycle. He was seven kilometres into his cycle. When he was hit from behind, a quite serious injury resulted. His bicycle was a mangled mess, and if you had seen his bicycle, you would wonder, how is that guy still alive? And anybody that witnessed, sorry, not witnessed, but passed the accident scene, we're fearing the worst, and Shockwaves went through our club that morning when the word came through, that one of our members was involved in a serious accident and touched the frights on you when you see that. I know you used the word accident because that's what we're conditioned to, but there are contributory factors here, one being no cycle lane, no hard shoulder. As a driver, I've seen more near misses on that stretch than I have anywhere, and you know yourself, either going down the hill, or just as people approach the hill, if there's a lorry there or a coach, the foot goes down and away they go, and very quickly they're met with traffic coming down the other way. That in itself is dangerous. You put a cyclist in the mix there, that they're not seeing as they're approaching from either end, a lorry or a bus or a car having to make way for that cyclist, and you can see it's a recipe for disaster. Yeah, you've summarised it well, Greg, and you're sitting in a car, and that's what you're seeing, you're on a bicycle, and now we're different levels of fitness within our club, but you're taking about 12, 15 kilometres an hour as a cyclist, so inevitably traffic is going to back up, and a car driver or a lorry driver wants to get past, they want to get up, they want to get on with their journey. A cyclist has nowhere to go, they're at the edge of the carriageway, a simple hard shoulder I cannot understand, or anybody we've spoken to cannot understand there's no hard shoulder in that location, especially after millions and millions have been spent on that section of the road. The work's just stopped halfway up the hill and why was that? And there seems to be also, now I don't know in terms of land ownership, but it seems when that road it seems there is enough land at least on one side that has been worked on by TII or the council, whoever it is. In other words, there seems to be space at least on sort of the right side of the road as you head towards Donegaltown, there seems to be enough space there, if not on the other side to accommodate a hard shoulder or a cycle path. Yeah, there is land there and even if there has to be a CPO then CPO, it's like there's CPOs going on all over the country, there's a safety issue here, like that's primarily in it's dangerous for all road users and we're looking at it from the perspective of cyclists and we take this as a warning what happened on the 2nd of October is a warning to everybody if we were to say nothing we would be guilty or we feel we haven't done anything by shouting and making a fuss about this, we need to get it started we need, now the council or the TII have allocated 100,000 per road design so let's get the road designed let's get it shovel ready, let's get the diggers on site and let's get the hard shoulder there let's do the biocracy and just do it because often when we talk about the shared space, road users and cyclists there's a usual conversation happens but this is different, there's no actual real safe alternative for a cyclist it's not like they could be using a cycle lane but they aren't this isn't about riding 3 or 4 breast across, a single cyclist on their own face is the exact same danger so this doesn't live in the same space as previous debates we might have and this is, there is no option you couldn't even put the bike on your back and walk up the hill, do you know what I mean there's no other show in town you have to cycle up or down on the main road this is with one agenda here that is get this hard shoulder built on both sides like it's equally dangerous on the other side because as you're approaching from Donegal Town you have to pull out into the carriageway again obviously you're going that bit faster because it's downhill but it's just, it's an accident waiting to happen an accident has happened thankfully it wasn't fatal the member involved is on the slow road to recovery well stay with me because I'm not sure if it's Dean you're talking of or well Dean, Dean is with us and I appreciate Dean sharing the story to drive home the issue we're talking about as much as you can can you describe what you were doing on the day and how events unfolded for you, Dean yeah sure so I don't remember too much to be very honest about it I left the house on Saturday morning tried to reach Magorys, bomb Magorys raid all the thing about is trying to get up to Holland before noon I woke up in Hossel and that's all I knew this is brand new saying there's no hard shoulder I had to pull out onto the road and you can go nowhere from there and thankfully I'm here to tell the tale it was me in the accident but it could have been anybody it's a danger for all cyclists tell us about your injuries Dean yeah so I'm still undergoing rehab in Faisal I had two bones in the back broke from behind us the back was damaged too so thankfully the back's healed now I had a rupture and tears in my left eye so I'm undergoing rehab and Faisal for that there so I'm back up and walking which is brilliant at this early stage but there is still I mean obviously the waking up in hospital that takes a long time to get over to the mental aspect of it too doesn't it Dean it does indeed so I was very active before I was out running and cycling and swimming whatever and to wake up in the hospital the next day is probably draining and the impact it has on your family and with not knowing exactly whether or not you would be able to get up on your feet again now you would have you would have used this reasonably regularly was it always a part of the cycle that you were nervous about yeah I suppose it would be as I said there's high shoulders the whole way up that road by our Magorys Bray so as part of the club we would be our group's anime like and you'd be going over back to Donegal Town for just for coffee more an active thing and social things so yeah probably more nervous than what I was before even there's a lot of narrows around Donegal you'd be nervous about it so I try and avoid ones with them now so there's a big uptake in cycling anime as you know through COVID with the gyms and the larger centres closed so there is a lot of people out there cycling at the moment and just these fears it's only a high shoulder even sanage to make people more confident like when it takes alright Dean, continued success in your road to recovery we appreciate you talking about a difficult time in your life but thank you very much indeed alright take care Dean and back to you Brian because you know it must be frustrating as a cyclist particularly in this situation because what we're hearing from government we need to build the infrastructure for cycling to promote cycling it's good for your health we need to make sure it's safe and there's this glaring glaring hole in safety that is this bray and it seems hard to make any progress on it Brian yeah it's frustrating after that accident we like we sort of we're in contact with politicians councillors you know we've our secretary was busy setting out letters you know looking for some response and we just felt we're going nowhere fast and we just felt we have to go public we've got to go loud with this we've got to get the signs up on that location you just got to make noise and we've got to see action because it's you know when is it going to be safe basically and fair play to Dean coming on that's his first time coming speaking publicly about this and great that he's kind of on this recovery but it was a terrible accident stay where you are because you know I mentioned earlier obviously you're coming at this from a cyclist perspective but I would not fancy that I've seen so many times lorries as I say in coaches where as soon as you get to the bottom of that bray people are already across the road and bombing it up the right hand lane and it's often a lorry driver with presumably you know difficult you know with gear changes and stuff slowing and picking up pace it's complicated so let's bring in John McLaughlin owner of JML Transport and Recycling John good to have you on the show again can you comment it from a lorry driver's perspective is it a cyclist that you have sympathy for or is it uniquely you know heavy goods vehicles used in that part of the road feels dangerous as well well being honest Greg I was on before with the cyclist and a lot of people had a lot of phone calls afterwards I said I normally blow the horn about four or five hundred meters before I go forward to the bikes but a lot of people understood what it meant because on a truck car you just drop a gear and put it around two seconds where a truck can be carried 24-25 top it takes me two or three minutes to get momentum up to get around the bikes and that's where I'm coming from I totally agree with what they're saying there that corner is a very very dangerous corner on numerous occasions I've seen foreign trucks coming down there and you're just on the corner coming down heading into Balboa whenever the light flashes up so then they start breaking then the car behind and then you run into the back of the truck because the