 The number of residents in rural parts of Donegal is already having a knock-on effect with schools experiencing a drop in the number of pupils. He says the lack of delivery of the SI housing is severely impacting rural areas. Councillor McDermott says there needs to be a shift in the mindset of the council. We've been pushing us now for a number of years and we're still in a situation where the SI house isn't particularly here in Anishone. There's been none built to council. We're taking this seriously. There would be houses built because there are families that are prepared to give land to the local authority to build SI houses for family members. We can give out to the department, we can give out to everybody else but I think our own council first of all has to get their act together and make this happen and then push it down the line to the department and get the department to grant the funding for these houses. Letter Kenny Milford Municipal District has been told it's not possible to secure an active travel funding to bring a footpath from Woodland School to the town boundary. It was raised by Councillor Jimmie Kavanaugh who said the path is a necessary one both as a safety measure and as a community resource. It was said members were told that active travel funding is only available within the urban speed limit area. It was suggested the path be done through active travel out to the boundary and do the rest from the council's own resources. Officials said that's not feasible but they will continue to try to source external funds. And now to weather. A yellow wind warning is in operation for Donnie Gull, Kevin and Monaghan from 8am today until 8pm this evening. A mix of sunny spells and showers and light to moderate southerly or variable winds at first today. The winds will veer northwest into western parts of Ulster this morning and a spell of wet and increasingly windy weather will sweep eastwards over the province later. It'll be rather cool today with highs of just 6 to 8 degrees. That's all for now. We'll be back again at 10 o'clock with the news and obituary notices. Until then, good morning. Everything you need to escape your way across Ireland and the UK. Save on every room every night when you book direct with click on Muldron at Muldronotels.com. The Counties number one talk show. The 9 till noon show on Highland Radio. And a very good morning to you. This is the 9 till noon show with Donald Kavanaugh with you until 12 noon today. A lot to happen on the show this morning. Lots lined up for you. But as we always say, the centrepiece of this show is your views and your contributions. You can text us on 086 60 25,000. You can use that number for WhatsApp messages as well. You can call us on 0749 125,000, 0035 3749 125,000 if you're outside of the dialing area. We're on social media, of course, at Highland Radio on Twitter, Highland Hub on Facebook. And don't forget, you can watch the show unfold on Facebook as well. Our Zoom guests will be there for you to see in Technicolor. And you can follow the show there also on our YouTube channel. That's Highland Radio Ireland on YouTube. And you can also follow us, of course, live on our website, highlandradio.com. And don't forget, over the course of the day on highlandradio.com, all the new stories will be placed on the website too as they happen. So that'll be updated on a regular basis by Donna Murray and later by Minkala over the course of the day. So always do keep an eye on the website. There's always new material appearing there as well, as well as across our other social media channels. Let's start on this Wednesday morning. It's going to be a windy one, we're told, not quite yet, but it's coming. I'm sure it was quite breezy out there last night actually. The front of the Donegal Post this morning, industrial road confusion, causing congestion. While Bondora and Rosnalla and Donegal Town feature regularly on the tourist trails at the start of the Easter period, traffic through Kiddie Beggs was backlogged over the holiday weekend. Councillor Knew of Kennedy believes this is because there is a modern road which by itself passes much of the congestion flashpoint, but because it's called the industrial road, it is confusing people and people aren't using it when perhaps it might be the better option to use. We'll do a bit more on that later on in the programme. We'll be speaking about road conditions in the Letter Kenne in West Donegal area as well and around about the Tlauneele area too because a lot of traffic and a lot of tailbacks over the past two days in Donegal. Great to see it, great to see the tourist traffic and great to see the business coming in, but those tailbacks, we will be discussing those a little bit later on on the programme. Inish Times this morning, dozens of objections to Dlaeneele quarry plans. Declan McGee writes that objections have been lodged by locals against plans to develop a quarry and concrete batching plant near Dlaeneele. The proposed development is to supply local builders, farms and the community with local stone and concrete. It would see 20 journeys a day by heavy commercial vehicles and more on that in the Inish Times. Also