 at 938-407 to upgrade to faster broadband, faster. Subject to location and availability, minimum 18 month contract. Activation fees and annual price increase of CPI plus 3% applies. See Imagine.ie for full terms and conditions. Thanks for your company this morning. Thanks for all your WhatsApps and your texts and your messages and everything. Phone cost keeping us right. Greg, how are you by it? Busy one, was it? Was busy and big thanks to Shianna out there because she was taking all the calls and stuff. She's still not right. No, no, she's scarred. I know. The first day of the school, things and all of that throws you in the deep end, you know. And many schools closed? There's a right few, you know, but do you know what schools, do you know they have their WhatsApp groups and their own means of communication, but we still get- Not everybody's on social media. I know, this is very true, but that's why, do you know, it was good to be able to mention them and then we eventually got them all up on highly radio social feeds, which was great as well, you know. Okay. Good job in Canada or America. It's like minus 13 and stuff. There's a few comments in there. I didn't get a chance to get to them, but since you're a wee florious, no one look, everything goes into the case. I was, that person's probably sitting in their cozy house, listening to the radio, not trying to get to a hospital appointment to get to school or something. Do you know what there is appointments, do you know? In the mornings, it's hard to make the call because you're getting everyone out of bed and sometimes it can come late and, you know, come early and that's why it's so important to get the info out. I'd say then you have young children at school or one's going to school, then your own personal plans like saying, who's going, they're at home now. Child managers? Yeah, and all of this. And then you've got a phone work saying, look, I can't make it in this morning because man, I've got to do this. It's a big deal. It's a big deal. You know, so it's a lot. Definitely on mornings like this. Anyway, it's probably going to be the same tomorrow and Friday. And then, you know what's coming then, don't you? Sunday storms. Hey. Storm on Sunday, apparently. What is the name on it yet? Lee. Stormlit Nogreg. You always cause a storm. I'm light and fluffy stuff. You're the force. No, that's not true. You clearly don't listen to the show. It's a mix, Lee. It's a mix. Yeah. We're fleet of foot on the 9 o'clock news show. I'd better get to it. Go on, do that news. Good day, Lee. Take care anyway. Home at nine o'clock, a minute past nine. Let's get a news update over now to Donald Kavanaugh. Thank you, Greg. Good morning. Difficult driving conditions are being reported across the region. Snow has been falling on top of ice on many of Donegal's roads earlier today. Garthys say main routes are possible with care. They're advising motorists to allow extra time for journeys and to slow down. A number of schools are closed and some bus services aren't operating. There's details on our website. Donegal, Litra, Mayo and Slego all remain under yellow. No ice warning until 11 tomorrow morning. TDs return to the dull today. The government is set to face major challenges with the possibility of a general election at some point in 2024 with more peers Andrew Louth. As has become the case on a regular basis, health and housing is expected to feature prominently in dull proceedings this term. The government will also come under pressure for its immigration policies with proposed accommodation centres being burnt out along with recent protests in Rosscray and Tipperary. There's also the matter of two referendums taking place in March based around care and the family with both proposals being debated this afternoon. It's also possible that with a general election rumoured for later this year that there was very much an element of the government running out of time to complete its body of work ahead of the dull's return. There's also a possibility of some protest in the area. Andrew Louth lent their house. There are concerns over the condition of a property in burnt foot with unconfirmed reports it's to house refugees or asylum seekers. The property was destroyed by flooding in 2017. It's been vacant since with fears that it could be susceptible to floods. Donegal County Council has contacted the government seeking clarity over its plans for the building so far. There's been no response. Meanwhile at Donegal, he says the government must ensure there's adequate GP and hospital services in areas with large concentrations of asylum seekers. Tisha Cleo Radker yesterday promised extra resources for the 10 areas with the highest concentrations. Donegal tops that list at the moment with W. Thomas Pringle says a lack of medical service is the main concern of communities and that must be addressed. We need mario facilities available. We need hospital facilities available. We need teachers to be made available and those things need to be made available anyway and the government has to accept that they're not doing that if they want to actually get communities on board. The Atlantic Technological University has joined the international alliance striving to combat the escalating crisis of plastic pollution in the Atlantic Ocean. The Blue Point project is also intended to establish a blue circular economy. With more, here's McKenna Clark. The Blue Point project is an ambitious initiative aimed at establishing a blue circular economy, uniting 13 partners from regions across the world in a collaborative mission to retrieve and repurpose marine plastics found in the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Technological University's specific role in the project, which includes the letter Kenny Compass, involves investigating the feasibility of sorting and cleaning microplastics recovered from the oceans. The goal is to produce polymer filaments suitable for 3D printing processes, contributing to the broader mission of combating plastic pollution. Dr David Tormey says the ATU looks forward to working with European partners and turning the issue of marine plastics into new opportunities for manufacturing and business development within coastal communities. Very cold this morning with frost icy stretches and patches of fog or freezing fog. They'll clear slowly, lingering all day in some places with temperatures of just one to three degrees Celsius, sunny spells and some wintry showers with light and northerly breezes. That's had it ready for news for now, back with news in full at 10 o'clock. What's that milk still in date? I was muted on that call, wasn't I? Am I after losing my car keys? Most things we worry about never happen. And with Liberty Insurance, you can worry less about things that do, especially when right now, you can get a 40 year retail voucher if you buy your car insurance with Liberty Online. So you're free to worry about literally anything else. Did I send that to the entire group chat? Or not worry at all, less worry, more Liberty. The 40 year voucher offer is valid for new private car policies only, purchased before January 31st, 2024. Acceptance criteria, terms and conditions apply. Liberty Ceguros, Compañía de Ceguros, Area Ceguros, SA. Trading as Liberty Insurance is authorized by the General Directorate of Insurance and Pensions Phones in Spain and is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland for conduct of business rules. And now it's time for the talk of the Northwest, The Nine to Noon Show with Greg Hughes on Highland Radio. Hello and a very good morning to you. Six minutes past nine on this Wednesday, the 17th of January. How are you all keeping out there? It is a wintry one across the Northwest. It arrived, albeit a day late, it might seem, and difficult driving conditions out there. That being said, though, a big shout out to the lads and lassies. I'm not sure of the makeup of them gritting the roads early this morning. I know some of you out there, maybe your road's not gritted and you would like it to be gritted. It's not their fault, they're given a set route and they were out at the crack of the dawn. Some of the first vehicles across some really nasty conditions and left most of the routes safe and passable with care. Those are the gritted routes, of course. The back roads, not so much so. But anyway, we are here to warm the cockles of your heart if we can't warm the atmosphere and the roads. We want you involved in the conversation throughout the course of the morning with the usual numbers. I'll give them to you again. I know maybe sometimes you listen regularly and you're like, ugh, I know the number. But not everyone does and we have new people, thankfully, tuning in all the time. WhatsApp's in text to 086625,000. If you're outside the Republic, it's 00353866025,000. You can give us a call on 0749125,000, 0749125,000 or email commonsatheilandradio.com. And maybe you do have a home day today. Maybe the school was closed or you had to take off work or you didn't go, well, you just work from home, whatever it might be. You can watch us on your tele, on your smart TV. Most smart TVs now, most TVs now sold are smart. You have YouTube on, pop it open, stick in Highland Radio Ireland and watch us live. We're also on your Fire Stick as well through your YouTube, Apple, your Google TV, whichever it might be. You can take us with us on that on your mobile devices and we're also on Highland Hub and Highland News and Sport on Facebook. Right, let's look at the front pages this morning. The Finn Valley Voice signs will be erected at the High Visibility Crossings in Balaba Faye and Stranola before the end of March 24th. That's what they're actually officially called, High Visibility Crossings. I can't see them at night time, hardly at all. But anyway, the crossings will also be relined with high reflectivity paint. Wow, this is amazing stuff. It should have been done from the beginning. Councillor Patrick McGowan, welcome the long-awaited response from Transport Infrastructure Ireland. We'll be speaking to Councillor McGowan earlier on. From the get-go, it was clear as soon as they went in, as soon as they went on, so many of you out there today says you can't see them. You don't know they're there, they're not safe. And now here we are, thankfully. I don't think anyone's been seriously injured, but thanks, here we are in the next year and the right thing seemingly is going to be done. We'll tease that out a little later on in the programme. Why do the wheels move so slowly? The Inish Times tells us that two men have been arrested following a spate of incidents, including the hijacking of a car in Bridgend on Sunday night. Two men in their 20s were arrested in the Dublin area after Gardie located a grey Seat Altia with a Northern Ireland reg, which was hijacked in Bridgend at around 8.30 p.m. on Sunday. Bunkrana Guard Superintendent Sean Grant said the two males were found with the hijacked car and were arrested on suspicion of possession of offensive weapons. That car has been recovered and two males have been arrested and remaining guard of custody in a Dublin city station, he said yesterday. The Donegal Post this morning, isolation, loneliness and lack of proper access to a multitude of services is adding even more pressure to elderly people's housing concerns in rural areas, according to a Donegal councillor. And by integrating them into bigger town and village populations, this in turn could free up large houses in rural areas that could be utilised by younger families currently on an ever-expanding housing list. This is according to councillor Neve Kennedy during a discussion in relation to the ongoing housing crisis at the January meeting of the municipal district of Donegal. Councillor Kennedy pointed out that it was also important to bear in mind the ongoing plight of many of the MDs out of the population when it comes to the county's housing policy for the future. Onto the nationals now and the issue of immigration dominating all of the papers. So very hard to avoid it. If you're sick listening about it, my apologies, but as I say, it's either that or just dump the papers. The government is to consider... This is a bizarre situation down in Roscray. Now, I'm not saying whether it's the right policy or the wrong policy. I'm just giving my... My head form's not working correctly. I'm just giving my initial reaction. There's no hotels left in Roscray because the last hotel that was there ceased trading as a hotel just this month. And instead, it's being converted into accommodation for asylum seekers. Now, the government has decided to buy another hotel. The government's getting into the hotel business. It's going to buy another hotel in Roscray that's derelict or hasn't been an operational for a while, do it up and run it as a community hotel. So the hotel that was there has been taken over by the government and now they're going to, which I don't know how it works. I presume they're just going to put it over onto the council, North Tip Council. They're going to take over a rundown hotel, do that up and provide a community hotel for the Roscray area. I've never heard the likes of it before. I don't know if it's right or wrong, but it's just random. Well, the government is to consider buying a hotel in Roscray for use as a community, for using community functions after local protests over asylum seekers being housed in another hotel in the Tipperary town. Finaful TD Jackie Cowles said he had received buy-in for the proposal from government leaders after he had a meeting with integration minister, Roderick O'Gorman. The Taoiseach and Thonester have said they are open to examining wood funds. What wood funds could be used? The Taoiseach and the Thonester have said they are open to examining wood funds could be used to buy grants hotel in the centre of the town to run as a community facility for functions, Mr. Cowles said. He said buying the hotel, which is for sale and currently not in use, could help appease local anxiety over asylum seekers being moved into the Rackett Hall in hotel. Now, I presume a lot of the anxieties are to do with the availability of services, dental, GP, hospital, jobs and what have you. But the plan is to buy another hotel, do it up, and the government would sort of be running a hotel for the community. Yet they've taken over the hotel that was functioning as a hotel and used it for asylum seekers. As I say, maybe it's the best idea in the world. It just feels a little bit like, not a joke, but a strange way of approaching things. The Irish Times tells us that 10 areas in Ireland, presumably Donegal, the most pressure, under the most pressure, due to the arrival of refugees and asylum seekers will be provided with a special package of supports that could see extra resources given for health, education and policing. And now, this is to be welcomed, I presume. Donegal, what this package would be, how it would be administered, who's gone to administer it, what would these extra resources and health, education and policing look like? There are those who might say, look, we have one child and adolescent counselling service in Donegal, that's set to close unless something changes very quickly. That is set to close in the next month or so. Can we have faith that we are actually gonna receive, if that can't be funded, are we gonna have faith that a package of supports will come to Donegal for extra resources such as health, education and policing? How does that look? What does extra money for policing look like? Does that mean more guards are coming here? What does extra money for education look like? Another school, more teachers. In terms of health, more money, are they gonna pay what's currently there more money or how are they gonna attract more GPs? And again, I'd be very interested to see how this actually works in reality. A mid concern within government about the increasing number of protests outside buildings due to be used to accommodate asylum seekers and refugees or government departments have been asked to compile a list of what extra supports could be given to the 10 districts with the highest number of refugees and asylum seekers' arrivals. The work is being led by the Department of T-Shock and this is at a very, very early stage with ministers discussing the plans at a cabinet meeting yesterday. Again, I can't see how, this doesn't look like a problem that chucking money at would fix because I think the solution's a more long term. So also we'll be very interested to see how that will progress. Last story in relation to this, it's on the front page of the Irish Daily Mail. The government fears a revolt by county councils over the country's immigration policy that it could become contagious ahead of the forthcoming local elections. It is going to become contagious or divisive or the top topic, there's no doubt about that. This afternoon, County Council passed a motion yesterday calling on its staff to cease working with Minister Roderick O'Gorman's Department of Integration until an agreed strategy is put in place on housing refugees. Now, it is a motion that is passed, which sends out its own message whether you agree with it or not. The stuff that they're talking about are executive functions. So it's up to the executive of the council. So some might say or feel that maybe these councillors have chucked the executive under the boss really because they're going to have to go against the will of the council and the people to continue to engage with Minister Roderick O'Gorman. But anyway, it's probably not the first. Certainly it is the first, but not the last time we're gonna see such motions, I would say. I'd be interested to see who might propose that up here. Although non-binding, the motion passed unanimously with the support of Finnegal and Finnefall councillors and is designed to protest the government's handling of the issue. The Irish Daily Mail understands that similar motions are being considered by County Councils in Kerry, Galway and Donagall. So if you are the, are you the local authority member? Apparently there is one in Donagall that's going to be proposing this motion or would support such a motion? Let us know. We'd love to speak to you. As I say, I'm just running through the cancers in my head and I'm just, it's very hard on the hoof, but do you know the cancer that is likely to make that proposal? I wonder what it pass up here. Onto the international stage now, the Irish Daily Star Iran and America are edging towards open warfare as the Middle East crisis threatens to explode into all conflict between East and West intelligency experts warned as if things aren't bad enough. Tehran's Monday missile attack on Iraq, which came close to hitting US consulate buildings, has put an Iran and the United States inching closer to open warfare. And it claims Tehran's support for terror proxies in the Middle East has led to it blocking US efforts to stop Israel's war on Hamas from exploding into a wider conflict. And more so than Iran has proxies. The West has proxies as well, of course. So whether they fight directly, they certainly often they fight indirectly. More sports could be available on free-to-air channels. This according to the Irish Daily Mirror. Top sporting events could be made mandatory free-to-air as part of a new review. The GEA Provincial Finals, All Island Quarter Finals and All Island Semis, the new UEFA National League and all six nations games are among 14 sporting events which may be in the running. Tonnes to Meehan Martin said the review of the list of free-to-air events provides an opportunity to ensure that our most memorable sporting moments are retained on national TV for the people of Ireland to view together on an equal basis. And also, Meehan Martin has been commenting on proposals to change Park-Equiv to Supervalued Park. He said he wouldn't be in favour of that. Turns out it's not gonna happen in the short term anyway. Those plans seem to have been put on hold but it's just kind of interesting. Sometimes, I think, and this is not Auntie Meehan Martin or Auntie, anyone for that matter, just an observation that, you know, still really struggling to get any commentary as it relates to the potential of us losing our child and adolescents' council services to people behind and have commentary on a football ground, getting a different name. It's just interesting. And as I say, we're continuing to try and get answers in relation to that issue of just reference. And finally, moobs. Man boobs. Well, man boobs are a sign. Fellows are heading for an early grave. It's emerged men with enlarged breast tissue were found to be more than a third more likely to die before the age of 75 than those not affected. And for those whose moobs were linked to a known risk factor, including being obese, the chance of dying early rose by three quarters. Researcher Dr. Alavira Brona said, hopefully the findings stimulate more awareness among health care providers to apply interventions alleviating underlying factors. So if you've got boobs, man boobs, moobs, there is an increased risk according to that one piece of research of... You're dying before your time. OK. We'll be back with more in the night until noon after a short break. The newspapers are courtesy of Kelly Centra Mountaintop Letterkenny, the C-Store National Large Forecourt of the Year for 2022. Are the signs of aging creeping up on you? Are you not happy with the way you look or feel? At Letterkenny Medics Private Clinic, we're here to help you offering Botox anti-wrinkle injections, derma fillers, skin bio-injections, Botox treatment for grinding and clenching teeth, hyperhydrosis that aids excessive sweating. Let our doctors help bring back your confidence and look after what is important to you. To see what real results really look like, book your immediate appointment with No Waiting Times at letterkennymedics.ie. Letterkenny Medics, we listen if you want to talk. Well, Grace, how are you today? I'm good. I've just been down to the maid to measure fireplaces showroom in Cresla. They have an incredible selection of over 40 colours for kitchen work-tops. And guess what? For a limited time, they're offering a 40% discount on any electric fire when you purchase a work-top there. 