truck's breaking so I don't know why for the life of me they left that corner the way they did for a foot walk another hundred meters further down a ten foot foot walk you get off every day with your patch just have a look at the next day the foot walk is about ten foot wide and there might be one person in that foot walk in five years so there's are you saying there is a foot path up the Braes there no it's coming to Balboa ah yeah yeah yes I know what you're talking about yeah the road gets very narrow that's another issue too it perhaps is probably too narrow to Dulligal County Councilman to drive two lorries meeting each other to see how scary that is and I'm not joking I'm not a mince and a half, two inches away from the mar of a CAE bus a lorry and you really have to be constant and then when you go up around the corner where the corner is that we're talking about it's just not it's so dangerous here and then something has to be done because the next thing on the radio show is going to be killed that's what we're trying to avoid John listen thanks for your time this morning I appreciate it John McLaughlin there he owns JML Transport and Recycling Brian's still with us and we're going to take into the conversation now a local public representative Councillor Patrick McGowan why did as much as you can determine why did the you know we can debate the work at Capri that's maybe a conversation for another day that great bit of road that goes out from the Donegal Road out to Butler McGrory's Bray and then it stops the hard shoulder stop that was a TII decision presumably Patrick have you any insight as to why they made that decision yeah yeah first of all the first one in the Comfort area was a section on the middle and that was to replace very bad bridge savers on the corner down just as you command the level round there at Capri so they got a project there and then they extended that and put how there was actually 7 million spent there that part of it's good I mean we can debate the width of that road and if it slows maybe the buses in Larristown maybe that's what it was designed to do but more head towards Donegal town with me a bit further yeah no to say that the other section started in the middle and kind of worked out and then the next section then was to be done was part of it and that hasn't been forthcoming now this has been raised several times by George Mullen represent the transport sector there on that roads policy SPC and the self for many years there's been a hundred thousand allocated now this year for the design but there still seems to be some disagreement with them the TII has to watch go up there and this is the problem I mean listen give me the hundred grand for design I'll tell you what to put off it to look a hard shoulder up the left and a hard shoulder down the left I know look the safety issues never enough it's just not that simple we wouldn't get opinions on the goal if they didn't follow the national and European guidelines that's one thing that will not change like the famous bypass that's not like you have to follow so there's a hundred thousand there now to bring out the design the problem out that seems to be a disagreement on the TII major safety or one of those because there's George Mullen and all the transport people will tell you we need acclimately and hard shoulder separate from the cycling and so you need a hard shoulder and then I get where you're coming from but this is bureaucracy we're getting bogged down in it now because we can't do one thing to try and save a cyclist's life because at the same time then we have to do another thing and then that requires another half of the road again I'm sure the land isn't there then it's into land inquisition acquisition and blah blah blah and I don't mean there's any disrespect for you work into the waffle territory again not you but the whole system what we're talking about here I'll tell you how quickly that would move God forbid if something serious happens there things will move very quickly all of a sudden look there's between seven people died between that location and the town that's why the Capri roads were narrowed it wasn't to make footpaths and that was about three or four years negotiating with the residents up there in the TII and now if you say that the last part of there and I agree I met up there and started with the fun wheelers and Councillor Martin had himself like we have told them where should I go in between them and the TII and the council and we've been trying to we reassess at our MD meetings, council meetings and everything all the time so we are pushing the last information we got there just in the last month or two a number of suggestions has gone to the TII nationally not the local design office in Donegal they're very, very supportive they find it really impossible to try and get an agreement so at least the TII this year have given them this 100,000 so as soon as we get this thing designed then we need to push them to get the money to build it because it's made very clear to us from the road design office in Donegal because you get it designed doesn't mean to say it will be built so that's our next course so we're talking in minimum three or four years is that what we're looking at here no if we can get it designed this year then it's up to the powers of the and the government and the TII nationally to start constructing it next year there will be part dates and planning that's the regular stuff and it's not that they're new to this they really looked at this a couple of times they've got a 7 million job they actually approach the contact and wonder what is the cost to extend it up so they do have a lot of work done this is not new to them they have provisional work done and they can but we, myself and Martin along with them leaders what we said is we will approach this every two months and keep the pressure on because decisions are made in September, October for the following year Brian what do you think of that? I understand Patrick's part in the deal with the system the system needs to up its gear and deliver I don't care what it takes between now and diggers on the ground but it has to move it has to move fast I don't want to be coming on the air and sort of I'm a sad story that another accident has happened let's get moving let's get the people that can make things happen we've been, like our secretary's written to Minister Eamon Ryan's office in the Department of Transport we need the people behind those doors just to get the thing done let me bring George Mills in he's a council member of the Irish Road we're right up against the news I appreciate you taking the call but just a brief word from you you know someone working in the industry that you do there is need for a climbing lane ASAP absolutely true thank you Greg for allowing me to speak but I have been asking for this for the last five or six years as I have been on special policy meetings with the Donegal County Council and the engineers always seem to think that it's not necessary and they use all kinds of reasons like there's a laneway coming out there which to me is only a laneway going into a water grid like that actually George can you hold a second I'll take the news and come back to you because I think you're going to go on to some important points and if Ryan and Patrick can hold to I'd really appreciate that but I understand if you can't we'll be back to you in a minute or two at 11 o'clock so let's cross over now to the newsroom get a news update from Michaela Clarke. Hi Michaela Hi Greg, good morning Thay Namo is seeking an urgent meeting with senior management in Lettercandy University Hospital in light of what they say is dangerous overcrowding it's claimed all staff have been notified that the hospital is nearing major incident level capacity while the health minister has been told that there is an unprecedented crisis in Lettercandy University Hospital's emergency department at one stage yesterday 10 ambulances were backed up at the hospital's ED the tonnage chair has said the government has no plans to expel the Russian ambassador to Ireland the Euradjker believes some lines of communication between Dublin and Moscow need to be kept open to assist Irish citizens in Russia meanwhile the Scythony-Gold deputy has questioned if Ireland has done all it can amid the invasion of Ukraine by Russia speaking in the Dole Deputy Marion Harkin said Russia's invasion was premeditated and well-planned government representatives who are due to visit America for St Patrick's Day are being urged to exert whatever influence they can on the U.S. administration to provide solutions for the undocumented Irish the Migration Policy Institute estimated that there were approximately 16,000 undocumented Irish in the U.S. in 2017 Donegal born Senator Robbie Gallagher says those affected feel isolated and forgotten MS sufferers in parts of Donegal are effectively left stranded by a lack of accessible transport this swilly Mulroy MS support group says it has a number of wheelchair users who have been unable to attend the weekly support group recently due to a lack of funding for accessible transport and during national slowdown day 1,675 vehicles were detected speeding across the country a number of detections were highlighted in Donegal one motorist was caught speeding at 124 km per hour in