inside there's a story on Micah Action Group, Anger at Spending and all the other news from Inish on available there as well. Fin Valley Voice this morning, Father Kevin needs funds for African projects. Astronomer Born Missionary Priest has appealed for funds to help him in his ongoing projects in Africa. Father Kevin O'Hara has worked in Nigeria for over 40 years where he's a staunch defender and promoter of human rights. In fact, I was saying to Caroline, unless I'm very much mistaken, on my very first day of work on Highland Radio in September 1990, the very first person I interviewed that day on an old reel-to-reel tape recorder hooked up to a telephone was the self-same Father Kevin O'Hara. My very first interview, unless I'm very much mistaken, was with Father Kevin. So it's great to see he's still going strong and seeking people's help. Moving on to the nationals this morning, Irish Independent, Biden touches down with pledge of cash to end Brexit standoff. The US President challenges the DUP to get back to work after Stormont deadlock. President Biden will promise fresh economic supports for Northern Ireland today on condition that there is a restoration of power sharing at Stormont. The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to respond by offering to host an international economic conference on Northern Ireland in September. The government here is also set to make a financial contribution as will the British and the EU governments, but all this will be contingent on there being an adoption of the Windsor Framework and the establishment of an executive with Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Féin as First Minister. Also, days of mourning lie ahead for Galway. Crash teens, the first funeral for two teenagers killed in a horror road crashing. Galway will be held on Friday. The shattered communities of Annodown and Headford will come to a standstill this week and pay their respects as 14-year-old Kirsty Bowen is laid to rest. Her fellow pupil Lucas Joyce from Annodown, who also died, will be buried afterwards. Now, the Irish Times this morning, Biden distressed benefits of Belfast Agreement in keynote address. A US president to begin a four-day Irish visit with speech in Belfast. He's not expected to twist arms over Stormont restarting, but he will hail the tremendous progress made since the Belfast Agreement was signed and emphasise Washington's readiness to preserve those gains and boost Northern Ireland's economy. Interesting, two slightly different interpretations of the same indications coming from the Biden camp. The Times saying, oh, it'll be very low-key, he'll not be twisting arms. The Independent phrasing it as, well, you know, you won't get the money if you don't actually get Stormont back up and running. So it's interesting the way the same mood music can be interpreted in different ways. Also on the Irish Times this morning, fatal crash survivors to be interviewed. Mobile phones found at Hetford scene may offer insight into how cars struck a tree. Garthie investigating the County Galway Road crash that claimed the lives of Lucas Joyce and Kirsty Bowen are hopeful interviews with the two survivors. Also, young teenagers will help them piece together how the crash occurred. Now, the Irish Daily Mail this morning is its main headline. Fears that online dare led to crash the killed teenagers guard the examined possible link to social media. Ian Begley and Garth McNamee write that a guard the investigation into the deaths will examine if a social media challenge played a role in the tragedy. And you can only hope that it didn't because you hear stories over the years about various social media challenges which have not ended well. And we can only hope that that was not the situation in this instance. Front of the Irish Daily Star this morning main headline Joe Broly. And no, it's not the ex-Derry footballer and GAA pundit. It's a rain soaked reception for Biden as Air Force One lands. We see Joe Biden getting off Air Force One and a Broly being held aloft to protect him. Also, tributes to tragic crash teens. Front of the Irish Daily Mirror this morning. Similar photograph of Air Force One on the tarmac at Belfast International Airport. Here we go is the headline. Joe Biden was all smiles as he touched down in Belfast last night to begin his four day visit to Northern Ireland. The US President grinned as he left Air Force One and met with the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the tarmac before entering the beast which is the nickname given to the limousine in which he is travelling. And the front of the Irish Sun this morning taken away too young. These are the teens who died in a crash on Easter Monday. Pictures of Lucas Joyce and Kirsty Bohan both of whom were killed when the car in which they were travelling with two friends hit a tree outside Headford in Galway. Minister Jack Chambers said it was a tragedy to have young people's lives lost. It has, he said, shocked the nation. Also on the front of the Irish Sun, Steak Knife dies in UK. The British Army's top IRA mole has died aged 76, Freddie Scapatici, aka Steak Knife was buried near his home in England. He had been linked to dozens of murders, the story says, and that's on the inside of the Sun this morning. So that's the way the papers are looking here on the 19 noon show on this Wednesday morning. It is Wednesday the 12th of April. A lot to happen over the course of the program this morning as we said. And again, as we have said, if you want to have your say and get your comments on air, you can text us 08 660 25000. Use your WhatsApp app for that if that's your choice. Or you can call us 07 491 25000 or 003 537 491 25000 Neve and Caroline, taking your calls, Caroline producing as well. Let's take a break back after these. The newspapers are courtesy of Kelly Centra, Mountaintop Letter Kenny, the 2022 C Store National Off-Licence of the Year. 