40%? That's an amazing deal, Grace. Absolutely. And trust me, if the discount alone doesn't sway you, they're a huge selection of fireplaces, stoves, wood pellet burners, beams, and stone cladding certainly well. Contact Maid to Measure Fireplaces, Cresla, on 0749138365 on Facebook, Instagram, and on mtmfireplaces.ie. At Citroen, we're a little obsessed with comfort. That's why we created our painted, progressive, hydraulic cushion suspension system. This Citroen innovation helps filter out surface irregularities like bumps and dips in the road by absorbing them as energy and dissipating them as heat, giving you a driving experience that we call the flying carpet effect. With Citroen, you don't drive, you glide. Book a test glide in a Citroen today. Visit citroen.ie. Highland radio time checks with Expressway. Travel Route 32 from Leta Kennedy, Dublin when you book online and travel for less. Expressway, bringing you the time, us? It's 9.22, right? There's a whole host of elections coming up this year. We've got a referendum, European elections, geltacht elections, local elections. There couldn't even be a general election. And one of the familiar sights around election times are election posters. They pop up all over the place. And some would see them as a critical way of getting your face out there. Others see them as pure litter. Then there's issues with them coming down. When they come down, the old plastic ties that can end up lying around the place and the impact they have on the environment. We thought we'd have a wee chat about that maybe in 2024. Is it time with Facebook X and everything else to go digital and do away with the old school posters on the polls and what have you? A few guests to talk about this. Michael McLaughlin, branch secretary of the Donegal Labour parties with us. Good morning to you, Michael. Good morning, Greg. How are you doing? I'm doing fantastic, Michael. OK, so what's your position in relation to election posters? My position is a personal one. I think that the day has come for them. When we look at the environmental impact and the plastic that they're made of in a world where we're talking about putting that in our plastic use, I think it's time for them to go. The only way it works, though, is if they all go. You know what I mean? It would be like you can't expect a Labour party or Finnafall or Finnegale on their own to take a stand and do that because it would leave their candidates as a disadvantage, arguably. So this would be something that would have to be agreed, would it not, you know, across the political spectrum? I think, yes, in answer to your question, it potentially does leave candidates at a disadvantage. I mean, there's lots of talk and study around it that it leaves new and unknown candidates. And I suppose potentially I could have some skin in the game in that one. I've let my name go forward to the selection convention. Good stuff. And with that, I have decided that I will not be using election posters. Should I be selected to contest the local election, regardless of whether it's going to lead me at a disadvantage or not? I know there are arguments about turnout, sorry, and general sort of making the locals or people aware, the electorate aware that there's an election going on. But I think in the context of everything else that we have going on, I think that there is enough information around, or certainly we have enough tools available to get to the electorate and to get messages across. You're right that it should be a blanket thing. I'm not sure I see that happening. So then you have to come into the notion of personal choice. But what we do have, from time to time, is areas that will say, look, we've a very active Tidy Towns area. We're asking you not to put up posters within, I think it's town boundaries. Sometimes it's a terminology that's used. And then what happens is, is the politicians have to respect that because they've become sort of a toxicity to ignoring it. So we do see banning or sort of compliance on a local level from time to time. I think there are something like 150 areas in Ireland that have them banned. And I know that the largest cities, so Dublin, Galway, Cork, all have them. I was reading a study that said there was a 3% less turnout in some areas of Cork at the last election because of a lack of posters. That came with a caveat that it's a very small study and hard to know. But yeah, those areas do exist. I think that the amount of election posters, and you think of how busy this year is going to be in terms of elections, I think we could be potentially looking at quite a number. And I think that that's not necessarily something that I want to be looking at personally. No, and then we see that sometimes they're too low, sometimes they're hanging off, they're defaced. I would imagine, particularly given the sort of atmosphere that we're in in this country, there could be a lot of defacing of posters. They're going to have to be placed up very high. I just think we're advancing politically. I don't have a view on whether this should be up or down or not. It doesn't pop me up or down, but I can see the arguments both one way or other. Brendan Byrne, of course, a former elected representative, joins us on the programme now. Good morning, Brendan. Good morning, Greg. Great to have you on the show. What is your view, Brendan? You would take a different position with you to Michael. Well, in Furnace, I think postering is part of the fabric of Irish electioneering since the foundation in the state. That being said, the importance of postering has changed over the last 30 to 40 years, particularly, but it's a more complex issue than just banning them. It's not black and white. I think in Furnace, for new candidates, particularly for smaller parties and for independents, if we ban postering, we're putting it at a non-fair disadvantage and it's disproportionate. There is a role, particularly in local elections and indeed in European elections for postering because the connectivity between new candidates and the electorate depends more on the visual presence of them in the election period. So I think to put a blanket ban on postering would be completely unfair to new entrants into elections and the new candidates. Look, I think we're conflicting the argument here. Is there an argument about the level of postering or the location of postering as opposed to postering itself? But I would be very clear, if you ban postering, it's a major advantage to the larger parties, to the better-known candidates and to the sitting candidates and that can't be tolerated in a democracy. Well, we have Michael McLaughlin here. He's the branch secretary of the Labour Party. He's put himself forward for nomination and we wish him success in that regard. He's from a smaller party, a very small footprint, it has to be said, in Donegal at this time. A first-time candidate, Michael, if I'm correct, is that right? And he himself is choosing to say, you know, I'm going to take a moral stance here and I'm not going to put up posters. So your argument is being counter-argued by one of the very people that you say might benefit most from postering, if that makes sense, Brendan. Yeah, and I have listened closely to what Michael has said and look at it in an honorable position. He's taken the position that he's not going to put up posters. I personally think that's unwise. Someone that has commented on elections like myself for the last 25 years, particularly in a local election where your name recognition is critical, the face recognition is critical over that short period of election year. And I have seen in my lifetime many candidates take a similar view and after the election, post-election, they've regretted it. You have a very short window of opportunity to sell yourself to the electorate and face recognition, name recognition, is critical in that in a local election. You, I mean, obviously, Michael, we all respect what Brendan's saying, but I mean, there are ways to counteract that. You might say, right, OK, but I'm going to go absolutely nuts on social media and try and get in every newspaper and get on Highland Radio and what have you. And I'll try and offset the valid point that Brendan's making in a modern area, in a modern way. I'm not putting words in your mouth, just asking. No, no, well, I think that's more or less what I said earlier, but there's a second point to that as well, that as a candidate for a smaller party, we don't have the budget to plaster a town in posters anyway. So regardless of whether I said I was going to do it or not, I'd still be at a disadvantage because I'm not going to be able to put up the same number of posters as other parties regardless. Do you think that we're going to see more defacing of posters, more sort of damage to posters in these elections, Brendan? That we might have seen in the past because some people who are opposed to government parties or opposition parties in their position on certain issues might see it as a way of protest? Look at, since the foundation of the state, we've had defacing of posters, and I suppose it's part of the semantics around election year. Look at it, it happens at every election. Is it more common now than previous? Possibly it is, but look at its part and parcel of election year. I think there's another critical point that we need to make about posturing. Posturing actually is a very strong employer, and if you look around there, Kenny, there's two to three companies that depend on elections for posturing and the manufacturer poster, so there's an employment element to it as well. And in terms of plaster in towns with posters, I think that day is long gone. We have restrictions under the 2001 Election Act on election spending and such things with that, so I think that's a novel point, to be fair. Yeah, but I mean, the positioning of posters is very important. I've seen, Brendan, I've seen members of the same party, candidates of the same party in fisticuffs, in literal fisticuffs. Oh, I'm curious about... Oh, I'm curious about getting a poster at a certain junction. We don't want to see that. Isn't it great to see such passion that posters can instill that degree of vibrancy in an election and that's what's needed, particularly at a time when participation in an election is declining? Do you know what would be interesting, though, Michael, and it could be used throughout the course of the year, is, say, for instance, in your approach to letter Kenny or your ballot buffet or bon crana or wherever it might be, if we had a digital poster, right, one digital poster with all the candidates on it, that it sort of could rotate amongst them. You know what I mean? That would be the compromise. You get all the eyes when people are sitting in traffic or whatever, it scrolls through. You know, I mean, this is real modern stuff I'm talking here. It will never happen, Michael, but, you know, that could be a compromise here. Brendan's probably listening, going, that fella's lost the plot here. But listen. Strangely enough, that could be happening. And you would step traffic on the way into letter Kenny. I think you can get through as many candidates as we'd want to. I think that there are many options that we could explore and look at, I think, you know, the notion of technology is something, a resource that's underutilized at the moment in electioneering, I think. Yeah, in relation to the environmental argument, some say, Michael, some are saying, look, some of them are made from recyclable materials and they're often reused and what have you. But listen, that's your stance and that's the point you'll be able to make on the doorstep and it will probably, you know, resonate with people. So there are advantages and disadvantages. You were saying the digital poster is already employed. So there's no point me going on Dragon's Den, Brendan. That's already happening elsewhere. It happens in Europe. Look, there's this Mr. Noemer that Ireland is the last country in the world with Postron. That's not factual. I traveled many countries at election time and Postron is very central in Spain and Italy. I've seen in Belgium recently, they have electronic posters just like what you would outline. It's in the urban areas and they flip from one candidate to the other. I'd be a bit fearful of that because obviously there would be a cost. Companies provide that service. So in terms of where we are as a country, we have a liberal enough law on Postron governed by the 2001 Act. There's in that, there's issues in terms of where you can put posters in terms of safety of traffic and pedestrians and within that also in that Act, you have to remove your posters within seven days or you suffer the fine of 150 years per poster. So we're reasonably regulated but I would hate to think we would start curtailing Postron because it will curtail the freedom of democracy, particularly for new candidates entering into the race and it'll disadvantage them. And we can't count on that. We're an open democracy. Charlie says candidates should have their posters in the shape of a dartboard. I'm not sure if that would be very useful. Brendan, your approach is kind of interesting in that you would say, and you're not Michael will make up his own mind but some people have thought they're doing the right thing and then regretted it because afterwards the disadvantage was clear to them. Yes. You know, everyone is an election hack like myself or yourself. It's amazing when an election is called the number within our communities that don't actually know an election is called. It's amazing the number of people that don't actually know who the candidates are until they see a face on a poster at their end or their driver at the end of the road. So a poster and still is a role to play. I'm not for one minute suggesting that it's a significant role as it was 40 years ago but it's still a role in the participation in democracy and therefore it should be defended. Okay, listen, brilliant stuff. Thank you very much indeed, Brendan. And finally, Michael, you know, things are changing all of the while and since the last election there's been huge advances in terms of social media and different ways of reaching people. I mean, TikTok was barely a thing during the last elections. We have nice celebrities that are find it totally on places like TikTok and Instagram and what have you. So we certainly can reach people in different ways. I suppose the thing I would say is you have a choice in that. You don't have a choice about looking at a poster if you're driving or walking along the road but you do have a choice whether you open something or whether it's sent to you or not. Yeah, exactly. And listen, we don't know what the right or wrong is and everyone can make their own decisions and in the wider scale of things it's not the most significant point but it will be a topic over the next couple of months. Thank you very much, Michael. I appreciate your time as well. All right, that's Michael McLaughlin, our prospective Labour candidate. He's the branch secretary of the Donegal Labour Party and we also heard from former Councillor Brendan Byrne who was clearly of the view that you might be as a disadvantage if you didn't erect signage for the reasons he outlined. Let's have a little perspective, says this listener. Yes, posters are made from plastic and naturally there will be many. However many are reused it also promotes democracy within the community now compared to the use of posters to how much plastic bottles of milk we use annually. We need a bit of common sense that comes in from Darren and Bong Crannam. You could always make the posters out of biodegradable materials, says listener. Another, will the Green Party use election posters? I can't recall what the Green Party policy is in relation to that. And on it goes. All right, a view of you in it. That's to say it's not earth-shattering but still it's a little distraction from some of the more serious issues and we'll be discussing those and other things as the morning wears on. John on Facebook before I just go to this break says Donegal can a council actually ban them? But we do see. I wonder any towns out there, any tiny towns, committees out there taking a position on this early in the year? If you are, let us know. Oh wait, 60, 25,000. Watch the show live now on YouTube, Facebook and at highlandradio.com. The 9 till noon show with Letter Kenny Credit Union. Simplify your debts with a debt consolidation loan from Letter Kenny Credit Union. Call us on 074-910-2126 or apply online via our app or in office today. Hello, you're through to Emily. Hello, I'd like to organise my brown bin service, please. No problem. What's your address? You know the lane just after Cardi Park? Yeah, about five miles down that. Sure. From January 2024, every household in Ireland will be entitled to a brown bin service. Wherever you live, you can organise yours by contacting your current waste collector. Visit mywaste.ie to learn more because you're never too remote to recycle. Brought to you by the Government of Ireland. Are you a car mechanic interested in learning about electric vehicles? Northwest Regional College is delivering a 15-week course which will provide learners with a Level 4 UK or Level 6 Irish electric vehicle qualification. 