Nostillian when another driver was detected travelling at 78 km in a 70 km per hour stretch in Port Hall elsewhere in Port Nassan Bali, Shannon a motorist was recorded during 90 km per hour in a 60 zone when another driver was detected travelling at 81 km per hour in a 60 km per hour zone in Mullendrait those are the latest headlines we'll be back with an update again at 12 noon Thank you very much indeed Mikayla, right George Mills Council Member of the Irish Road Haulage Association, George I appreciate your holding, Brian it's an important conversation I hope you don't mind holding as well and we've cancelled a Patrick McGowan with us I believe too So George tell us why you believe from a Haulage perspective it is so important that this is done and done as soon as is possible Well my concern was for years that there wasn't a claiming in there after coming through the towns of St Norder and Bal Bafay this car stuck behind them and the first opportunity they have to overtake would be on that bray so they would be that's why the traffic could proceed on normally on the top through our barns moor gap so they were putting in all kinds of excuses the engineers and saying that there was problems of the ground and there was a lane coming out and it would create more problems and it would solve so I couldn't understand that and I had the support of all the councillors and I really appreciate Patrick McGowan there and Michael Norton also supported and Martin Harley and the rest of them I think I had 100% support from the elected members but for some reason and other engineers were disagreeing with us and we can't understand it like if a lorry stuck behind a slow lorry it still can't get past that lorry until it's at Biddy or Barnes and because of the continuous white lanes almost for the rest of the and also too because you know George we've started this conversation talking about cycling and Brian McElhaney spokesperson for the free Finn Wheeler Cycling Club now if you're a lorry driver and you're heading towards Donegal Town you might get sight of a cyclist half way up that bray there must be occasions when these cars that you talk of is blocked because they're behind your vehicle probably right up the back of it and as soon as they stick the nose out away they go and you've got maybe a vehicle coming down the way so you've got the vulnerable cyclist you are having to plan for this climb the motorist going uphill and perhaps another motorist boss a lorry coming down the other hill you can see how it's a recipe for disaster there absolutely and John McElhaney fitted very well that the truck has to drop gears and in good time before he can contemplate even taking the cyclist it's different for the car that they can just nip out and then quickly but the truck will be stuck there and also if they just put a hard shoulder there that's okay the cyclist can go in and be a little safer but out of courtesy the trucks will also go in on that hard shoulder to let impatient cars pass it will effectively become a climbing lane if it's just a hard shoulder that's actually illegal I know truck drivers who have been fine for driving on the hard shoulder only driving on hard shoulder out of courtesy to other road users and the other road users there are people going to hospital appointments in Sligo or Galway or whatever and we don't want to be keeping them back and we just can't I can't for the life of me there's waste ground on both sides of that road there it's not as if we're going through anybody's gardens or anybody's private house or anybody is going to have to have massive compensation for losing property and I was also even thinking although I'm a totally not an expert that if you looked at a map I wonder if you push the road further to the other side you would straight away have your climbing lane on the original left and it would straighten out that sort of exactly one of the bands that might make the other bands more acute but it should be looked at so you're welcoming the 100,000 euro to look at the you know combination of climbing lane hard shoulder are you would you prefer to wait for it to be done right perhaps well I want to done right whenever it's done but I don't think we should be delaying that's one thing for sure it's a very very important project to proceed as quickly as possible I think that the ground itself also is hard ground and that was pointed out to me by Holly as well you know that live up there and they said you know that ground there you just clear it and you lay your road on it because it's not even bog anything that's hard ground so the whole job should be easily done and not that expensive and we should look at always of doing it but the main thing is get started I don't see why anybody should be holding it up well okay Joseph was spoken as always so Brian you know we're in one of those rare situations that we have you know various road users singing off the one the one hymn sheet which has to be welcomed yeah I welcome the support from the the various low college people normally there's an opposite relationship but it's a common trend and it's great to see the support and it's obvious it's so obvious and you as a vehicle a car driver me as a cyclist and lorry man we're all sort of see the same thing there's a danger there's a risk we need to get the engineers and the people that have the our own position to do the right thing and get this moving on let's get it down speedily and let's get the hard shoulders climbing and whatever does conscious of all users done and let's move on and you've a you've a continuing role in that Councillor Patrick McGowan at least at local level you'll be keeping the pressure on yeah well we're grateful for councillor McGowan and councillor Harley coming along on Saturday to support our launch of the designs at Millbrae and we did say to them on the day we'll be back in the month two months we'd be looking for updates you know we're not launching a campaign waiting for the next election to see what happens but in a way I think those signs are actually the useful warning signs as well Councillor McGowan you're making that commitment to keep this high on the agenda oh yeah look that's what councillor Harley said on Saturday we're advising them that they just don't start a campaign on a big day out and forget about it every two months or so and particularly coming up until September, October these decisions have been made in Dublin we know we have the full support of the council the road to SPC and the national road to design office in Donagall town the problem seems to be trying to get an agreement what option to go with is it hard shoulder in the zone cycling in the zone or is it a combination of hard shoulder there's a hundred grand there and I was trying to figure it out so yeah look exactly and that's where it's there but as I said to see the figures on the ground we will need substantial funding come October November so that's what we all see and that's what we have TDs for as well presumably they'll take an interest in this as well listen thank you very much indeed for holding and I appreciate your time but it's an important issue councillor Patrick McGrown we appreciate it Brian McElhenney spokesperson for the Finn cycling club I appreciate your time this morning too thank you Greg and again we'll just bring it back to the human perspective well Dean's perspective yeah and you know that could have been any one of us cyclists like tourists, leisure cyclists, club cyclists you know let's keep that in mind but the engineers and the people that are holding this up keep that in mind because it's going to be too late if something serious happens again and I don't think any one is willingly holding it up but we just need to get through the red tape exactly that's it all right thank you for highlighting it it's very important all right Brian listen thanks for that keep us updated with that campaign Brian McElhenney there councillor Patrick McGrown we heard from Dean as well and George Mills and John McLaughlin was part of that conversation as well as you start rediscovering Northern Ireland again we want you to explore with confidence that's why we've introduced that we're good to go industry standard for tourism and hospitality businesses so you know they've agreed to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines like social distancing following the recommended cleaning processes and undergoing spot checks so you know they've agreed to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines like social distancing following the recommended cleaning processes and undergoing spot checks so you can enjoy your break to the full look out for the safety symbol for businesses that are good to go Northern Ireland we're good to go brought to you by Tourism Northern Ireland in partnership with UK National Tourism Bodies visit Derry and experience a world of difference just over the border see the historic walls the waterfront and the famous chill-off licenses at Da Vinci, White House, Cullmore, Hatmore and Shantalo which for some reason have suddenly become the number one attraction so visit Derry and leave with more than just memories please drink responsibly see drinkaware.ie save hundreds of euros on custom charges shopping online with Space Hub Derry we provide a full virtual office address mail box