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Style and perfection at incredible value. Highland Radio, time checks with Expressway. Travel Route 32 from Letter Kenny to Dublin. Expressway, bringing you the time at... It's quarter past nine on this Wednesday morning. Don't forget, as I said, you can watch the show unfold on Facebook or our YouTube channel, and a number of people are already doing that. And good morning to Michael, to Annie, to Audrey and to Paul, all of whom are tuned in on Facebook this morning. Now, sometimes when we listen to the community garden slot and we hear of incidents of criminal damage where a stone was thrown at a house or something was done, and sometimes we can maybe think, oh, it's not all that serious. But for the person who's in the house, it can be a very serious issue indeed and it can be a very worrying issue. Let's go to line one and talk to Mary. Mary, good morning. Hello, Mary. Hello there. Hello, good morning. What it is, I heard it being mentioned yesterday. I live in Bunkrana. And I heard it at McGinn Avenue. There was young people banging on doors. And I don't mean banging, trying to kick in doors. So one of them, of course, the guards had to go out and warn this person and not mention any names or who the... So that was... I don't know what happened there, but it did happen. I want people to believe that it did happen. And then I live in a wee place, a lovely wee place called Millfield. And never, I lived in my home for about 20 years, never had any bother. And I've had kids here years ago and they had fun. They grew up with me. And all of a sudden, there's that one of them, one of them certain boys, banging on them doors at Millfield is up here. Now, what I had to suffer for two and a half months, somebody on my window, somebody banging... somebody at my back, my bedroom window. And I don't know. And then it went on for a solid two and a half months. And I spoke to one parent. No, it wasn't his son. It has nothing to do with this here. And it has to be stopped. It's anti-social behavior. Now, my advice to people who it happened to, please report it to the guards. You're not too late. Report it to the guards, even if you want to go to guard station. Give them your name and whatever. And let them... They will do that. But the thing that happened to me, I needed proof. Now these boys are girls. And I know you had thought about maybe putting a camera in Mary, but that's going to be very, very expensive, isn't it? Yeah, it is. We hold under we many gangsters. I hate to say that, but at the moment, that's what we've got. Now, it's like a takeover. It's like a black male bullion. And it's been there the way... But now I hear I was told this and for definite. The same young man was down the back. He battered the people's doors. He battered out the glass to get in to search the people's house. And you do believe that this is people trying to break into the house. And this isn't teenagers having what they would regard as fun. You believe this is sinister. Yeah, or the guards, to be honest, have been brilliant. Now they've come up here, band guards. We thought they were going to be able to move in at one stage. And they were coming up, doing their work, doing their best. And these boys were hiding, but not behind bushes. They were running to houses that they knew. And they thought it was fun. Now, if this can be stopped before it goes any further, now I know with me it's happened for two and a half months. And this is what... Now, if it hadn't met me to put in cameras, it just never had to do. And this is what's happened. Now, can you imagine a teacher in the school trying to teach these young men, or I would have called them young men, and that teacher has to put up with it? It has to stop. Yeah. In terms, you're on your own in the house. Is there any way you can... Yes, I am. I'm a pensioner. Are there any friends or relatives that you could maybe even for one night bring to the house with you? You're not talking about staying up all night. I had to do that. Yeah, and there are two people, friends, good friends, and they came up and they're done. And what they were doing, they told me I phoned the guard and they came up and they stood up. But the young man's face was caught this time. I think he'd done four or five houses. He just had to go, and with mine, I wouldn't let him in the house. Yeah, of course. And he thought I was going to