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Don't miss out on your perfect fireplace or kitchen worktop at an unbelievable price. Harkin Fireplaces massive yard sale is now on. If you have a job to do over the weekend, Watson Hire have a brilliant weekend hire deal available. Get any item on Friday, keep it until Monday and only pay for one day's hire. That's three days hire on any equipment or machinery for the price of one. So there's no excuse to get the job sorted. To book, call Watson Hire in Nettor Kenny on 9-1-6-7777. Right, okay, there is an event coming up in Bonkranagh on the 25th of February. A night with the stars and it's in St. Mary's Hall in Bonkranagh and it's a fitting venue for it because it is about putting some money into St. Mary's Hall. We're joined by Maureen Tolley, who's director of A Night with the Stars, which is a saison in St. Mary's Hall, Bonkranagh, 25th of February. Good morning Maureen. Good morning, Greg. Right, before we talk about the show, what work is it needs doing or what will the funding from this go towards? Right, well St. Mary's Hall is 100 years old, so it was built in 1904, so it's a very old building and it does need updating. It's a beautiful theatre and it's very authentic, but there is a fundraising committee there in place already, so that is set up. We're just going to donate money to put a lift, yeah, just to put a lift in and then enhance the toilets and give disabled toilets and stuff because at the moment there is no disabled access to the top floor of the theatre. All right, so really important work for a hall that's an important part of the community for everyone, for lots of different reasons, I'm sure, Maureen, not just for great shows like this that's coming. No, definitely. I mean St. Mary's Hall would be the heart of Bonkranagh, Greg, to be honest, it is the hope of the town. You know, it's not just a theatre, there's the community centre downstairs that's open and used every day by different groups, zumba classes, exercise classes, modern toddler groups, the local dance school uses it, there's Meet and Sonnet, there's Bingo at the weekend, it's also there in the cinema upstairs at the weekend and then various shows throughout the year, the Pantamount Society uses, Greasepen Productions use it, the local dance schools use it for their shows, some amazing shows are in it, but it's the heart of the town and it's for every generation of the town and we just want to make sure that it's going to be there for future generations. A Night with the Stars takes place in February and in March it's over a number of nights actually, I mentioned just one night, but is it over a number of nights, Maureen? It is. Yes, yes, Greg, we're running it for six shows, so it starts with a matinee on the Sunday and then we're running Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, the Bingo will go ahead as normal on the Friday and then we finish on the Saturday night, so we're running for six days for six shows, yeah. Now tell us about the show, it's a variety show, how would you describe it or frame it? Yes, it is a variety show, so we're doing kind of like different little sketches of musicals and then we're having solo acts, we're having dancers, we're having singers, we're having comedy, so there's every age group, it's a massive cast, our youngest are eight and our oldest are 60 plus. And are these all members of the, are these all members of the Ineshaun Theatre Group where we happen to invite others in as well? Or what's the story Maureen? No, they're all members of the Danish Theatre Group, so we set up, eight of us set up the Danish Theatre Group in September 2023, we've been planning it for about four or five months before that, eight like-minded people friends that we're all, we all got to know each other through the arts being on stage in Bunkrana over the years and we just felt that it was time that the town was ready for something new and something that we could raise money as well. I mean this year is going to be the lift, hopefully in years to come, following year that we're just getting started, Greg. It'll be donating to local charities, not just Bunkrana, Ineshaun. That's why we called it Ines Theatre, it was open to everybody in Ineshaun and when we put the word out there and we started to hold auditions, we were just, we were blown away by the amount of interest and the amount of people that came along. But it also gives people, it also gives people who want to perform and have the talent, a spotlight and a platform to do it. Yeah, exactly, which is great. So there's going to be sections of Annie, Sister Act, Mum and Mia and Grace amongst others as well as performances from Queen Song's Amy Winehouse, Beyonce, there's something for everyone there. It starts on the 25th of February with the matinee at 3pm and then night shows at 8pm on the 25th, 6th, 27th, 28th, 29th and into the 2nd of March. Yes, exactly. And we're already selling tickets and the tickets are actually selling very fast. So we're delighted with the response. And as I say, I'm only one person out of eight in this group that set this up. We sat over many to come to tea and coffee talking about it and as a joint venture, there is a group of us. And I think too, it is obviously going into a very good fund to give St. Mary's a proverbial lick of paint but also to make it more accessible for people. But also there's a great deal of time and effort goes into this too. So it's in supporting that as well and getting entertained in the process, isn't it, Maureen? Because a lot of people are dedicating an awful lot of time to this week of shows. There are a lot of time voluntary and what you see on the stage is amazing but the backstage team that are techs as well and people off the stage that are coming offering their services, it's a great community thing as well and that shows great community spirit. Right, so where can people get tickets? There's a box office number. Are they physically available for people in and around the area? And I'll mention the number. But just any physical outlets? Or are you just going completely by phone? No, Monday to Friday at the minute, 6pm to 8pm over the phone and people can pay over the phone as well or pay online and then they can collect the tickets on a Wednesday or Thursday evening at the church hall from 7pm to 9pm on a Sunday between 2pm and 6pm in St Mary's Hall. That's for now, Greg, and then from two weeks before the show, starting two weeks before the show, there will be somebody physically and St Mary's Hall every day as well from 12 to 2. All right, the ticket box office number is 0864595016. That's operational 6 to 8pm? Yes. Okay, we'll retain that number here for anyone that wants it because they might know our number off the top of their heads. Okay, we'll chat again and maybe get a performance from someone a little closer to the time Maureen, but for now, an early reminder, thank you very much for your time. Thanks a million, Greg. Bye-bye. Take care. Bye-bye, Maureen. The Ninetal Noon Show is brought to you by Letter Kenny Credit Union. Digital loans now available. Apply online or via our app today and get your loan transferred directly to your current account. If you're having trouble with online banking or checking emails and just don't feel confident doing things online, you're not alone. Sign up for a digital skills course at your local education and training board. You'll find the support and skills you need to become more independent online. Free text LEARN to 550 or visit adultliteracyforlife.ie to find a free course near you, supported by the Government of Ireland, Sullis and the European Union. Oh, Kira, congratulations. Look at her tiny fingers. She's beautiful, just like her mommy. Oh, thank you. Have you got an aim yet? She's going to call her Brooklyn. Brooklyn, Massachusetts, Phoenix, Arizona. Your vote is your voice, so if you don't speak up, someone else is deciding for you. Baltimore, Kentucky, Moffie, O'Neill. Who's that? Hospital porter, just back from his American road trip. Make sure you're registered to vote. Go to checktheregister.ie and be a voter so that it's your voice that's heard. From Om Commissioon Tauchon, Ireland's Independent Electoral Commission. Oh! Brooklyn, Massachusetts, come to Antihana. We also offer a home visit for those who aren't able to visit us. Our hearing is our social sense. Are you finding hearing more of a challenge? Call Ursula today on 07491 13296 to make an appointment. Good hearing helps us to connect to our family, friends and loved ones. Connect hearing, connecting you to life. Other updates brought to you by Grant. Building a new home? Choose Grant's. A triple-plus rated air-ona air-to-water heat pump and you flex under floor heating. Visit grant.ie. It's so very cold this morning with frost, icy stretches and patches of fog or freezing fog. They'll be clearing very slowly, but may linger all day in some places. Temperatures today no higher than one to three degrees. Sunny spells and some wintry showers with light northerly breezes. OK, we're joined on the programme ride by Councillor Patrick McGowan. Good morning, Patrick. Thanks for your time. Good morning, Greg. Good morning to you listeners. As you would be well aware, the crossings in Balabafe, Stranawler have proven somewhat controversial, some more than others. People complaining of a lack of visibility, not really clear who's got right away, not really being able to see them at certain times of the day. What has the TEI come up with now and why they're coming up with this now? Yeah, well, since they've been in there now for a year and a half, as you say, there's been quite a bit of controversy about and public reaction has been very, very negative. Now, some people are saying they're great. You have no locations that you can cross this extremely busy road safely. And by the way, it's not in the daytime when you have the big long traffic jams. It's in the afternoon, the evenings. People are just flying through the town. So there's quite a few residents living in the town and visitors and shoppers trying to cross the road. So there was a need for some kind of an action. And anyway, nobody knew about this. It just landed on top of us. There was no consultations with us locally. They were put on and this is a, as they're called, high visibility crossings. And they just couldn't be any further from that year. Literally on top of them or even past them before you realize. So we have been lobbying and lobbying now since the last year, year and a half. Now, I've just checked again recently there with the TII and the council, there's been no, nobody's been knocked down at these crossings. There has been a number of incidents near hand or between the crossings because unfortunately, even with the crossings, people are still crossing the road, even looking at their phones walking across and there's near accidents and accidents. But nevertheless, that's still not what these are about. But eventually now, what they've said is short term, they are going to put up the signs. We have the signs in the council office. They were ordered a long time ago. But this is, this is at the, this is the TII basically is dictating that. The council can only do what they're told. I think the most, the most controversial one is the one at the Bank of Ireland there at that junction. I try and let people across. You stop on one side of the box and then someone pulls out of the car park and someone's coming in from the Glentys Road. It's just an absolute nightmare. It seems to be in some provision for moving it from there. Yeah. Yeah. It was to say the short term is to put up the signs immediately and to paint, paint, redo all the, the zebra markings are on the road. The long term now they're going to go to redesign and they're also going to go to public consultation, which is very important. But in that plan is to move the one from Bank of Ireland further down onto the town and that's part of the plan. And also to the crossings that there are going to be redone. They're going to be raised up and it can be quite obvious that you're coming on it or where to cross and everything else to be quite visible when they're raised. And plus, which is a big boner contention about the fence for an order for years, particularly in the evenings, is the lighting. They're going to review the lighting, pull up extra lightings particularly near these crossings. But the first works going to be done were told quarter one. The other work will be designed public consultation, particularly with the residents and the businesses because there is a possibility that they could lose some parking spaces on one or two of them just to give them and ensure that... Patrick, when this was first being flagged, this was being described as experimental. And everyone thought, like, you know, what's going on here? There's been no consultation. This doesn't make any sense. What are they? Even the road safety officer at the time had his concerns about them. And you know, me personally as a motorist, whether I should express the views or not, I also couldn't understand the design of them. Now, a year and a half on, only by the grace of God it would seem, there has been no serious incident there, but clearly the TAI have looked at it and said we've made a mistake here. Now, it's not being framed as such, but they're throwing out these plans and then coming in with what should have been put there in the first place. So really, the people of Ballet Buffet and Stroller were used as guinea pigs by the TAI and as I say, it's only pure luck that someone wasn't crippled or killed. Yeah, I agree. You could not see them. And I have spoken to several planters from the other from the south of the county. They're Tom, Connor and Barry and a few others. And they have told me too. They've been driving to you and they just weren't fully aware. A lot of people, there was really nobody at all was happy considering that and Limerick and Dublin where the other two Pytos games were done, they actually put up signs and they're actually on the outskirts of the cities and towns. Ours was in the town centre and you simply could not see it. But look, I welcome the fact that nobody's been hurt. I welcome the fact that we're going to get sunken across and say it because as the minister himself said the last day and last Friday, and therefore, you know, you'd have to start paying more attention to the people that are living in these towns as well. It's not all about town traffic, but in my opinion, yes, it was very, very badly handled. I've never known the TAI or their previous name then, or to bring in something like that, like so unexperimental and so dangerous. Anyone who designed a crossing had effectively a four-lane junction with yellow boxes on both sides of the crossing needs to have their work reviewed. We don't know who it is and I don't think it's anyone from within the county, so I'm not having to go any individual. But I think anyone who stuck one of these crossings and effectively a quadruple junction with yellow boxes on either side of it needs to have the work reviewed, I think, because from the get-go, that just didn't make sense. I agree, and times I talked to a road engineer in the county and they just raised their eyes as well, because they're driving through these junctions and these crossings and kept... The Bank of Ireland one was a novice, and they were very long, and that will be put right. So I was told that that definitely is going to be moved, but it's going to go out because when you move it down now in front of other businesses, they're going to lose parking and that, so I don't want to pre-empt where it's going to go, but it is going to be moved. So I was told that definitely going to move, but why it was put there in the first place, I just don't know. I just can't... Just for a figure's sake, I just don't do not understand it. They could be... They might have them raised, similar to what's in Dead or Kenny, I presume, but on the main street there, but with black and white crossings, or maybe they might leave them the same way as Dead or Kenny has. They will be... They'll actually use paint that lights up at night, which is a remarkable turn of events to actually have paint that illuminates with people's lights. Fantastic idea. Well done, T.A.I. And other measures so people can actually see them. The lighting's a big thing. I get complaints all the time, both with unbalanced fencing. The lights are so high, and when they change them from the orange glows to these white LED, there's a lot of black shadows on between the lights, and that's on particularly at the crossings. So I'm going to review the lighting. That's been on with them, the contact when we got back. Look, I know our senior engineers here in Donegal have been up and down to T.A.I. to get this started. And no, as recently as just before Christmas. So this is the news coming back now. We've got to go ahead now to start making changes and consult with residents and so on. OK, well, better late than never, I suppose. Thank you very much for your time, Patrick. I do appreciate you keeping us in the loop. All right, take care of yourself. That is councillor. All right, bye-bye. That's councillor Patrick McGowan there with an update on that situation. We're just lucky, I think, that someone wasn't seriously injured or killed there. And I wonder, is it completely the case that there was no collisions? No one hit by cars on those crossings? Let us know. 08 660 25000 back after the news and the obituary notices. The Ninetal Noon Show is brought to you by Letter Kenny Credit Union with monster loans available up to 60,000 euro for all occasions. Visit letterkennycu.ie The big shop just got bigger with the little XXL range. Get 25% extra free with board B approved XXL skinny beef burgers 379. Pick XXL Irish carrots with 33% extra free 115 and 33% extra free with XXL frozen fruits 39. Go on, shop without compromise. Go full needle today. LK Bikes, now ready for bikes to work 2024. Use your bike to work benefits for bikes and safety equipment, including eBikes up to the value of 1,500 euro. Visit our showroom to explore a comprehensive selection of eBikes, leisure bikes, road bikes and mountain bikes. Available for you to try out or shop online at LKBikes.com with free nationwide delivery. LK Bikes, Letter Kenny. Hi, Paddy here at Sharon Conley Cars in Donegal Town. Are you looking to upgrade your car? With Sharon Conley Cars, you'll find mix and models for every budget. Great finance options and may also accept trade-ins. Check out shanconleycars.com or call on to us at shanconleycars from down her road, Donegal Town. We're here to help. So, if your treatment didn't go according to plan, speak to our experienced medical negligence team at Mackleheny & Associates. Find us online or call 0749175989 Mackleheny & Associates Solicitors, Stranorle. In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement. If you've been bereaved by suicide or know someone who has, hug is the national suicide bereavement charity. Join us on Saturday the 20th of January for a free information event in the Innishon Gateway Hotel, Bunkrana. Expect coffee, cakes and compassionate conversations on understanding suicide grief and local supports available to adults. Doors open at 12 with the speaker at 12.30. Visit hug.ie for more details. Hug, hope and healing after suicide. Get involved in developing the future plans for the All Courthouse in Lederkenny as an exciting tourist attraction. Find out more and get involved by coming along to a drop-in event in the All Courthouse building on Justice Walsh Road on Wednesday 17th of January. Anytime between 2pm and 8pm. Live on air, online and on the Highland Radio app. This is Highland Radio News. The locations are still being reported across the region this morning after overnight snowfalls on top of ice on many of Donegal's roads. Guardi, Semin routes remain passable with care. They're advising motorists to slow down and to allow extra time for journeys. A number of schools are closed today and some bus services aren't operating. Donegal, Litromio and Sligo remain under a status yellow snow ice warning until 11 o'clock tomorrow morning. TDS return to the doll today. The government is set to face a number of challenges with the possibility of a general election later in the year. With more, here's Andrew Louth. As has become the case on a regular basis health and housing is expected to feature prominently in doll proceedings this term. The government will also come under pressure for its immigration policies with proposed accommodation centres being burnt out along with recent protests in Ross-Cray in Tipperary. There's also the matter of two referendums taking place in March based around care and the family with both proposals being debated this afternoon. It's also possible that with a general election rumoured for later this year that there is very much an element of the government running out of time to complete its body of work ahead of the doll's return. There's also a possibility of some protest in the area. The Northern Ireland Assembly is due to meet today ahead of a major public sector strike tomorrow. It'll be the seventh time Stormont's been recalled since it collapsed in early 2022 as a result of the DUP's protest over post-Brexit trade rules with no expectation of progress this time. The institutions have been stagnant for 23 months now. If the Assembly doesn't return, fresh elections are required. However, the Northern Secretary says he'll pass legislation to extend the deadline. The North has said to effectively come to a standstill tomorrow as thousands of workers go on strike in Arau Overpay. The British government is offering a financial package if Stormont is restored. But Garth Scott from Unite the Union rejects that approach. The general public will understand the frustration. I mean, for someone, you're entitled to this money. Oh, by the way, I have the money that you're owed, but I'm not giving it to you because someone else is doing something. Anybody will get frustrated now. Donegal County Council's environment team has confirmed drones are now being used in the fight against illegal dumping in the county. In reports to members at municipal district meetings this week, the team says waste and litter staff have been trained, licenses are in place, and drone work is now in progress. The team says this has been done in association with the kind of government enforcement regional lead authorities, with environmental staff in Donegal now set to share what they've learned with colleagues and other local authorities. There are concerns over the condition of a property in Burned Foot with unconfirmed reports since the house refugees are asylum seekers. The property was destroyed by flooding in 2017. It's been lying vacant since, with some fears it may still be susceptible to flooding. Donegal County Council has contacted the government seeking clarity over its plans for the building's future, but so far it has received no response. Meanwhile, a Donegal City says the