service for all your business and personal use save your business hundreds possibly thousands on custom charges with Space Hub Derry call 048-71878 077 for more details Radio Nile Donahoe is the INMO the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation Industrial Relations Officer thanks for joining us Neil Neil Donahoe, thank you for joining us Neil Thanks very much for having me on Right, so now your organisation is seeking an urgent meeting with senior management at Leicester County University Hospital Are you making this appeal off the back of representations being made to you by your members absolutely, absolutely our members in the hospital at the moment are under extreme pressure I think everybody's aware at the moment it has gone out in the media that there's a number of ambulance queuing up outside the hospital 10 ambulances at one point with patients waiting for care now that's only a very visible symptom of the internal problems in Leicester County they're under extreme pressure now they have been persistently for the last couple of years since the onset of Covid what are your members telling you what are they reporting to that's made you take this action their morale is exceptionally low at the moment they're completely overwhelmed they're burnt out they don't feel that they can cope with what they're experiencing at the minute they have a very deep concern for the patient's safety and for patient care these delays with the ambulances and for other patients who are waiting inside there's a serious potential for a compromised care there and a serious potential for an adverse outcome for a patient and that's not something that they want to see they want to fight the highest standards but it's just not really achievable at this point in time so Neil obviously you know it's one of many hospitals around the country but it seems to be a particular problem in this one and perhaps a couple of others is it easy to identify what the key problems are is it not enough staff is it how the hospital is being run or what is the problem here I think and our members report this persistently that it seems to be a perfect storm okay there's a number of factors that are impacting on pressure I mean there's a hospital capacity issue staffing I mean letter Kenny has recruited a lot of staff over the last year but recruitment is retention of the problem now because of the persistent difficult working conditions so I mean at this point in time we've actually thought that management would declare an emergency because it's not the norm there's no issues we do believe that in the longer term and sales have confronted us the capacity is a serious problem that's going to be addressed but that requires investment that's something that has been identified in letter Kenny for years but it never seemed to have happened to the extent of what's actually required and we just have to ask the question when is that going to happen you know it's all too often that we see letter Kenny in the media because of these very extreme pressures they're persistently in the top three when it comes to overcrowding that is needed here for the hospital but I think you know for the a key figure in an organization like the ILO mode to say that an emergency should be declared I mean that must mean things are really really perhaps worse than people might have thought well things are pretty bad I mean to see 10 ambulances waiting outside this is an emergency service but they're not able to get in the doors of the emergency department that is pretty extreme and it's something that has to be addressed now in the short term I mean what we're seeing very plainly is that management will take all opportunities in order to expedite the discharges the difficulty is they're telling us that a lot of the patients in the hospital are genuinely very sick so they're reaching a roadblock on that so the public need to be aware you know there are other services we know that management have issued out a notice to the public that where it's appropriate that they would use the GP service in and of itself Neil in that people are reporting to us on a regular basis that they have difficulty seeing a GP or an out of our service and end up because obviously they're loved themselves or the loved ones they're worried they feel they have no alternative but to turn up at the ED Absolutely and that needs to be looked at in terms of the patient experience right from the GP services all the way through the hospital and to discharge and the home supports because it's clearly not working at this moment in time and it doesn't appear to have worked well at all especially if you see on set of COVID and we also have to look at if there's more people than perhaps should be in there that are particularly sick I mean maybe there's a wider examination that Neil I know we have an older population I know the hospital is inclined to see more than its share of people presenting with respiratory illness this is outside of the COVID situation but you know if this is an ongoing thing then capacity has to be looked at urgently but looking forward to the middle the medium and long term like if it's to be a fit for purpose service That is correct I mean they have to look at what's going to work in the longer term or the medium term but at this moment in time it's all hands on deck and we do know that management are depending greatly on staff who are already burnt out seeking that they will come in and work extra shifts trying to hold the service together and that's just making it more and more difficult to retain staff What is the turnover like there I'm not expecting you to have official figures or timelines Neil but you mentioned about recruitment and we know they haven't had a single application for nine consultants posts that have been advertised now for quite some time which is very remarkable in and of itself but are people literally arriving up they've seen the booklet it looks good and then going hold on for a second I can't do my job to the best of my ability in this environment is that what's happening I think it's definitely a big part of it even before people will go to an area for appointments are likely going to do a little bit of research to see what it's like and you know really what we want to see is that people will have confidence in going to the area but it's going to require investment like we said at this moment in time it has to be all hands on deck and that's the priority you know protect the public make sure the staff are well supported but in the longer term there really needs to be drastic measures here in terms of investment and to look at any hospital and to look at the services in the community to make sure that they're well supported to keep the pressure off for any hospital you've sought this meeting right but I mean there's an immediate concern for your members and of course that then obviously there's concern then for the impact this is going to have on the quality of care despite the best efforts you know it's a very difficult clearly working environment to do the job to the best of your ability what options are left to you to represent your staff and the patients of course to escalate this if it's required because the picture you're painting is very it's one we're familiar with but it's it's bad so what next you know you meet with senior management they kick responsibility up the chain a little bit blah blah blah but I mean is there any other options open to the INMO? Well in terms of what we're seeking if there's an emergency needs to be declared I mean that is to make the public fully aware of what the what pressure system is under but also at a point in time last year letter Kenny did issue out a notice seeking that any available nursing staff will come from other areas whether it be agency whether it be other have sale the hospitals that may not be under the same pressures and that they'll be given support in coming to letter Kenny to do that whether it be through accommodation stuff like that I do believe it's at an extreme at this moment in time based on what our members are describing and it doesn't look like it's going to resolve in the next couple of days you know it's the same small court of staff that are literally carrying the weight all the time management are under extreme pressure and it's just going to require that all hands on deck approach in order to get through this and then once that's done it definitely needs to be reviewed to see what is actually required to prevent recurrences because it's not the first time that letter Kenny has to have found itself in this situation even in the last couple of years. Is seeking the management to declare a little bit like sort of you know Turkey's voting for Christmas if you get where I'm coming from and I'm not being in any way flippant it would be an admittance would it not that they've lost control of the situation? Well I mean one way or another if your ambulance is waiting outside an emergency service it means that they're not able to provide that emergency service in the time frame that it's really required so something needs to be done here to prevent that from happening and again to people who are waiting internally we're perfectly aware at this moment in time that the hospital is absolutely at capacity they're not able to take on much more the