open the door and let him in that frame of mind. Yeah. Well, all I can say, Mary, is, you know, we obviously hope that the guard will be able to take action on this and that this will stop, because, I mean, you know, you deserve peace in your own home, you deserve rest in your own home, and you deserve more than anything else, you deserve a good night's sleep. And you know what? It's very scary. The first time it happened to me, I got up and I stayed up all night. I happened another night and I sat trying to catch the person. And, you know, they come with these hoodies over them. And now what they're doing, they're wearing the Covent mask. They're using it for another reason. And I hadn't done anything. I don't even mix with this young flower. I don't think like that bit. So I don't know what's going on. It's about time that, with the guards, and we can go to our office and, you know, do this. But you can't, the lack we, how about, like me, we many gangsters, and I know this goes on and on and on, but if we can stop it in one corner, before it gets any worse, we can do it. Well, we wish you well in that, Mary. And it's good to know that you're in touch with the Guardian. It's good to know that the Guardian are helping as much as they can. Yes. And I just, one gangster that I can't name, of course, and she's well, she has just gone above her duty, her work, and she comes. And I know there are so many, there are so many Guardian in the community, in all stations who actually act like that. And it is great to see. Mary, we wish you well, and hopefully, they will get to the bottom of this, and it will end. But listen, thank you for ringing, because this phone call may help other people that is happening among them. All they need to do is go forward to the guards, give the... Well, we certainly hope it does, Mary. And as I say, we wish you well. Oh, I hope it does. But I think... Yeah. Yes. And as I said, we wish you peace, and we wish you a good night's sleep. Mary, you take care of yourself. OK, don't worry. Thank you very much for letting me on once more. Thank you. It is absolutely our pleasure, and hopefully, as you say, if this can lead to some respite and if this can lead to some progress being made, all the better. Mary, you take care of yourself. That's Mary there speaking to us from Bunkrana. Now, let's go to line two and to a lady who has made some of the best music ever to come out of this island. But she wants to talk about the decline of the Irish language since 1800. Mary, do you have any of Alton Maginua? Maginua, could you more tell us a little bit? Go on. Mary, there's a pleasure to speak to you. Few people do more than yourself to actually promote Irish language, Irish culture on local, national and international stages. And people are now learning in school, Irish almost as an academic subject. And there's a long discussion about this. I mean, what is the discussion about should Irish remain a subject right up to leaving such that it's compulsory? And we'll get to that in a moment. But one of the things you're concerned about is that there now is a marked difference between what's taught in school and the actual tradition of Gaelga and the richness of the Irish language and the Irish culture. Well, it's not even that. It's the native language speakers. That number is declining. And when I was a teacher many, many moons ago, I remember looking at the actual syllabus that I was teaching in primary school, and it was so far removed from reality. When you're trying to entice young children to learn a new language, it always has to be very attractive the actual images have to be attractive if they're looking at a book or if they're looking at a movie or whatever. It has to be all colour and say you have to learn this language. But what I noticed was it was so far removed and so archaic. So I used to put the syllabus to one side and used to teach the children to tell them jokes as Gaelika and they were all saying to me I thought you weren't allowed to actually laugh in Irish. So it was a very strange one for me coming from the Gilthert and all we did was laugh. So it's just a type of mindset and I think it has to be taught in the proper way as well. It has to be taught as a living spoken day-to-day language not as an academic subject. Well, I think people should be allowed to have books as well if they want to read books or whatever but it should be taught in a very attractive way to make it open for young people to realise that this is their language. It's not something foreign from way over on the West Coast. What's happening in the cities is that it is getting more popular but the real old way of thinking in the Gaelic way is dying because if you look at where all the Giltherts are we're kind of on the West Coast. Our next step is in the water. And they are by and large coastal communities. You're actually quite correct in saying that. Is there, and I know there's a big revival with the Gaelic Skull and the Gaelic Kaloshti and it is coming up and in cities all over the country and in towns all over the country we have the Gaelic Skull and we have the Gaelic Kaloshti but one of the worries perhaps is that whereas