government must ensure there are adequate GP and hospital services in areas with large concentrations of asylum seekers. Physically, of Radker yesterday announced extra resources would be provided in the ten areas with the highest concentration of applicants. Donegal is top of that list. Well, Deputy Thomas Springle says a lack of medical services is the main concern in many communities and that must be addressed. We need materials, facilities available. We need hospitals available. We need teachers to be made available and those things need to be made available anyway and the government has to accept that they're not doing that if they want to actually get to communities on board. The Atlantic Technological University has joined the International Alliance in a bid to combat the growing plastic pollution crisis in the Atlantic Ocean. The Blue Point project is also intended to establish a blue circular economy. With more, here's McKenna Clarke. The Blue Point project is an ambitious initiative aimed at establishing a blue circular economy uniting 13 partners from regions across the world in a collaborative mission to retrieve and repurpose marine plastics found in the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Technological University specific role in the project, which includes the letter, Kenny Compass, involves investigating the feasibility of sorting and cleaning microplastics recovered from the oceans. The goal is to produce polymer filaments suitable for 3D printing processes contributing to the broader mission of combating plastic pollution. Dr David Tormey says the ATU looks forward to working with European partners in turning the issue of marine plastics into new opportunities for manufacturing and business development within coastal communities. While the forecast is very cold this morning with frost icy stretches and patches of fog or freezing fog, these will clear slowly lingering all day in places with temperatures just one to three degrees Celsius this afternoon, sunny spells and some wintry showers with light and northerly breezes. And that's Highland Radio News, we're back with news headlines at 11. Check all of today's news of course on our website HighlandRadio.com, but for now from the news team, good morning. The obituary notice is for this Wednesday morning the 17th of January. The death has taken place of Desi Keene, Barrick Lane, St. Mary's Road, Bon Crana. Today's remains were removed from McLaughlin's funeral home Lower Main Street, Bon Crana at 6 o'clock this evening going to his niece Adele Noon's residence at Umericam, Bon Crana. Funeral from there on Friday morning at half past 10 going to St Mary's Church Cock Hill for 11 o'clock Requiem Mass with burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. The death has taken place of Mary McCaverty, Nock Balabafe, remains reposing at her late residence from 5 o'clock this evening. Funeral from there on Friday morning at half past 10 for 11 o'clock Requiem Mass in St Mary's Church, Seshio O'Neill followed by interment in the adjoining churchyard. Rosary each night at 9 the Requiem Mass will be streamed live via the parish YouTube channel. Donations in lieu of flowers if desired to the Donegal Hospice care of any family member. The death has taken place of John Sunderland's the lag Milford remains reposing at his home funeral mass tomorrow morning at 11 in St Peter's Church Milford with burial afterwards in Milford Cemetery. The funeral mass can be viewed live on churchservices.tv. Family time please from 10 o'clock tonight and before the funeral tomorrow. And the death has taken place of Elish McAteer, Ormond Road, Rathmines Dublin, formerly of Greenland Park, Bunkranna. Requiem Mass will be held for Elish in St Mary's Church, Cock Hill, Bunkranna tomorrow morning at 11 o'clock with burial afterwards in the adjoining graveyard. Family flowers only please donations in lieu of desired to Bunkranna parish care of any family member or McAteer funeral directors. The Requiem Mass can be viewed online at churchservices.tv. For family information and more details regarding wakes and funerals, please go to highlandradio.com For when a right turn becomes a wrong turn get up to 70 Euro off car insurance with onpustinsurance at onpustinsurance.ie or call us today. 70 Euro or 20% discount will be applied whichever is lower subject to a minimum premium of 355 or 345 Euro depending on policy underwriter. Applied consecutively with new customers only. Acceptance criteria terms and conditions apply. Wunder Act Ireland Limited trading as onpustinsurance is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Wunder Act Ireland Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of onpust. Best price on name. And now, Imros 2023 best local regional news program The Voice of the Northwest The Nintel Noon Show with Greg Hughes. Yes indeed it's the award-winning national award-winning Nintel Noon Show. Great to have you on board this morning. Thank you so much for all of your calls and comments and just being there actually because without you guys we wouldn't be here. So thank you very much for choosing your number one station Highland Radio and that's what we are a radio station but also want to welcome the thousands of people that watch the Nintel Noon Show every day as well or across the week. I want to say good morning to Annie, Marie, John, Charlie, Pedro watching us apparently from America, Cora, Patricia, Angela and on and on and on thank you so very much indeed. Over a million live minutes are watched of this program across social media every single month. A million live minutes isn't that remarkable? So we really appreciate all your support and more of you now watching on your big screen as well which is great. Why watch than rowing over English matters or whatever else be on in the mornings when you can sit and hear and watch your local stuff. Would anyone know the condition of the roads from Letterkenny to Belfast please? I don't know. Has anyone been on that road? Like my rule of thumb is that generally the main roads are well treated so hopefully that is the case. If anyone can offer any advice on that regard let us know. Why did it take five weeks for the traffic lights to be fixed on Main Street Bala Belfast? A very good question. I don't know what would have taken so long. Another listener says we're lucky in the twin towns that no one got killed. Pure luck I would say. Regarding the road markings in Bala Belfast there's a code of conduct chapter 8 for the crossings on the road. They've now not adhered to the code of conduct. The crossings are very dangerous. They've to be earmarked by signage or lights for safety. Somebody in the council had to oversee these markings. I would like to know who gave the go ahead for these crossings without referring to chapter 8. I'm not familiar with chapter 8. These were pilots. Now I'm not sure if you can sort of vary from codes of conduct for pilot projects but these were not done like this before. There was three locations. We were guinea pigs up here. As I say, thankfully no one was seriously injured but common sense is beginning to prevail and a year and a half later we could have told them we did tell them, didn't we? From the beginning. What's going on? Do Ukrainians have to right to vote in the upcoming local elections? I think anyone in the country is the right to vote in the local elections. I'll get the actual legislation for you but my understanding that anyone here has right. I'll get the exact rules in relation to that before you before the end of the program. Greg, it's minus four in Kloughan. Very cold and dangerous for travel. Okay, be careful in and around the Kloughan area. We have a few people listening and watching across. Audrey says it's snowy in Cladi and we've reports that Scotland and some parts of England, London. A listener in London says it's very cold there as well. Hopefully Donegal County Council will do the same as Mayo. We've taken more refugees than any other county. I think we have done enough now, says Ava. We have a high proportion of Ukrainian refugees and a high proportion of I-Pass applicants as well and it has to be said in Donegal have been broadly accepted. I think. You can highlight certain individual situations and try that, but if you think about it broadly and we would talk about what is it close to seven or 8,000 people have been welcomed here and are getting on well. I think there does come a point in some people's minds where there is an upper limit as to what communities and their resources can support perhaps many feel that we're at that now. But as to say, I'm not really quite sure and no one has been able to tell me but according to the papers today the council is going to hear a motion similar to that that was proposed in Mayo that the council disengage with Ruderica Gorman's office until some sort of a plan is put in place. As I say, I don't know which councillor might be proposing that. I presume the paper has information. I don't know who it is. I don't know who proposed the one in Mayo. Actually that might give us some indications. I'll check it all out. By the way, just in relation to and I might know a politics for mentioning it again the imminent closure of the pastoral child and adolescent counselling service we heard from the bishop yesterday we heard from Donna Harper yesterday who very sadly lost her beautiful Leona in the Chrysler tragedy and many many others who have availed of those services and continue to do so they're going to be left high and dry effectively because the services to close because too slow the HSE will not fund a full-time director that is required for governance reasons and development to run that service it's going to close and there's no other child and adolescent mental health services here. We contacted the offices of Minister Charlie McConnelogue and the Minister for Children, Roderick O'Gorman yesterday morning. It's now 24 hours on and we've yet to have unless something's came in in the last couple of minutes we've yet to have any contact back from either of those offices so unfortunately we can only do what we can do but we're keeping the pressure on as much as we can Housing Bill 2020 9th Amendment to the Constitution Schedule Part 2, Section 3.2 the right to delimit private property for the common good in other words take your house off you if you have more bedrooms than you need the referendum will also be this year is that not a proposal from people before profit though? I don't think that's actually going to be voted on. I'm going to have to double check that but my understanding was that was a proposal from people before profit that didn't really get much traction and then it was said that it was a government initiative. Again I'll check into it I don't believe that's the government's policy the crossings in Balabarfaist and all have never been saved they're too risky they need to be signed and lit up too or have flashing lights stupidity and lack of planning is dangerous a dangerous dangerous combination get rid of the crossing at the bank corner I think most people would agree the one at Andy's shop is so hard to see at night it needs to be properly lit up for sure I agree with you there as a motorist. The island of Liske Guli is rotten with dirt and you can't see it there's also one in St. Johnston which actually has been hit twice I think oh right the island a traffic island okay that's not good that's not good at all. A couple of cancellations Carragot bingo cancelled tonight so a few disappointed heads around Carragot downings it's not going ahead tonight so unfortunately for you the Creceler day centre is closed today as well too not surprising we don't we only get a couple of days like this the year we might get another one like that tomorrow I'm not pre-empting anything but we might but as I say then we're looking at windy wet weather for the weekend in relation to hi Greg it is clear to say the government have no clear plan rehousing of asylum seekers why didn't they refurbish the other hotel in Rosscray for asylum seekers and leave the functioning hotel for the local people but they would say that because the person who owns that hotel wanted it to be used for asylum seekers but the government was a active party in negotiating that all right so the government did take that hotel out of commission by engaging with its owner and now they're talking about getting into the hotel business which is remarkable but they want to say that on the other hand the owner of the hotel must have got a great offer from the minister for integration to dismiss his staff and cancel all weddings etc it's also secretive no wonder the locals feel hard done by communication we've been talking about communication for well over two years now and I was listening you just listen to some of the commentary and some of the remarks and what ministers are saying about we need to improve communication and we've been talking about this is to say for so long and nothing is advancing nothing is advancing in that regard and some information that gets put out into the public domain then is proven wrong why are national schools closed but secondary schools are not I've had to take the day off work to look after my children in national school and still drop my secondary school children to school or they'd be marked as absent if the roads are unsafe for primary school students to travel to school how is it safe for students to travel to secondary school now I'm sure there's a very good reason for that isn't there I don't know I don't know what the reason might be to do with the bus runs or I don't know someone out there knows there's no point me bluffing it why would a secondary school be open and a national school be closed because of course it's discommoded this parent who's had to take the day off work to look after primary school children but has still had to drop their secondary children to school very frustrating very frustrating you can imagine that's a day out of annual leave or indeed you know may not look good with the bosses some bosses might frown and go that person can't be relied on bit of snow when they call in sick I don't know right stay right where you are we have loads coming up in the show to keep you informed and you won't want to miss it the county's number one talk show the 9 till noon show on Highland Radio it's time for vision Ireland bingo on Highland Radio it's Wednesday the 17th of January you're playing on the blue sheet the reference number is s13 it's game number three the numbers are 58 20 83 3 8 70 57 86 85 and finally 80 phone your claim tonight 104833 before eight tonight leaving 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 vision Ireland bingo information at HighlandRidio.com Enhance your home with mcgade's incredible bathroom and tile sale featuring fantastic reductions on stock tiles discover amazing deals with discounts of 50% or more on end of line tiles and job lots simply measure and it's yours explore their showroom highlighting stunning bathroom wall and floor tiles their passionate team are dedicated to assisting you in designing your dream home join them at mcgade's bathroom plumbing tiles a cock hill bonkrana for their massive 10 day sale happening now until January 20th well grace how are you today I'm good I've just been down to the mid to measure fireplaces showroom in Chrysler they have an incredible selection of over 40 colors for kitchen work tops and guess what for a limited time they're offering a 40% discount on any electric fire when you purchase a work top there 40% that's an amazing deal grace absolutely and trust me if the discount alone doesn't sway you their huge selection of fireplaces stoves wood pellet burners beams and stone cladding certainly well contact me to measure fireplaces Chrysler on 07 4 9 1 3 8 3 6 5 on Facebook Instagram and on mtmfireplaces.ie the ultimate abba sensations tribute comes to Anchorage Hotel Ghidorre on Friday January 19th and the Villa Rose Hotel Bali Buffet on Saturday January 20th tickets available from hotel reception and online at event bright the night special noon show is brought to you by letter Kenny credit union with monster loans available up to 60,000 euro for all occasions visit letterkenniecu.ie okay we're joined in studio now by key and Blake sixth year student and chair of the student council good morning key in there you great thanks for joining us really appreciate it I'm doing good thank you Shay Deasley is a transition year student and deputy chair of the student council at St. Union's thanks for having us it's good to have you in thanks for calling in now we're speaking in the context of a letter that was sent to the education minister minister Foley should I start with you key in what what is it's a detailed letter as well well put together of course what point is it trying to make to the minister well I suppose we're kind of looking at the background of it all first you know we've been looking at an extension students for a long time now you know past presidents father Carnian principals mr. Chris Darby so that had been in the plans for a long time and we had different kind of planning permission applications put in and it was rejected so by the time kind of 2019 came around we were part of what was called the adapt to program which had a number of different schools involved and we kind of led it and it was all about getting extensions and upgrades for secondary school so that's kind of mainly where the biggest kind of jump in it was you know it was very kind of stagnated for a long time and then 2019 it really started we've been submitting all our stuff since then and it's kind of it's kind of stalled since not so much in our part as I said we had we had everything put in but we've it's almost become a running joke in the college you know you'd be told in first year we'll have this new building by the time you're in sixth year and so the parents association and the board of management had already written to the department of education and so it was the students job next to write so we thought you know let's do this right now let's let's get this building all right we'll get into the thrust of that Shay I mean the project formally confirmed you know you were an apple in your father's eye as they say I mean this predates both of you yeah I would have been probably I would have been primary school remember this would have been approved like in this would have been more that was 2001 I beg your pardon go ahead you were well well into the world at this point but you were in national school Shay take it up there I would have been in national school whenever and we would have been shown this like as one of the big selling points of going to senior students like we were meant to be getting this new school building so on and so forth but it's really stalled like and we're trying to do our best to get it going the best we can and it's interesting that the minister hears the students perspective Shay what are the points that you're really trying to get across to her in this letter we're trying to get across the point that we've got a thousand students and we've only got two bathrooms too and say this school wow two sets of bathrooms and it's not great and what else it's more than that we've only got two DCD rooms and two Woodrock rooms in the school and also we have one art room and and the heat is not regulated in the prefabs anymore yeah and the key and the point is is to that it is a great learning institution St. Union's college and the students are trying the best the principles and the teachers but it's bound to be you know holding things back as to where you know the full potential it could realize exactly yeah like you know everything in students is done to the highest degree and we do you know we have excellent results constantly coming out of the school in terms of academic and extra curricular but we've we feel we've nearly kind of hit a brick wall at the minute you know we feel we have so much more potential but we just don't have the facilities to accommodate that so you know the likes of as Shay said you know with two DCG and TG rooms you know you'd find a lot of the times classrooms that have to be moved to just a regular classroom they wouldn't be able to work in the practical rooms because they just aren't enough so that's that's the kind of main issue yeah science science rooms as well exactly yeah it's only two and also in terms of when money was last spent on this facilities like it's over half a century even I wasn't born then yeah you know what I mean that's how long ago so it's well overdue the approval of funding out this point the so-called new building yeah that we have now you know was that was put in 1979 so we feel we're well overdue this stage and of course the school has a great legacy as well you know last year we were awarded well-being school of the year for