staff are not going to be able to keep up this pace forever so urgent support is going to be needed. All right and very finally is it a case that the still staff at stake or there's just simply not enough staff to absorb a general level of people not at work that would expect to be there like is there a particular issue in terms of staff being off? It's a lot of the above. And you know as well as that Neil too you'd probably be familiar with this you know I was looking at statistics it's going back three or four years ago but in terms of those that are off because of pressures of work you know the mental pressures of work one of the highest levels in this part of the world I can only imagine that situation is worsening given that the picture that you paint Neil thank you for your time this morning I really appreciate it to see what management's reaction is to your calls but it's an important conversation and an eye opener I think for a lot of people. Neil thank you Thank you very much. All right Neil Donahue there I in a more industrial relations officer he's seeking a meeting with senior staff senior management at Leicester University Hospital in light of what he describes as dangerous over crowding and he's calling on management to declare an emergency so that other things can kick in in terms of seeking staff from elsewhere or whatever it might be all right that's the situation there you are tuned to the 9 till noon show here in Highland Radio the whats up line for you the text line if you want to have your say is 08 6 60 25 thousand and if you want to give us a call you know what to do Caroline taking your calls an 07 49 1 25 thousand it's Wednesday so we've got business matters the business use coming up before 12 with Kieran and we have a couple of guests in studio now that some of you might be inspired to listen to and make some changes in your life new this week in homestore and more all bath mats are half price but better hurry because when all our half price bath mats are gone they're gone also all our plant pots and garden planters and all our frying pans are still half price but when all our half price plant pots and garden planters and all our half price frying pans are gone they're definitely gone order online before time for next day delivery or drop by your local homestore and more homestore and more a happy home I am an artist and my medium is root vegetables dawn chef I optimize for search engines so you don't have to clear digital marketing executive what he need did with words I do with table plans Francis events and promotions manager they've all been explaining their jobs in their own words on behalf of northern Ireland's tourism and hospitality industries to discover hundreds of amazing opportunities in tourism and hospitality right now when you search careerscope.uk.net forward slash N I explain them any way you want local enterprise week is back to help your business get the wind in its sails running from Saturday the 5th to Friday the 11th of March local enterprise week is organized by local enterprise office dunny gall chart a clear path for your business by getting advice on marketing leadership and recruitment also on networking supporting finance and much more booking is essential to see the line up of events and speakers and to book visit local enterprise dot ie forward slash dunny gall or call 911 60735 supported by enterprise Ireland dunny gall county council and the government of Ireland ok you're very welcome back to the 9th of noon show now our Wednesday wellness Wednesday falls on today which is Ash Wednesday a day when people give up amongst other things smoking so we talk today to Fiona Boyle smoking cessation coordinated with the HSC thank you so much for joining us Fiona very welcome it's great to have you in with us and also we are joined by Michael Pertle who is a former smoker at Michael how are you getting on not too bad thanks for having me not good to have you with us tell us why you wanted to stop smoking it is obvious but it's not obvious for everyone does it for different reasons I was actually talking to Fiona earlier on about this and there was no specific reason I wanted to go off them obviously they're very expensive at the minute I was looking this morning I'm off them for 147 days now since and I've saved 3,048 euros that's a huge amount of money but you're probably no richer and I'm not you know the way it is it goes into that black hole of living but at least you're paying it to other things rather than smoking absolutely I mean I was driving past the fuel prices there this morning so but and then obviously when you get a bit older health wise it's not a good habit so there was a number of things a number of reasons why I wanted to go off them what was you've been smoking by my notes here for 20 years was it on and off did you always try and sort of pack it in and then for one reason or another we find reasons to go back to the habit or what was your story yeah I was off them once sort of before for a long time and that was using the stop smoking service they actually visited Fiona a number of years back and she helped me to get off them and I was off them for I think around eight months and I was out one night and I decided I have one cigarette because I thought I'm off them now you know I can have one cigarette and then the next morning I woke up and I still had the box in my pocket and away I went and I was back on them for years again so I decided I knew exactly what I had to do the eight months that you were off them and then relapsed I'll go back smoke again did that discourage you from trying again did you go well you know no I was actually the probably the opposite I knew exactly what the stop smoking service was I knew how it helped me to get off them I knew how it made it much more easier so I was definitely more confident coming back to Fiona the second time all right Fiona you've helped a lot of people you and your team over over the years tell us why this has such a high success rate I suppose we identify with the client what their reasons are for smoking in the first place and also the reasons for stopping we very much support them both with the addiction side of tobacco use but also the habit and the emotional attachment and very much a big part of our role is also identifying the correct treatments that clients should use for their level of addiction well not sure it's called it but there's an element of counselling there as well you know people are being faced with well why am I doing it what's in it for me why do I want to stop you know when talking that through is part of the process then and I suppose because around 90% of people who smoke actually would have started as a teenager that's around the time when we're learning how to deal with life how to use those emotions and whenever they're triggered it's like what do we do instead and if we're a tobacco user then the chances are we're going to smoke if it's positive emotions negative emotions so it is a big part of our work would actually be working a strategy with the client as to how to deal with those emotional situations and we were conditioned to smoke too you know I was watching a film through this stage of watching 90s films and they just choose cigarettes the whole way through the films you know what I mean and it's always that maybe it's the tough guy or it's made sexy for a girl whatever the mess but it was all done by purpose you know a lot of money went into this product placement and stuff so all were chipping along being conditioned to do it and then you hit 30 or 40 or 15 you go right okay I need to stop this so tell us about then the how you help people so we've talked about the initial conversation so that gets people talking yeah so we find out from the client why it is they want to stop so it's very important for you to have a reason to do it because as with anything in life and especially with an addiction if you don't have a strong enough reason then the chances are you're going to relapse quite quickly or you might get to the stage where you actually get quitting in the first place so you don't rush people into it then no so we have varying degrees of clients who come to us so as long as somebody is interested in stopping smoking at some stage ideally over the next month then that tends to be when they're at a higher motivation level then we will certainly work with clients yeah and still one in five adult smoke it's 18% at the moment 16% smoke daily and 2% socially yeah so that's still a significant amount of people isn't it it is a significant amount having said that there's actually more quitters now than there is tobacco users there is but unfortunately there's you know a lot of young people are consuming nicotine through vapes and what have you and we heard from the Royal College of Surgeons in relation to that and you know it is not a big step to go from ingesting nicotine via vape to smoking you know and there are I think in certain cohorts some increases unfortunately absolutely and I think you alluded to it earlier Greg in that the tobacco industry was very much in cahoots with Hollywood way back in the 30s 40s it's only looking back you realize it it's like so blatant I was watching a film of Mel Gibson it was like one out one in one out one in lighting fires with cigarettes I was thinking wow