they're speaking and using Irish in those schools they aren't maybe connecting to that tradition that you refer to. I mean how big an issue is that? Well I don't think that would be the issue at all. I think if they're speaking it that's well and good but it's the richness of thought which is where our English writers got their poetic way of writing even Joyce and Heaney and all of those people they all claim that the richness of their English language the hiberno English that they had that's what made them famous and we have some of the best renowned English writers in the world but it's all based on the rhythm of the Irish language and the poetic way things are described in Gaelic and that's what I don't want to lose. I love the idea of children in Belfast and Dublin and Cork and all the big cities speaking in Irish it is a different Irish but that's evolution that's how language evolves but I would also like that the native speakers and the Gaelic Cartherias wouldn't die because it's so important to keep that well alive as well. Do you think in Irish? I do. I ask that for a very specific reason because I think that really is the key to language and I think this is something that you're getting at here that's really important. I will be honest, I did my Leaving Cert in 1981 and what Irish I did in school up to 1981 that's the Irish I have and if I ever tried to speak and I do occasionally try to speak Irish during Shockton and Gaelica or whatever but what I will do is I will think in English and I will translate what I'm thinking into the best I can do with my 40 year old Leaving Cert Irish I will recite that 40 year old Leaving Cert Irish and then if I have a hope in hell of understanding what comes back to me very often if I listen, even if I listen to a nook I'll know it's something that happened in Dublin and something was stolen and I will get the gist of what happened possibly but I will still be in my head I am translating, translating, translating whereas someone like yourself who's grown up in the Gaelic is actually thinking in the Irish language and that's really what we're at risk of losing. Yeah well, I still think you know anybody with a second language like when I'm in France I have to think in Gaelic or in English the way I learnt the language and translate and that's how you do it but then you immerse yourself if you're really committed to the language you immerse yourself you go down to Glen Column Kill to that fantastic course they have down there in Aegis Gael like all our presidents have done and you immerse yourself in the language and people come out of there I've met people in Japan and America that actually went to Aegis Gael and like native speakers they were incredible but for people to learn like that you have to be totally committed and you have to totally immerse yourself in the whole language and just a good way if you haven't the chance to go to Glen Column Kill to an adult course like that or to Tory Island or places that have adult courses is to have young children who are speakers who are Gaelic speakers it's converse with them because people aren't as self-conscious when you're talking to children and children usually correct you if you're wrong and you don't feel so bad if it was an adult we'll say so a good way is to chat to children or to little ones who have the language of my heart and will have fun with it I think people have so many I think Irish people in general have this awful inferiority complex when they think of the Gaelic language they think it's to do with poverty it's to do with this and this historical baggage has always been there and a lot of the Gaelic areas if you come to West Donegal the biggest opposition to the language is at the edge of the Gaelic where people say oh I don't speak that language they deny their language which is very sad because they are just one generation away from it being said you know and it's up to them to keep it alive but you know that's up to people's personal choice of course I suspect I'm typically in many ways and I'll tell you where I am and I'll give you just a little bit of my background and invite you to comment on it I have a regret that I don't speak Irish as I said I have what little bit of the leafing served Irish I had from 1981 whatever I've retained that's what I have I will very occasionally I remember years ago Sianna Campbell the broadcaster did a program on RTE Radio 2 as it was called at the time 2FM now and she did a rock program in the Irish language and I listened to that because she was playing the music I liked Ronan Machawih and we send our best wishes to Ronan I know he's not in a great place at the moment Ronan through the nut service on Radio 2 is doing something very similar and is coming to people like me and bringing the language to us playing the music that we want to hear so you've got people like that but by and large my perception of Irish particularly as a teenager was it was a thing that was being forced on me in school I had basically Peg Sairs and Toriak Thymidagoscaronia they were the two books we had and Peg Sairs said nothing I can understand and appreciate it now in my late 50s I can look back