our efforts we put in towards student and staff well-being and sustainable development so the work is put in and in fairness to students and the staff of the college they do they go to every extent to ensure our initiatives succeed yeah and Shay you're also pointing out to the minister for education that the school is congested you know there's more students than there is adequate space some of the rooms are cold some of the rooms have a black mold in them I mean this is not a proper learning environment no not at all Greg and even you look at our recreational hall for PE like and there's might be six heaters in them but it's only two of them working and even at that the block working out it's not energy efficient so it's not even keeping the heat in and the coal's just getting in yeah and it's a complicated one isn't it because whilst you have to sort of outline the deficits at the same time you want to make sure that it's clear that everyone is working as hard as they can that it's hitting targets that it's winning awards you know it's a tough one because you want to push the argument for investment but at the same time you don't want to sort of give the impression that the school is not operating at an excellent level as it is yeah we have immense pride in our school like and really everybody in the unions loves to be there but we just feel that with this new school building we can excel further yeah you want Key and the minister to see this firsthand yeah exactly um it's that's once the once we were asked to send a letter I thought this probably let's get the minister up see the fantastic work that is performed on a daily basis by the students and staff and you know let her see for herself why we deserve this so much yeah okay so um progress is frustratingly slow plan of mission has been granted by Donagall Council are there any positive uh inclinations in terms of of uh spending because you see this all ties into then to government strategy on on where it invests money exactly we'll leave uh a growing skill that's becoming more important is obviously leadership and communication skills so as head boy and as chairperson the student council you know it's my uh I'm very cautious to distribute leadership between uh student council members and my team of senior prefects but you know even that's difficult because you know we've got one uh we've one meeting room the board room so it's very difficult to you know sit down and to strategize different things that are coming up and just these additional skills not just the academic ones but these additional skills are also um been affected as well that we just we just can't get as far as we want with them and even working in the canteen you know we have our prefects working in there we would try to distribute leadership to them so that they're you know self-sufficient or they use their initiative you know call the next person up serve them but there's just not enough space you know you're cramped on top of each other and that's you know that's uh a big concern I have just with leadership yep now the letter was sent on the 15th of January so hopefully it's now with uh the minister and you'd be very interested in her response I think her response might be really quite telling because as I say it's been structured in such a way uh that it it needs a response so we're interested in what she has to say Keene yeah uh we got a uh a response from minister Foley's private secretary to say that she'd like to acknowledge that she's received it and they're looking into it so we'll hopefully get a response soon uh as well as invite minister Foley we've also invited our five local TDs and some of our local councillors to visit the school as well so uh we would hope that as many of them would come as well and to pass our concerns on to the minister uh to get this issue addressed as soon as possible yeah and one of the key lines from the letter Shea is simple uh the current facilities restrict the potential of our students on a daily basis 100% Greg like look at the prefabs the rec like it's it's not you can't you're going into a classroom in the summer and it's roasting and you're taking off you're down taking off your jumper you're wearing your shirt it's not going to be heated anyway it's roasting in here and you're sitting in a jacket yeah Greg but and and then in the winter it's freezing it's not taking me on no you're right I know what you're saying the temperature can't be regulated in the summer or the winter too hot in the summer too cold in the winter uh how's transition you're going for your shade yeah it's great we've a lot of options it's you know it's like I'm doing the PE course brilliant and we're we're doing we're going down to the ATU in the first half of the year doing gym work with Neil Barrett that's a really great course in the future maybe yeah maybe going down the PE route or something be great yeah brilliant stuff do you play sports yeah I play for drum key now oh well done what about you keen you're in sixth year it's a busy year for you yeah especially taking on this type of work as well um you're leaving sir coming I leave sir coming up in June um marks next week but no we're going okay um do you have any idea what career path you might choose well hopefully going to teaching come back to the college eventually um yeah these young men from St. Union says listen our credit to their family and school they are so articulate indeed I agree 100% listen thanks so much for getting the points across so clearly and uh what we want an update to uh when you get a formal response from the minister when are you hoping to uh are you hoping to sort of invite the public reps in on a given day shea or invite them to come as they're available what's the story we're happy to meet them whenever they're available they can come to St. Union's anytime all right brilliant stuff listen best to look with uh with your uh with your campaign here as I say it's a very articulate letter uh and it makes very strong arguments that have to be responded to that's why it's well formulated it can't be just brushed off you know you explain clearly why uh use as students want to see this progressed because the the college is doing fantastic stuff and and look where it could actually go with even better facilities uh key and Blake sixth year student and chair of the students council best look with the mocks thank you uh and and the leaving search shea uh deasley t y student and deputy chair of the student council at St. Union's college that are kind of thank you as well all right well done lice you did brilliant and we'll be back with more on the program after the break watch the show live now on youtube facebook and at highland radio dot com personal improvement deserves recognition that's progress you can feel and the very definition of the Audi two four one range from the striking style and comfort of the enhanced Audi a6 to the era defining iconic Audi a4 with competition addition and the quietly efficient Audi q4 e-tron electrified driving with no compromise 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furniture you want at amazing winter sale prices winter sale ends Sunday at easy living furniture crescent link retail park hi Nathan Carter here and I'm delighted to say I've just had two installations from cherrymore kitchens and bedrooms and I have to say their attention to detail is second to none with their sleek design and craftsmanship your dream kitchen is just a visit away so why not head over to cherrymore kitchens and bedrooms and let the magic begin cherrymore kitchens and bedrooms done all town more kitchens your way since 1996 visit cherrymore.ie or call nine seven two five eight double two to book your free design appointment the 9th old news show is brought to you by lettercanny credit union offering low-rate car loans with fast approval apply online at lettercannycu.ie or in office today right local enterprise offices supported 6,640 new jobs nationwide last year 2% of the roles were created outside of Dublin 321 of those more specifically for us here in Donagall the employment minister and Neil Richmond joins us on the program now thank you very much for joining us minister good morning Greg thanks for having me no it's good to have you on this is a significant especially I suppose when we are statistically at full employment here still be able to create roles and fill them it's quite the achievement yeah and on it's really down to the excellent work of the local enterprise offices that are based in every single county in the country working hand in hand with the local authorities and what we've seen is a lot of these new businesses and indeed the new jobs being created in these businesses they're reactive to what people want to do so it's a bit anecdotal but I spoke to a couple of companies and the individuals weren't working for various family reasons care reasons so they weren't claiming job seekers or anything but they weren't paying any labor force but during COVID they were given the opportunity bit more time in their hands to think about what they wanted to do to go back to workplace perhaps they started a small business in the shed or in the spare bedroom or indeed taking over the family kitchen and they've realised by engaging with the local enterprise office that they can take what many would say was a very talented hobby and actually make a living out of it and that's been reflected over the last 10 years since the local enterprise across the country and this year that's 6,614 number that's a record that's the most amount of jobs created by leo back companies in the last 10 years it's really really encouraging and as you say 82% of them outside Dublin Donegal has done really well particularly well and it's something that's so heartening and it just shows that this investment and more importantly the work of the local enterprise office teams it's paying very clear dividends both for our economy and our communities it's the type of jobs the creators I mean obviously we talk about foreign direct investment and how important it is and yes a lot of these companies are huge employers but a lot of the entrepreneurs the businesses that leo the leo offices support they're maybe small to medium in scale indigenous employing locally different types of employment and arguably perhaps more sustainable too into the long run These are smaller than what we call micro enterprises maybe it's one person to maybe two or three and certainly what we've done deliberately in the last year is we've changed the remit of local enterprise offices so previously they would only work with businesses with up to 10 employees but now we've given them the scope and more importantly the funding to work with businesses of up to 50 employees we look at the sector 50 or 15, 50 or 15 there sorry 50, 50 right sorry No no it's not it's just with the line I just wanted to be sure go ahead minister that number is very deliberate so it's not just an incremental jump from 10 but that means that if the company has hit over 50 employees they can then work with enterprise who work with our medium to large enterprises for encouraging exports and accessing foreign markets so there's very real deliberate strategy but I think what's really interesting is the sectors where we're seeing these new jobs created by local enterprise office supported businesses the vast majority of them are in lots of different areas but the sectors really stand out to me firstly it's in food production which is something that has really good response particularly in Donegal and it's something that goes to the fact that we export so many foods and indeed our economy is growing and people need lots more food but the other area is engineering and this is there's two aspects of this that I think are really fascinating one is they are feeding into those large multinationals that you mentioned they're providing the support they're providing the materials into a much bigger edifice but secondly they're feeding quite clear into what is the big challenges that the state is facing we need to build more homes, we need to build more infrastructure and we need the new technologies, skills to make sure that we can actually do that and this has been driven by local indigenous businesses. I mean these interviews are useful in recognizing the enterprise offices giving them a pat on the back but two I think we have a business podcast here and often enterprise Ireland or they always credited for the support that they give and it's about spreading awareness that these services are there and some very dedicated people there on hand to assist so it's good to recognize what's been done for now but also to let people know that these services are there if they wish to engage with them hey before I let you go minister you're the minister of business the government getting into the business of running hotels now are you across that situation in Roscre where the government seems minded to fund a community hotel as to say if you're not across it I respect that fully but it's an interesting departure to say the least yeah it's definitely an unfolding situation Greg it's a long way from my brief but we have a clear responsibility in the government to provide accommodation to those fleeing war and persecution will continue to do that but we have promised to increase the amount of communication with local communities and be very aware of local services and hotel and accommodation services are really important to a lot of provincial towns the hotel in question and in in in Roscre I remember going to a 21st there 20 years ago because it was the only place that people could hold a venue of that so we have to be balanced and aware that 100% we're going to provide accommodation we're not going to provide a veto for local communities and housing refugees we have to do that to ensure that we maintain the level of services locally that includes accommodation as well as education healthcare and everything else Minister thank you for your time I do appreciate it that's Employment Minister Neil Richmond there 08 660 25000 WhatsApps and texts um posturing is so judgmental the best looking and more presentable candidates are more proportionately likely to be elected this is we were having a conversation in the first hour about whether or not hey listen it's not going to be happening it's not going to happen in terms of posters aren't going to be across the board band a lot of people some people might want to see that and I don't think candidates are going to come together and agree not to poster but if they do poster are better look at candidates more presentable candidates more likely to get elected I don't know I think everyone looks their best on those posters unrecognizable but anyway hello Greg please advise people to avoid the long lane letter can you if possible as someone has abandoned the car near the top and the couple of vehicles that came down had to go the wrong side of the road and started going sideways looking nothing was trying to get up but it's extremely dangerous okay Greg please let the people know that there is a strike tomorrow in the north roads will not be gritted there so they're advised to not travel now I can't suggest at this point that people don't travel but it is true it's one of the biggest strikes ever in northern Ireland and road gritting road maintenance at this stage is included in that so we'll keep you updated in that of course because lots of people listening to us in the north what's the policy regarding letter boxes when they say no junk mail does that give politicians to write to put stuff through your letter box that's an interesting situation I'm not really quite sure how that works I mean if someone is stubborn enough they're gonna they're gonna stick it in aren't they I don't think it would work well for them I would say most might respect it I don't know a lot of it comes via the post office doesn't it so I don't know what the story is with the local post staff maybe if there's a postman or woman listening to us you know how a lot of this stuff comes through the post you know election reminders maybe flyers if someone says you know if someone says no junk mail if you're a post person let us know do you not put it through or is that not classed as junk mail let us know please 08 660 25000 Donegal has been devastated by mass immigration like mail can to cancel should Donegal can to cancel vote to ease cooperation with the department on asylum seekers but listen it is non-binding but has Donegal been devastated by mass immigration is that your view I know it's the Texas view but it's not a broadly held view or is it what might happen into the future but do you believe Donegal's devastated by mass immigration I'm not sure that's what the general population think but I don't know that's why we are throwing the question out there was there any gritting in Donegal this morning it's embarrassing the way Ireland closes down with a few centimetres of snow all of the routes that are on the gritting program are gritted we have a massive amount of roads in this county and clearly they all can't be gritted but certainly any of the roads that are on the gritting program that I travel on were perfectly clear you can let me know what the situation was like where you are I'd like to congratulate mail counter cancel speaking out good for them and I hope other counties do the same as Greg says the government have lost the people mail counter cancel are actually thinking about their people or are they thinking about elections they know that they can vote the way they vote they also know that it doesn't mean that refugees or immigrants won't come into the county means that the executive won't have the backing of the elected council as they go door to door looking for votes so maybe it is a stand or maybe it's maybe some might say it's a cheap shot to get votes and really not standing with the council executive I don't know what do you think that's the next of it the delimit clause to be inserted in the constitution referendum to say the government has the right to take over the house if you've more bedrooms that you need I'm going to check into that again there's just no time because as we go to a break we're setting something else up but I'm really I was just really under the impression that that was an opposition proposal why are bus drivers last to know that schools are closed I suppose it depends on who's running the buses that your drivers know lads and lassies could you say a big thank you to everyone who's out gritting the roads helping everyone to travel indeed and I did at the start of the program the fan of day centre is not open today folks by the way if you were looking to go to it Donagall County Council's employing technology the council's environment team has confirmed drones and are being used in the fight against the legal dumping in the county in reports to members to a municipal district meeting this week the team says waste and extra staff have been trained licenses are in place and drone work is now in progress how this works I don't know the team says this has been done in association with the Connacht Ulster waste enforcement regional lead authorities with environmental staff now set to share what they've learned with colleagues and other local authorities so I mean drones have a limited flight time is it to locate dumping is it to try and spot those that dump have to be really lucky but anyway listen if it helps eliminate it and Kieran and Claire full of praise for the two lads that were in with us Kien and Che from St. Unions incredibly articulate and great spokespeople for the students of St. Unions The 9 till noon show with Letter Kenny Credit Union simplify your debts with a debt consolidation loan from Letter Kenny Credit Union call us on 07 4 9 1 0 2 1 2 6 or apply online via our app or in office today why leave all the magic moments or great scenes you've captured on your phone sitting there or in the cloud when you can have them printed at McGee's chemist using the McGee's app or one of the in-store kiosks you can upload your photos from your phone Google photos, Facebook or Instagram and have them 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breezes Tom Murray's owner of Murray's Pharmacy in Remelton and Castlefin and treasurer too of the Irish Pharmacy Union the IPU, good morning to you Tom great to see you again Tom can you hear me, good morning to you good morning Greg, how are you? OK, you had me heart me mouth there for a moment, me cream of ale right, OK, the IPU teaming up with RT's operation transformation to support National Blood Pressure Day 2024, I mean monitoring our blood pressure is critical isn't it and it's the type of thing often if you have high blood pressure or indeed mostly high blood pressure that it can be symptomless for some there can be headaches but for the