I was watching that and you know what they were doing so the tobacco industry now because they own most of the e-cigarette manufacturing companies so they're doing the exact same because there's less restrictions on them in relation to the advertising and the product placement as well yeah and you know you'll see you'll see on tiktok or Instagram the reels now what it is is it's influencers blowing smoke rings and that kind of stuff and they're not doing it for the good of the for the good of the health ironically you know because they're paid to do it and that's what our young people are being it looks cool it's brilliant I can do that and so on and so forth it's the next generation we'll come back to that I want to talk more about Michael and how this has changed for you obviously you know a huge financial saving over three grand it's remarkable and I know a lot of people put that away and make sure it doesn't go into the the debt pot that we all have or we all seemingly haven't take holiday out of it or something what else has been the benefits to you do you feel yeah well obviously I mean it's a health thing as well I mean I noticed that there quite recently I was a very kind of fresh born in there and I walked out the door I took a big deep breath in and it just seemed to go a bit deeper I know that maybe that sounds a bit weird I think a lot of people will get what you're saying but I was smoking for nearly over 20 years and when I stopped I was smoking 30 a day so that's a lot of cigarettes and you know it just seems that my health has certainly improved I don't feel there's a smell if you ever notice a smoker there's a definite smell with them you know so I don't feel that I carry around that smell with me you know particularly after you have a cigarette but just on the star smoking service itself for me it wasn't the case of you just land and she wants you Fiona wants you to go off the cigarettes it was a process that we went through we broke down the sort of the addiction we looked at when I wanted a smoke and we put steps in place every time I kind of visited her and then as we got towards my quit date it was much more easier so it was a sort of psychological thing as well as the different supports and then I used the nicotine replacement therapy so I had the patches I had the lozenges you know and I used them just to kind of kind of help me go off them so it was a big approach to it it isn't just the case of you get the triggers don't you drop a coffee or after something exactly on the phone you know there's so many triggers throughout the day you know and it's only when you start smoking you realise how many times or when you actually smoked you know so it was breaking down them kind of habits them triggers and realising you know that you have an addiction you know and it is difficult to go off them and there's support there so why not use it I think too you know they a lot of people would say I smoked a pack a day which was 20 but then quite cleverly they started introducing bigger pop boxes then a pack a day but you were you know smoking potentially 50% more cigarettes what is the with your support excuse me Fiona it increases it increases obviously as Michael's been describing perfectly people's chances of quitting but quitting for good absolutely so I suppose and unfortunately most people in the country actually will try to stop smoking by themselves some people will try to use nicotine replacement therapy but they often don't use adequate amounts of it and they dismiss it quite quickly so with our program at the moment we've got a 35% success rate here in Donegal of people who set a quick day and the World Health Organization would recommend that 20% would be a good success source is actually very good but I think a big factor and as you say Michael has articulated very well it's very client centred so it's very much where the client is at and like for years we've had support services for other drug issues and alcohol issues and it's only in the recent past that we've actually sort of come up to speed in relation to nicotine addiction which is very comparable to cocaine and heroin addiction and there's lots of services available for people who are addicted to those products so I think the reality is that if you use combination nicotine replacement therapy and if you come to a service such as our own you're much more likely to be successful you probably don't need to see people at this stage but we deal with the barriers you know sure my mother smoked when she was 19 never did her any harm or I need it because if I don't smoke I'll get stressed and that's worse than smoking or I'll gain weight do you know what I mean these things that we can sort of put in our way to try and kick the can down the road a little bit you need people really to have overcome a lot of that do they before you want them to be ready to go well in an ideal world yes but we don't live in an ideal world so suppose it's very much about getting the client where they're at so I mean sometimes those barriers Greg are put in front of us because we're often not we're lacking in confidence in our own ability to do it so sometimes that's the things we will say almost to protect ourselves that's where the support comes from so it's about actually looking into what does that actually mean what does that mean to the person so as long as they're interested in quitting and they are willing to put work and effort into it then we're more than happy to work with them one of the things we I mean if you need tips that people should genuinely avoid like Michael in your experience you know what what do you think we do that we shouldn't be doing well for me it was a case of there was no good time to start smoking every time I decided you know I'm going to stop next week or next month there was a wedding coming up there was an exam you know there was some kind of something ahead that I made an excuse where you know I can't start smoking now so it's just important to phone phone Fiona phone the start smoking service and just to get an appointment and it's not my smoking next week or next month you know it's at your own pace and you can talk to Fiona and you can hear all the success stories and what other people have done you know and then the benefits of it you know so I mean just for me access in the service was the reason I'm I think even that structure of the right amount of nicotine replacement and when to take it that would be we could get lost in that a little bit but you were saying right this is you were told this is what will work for you and this is how you have to do it and I think that's really helpful absolutely and often we have I often say people have it's a bit like the weather everybody's got a story about tobacco in some respects as well either they smoke themselves or they live with somebody smoked but I think in relation to that as well it's often people have used products in the past but they may not necessarily have used the right products and it's only in the recent past where we would be very much advocating for combination nicotine replacement therapy so lots of people may have stuck a patch on for a couple of days or may have used a few lozenges or pieces of gum they often didn't know how to use it correctly either it doesn't work for me and we should go back to the excuse it was definitely something I don't know in the past I would have used them you know put a patch on thinking this is the this is how it works you know but no never worked never worked and you wouldn't be a big fan of addiction replacement you know switching from cigarettes to vaping for example I know there's a different attitude or maybe a different attitude in Britain as to but you're if you're going to stop you don't want to be necessarily replacing it with something else not really I suppose again go back to how the program works we look at the addiction side we also look at the habit and we look at the emotional side of it so I would class e-cigarette more switching rather than quitting do you do you find I'm not I mean obviously your focus is on smoking but do you find people coming to you or inquiring at least say look I'm addicted to vaping we actually see people who are addicted to vaping on the program and you help them too that's actually really quite important because you know they might feel they're in a better place but may not be okay so that's moving with the times no doubt so how do people get in contact so they can give me a call it is always that simple with you isn't it every time I ask the questions give me a call and she does actually answer the phone and everything so it's 087 2514790 and we have a number of we've got some new staff coming on board now in Donegal as well there's also can I just mention Greg as well there's this launch of your healthy communities program it's a new initiative under Healthy Ireland and it's where people who live in Anish own or people who live in the Guildwick areas are actually entitled to 12 weeks free treatment as well when they come on the program so because that can be a barrier for lots of people in relation to the cost of the treatment there Fiona you are simply the best I'm now 17 years off cigarettes thank you forever I mean that must be a lovely thing to hear to have an impact like that Jay did it on his own I'm off the 26 years main reason was I couldn't afford to smoke and had a young family best thing I ever did but there are you know when we make choices not everyone makes that choice and other things in the home can perhaps be neglected to make sure the cigarettes are gone and unfortunately people need help not because that's not a criticism that's why services like this say well we can help you have other options in case anyone think I was being critical I wasn't and that's also why this launch care healthy program came into being because it's very much in relation to disadvantaged areas because often we find that people who are coming from disadvantaged areas are more likely to smoke and often more likely to smoke heavier but are less likely to be able to afford the products to help them to stop all right now we have Fiona's number here and we can pass to that final word to you Michael I mean do you sort of say I'm off them forever I'm never going to smoke again or do you have a day at a time or what way is working for you yeah I mean we kind of discussed this earlier no I feel much more confident this time that this my future ahead you know is as a non-smoker that's the way I don't think you needed to have that cigarette that you had no did you see that no no you didn't actually have to have it you thought I can have it but you didn't have to have it it was a second decision that time I went back on that time I thought I was a non-smoker and that's my future this time I realized that I can't have cigarettes because although I am a non-smoker and that addiction is still there you know so I can still get back into it very quickly so I do see my future as a non-smoker Fiona I have no doubt will always be there supporting me along the way so no it's definitely great stuff Michael and it gives hope to other people that it can be done on a sheet and you can maybe slip but get back up and continue on the journey Fiona obviously whenever you come on there's always lots of people that you've helped to text in to say thanks Fiona for what you and your team have done so that's great and Michael you've done a great service today I think in showing people how it can be done and what your life can be after it is our sureness day maybe today is the day you want to at least plan to call the cessation service we appreciate Fiona Boyle smoking cessation office coordinated with the HSC and Michael Pertle who stopped smoking almost five months ago who's used the program in the past as well we thank both of you for coming in it's been very nice having you on all right back after the break until love conquers fear for all your health and beauty needs you can always rely on McGee's chemist in letter Kenny if you need a prescription just call or order online at McGee's.ie and it will be ready for you in advance before you arrive for beauty and skin care there's all the big names of great prices in store and online and for your photo printing needs simply download the McGee's photo prints app or click on the website link McGee's chemist main street in letter Kenny for all your health and beauty needs and so much more call 911-21409 or visit McGee's.ie Mike Denver in concert with guests Ray Linham and Brendan Shine at the Enishoam Gateway Hotel Bunkrana on Sunday March 13 tickets at Hotel Reception and Ticketmaster.ie that's Mike Denver with guests Brendan Shine and Ray Linham at the Enishoam Gateway Hotel Bunkrana Sunday March 13 with spring nearly here it's time to get organized it's time to spring clean and here at Homestore and More we have everything you need to make it as easy as can be from storage solutions to help you get organized to mops and buckets to make your floors sparkle and whether it's a deep clean or just a touch up we have the cloths and cleaning detergents that will make everything clean order online before 2pm for next day delivery or drop by your local Homestore and More Homestore and More a happy home to the College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise this September CAFRI is Northern Ireland's Specialist Agri Food and Land Based College with campuses at Greenmount, Antrim, Loughry Cookstown and Enish Gillan Discover courses in Agriculture Food, Horticulture, Equine, Florestry Veterinary Nursing, Land Based Engineering and Business Join our virtual open week each evening on Discover CAFRI Facebook from Monday 7th of March for event information visit www.cafri.uk I'm Sam Shed, Perotill Protect a garden angel a mess on the inside but I know what I saw outside a cat, no, a man burglar hop Sam's back edge and stow his bike he couldn't believe it but FBD did with no excess to pay they'll get him back in the saddle after all, support is what FBD do Visit FBD.ie today to save 25% on your new home insurance quote and for owner-occupier contents in the open cover specify all risks required for items over this value claim will affect no claims bonus terms and conditions apply underwritten by FBD Insurance PLC FBD Insurance Group Limited Trading as FBD Insurance is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland Big plans won't mean big repayments with a home improvement loan from any shown credit union whether you're converting the attic changing the kitchen or doing work to the garden talk to us today with rates starting from 6.18 APR no hidden fees or charges no loan decisions, we have the perfect loan for you apply online at anyshowncu.ie or call us on 93 61017 membership of anyshown credit union is open to anyone who lives or works in the anyshown peninsula all loans are subject to approval terms and conditions apply anyshown credit union is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland Business Matters in association with Lederkenny IT's Faculty of Business Applications are now open for the highly regarded masters in leadership and innovation in the public sector also a masters in governance, compliance and data protection in financial services and a certificate in online dispute management visit L-Y-I-T.ie for more information Alright that means it's time for Business Matters podcast preview which means we get some news as well we welcome in to studio Kieran O'Donnell Kieran thanks for joining us how are you keeping? Good great, good morning Right let's start with some news here good news in fact for Fintru For the second successive year Fintru has been named as one of Europe's fastest growing companies by the financial times The financial services company employs over 1000 across Derry, Belfast London, Maastricht and New York and was ranked at 701 in the financial times 1000 fastest growing companies in Europe Working with investment banks around the globe Fintru designs technology enabled solutions to help their clients meet their regulatory obligations Alright some more good news 50 jobs coming to Donegal Yeah a story that's been covered I'm sure in the week 50 new jobs are to be created by Donegal and Donegal by customer experience software developer Concentrics The firm has offices in Dublin, Belfast and Derry and the new positions will all be remote working roles Globally the company employs 270,000 people with more than 1,500 working for it in Ireland So the company is headquartered in California and set the region's skilled workforce strong education system and robust technology infrastructure for its decision to target Donegal for its latest recruitment phase 270,000 people employs 270,000 I actually checked it actually when I went on to the web it was 250 so it has gone on so that's why I'm bagging huge Well if you take it proportionally 4,500 from Ireland Yes you can see it can ramp it up but that's remarkable I've never heard the likes Alright now interesting stories from the world of hospitality I suppose we'll start with the Desperate Arms in hotels synonymous with Ardra It's on the market It is indeed the Three Star Hotel has 49 bedrooms and was recently refurbished Gregg at first opened to stores in 1838 and the sale is being handled by Stephen McKell of McKell McDonough's New Years in Ardra Alright and we heard a little earlier on sudden news the Tavern Bar in Manchalis has pulled down the shutters The Tavern Bar in Mancharis closes doors for the final time on Monday night and a Facebook post the O'Donnell family said that due to the ever increasing costs and staffing issues they are no longer able to continue in business and they also thank everyone for their effort Yeah and I think in conversation with them already it was clear that the business could be supported a little bit better as well but ok now Donegal Enterprise Week it is on the horizon One in your sales is the theme of the 2022 Donegal Enterprise Week which gets underway next week Donegal Enterprise Week will be officially opened by Donegal County Council Cajira Councilor Jack Murray and Minister of Agriculture Food and the Marine Charlie McConaug The Donegal Strategic Enterprise Development Plan will also be launched at the official opening and special guests for the event will be former Republic Upward and Goalkeeper Pachybun Alright so ok that's a roundup of the news from Cary we'll be back here looking forward to the podcast after this short break For all of your dreams that are big small or strange, we've got you covered with our monster loan range Monster loans from the Credit Union Imagine more Loans are subject to approval, terms and conditions apply