most part it can be symptomless but it's a really strong indicator in relation to heart health and health more generally Tom absolutely, so approximately two thirds of the population over the age of 50 have high blood pressure and as you say rightly for the majority of those people there's absolutely no symptoms but high blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease for stroke, for dementia, for eyesight problems and kidney problems so over 60% of us over the age of 50 like myself unfortunately have blood pressure which is entirely symptomless so getting to know your figure is the most important thing a single measurement isn't diagnostic but a single measurement is an indicator so what we're doing in the IPU and across pharmacies and there's more than half of pharmacies in Donegal taking part there's almost 30 pharmacies taking part which gives a great geographic spread in the county is that we're partnering with operation transformation for people to come in on Thursday tomorrow just have a blood pressure check taken we'll then give them a card saying either your blood pressure is fine that it needs to be monitored and we'll ask people to come back to pharmacies and give them lifestyle advice on how to reduce if it's any minorly raised or there may be some patients who'll be referred to their doctor for further investigation it's about giving people a bit of power I mean we would recommend that anybody over the age of 40 would have a blood pressure check done annually somebody under the age of 40 approximately of five years that's the recommended care but when you talk to people in the community very few people including myself get their blood pressure monitored as regularly as they should yeah and listen I'm sure in your pharmacy and others there are blood pressure monitors available that you can check it at home I mean it's good to go and get it checked in a certain environment but if a lot of people are like me with the old white coat syndrome I can pump out Tom I mean it's unbelievable like doctors go no you can't the bottom number can't go up like that because you're stressed I says doctor yeah it can I'm terrible but anyway the point being is you know there's an awful lot of things Tom unfortunately that can that can limit our life in terms of our activity can shorten our lives diseases we can acquire and all that and you know we would love treatment for them we'd love successful treatment for them and yet we still wait for science to catch up this is one area you don't want to be walking around with high blood pressure for a long time there's just no doubt about that or for any time this is one area that if dependent on where it's at lifestyle changes and medicine is there and is available to get your blood pressure down to a normal level this is something not to be afraid of necessarily yeah absolutely it's one of the most treatable conditions that we have I mean we have known about blood pressure if you talk about the amount of studies and medicine and medicine history that surrounds this topic is one of the best known topics globally we certainly with lifestyle changes and with appropriate medicine you can absolutely control your blood pressure it is one of the most treatable conditions and it is as I say it's a symptomless conditions for people don't worry about it but it is a serious condition as you point out there for a whole range of respect simple things like a bit more fitness walking weight control reduce alcohol intake reducing smoking maybe reducing caffeine intake simple lifestyle things that those can have significant impact on reducing your blood pressure yeah and continuous stress too you know if you can try and just but then again through exercise and better diet a lot sometimes the stress can come down what is the normal blood pressure I can never remember it's 120 over 80 generally isn't it 120 over 80 is textbook perfect at 50 years of age if I had mine below 140 over 80 I'd be happy really I'm buying a 130 over 80 and I was I mean you aren't too far off here 130 over 80 is pretty it's pretty acceptable to be honest with you thanks you're probably a little bit younger than me so I'm going to give you less latitude yeah but you know it's like one of those things once you because the longer you walk around with high blood pressure you know it can heart disease as you mentioned the risk there and some damage can be done that can't beyond on stroke dementia as you mentioned problems with eyesight or kidneys and I think it's once you actually go to the likes of your pharmacy Tom and other pharmacies for the first time right as you say it's probably fine might need to be checked again lifestyle changes or your GP might want to put on a 24-hour monitor but it's really really treatable I think once you actually start monitoring it it's easier than I think a lot of people are afraid as to what number might come up or what it might mean but this is one of those areas of health that you know there's a lot of positivity there if you get if you sort of get a handle on the numbers absolutely and it's something that nobody should be afraid of the first time I was told I had blood pressure I was actually quite angry I thought I was quite healthy disappointed you've got to be joking and I took it quite badly but then I said I'll pop yourself on top look at the science and just do the right thing but once you start controlling absolutely it's incredibly controllable and people shouldn't have any fear of getting the blood pressure taken it's a simple non-invasive it's not painful it's it's a dead simple test it's just when a cough on your arm takes a couple of minutes and you know generally because of that white coat syndrome I would generally take three and average out the closest two and I just relax people and give them they'll just take a tilt and let's improve the numbers I would suffer with anxiety I have all of my life at different times of my life it's been really acute and limited my functionality at other times it's been okay and now it's grand okay and one of the way it manifested that because you have circular thinking and you think on things a lot of it can be if you're very very anxious it's about health right so you can constantly think about and you get yourself up into a tiswas to the point where you won't go and get an eye test you won't get your blood pressure taken you check your pulse and it's racing at 120 or 130 you think how could this be there must be something wrong with me the reason I'm saying all of this Tom is one thing that has helped me greatly is they actually just go and get my blood pressure checked and get the 24 hour monitor on okay also you know having a watch that does monitor my pulse on a more regular basis so that I am content that normally it's pretty average right not just when I'm checking it and getting average so there are the reason I'm saying that is because there might be people listening that are afraid to go to the GP for the kind of they might be kind of the same as I am Tom and maybe they might see the pharmacy as a more chilled sort of environment and just to encourage people to go and get it checked because we've heard stories of a woman was on this show I think she really healthy woman out running and everything just got a random check and she had acute high blood pressure it was like 240 over 120 or 130 or something really dangerous and it was just getting it checked that once and then got the right medication and got that sorted so it's really important we make the effort Tom absolutely I mean that's why we have consultation rooms in pharmacies for the last number of years is there's a walk-in service generally don't need an appointment it's a relaxed environment and it's accessible for people but the condition you speak to there but anxiety and almost living in denial of healthcare is something that men are worse at than women women tend to be a lot braver a lot more open they have more conversations men tend to say oh it's a weakness if I go and get this checked or they live in this fear bubble and it's just helping people get over that so we just encourage as many people as possible tomorrow at least is this national day of participation with operation transformation but I mean throughout the year we regularly take the pressure medicine Exactly it's just really it's just to say this service is here a tie in with a big show and hopefully people go and get it checked listen I can't run through the pharmacies in Donegal that are participating because there's a ton of them the Cara pharmacies, Maurice pharmacies, Pillbox Lloyds, Cara Gard Pharmacy and on it goes I don't want to exclude anyone but my point being that pretty much right across the county there's somewhere you can go in and get your blood pressure checked and it will be a you're doing alright b come back again and we'll check it maybe you need to do a bit more walking or c and it's nothing to be afraid of head to the GP see if you need a 24 hour monitor see if you need a tablet or something and often you don't either as well so nothing to be afraid of but you can avoid the increased risks of heart disease stroke dementia eyesight problems or kidney problems yeah and yeah just contact your local pharmacy and I'm sure they'll give you advice that they're not participating and they may just take your blood pressure anyway most of them generally do and you know they can confirm if they're part of this initiative or not if that's any comfort even though I've got a lot of pressure than you if you suffer from anxiety you should see what it's like sitting in your waiting room waiting for you to click on the Zoom button I'm a better host than I am a guest so I know exactly what you're saying Tom I actually can do this because I've got control of the buttons I don't like it when I don't have control of the buttons but listen you always do well you wouldn't know it Tom thank you so very much indeed God bless you alright take care always good to have you on the show that's Tom Murray owner of Maurice Pharmacy Castle Finn and treasurer of the Irish Pharmacy Union and it is a very serious issue as well but listen sometimes you have to have a different approach and be a bit more relaxed about it and then maybe it might be more encouraging for people to sort of go and get the blood pressure checked and if they need to get a handle on something to get a handle on it too and you know what if you're over 50 or over 40 no harm to get your cholesterol and stuff checked as well it's beginning to snow again outside the studio here at the mountain top in Latterkenny we are in the midst of some very wintery weather we're going to have the news for you after the break someone says is the Bray up Lorgy Brack from the dry arch roundabout passable it's clear the last time I was on it it's been treated it was like a summer's day effectively in terms of the road condition so unless something has charlie drastically changed in the last few hours you should be fine the 90 noon show is brought to you by letter Kenny credit union digital loans now available apply online or via our app today and get your loan transferred directly to your current account you're useless worthless I look after the money because you're a dope you'll be nothing without me nobody cares about you that's what abusers tell us it's all lies you deserve to be safe and when you ask for help you will be hurt if you're living with domestic or sexual violence support is always here visit always here or calling brought to you by the government of Ireland the two we live happy sale is here with savings of up to 250 euro per booking free child places even in the school summer holidays low booking deposits from 50 euro per person with holidays to suit all budgets relax and get booking to we live happy opportunities apply the massive January sale is now on at Patterson's kitchen the hall liver massive savings on kitchen beds sofas dining sets and giftware with up to 50% off selected mattresses hundreds of products in stock and ready for delivery or collection open monday to saturday 9 a.m. till 5 30 p.m. get yourself down to Patterson's massive January sale what features do you like in a new car good tech a big screen for playing music and putting up maps comfort the car has to be comfortable I like good bright LED headlights I like a reversing camera and sensors I look for a good warranty and a decent price well the new Citroen C4X new edition has all these features and more test drive the new Citroen C4X at Highland motors mountaintop letter Kenny oh and the price 29 9 on the road we often make new year's resolutions involving healthy eating only to then break them while at Kelly centra they've put together some easy healthy eating tips by keeping an eye on your saturated fat intake it's often tough to cook up a convenient meal that takes all the health boxes so why not check out Kelly's range of ready meals many low in saturated fats and high in flavor healthy eating tips from Kelly centra mountaintop letter Kenny with all the stories that matter across the northwest it's Greg Hughes on the 9 to noon show on Highland Radio OK another hour of this Wednesday's 9 to noon show on the way and we start it with the news headlines and it's over now to Donald Kavanaugh thank you Greg good morning the status yellow temperature ice warning currently in place for the entire country has been extended it's set to remain in place until midday tomorrow a warning for snow in Dunny Golden the Northwest has been extended meanwhile until six o'clock tomorrow evening a new task force intended to save the health service money and drive productivity is meeting for the first time today it's being co-chaired by the HSC's Chief Executive Bernard Gloster and the Department of Health General Secretary Robert Watt the task force is intended to deal with the use of new technology, new ways of working and the future cost of health care. Dunny Golden Thomas Pringle says the government must ensure there's adequate GP and hospital services in areas with large numbers of asylum seekers and international protection applicants Thysioglie of Radker confirmed yesterday through resources in health education and policing will be provided to the ten areas with the highest concentration of applicants Dunny Gull is top of that list Dunny Gull County Council's environmental team has confirmed drones are now being used in the fight against illegal dumping in the county in a report presented to members at municipal district meetings this week the team says waste and litter staff have been trained licenses are in place and drone work is now in progress politicians in Northern Ireland returned to Stormont today in the latest attempt to restore power sharing it already looks doomed to fail though the DUP whose support is essential has branded the assembly recall a stunt it comes ahead of a day of strikes by public sector workers tomorrow with workers calling for money from the British government to be released the government says it'll only release the funding if Stormont is reinstated and calls to St Vincent de Paul for assistance in paying energy bills increased by over two-thirds in the space of two years the Charity has been appearing before the Iraq Social Protection Committee today it's discussing challenges faced as a result of energy poverty SVP says recent price cuts by energy companies are welcome but more people have called for help since the crisis began and we're back with news headlines again at 12 noon Thanks very much for that just before I let you go Tesco have they claimed to have settled Dunny Gull's greatest food debates and they have is to which is the most popular tea do you drink tea at home or is there tea in the house is it lions or barries what percentage of what would you say the breakdown percentage is lions and barries are the top two locally or nationally Dunny Gull I would say lions is going to be far higher than barries I'd say in Dunny Gull you're talking 75-25 no 53% to 47% in terms of ketchup which do you think is the most popular chef tomato ketchup it's got to be Heinz at least 60-40 72-28% that doesn't make sense and the top 5 most purchased items in Tesco were all milk all milk except for number 4 don't know what number 4 was maybe bread so you have apparently the debate has been settled the favourite tea bag in Dunny Gull is according to her go lions and the favourite ketchup is Heinz there you go you learn something new every day thank you Donald back with headlines again for you at 12 as you mentioned all right you're very welcome back to the program research from Healthy Ireland at Work a national framework for healthy workplaces in Ireland 2021-25 shows that only a third of businesses in Ireland have a formal health and well-being strategy we're joined on the program by Greg O'Gorman hi Greg good morning how are you good to have you on the show good good good I don't want to give anything away at Highland ready of us to where we fall into this but what is a formal health and well-being strategy well your your statistic that you quoted is correct and probably not too surprising so a formal strategy really is where a company takes ownership of supporting the well-being of their employees and of their teams while that's something that has become more popular in recent years particularly on the back of a difficult covid period it is still something that a lot of companies have yet to embrace while they recognize that they have a responsibility the budgeting and the focus is not where it needs to be however we feel very strongly that companies are starting to awaken and become more aware of their role within this particular space and I presume digging into it if if finances is a factor you know the spend might increase productivity do you know what I mean so that could be a misnomer on their behalf I think that's a really good point and I think you're absolutely correct and you know in today's climate for recruitment and retention of talent it's becoming more challenging and companies are finding it more and more difficult to find that talent and ultimately retain them because the costs of achieving those successes within the company are extremely high so yes if there is an investment in the area of well-being not only will productivity increase and the data is there to show that but also the the spend on recruitment and etc will also diminish so there is a return on investment if this is executed correctly by the company a hassle of having to deal with HR on a regular basis too I suppose to it can come down to the structure of the company though whether it's an individual you know what their philosophy is or ideology is in areas of this and I think mindfulness is a load of gobbledygook and maybe they need to detach themselves from you know the way they think and think about it in a more business way although if you have a board or a company that's part of a larger group then it probably might be a little bit different it'd be interesting to see the breakdown of you know the types of companies that do have formal health and well-being strategies and those that don't you know you could have a company with five employees might they have a strategy and then a company with you know 80 knots you know it'd be interesting to see the breakdown more deep more detailed yeah it would be interesting and what we are seeing is that certainly on the smaller SME size businesses that's where the well-being focus is not really there just yet and I'm not saying that it's not there for every company but just as a general point the larger organizations certainly have embraced this space long before now albeit it is a space that's changing quite rapidly and you made one interesting point there in that it's very much down to the individual and I think you're absolutely correct whether it's mindfulness whether it's nutrition or fitness physical or mental well-being there are so many variations to what makes up well-being and everybody has you know a certain maybe draw for a particular or desire or need for one area above the other or a multiple in my case in particular I like you know embracing the fitness and the nutrition and the mental well-being depending on the time of the year and how I feel myself but I think what sale offers is a very holistic approach and whether you have an interest or a focus on a particular area we do feel quite strongly that we have provided content around each of our seven well-being values and we've chosen those values very strategically on the basis that we feel that everybody can fit into at least one of those well-being values irrespective of where they are in their life and irrespective of their age profile. Yeah I mean some go beyond you know we'll get into it a little bit Greg some go sort of maybe beyond you know when we start talking about mindfulness and mental well-being financial well-being support it might be we can argue the toss on those but in terms of career development opportunities I mean if we look at what's happening say for instance in terms of the recruitment in Bargo the biggest complaint say for instance often within the HS here in Gaudi and these are public jobs is about career development opportunities one of our biggest barriers to teachers returning to Ireland to work is in terms of career development because they start at scratch from when they left you know what I mean so that's kind of standard the work-life balance you don't want to grind people into the ground and have a high turnover of staff you want to provide them with you know a decent work-life balance so you can retain them and goal-setting too you know it's almost infantile in that you know to mean that we get a clap if we put a square block into a square space you know what and in some way it's an all almost a developed version of that as adults you know what I mean because people like a pat on the back people like affirmation and what have you so a lot of this stuff is is correct me if I'm wrong Greg stuff that really should be in a decent working environment to begin with I agree and you're not wrong I would say that in in many environments some are all possibly might be in there and a lot of it is down to the the dependency on the leadership and and how they want to build a culture within an organization I'm not saying that they are all in there I'm saying they should all be in there anyway do you know what I mean but go on ahead continue with your point Greg no I think I think it's something that we're moving towards and I think it's very very important and back to the whole even just take the the retention and the recruitment side of things which is exceptionally expensive from a labour perspective within HR to the time and the advertising and the using of recruitment agencies all are increasing in costs all the time so it's in the interest of these organizations albeit it should be there the reality is it's not there in in these companies and what we're just trying to do within sale is to provide an environment which has been set up and structured very much with the employee in the epicenter of what we do and a lot of a lot of you know well-being platforms and different products out there which are successful to date there a lot of our setup for the employer first and the employee second we try to reverse it and we're providing a genuine value ad for employees okay it may be the employer that ultimately is the financial provider on behalf of the employee but what's very important and what we feel is a real point of difference for us is that we have built a platform built a model which combines on demand content across our seven well-being values we have two to three live classes every single week across these well-being values for example we had a fitness session last night we had a book club the week before we have another session I think it might be on nutrition this coming Thursday so what we're trying to do is provide really genuine content for that employee and it's back to your point yes this should be fairly simplistic and fairly standard and it's not listen how many people do people know listening now who the people aren't necessarily happy in their job they've got one eye on something else if they got the chance and a lot of it stand so they don't feel valued that in other words they could walk at the door and it doesn't matter do you know what I mean and yeah well all this stuff would work to sort of alleviating some of that as well you know your reward is not always in money it's not and I think you know that's a really really good point and what we've seen over the last number of years and again maybe COVID has driven or accelerated this but people are only considering the financial package as one component when considering a job whether that job is to stay or whether it's to take on a new challenge it is the overall value to the employee and what the employer places on them as a value that I think they're considering and that is how they're being treated it's whether they're working from home or in the office it's what the environment and the culture is within that organization because people are making much more strategic decisions now and financial is simply one component in terms of how employers work with sale by the way if anyone wants to search that do you do they engage their employees with sale or do you tool them up to change the working environments what is your relationship with employers so we essentially work very closely with our clients employers as you mentioned the website is sale.app.com just if anyone wants to check it out we work very closely with an appointed well-being champion within that organization we ensure that we handhold and partner with that company and the well-being champion to roll out our platform educate the employees of the benefits assure the employees that they are consuming this content in a very private fashion it's not something that they need to be concerned around that the employer they must engage with us because the employer is the paymaster it's not that if that was the case we wouldn't have a platform that is genuinely value-adding and what we're finding is once we communicate what we do and what we deliver the engagement levels within the company accelerates dramatically can't be mandated and we're involved it has to have a buy-in and we're not a partner where we're selling something and we're walking away we're very much on the journey with the employee with the employer and the employee to ensure that the employer can recognize that there is a return on that investment because it's a significant investment for companies particularly with one to three thousand employees as part of their makeup but it's also equally important that the employees are getting the value that we anticipate and have set sail up to be able to deliver if either of those factors are not working if the employer is not happy and the employee is not finding what we're delivering as valuable then we don't have a business that's going to survive in the long-term so we have to ensure both parties independently are happy with how we deliver a sale within the organization all right so just around people of the website there if people want more information please Greg so the website www.sail s-a-o-l-dash-a.com everything that we discussed this morning and an awful lot more is in there you can request a brochure you can set up a demonstration reach out to us we're happy to have a chat no obligations and we hope to speak to some of your listeners at some point and thank you for the opportunity of speaking it's interesting bye bye that's Greg O'Gorman though right a caller says regarding the current conversation I think that it is all good in terms of people being able to take control of their health and helping people understand how small changes can really help them but partnering with operation transformation is so bad the show's a horrent it's based on body shaming weight loss advice that is extreme and it's purely for public entertainment so many intuitive eating experts psychologists health professionals are slamming the show and speaking out how about we do this i.e. public community health without a show like operation transformation whose only priority is profit and entertainment over actual people's long-term health I don't disagree with you I don't like those type of shows I'm not sure if it's exactly in the same format as it was when I first watched it but we have regular guests on this show involved in the fitness area and they would not like shows like this because they don't want it to be focused on targets and weight and what have you and they've got different metrics that show people's improvements it's about how you feel isn't it I don't like it because effectively the people that take part in it are just you know it's for us to watch and it's just not my type of telly maybe operation transformation has changed but thanks very much for that comment talking about little changes as anyone who listens to this show at all over the last three or four five six seven however long years we've been doing it I think I was an early adapter of the airfryer really was I think but anyway be that as it may making a couple of burgers last week in the airfryer everything's air fried now if the truth be told nothing is fried so did the burgers good burgers by the way tasty and all that kind of stuff but when the burgers were finished I tipped the tray out into the sink now that might have been a mistake right but I tipped the tray out to the sink anyway and I've had the burgers and what have you so then went to wash something out or other and the sink was blocked completely blocked I got a plunger and I plunged and plunged and I came into work the next day with the saw left arm wouldn't shift it so I took the water out and it was dry and I went down to the shop and I got one of these sink busters you know those chemicals that you can put down the drain stuck that down the drain the next morning came came over poured hot water down nothing wasn't budging so I had to drain the drain again so I took off the u-bend from under the sink because I'm so handy great to have around the house but anyway I took the u-bend from under the sink and from these two burgers alone now the u-bend was perfectly clear right there was no there wasn't anything that would cause a blockage other than this massive clump of fat like the full width obviously of the u-bend because it blocked it and it was about an inch and a half to two inches long solid white fat clean fat like like lard that come out of these two burgers and as I say these were good I thought they were good burgers anyway but I was thinking can you imagine if you ate that like maybe your body consumes it and it doesn't just go straight into your arteries or whatever but the amount of fat that came from these two burgers I shouldn't have poured it down the sink I know that now you know this I'm not even sure that's a responsible way of disposing of it if it's not my apologies you can give out to me if you wish but I just thought it remarkable that this massive circular one and a half inch one inch wide lump of fat came from from burgers and it was perfectly clean it was almost like you could spread it on butcher or something but anyway that's what I would have been eating if it wasn't for the air fryer I don't know what that even means maybe it wouldn't be bad for you but anyway 08, 6, 6 to 25,000 any insights into that or anything else for that matter or give us a call an 07491 25,000 The county's number one talk show The Nine Till Noon Show on Highland Radio The Nine Till Noon Show is brought to you by credit union offering low rate car loans with fast approval apply online at letterkennycu.ie or in office today Discover the ultimate experience in the spa at Orchids at the Hollywood Hotel Bundorn with our tranquil Japanese themed garden Rejuvenated in massages, revitalizing facials, luxurious spa baths, pampering body treatments not forgetting the outdoor hot tub and sauna in our secret garden Visit on a luxury spa day pop in for some me time or buy the perfect present with a gift voucher relax and let the spa at Orchids transport you to another world for more see hollywoodhotel.com Boots best for less here to help you save more on the products you love whether you're flirting with a new look look at you practicing a little self care or blushing over new beauty we're with you for getting the best and nothing less shop the products you love at prices you love even more and get the best for less at 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Boots with you for life see boots.ie for details Ultrasound Scan Clinic is a new self referral Ultrasound Scanning Service based at Claridan Street City Centre Derry They offer all aspects of pregnancy related scanning as well as general health scans such as abdominal, renal and meal health no referral is needed for an appointment with same day reports provided all at a time convenient to you see their website www.ultrasoundscanclinic.com for more details or find them on facebook or instagram tonight's lotto jackpot is an estimated 13 million euro so what's the first thing you'd do at 13 million euro that is genius better get a ticket so the National Lottery it could be you play responsibly, play for fun Highland Radio time checks with Expressway travel route 32 from Letty Kennedy Dublin when you book online and travel for less Expressway bringing you the time ask 11.22 good morning to you Liam Good morning Greg how you doing I'm doing good Liam thanks for joining us and we just wanted to invite you on off the back of an email you sent in to us with an experience with a customer in your shop tell us the story or the situation Liam 83 year old gentleman who lives on his own received a letter from the Department of Social Protection advising him that his public services card was due to expire in February 2024 and that he was been asked to renew it and the preferred option was to be online at mygov.ie or alternatively he could make contact with his local entree office with a provider in the middle of the letter advising that his free travel pass would lapse if his card was not renewed so he came across to me and asked if I would help him with trying to contact in trail so we googled the number for in trail and it came up with a help test number in Dublin I think and when eventually we got through to them after about 40 minutes they advised that the only way to contact the local entree office was by email because they don't have direct lines obviously the gentleman doesn't have an email of himself computer letter and he's not online letter and when I drew that to the ladies attention he basically says to me would you not contact him on his behalf which before you continue you're telling a man who's been working all of his life I'm sure contributing an independent that effectively he would have to rely on your good will which you wouldn't mind doing it by the way to act on his behalf so if he didn't have you Liam or didn't have someone else who was computer literate that's him without a card and losing his free travel for an example which is not the way to treat an older person I don't think simply put Greg he's fortunate enough that there's somebody across the road from him how many people are out there that are being disadvantaged that possibly don't have that same it's obviously it's obviously discriminating against the elderly and those that are not computer literate and as a taxpayer I was absolutely shocked that people in that bracket cannot just left the phone and make contact with their local and trail office the fact that he has to rely either on someone else or write them probably hoping that they would get a reply was just I just found astounding but even the email awesome we'll call you back it's not an effective way of doing business in terms of that doesn't really sound like great customer service to me either personally I wouldn't have thought so I wouldn't have thought so Greg it just smacked I've been completely wrong and that's a government department that we as taxpayers pay for this gentleman and I'm sure many like him who would have paid their taxes all down through the years relying on their social services card in this instance fortunately for me to collect his local pension and being basically advised that lesson will try and accommodate you some way it smacks it goes all the way back the household charge in 2012 Greg when that 100 euros initially was being put on the houses people were told pay for it online pay for it online and those who couldn't sure you can get started out some other way again consecutive governments of the two pertaining main parties consistently discriminating against those people who are not or in this case elderly who are obviously not online letters only for your only for your intervention just to recap for listeners so you contacted the on this person's behalf they said email them in for a callback when you said that this gentleman doesn't have an email address this is where there's absolutely no thought for someone of certain age or someone with literacy issues or whatever it might be then they said to you email on his behalf the fact that that's the solution to this problem that the person that just so happened to be trying to help someone out then becomes the emailer on their behalf that exposes for me the entire problem here because not everyone has a Liam and I know I've said that already but how many older people have lost access to free travel or what have you because they can't get their head around they don't have their head around I don't like that gov.ie website I find it a nightmare to sign in every single time every time it's a bloody nightmare I find but anyway but also if you've never used email and many people would choose not to and don't have to that's him banjaxed except for you correct absolutely and that's a no but the issue and how many people too that don't have a mobile I know most people do but there are people that would send that email every half and actually sit in the house waiting on that call for fear of missing it because it's actually such an integral part of their life again which is crazy that's another aspect of it Greg absolutely and not to even go into whether there's a GDP or I was thinking of that to be honest with you because I would have thought that I would have thought there could have been a problem there I was expecting them to say well sorry we can't engage with you on behalf of a third party obviously whoever you got through thought you could get away with that through email but I agree with you you're acting on that person's behalf with a government body in a very casual way in a good meaning way Liam but it just makes you wonder is that really the system that's right and how many times do you try and make contact with a bank, a financial institution a government body on behalf of somebody and that's the first thing they throw at you sorry GDPR that's nearly used as an excuse to not engage all right okay listen we're going to make some inquiries in relation to this of course and get a policy even if they say oh yeah well we can do this and do that we can only talk about what this person's experience was so if there is something a different system in place they're not communicating it to their staff to communicate it to their customers Liam thank you very much for raising it it's a really important point that was coming from the initial number that we obtained was a 1-800 number central office a central office in Dublin or whatever it is and the young lady in question this was after waiting for as I said to the gentleman we'll dial this number and now we'll boil the kettle because we'll have a cup of tea waiting while we get somebody to answer and 40 minutes before someone answered do people of that capacity elderly people of that capacity sit and wait as you say and I know the focus is on your 83 year old neighbour but it's not just older people as well there's different people with different communications abilities that probably would be better served by being able to go into an office and stuff but we're speaking about an older person this incident Liam and I appreciate it and I'll tell you he's lucky to have you Liam and lucky to have your business across the road it's a shop you run do you want to mention where it is or are you happy enough to leave it at that I'm happy enough to leave it at that I was going to see if you wanted to plug but anyway I know that's not why you contacted us take care Liam lovely Greg thanks for calling now thank you we appreciate the email just to recap because it's just important we've had a few texts in this time yesterday we're halfway through an hour of a special feature on the closure of the pastoral child and adolescent counselling services this is the only such service for people it's the first port of call it can often stop people with their mental health deteriorating people have been bereaved loads of different reasons bullied they might need counselling I've spoken personally to families of people that have have done very well from it and went on to lead very happy and successful lives the company needs a full-time director to provide the services because it's grown from an 850 year old donation it's grown into this massive thing with 26 counsellors 15,000 counselling sessions over the last six years hugely important stopping lots of people having to try and see calms and you know the difficulty people can have in that regard and it's closing and it's a closing effectively in the first instance because the two so the HSC or any state for that matter will not fund 60,000 euro in funding a full-time director is required now because of the scale of the