If you do not need to repayments on your loan your account will go into arrears This may affect your credit rating which may limit your ability to access credit in the future Credit unions in the Republic of Ireland are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland Want to accelerate the growth of your new business Entrepreneurs in Derry City and Straban Council areas can now apply for a new start-up accelerator programme Eligible participants can avail of free professional support, access to incubation facilities and business grants The programme is open to businesses who are currently on or have recently completed the Go For It programme To apply contact your local Enterprise Office Enterprise Northwest or Straban Enterprise Agency This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Scheme If you're tired and struggling to put something in your step due to Covid burnout Discover the power of Revive Active at your local Brennan's Pharmacy Revive Active is an award-winning super supplement containing 26 active ingredients including Vitamin C, D and Zinc which support your immune system all in one handy daily sashay Made for busy stressful lives it's the convenient way to put back what life takes out Enrich your life with the Revive Active In-store or online click and collect from Brennan's Pharmacy.com We're here for you It's exciting times at Hillside D-Max in Litterkenny because they've moved but not too far Their new kitchen design studio is now open at Corralese on the other side of the mountaintop roundabout This new studio showcases the latest kitchen wardrobe and slide robe designs with D-Max's renowned attention to detail and exceptional quality Hillside D-Max in the heart of your home since 1994 Now at Corralese Mountaintop Litterkenny Business matters in association with Litterkenny IT's Faculty of Business Applications are now open for the highly regarded masters in leadership and innovation in the public sector also a masters in governance compliance and data protection in financial services and a certificate in online dispute management visit lyit.ie for more information Okay now we are in the company still of Kearn O'Donnell and we're looking forward to the Business Matters podcast to remind you it's available on our website hillandradio.com or on Spotify or iTunes You guessed this week Mr O'Donnell Yes Mr Hughes on this week's Business Matters I speak to Sheamus McMeneman owner of Mantis Cranes Ireland, Mantis Cranes UK and McMeneman Engineering Sheamus left school at the age of 16 and worked for a local engineering firm for 14 years before selling up McMeneman Engineering in 1986 in Kelly Gordon The downturn in 2008 prompted Sheamus to look for new business and he managed to secure major contracts in the Middle East and South America In this clip Sheamus recalls securing a crucial overseas contract Biggest ever single sale which goes from Brazil and the day I walked into an office I didn't walk in that it was all planned, the meeting was planned and I went in thinking I was going to get an order hoping they could order for 4 units 4 cranes and I came out with an order for 13 and that was a big thing for a company from Donegal to that actually there were two things in that it was nice already won but there was also a sense to some extent of relief that it also got us through that tough that the work we put into going over there it actually paid off at a difficult time that was a time when it was month maybe even week to week I don't know but it was a difficult time so that's one that will stick out for a long time and then there's other ones as well each project brings its own great insight Kieran into another big business it's a big one Sheamus a very humble man and look he's seen a lot in the 36 years since he set up his business he's seen the good times and the bad times and I suppose his ability to adapt and having to go elsewhere and look for business and as that club rightly explained the size of the contract was one thing but the timing of it was another and that allowed him to get ready for the construction sector in the UK in November 2014 and that allowed him to sort of get going again scale everything up and to say that some journey home it must be a wonderful feeling alright the following interview with Sheamus McMenham is available now on our website highlandradio.com and on Spotify and iTunes and as you can hear from that it's the same as previous podcast you get to know a bit more about the person the business and the key points and along the way business matters is also on our Kieran as well isn't it after the such club news alright and if people want to get in touch with you with a programme how did they go about doing so just drop me an email please Greg businessmatters at highlandradio.com alright Kieran well done as always thank you so very much indeed Kieran O'Donnell there presenter of the Highland Radio Podcast Business Matters that latest episode the back catalogue is there as well too isn't it there's lots of different businesses and different types of people thank you very much indeed thank you for your comments here now a caller says I'm just listening to your show at the moment I've just had an experience with the ED this week it is just devastating to say the least patients lying on the floor no trolleys, no chairs staff are doing their best absolutely appalling that one family member cannot get into the hospital to stay with their loved ones staff just have not the manpower to be there for them I've heard how bad it is but first hand knowledge has opened my eyes staff are working crazy hours something needs to change another no problem in letter Kenny Hospital if the doctors opened up face to face with patients instead of sending the patients straight to the Kenny Hospital unbelievably true please please look into this Highland Radio as politicians are deaf we've been talking about this the problem is it can be very different experiences in different practices or with different people's experiences and I've put this to I've been told by people's experience that this was significant that people were having difficulties seeing the general practitioner and then felt they had no choice but to go just go straight to ED and I'll put that to the hospital manager he says that's not a particular problem okay, copy yourself on Greg says this texture you know well you can't just go out and start digging to build a hard shoulder there's due appraisal design and environmental processes to be followed without consulting anyone it would be done long ago you need to get real about where Donagall is ranked when it comes to funding another tell that Lori driver he shouldn't use his horn cyclist it's very frightening it is his responsibility to overtake when it's safe to do so cyclist don't always have a safe place to pull into facilitate him not having to slow down a couple of minutes he know I think he recognizes it was a controversial statement because he's made it before in this program quite a few people contacting over the head of it Larry Kenny Hospital was in there a couple of weeks ago yes the waiting room was extremely busy but once you get into A&E there was a lot of staff sitting around and nurses on the phones we need to go back to the days when matrons and head nurses on the floor ensuring that people are doing what they're meant to be doing but we always have to understand like are those people on breaks are they resting their legs, are they at the end of a shift are they maybe at the end of the shift on just in case I don't know I just really don't think there's people this falls into that and I'm not going to go open that can of worms again I don't think nurses are sitting down there twiddling their thumbs on their phones that's just from my experience and my conversations. Greg when a cyclist going to realize Donegal roads are not built for cycling they are built for cars lorries tractors and motorbikes when a cyclist going to realize there is no room on Donegal road roads for cyclists. End of coming in from Marianne there. Greg have avoided cycling up that climbing lane because well it's not a climbing lane but I'll take your point because of what happened to Dean but I will have to do it sometime there is a side road that goes up to the left of Macquarie's Bray but it's not safe to cyclone as it's not looked after it's in a bad state of repair in winter lots of debris like leaves etc litter is also a danger there too but if that road was fixed up and looked after maybe it could be an option as a cycle lane purely for cyclists ok why can't cyclists find safe roads to cyclone they are a serious danger on the road says another but you know people cycle that's their hobby and if they want to cycle to Bella Bafé to Donegal town are you saying they can't I feel some of these men's clubs take a lot of chances to the clubs not have a duty to plan safer routes for their members but there's no other way to go south as far as I'm aware right ok lots of your comments that I haven't gotten to but they're held here in my greasy little mitt for broadcast tomorrow so rejoin us will you at 9 for Thursday's show stay tuned today John Bresnan is on the way around the north west but for me Greg Hughes and Caroline Orle who researched and produced the program enjoy the rest of your Wednesday have a great day new