operation and for governance and best practice reasons so it's going to close and it's going to close in March they can limp across to March but 26 counsellors are going to be let go and the consensus was yesterday that if this goes it can't be rebuilt it can't be rebuilt in the way it's going to be rebuilt so obviously the logical thing for a show like this to do and any show in any county would do the exact same when a service like this is about to be shut down is they contact the local minister's office Minister Charlie McConnelogue who obviously is at the cabinet table and has a great deal of influence you would imagine and also the minister for children Roderick O'Gorman I know Mr. Gorman is incredibly busy but this is a very important issue this is an entire county losing its only counselling services for young people don't forget all the surveys which show an increase in young people needing help and increase in mental health difficulties so we're 24 hours on and this is not anti anything and this is not to expose anything but we're 24 hours on and we have neither a reply Caroline we still don't have a reply for me to know so on this issue we've neither a reply from minister Charlie McConnelogue's office nor even a reply from the minister for children's office 24 hours in which I think is absolutely remarkable I would love to bring anyone on with some good news or to say look I'm working on this I don't it doesn't matter as long as we get to a solution it doesn't matter but I just think it's remarkable and I think it's important you know that I pass on what I know that neither office has got back to us at all not even to us to say right we're looking into it or we'll try and do this or we'll try and do that or even to refer us to the HSC nothing generic nothing nothing and yesterday we heard from the bishop who says this service has to be returned retained we heard from Donna Harper who very sadly lost her daughter Leona in the Chrysler tragedy and she was speaking on behalf of others who were able to access this service her sons were able to access this service there are people continuously accessing this service what will happen to them when it's gone there's a waiting list of close on 400 people waiting for counselling sessions we should be growing this we should be saying well this is a huge success and all it would take is 60,000 and maybe a little bit more funding to now don't forget also this is a service that both too slow and the HSC refer to and neither of them will provide the funding that is required to keep it going and as I say unfortunately any inquiries that we've made so far we haven't even had a response to and that's where we're at on Wednesday 24 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Dolores on Facebook says, aren't you lovely man, Liam? Lot of people awaiting the renewals of travel passes here in the Rosses. Hi Greg, listening to Liam concerning the elderly gentleman and his travel card. All the gentleman has to do is go to his local intro office, a friend relative alone. The elderly agency helps people. Liam may have spoken to an agent that isn't very good at their job. As for the mic of website and your difficulty using it, you have to log in on numerous occasions for security reasons. Thank you, Peter. I understand. Sorry, I get you. But I can log in to my bank account with my thumbprint. You know, I'm not saying you should be fit to do that on gov.a, but anyway, I take your point. Please tell the gentleman to go to his local office, get it sorted out. It's no problem. He has to have his photograph taken as well. You have to make an appointment. Just call them, especially if it's the letter. Any area, no problem now. Liam was told by the intro person in Dublin that there's no direct number to call. Read the public services card. I got the same letter. I went to Bonkranagh Welfare Office to renew. They maintained they only had one photographer on site and couldn't take my photo. So they'd write out to me with an appointment to come in. I live over 18 miles away from Bonkranagh. I have an appointment to come back next week. Exact same situation for me yesterday, trying to get through to the intro office, looking for an appointment for my mother-in-law to get her a public services card. I had to email them on her behalf, looking for an appointment, but I've had no reply. So I don't know now. Do they not respond to me because I'm doing it on her behalf and data protection, et cetera? It does not seem to be a sound practice. There's another person had to email on behalf of their mother. Has the email been opened? What's the normal response time? Did they ignore it because of GDPR? It needs to be a little bit more clearer. Business matters in association with the Faculty of Business at ATU Donegal. For a career in financial governance, consider the Level 9 MA in governance and IT in financial services, starting in January. Contact the Exec Ed Coordinator on 9186206 or email donald.hanigan at atu.ie today. OK, it is Wednesday. It's the day that Highland Radio's business podcast, Business Matters, is available. And its presenter and compiler is Chris Ashmore. He's with me now. Hi, Chris. Good morning, Greg. Good to have you in. Before we get to the pod itself, let's talk a bit of news and strong growth on the recruitment front in our region. Yeah, now it's interesting to note because we're pretty much at full employment and this company, FRS Recruitment, all over the country, they help employers find employees, but 20 of the 26 counties in Ireland had a decline in job opportunities last year. That's because there is a shortage of labour. Donegal was one of six counties to book the trend. So there are opportunities out there. And in many respects, you can look at it, I suppose, both ways. No, no, no opportunities for old, bold. Presenters. Oh, we'll find you something there. Come on, lads. Headhunt me, headhunt me. Well, and of course, when there's a shortage, it can drive up wages in some sectors. So it's a rather interesting scenario given that we got through COVID and everything and we have, and it's something I've come across now, speaking to pretty much people in every business, it is very difficult to get staff at the moment. Especially good staff who are very committed and would add great value to a company, such as myself. And then when you go and train them up, and if they go and depart, you're back to square one again. So it's a big issue. But anyway, it is for sure. I'm sorry to be a little facetious, but strong growth on recruitment in Donegal, booking the trend of other counties. Okay, opportunities at the National Digital Research Centre. What's this about, Chris? Yeah, now, this is a rather interesting... It's a government backed at the organisation now. Essentially, it was founded back in 2007. And I suppose it's a glorified start-up, one-stop shop. But they're holding a 48-hour online event in February. Now, this is for people who really are, as I say, globally ambitious. So they're looking for people who've got a really good idea. They want a little bit of support, a bit of mentoring. You can get up to 100,000 euro in funding. So, Greg, if you've got a good idea to move jobs, this is it. Get on to the National Digital Research Centre with your plan to save the planet and who knows what else. A little closer as I get to that, as my head kind of looks like a globe. I don't know, Chris. But, you know, there are lots of different funding streams out there. And I think it's getting the knowledge and getting out in front, you know, between the various... You know, as I say, there's a lot of money out there. Not just for businesses, but even for community organisations. And if you get on top of the application process and all that, it can really work quite well for you. And there's also loans for smaller businesses available, too. You've got a bit of news on that. Yes, Microfinance Ireland. Now, this is geared at small businesses. So here in Donegal, you can access loans through Microfinance Ireland of up to 25,000 euro. And if you want to find out more about that through the Local Enterprise Office, they're having a webinar. So online Thursday, January the 25th. So that's what tomorrow week. And it'll be via Zoom 10 to 11 o'clock. So you go on and everything you want to know explained for you in the space of an hour. And if you want to proceed then, you know exactly what to do. Yeah. And we were talking to the Employment Minister, and you're on about the work that Leo is doing in supporting jobs and, you know, almost 400 new jobs supported in Ireland in Donegal, sorry, over the last year. All right, let's get on to the pot itself. And your guest this week is Maura Toner. Yes. There's the food coast. She's food coast advisor here in Donegal. So there's been a huge explosion in growth of small companies and individuals, everything from homebakes to ready meals, restaurants, chefs. And Donegal is a growing reputation as a foodie destination. And there's a lot to look forward to. And a lot of the people in the sector are doing very well indeed. And Food Coast Donegal is really, it's an initiative there that helps to support and to grow this sector. And again, there is funding available. There's mentoring. And she's very much upbeat about the future. I'm excited for the year ahead. I think that we are going to have a great calendar of events. I think that our businesses will really benefit particularly from the Meet the Producer event that we're going to run in March. And we will run that again if it is successful and if there's demand for it. It's going to be a great opportunity for the food service providers in the county to see the quality products that are being created in this county. So I'd encourage everyone to attend that. And we will issue a press release near the time with full information and details of where and when, as I say, early stages of planning. But it will probably be in early March. So keep an eye out for that. There's a great cohort of business people involved in the network. And, you know, they're very excited about the prospects ahead for them as groups of either the restaurant chef cluster or producer clusters. And they are excited and passionate about what they do. And I think that that is going to transfer into success for everybody in 2024. Yeah, going to be a lot of useful information in the full form of that interview with Maura Tonish. She's the food coast Donagall advisor with the Leo office, the Donagall local enterprise office. And that podcast available for you right now to stream from our website or download, also on Spotify or iTunes. And there's a whole back catalog, catalog, sorry, of podcasts there. I think anyone with an interest in business or interest in starting a business, there's a lot of great advice and information. As I say, it's available for you right now. It's broadcast on Sunday too, Chris. Yes, Sunday after the six o'clock news. And if you want to contact me, the email address, businessmattersathighlandradio.com. And we'll see you next Wednesday. Well, Chris, thank you very much indeed for that. Back with more after the break. I find that finding stuff is good. Finding that one earring down the back of the sofa. Finding my perfect match on a dating app. I even went to India once to find myself. 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I'm going to get a massive 180 euro in savings. Head to imagine.ie or free phone us on 1800 938 407 to upgrade to faster broadband, faster. Subject to location and availability, minimum 18 month contract. Activation fees and annual price increase of CBI plus 3% applies. See imagine.ie for full terms and conditions. Highland radio, weather updates brought to you by Grant. Building a new home, choose Grants A triple plus and get a new home. The home is located Aeronah air to water heat pump and you flex under floor heating. Visit grant.ie. Now we saw frost icy stretches and patches of fog and freezing fog this morning. They might be very slow to clear or may not clear at all. They might linger all day in places because temperatures are just one to three degrees. There will be sunny spells and some wintery showers with light, northerly breezes. Now this morning and the half eight because it happens every morning half eight. This morning we saw a lot of snow. It was from this time last year and this time last year there was snow and schools were closed and people weren't able to get into work and people couldn't get out of... I seem to recall this time last year, carers couldn't get to certain places because the roads were impassable. Michelle, do you think we overreact to the weather or were ill prepared for the weather when it comes? What's your view? Good morning, Greg. Every year we have frost every year and yet nothing that is done about it. There's no preparations made. Year after year it's the same thing, a flurry of snow and the whole country stuff. That's ridiculous. How has it impacted you today? We had the Home Health Coordinator call this morning and she cancelled services for today and she said she was possibly canceling them for tomorrow as well. I just don't understand why alternative measures are not put in place before this happens. And have some sort of a strategy that enables people to get to where they need to go when the weather, inevitably at least once or twice a year, is like it is today? Yeah, like we had a situation here last year. You might recall, it happens to me, where a home help had crashed her car. Yes, I do. That's exactly what I was referencing when I was introducing you. I didn't know it was you, but here we are again, Michelle. What a coincidence. Here we are again. Now, we've repeatedly requested that we put in place on the Braves, on the hills, because the council are telling us they're not standing up on any griffin or is because the roads are too bad, which is fine and fair enough. I appreciate that. But, you know, they should be doing alternative measures to get griffins and griffin placed. Now, my partner was on to the local councillor this morning who told him that if we got it to midi to tell it, they would request funding for AVEN. AVEN, which would have... AVEN. Salt or grit at the top of the hill? Well, my partner went down to the council yard before and was told he wasn't allowed to get any grit. He was only allowed to get sand. Now, there's no salt on the sand and the sand does nothing for the hills. He does sand the roads whenever the sand or salt is available. You can't find the sand under the snow and you can't find the sand. Most of the time it's frozen and you have to check that up to try and, like, you know, to be even able to spread anything. It's a bit further, Ted, isn't it, really? And it's not your fault, it's just the setup. So, and you are... In fairness, you say, look, you know, I can manage here, but what about others who are going to be let down today? Yeah, well, you know, what's about those other elderly people that's in the house on their own? Not all the time because I have my own job. I'll be able to work my hours back tonight. I'll be switching on my computer and making back the time tonight. I can manage. I feel sorry for the home health as well. They shouldn't be in a position where they're afraid to get in their cars. There should be alternative, you know, measures and tests. This goes on year on year and we're going backwards because the roads up here were gridded back in the 80s, right? You know, we pay councils or property tax up here, but we get nothing for it. There's not even running water up here. So, you know, I just think it's a bit ridiculous. You know, I lived in America and I think we had one snow day ever in 11 years. And it was on an April Fool's Day. They made sure the roads were passable. I appreciate why they can't, you know, salt or sand or treat all the roads. You know, there can be measures put in place where, you know, we have held, you know, it's clear to the council, it's clear to the people on the roads where the hell it goes. We have to pay our road tax. We, you know, we deserve the same treatment as anybody, you know, in a town, in a village or getting the road treated. We, you know, why are we any different? It's just not, it's just not fair. I don't know. Maybe it's a social tax for living in rural art and that's the way the thing's going. If you choose to, you know, in inverted commas choose to live in a rural area, well, then you're going to have to face these types of inconveniences. I hope that's not the case, but you do wonder. And also you mentioned that back in the day, going back 30, 40 years, these roads were gritted. Are we getting a little bit trigger-happy in, you know, a little bit of snow, a little bit of ice? You know, the buses don't come out, the schools don't open, you know, people don't travel to, you know, carers don't travel. Like, is there, do you understand it or do you think we're getting a little bit, a little bit sensitive to a bit of ice and snow? Well, to an extent, but you know, if you have the correct tires on, if you're driving, you know, you know, with care, you know, make the judgment yourself, but you know, I don't want to, I don't expect anyone to rust themselves or crash the cars or anything, but I just, you know, I do, I do expect, you know, a level of service, whether it's on the shining or the snow is falling, I do expect the same level of service while it may be late delayed or, you know, not all the time, not constant, maybe have one call a day, but there's a poor old person living somewhere today that's not going to get any care, possibly not going to get any care tomorrow, and they may not even be able to get themselves out of it. I just don't, I just don't think it's fair. It's very worrying when you put it like that. OK, Michelle, listen, thanks for your time today. That's Michelle. Do you agree or disagree? 08, 6, 60, 25,000. The same situation may pertain tomorrow or may carry on until tomorrow. We're at the end of the show, but don't let that put you off texting or calling because we are still here to take your comments. I have an uncle in the same position as the gentleman Liam's working with in terms of renewing the card. If I rang, I cannot talk on the phone without him being present, and as I am not available during the day to support him. Yet it's OK for me to email them on his behalf. Where is his right to take responsibility for his own affairs as long as possible? As long as possible, why can't a form to renew not be issued to people who are not digital users in any form? Is there any exception to the rule of application online? Right, we'll get to that tomorrow morning if that's OK. We just don't have time at the moment, Caroline. Thank you. I just read that comment. My free TV license doesn't expire, so why does free travel have an expiry date or indeed your PPS card? Surely you're still the same person. It's just more bureaucracy. Would it not be a breach of the GDPR regulations if you have to rely on someone to contact the department on your behalf? That's taking away your independence, isn't it? Well, that's the problem. This gentleman was robbed of his independence. I'm not sure if it's in the form of a digital communication. If GDPR doesn't cover that, it seems like it should. Another caller says, totally agree with that gentleman. It's an absolute disgrace what they expect of the older generations that know very little about phones, computers, emails. We have the same experience with our parents, but luckily we're there to help. What about those who have no children and living in a rural area? It's just disgraceful that these people falling between the gaps. You know, that's my concern. I'm in the same situation with online. I'm just not great. My niece had to do it for me, and it still wouldn't take the photo. I had to make an appointment in the office to get it done, and when I went in, they said it's a regular issue for them that people have. I think that whenever your card is up that they should renew it for you. I've been trying to update my service card since November, and it's still not sorted. The medical card is renewed every two years. The boss pass and services card should be renewed the same way. AIB are able to renew your card automatically. Why don't the social welfare do the same? It's hard for older people to navigate services online and again, not just older people. Hi, Greg. This comes in from John, driving from Bunkrana to Konmany one hour ago. The roads have been gritted from Bunkrana as far as the North Pole bar drum freeze. However, from there to Konmany, the road's covered with snow and ice. Who is responsible for gritting the Konmany road? It's not being gritted, and this is a common occurrence, and on it goes. Listen, we're back with more for you tomorrow morning at nine. Thank you so much for supporting the programme. I really appreciate it and for getting involved.