and say yes Peg Sairs is a really important document of Irish life the 14-15 year old Donal did not appreciate a bit of it and as for the Toriak I had no conception of that culture That's for an older person to appreciate well I think there should be young literature for young people to entice young people what they're interested in the rock music or whatever kind of music or outdoors activities or stories about what's happening now it should be more maybe urban based as well because most of the population is in the urban area and also I think young children in the Giltart areas would appreciate that because they like going to Dublin as well as the area and they would understand that situation as well make it a modern language write the modern literature make the themes and make them real for the 14 year olds and 15 year olds and make it fun as well and attractive and maybe discuss serious issues like drugs and all that stuff that's in their minds at the moment you can't talk about Peg fairs or Toriak, Jermad and Grenja that's completely going back back back and that has nothing to do with today's life although maybe if they want to study it later on they can have the choice of those amazing books I love those books myself I read the Toriak in English when I was in my 20s and found it fascinating but when I was 15, no this is the thing it has to be age appropriate no matter what and make it as enticing as possible I have to say that any time I've been to college early in letter Kenny or any of those Gaelic speaking schools primary schools as well there's a huge high percent huge what would I say just fantastic Gaelic when I speak to the children there I went and playing music they had a fantastic grasp of the language and were very like the future is in their hands in the young people that are speaking it and I think what I've always loved too is the Kaloshta in Galway that do the Irish language version of the Vici songs and Ed Sheeran songs they'll never be quite as good as Donalog's more like I have to say but it's really great to hear that no and we do have our own version of that we have Emma Arishgit who sings she does loads of lovely cover versions of songs and I think it's really important to have that kind of useful energy as well to have the keyless of this world to kind of play world music and sing in Gaelic and there are so many young people even Emma she really loves her language I think when you leave home you realise that we have this beautiful language that gives us such a lovely identity and sets us apart from other English speaking nations when you are we'll say in Europe or in Asia or Australia you know you can say well we have our own language and our own way you know and it's really important for identity as well The discussion at the moment about whether or not Irish should remain a compulsory subject in the Leaving Cert where do you sit on that particular debate? Well I think first of all I think it should be taught in primary school in a nice way and then again bring the children along rather than pushing it on them but that's I think happening in primary school but secondary school life becomes difficult for children and I think maybe up until the junior 30s and then after that make choices and of course myself if I had to learn a second language I don't think I'd do very well I struggle with French and German when I'm away but it's just some people have an act to learn languages other people don't there so I think there should be a choice after junior 30 How significant is it that whenever you go to a different girl there are different parts of the country you're going to hear completely different pronunciations because my father God rest him he's passed away since when my daughter was young one of the things my dad used love doing was get her to say the our father because the way she would say the our father having been raised in Donegal versus the way we would say it having been raised in Waterford you would swear there were two different languages oh yeah what my dad heard what he heard was that's what he heard we would be saying we're all the mhs as far as we're concerned and I came up here and people were talking about why do people want to wash Patrick which is what I would if you said to me I would say wash Patrick who's Patrick that is the reality this is what's so great with our energy is that we are all listening to all the different dialects and you know I understand most people down south because I listen to reading the Guiltec every day my work actually brings me to all these Guiltec areas and I I'm able to converse and to me I just retune my ear again but yes there are huge differences but in any language there is a dialect difference and if you go to France the same thing happens or if you go to if you go to any other country in the world that's a large country there will be dialect differences but you know it's a matter of tuning in and not seeing it as an obstacle just say well I'll just tune in here and try and figure out what they're saying I know the estimate is that there's probably in the region about 170,000 native speakers in the country at the moment 10% of that 17,000 in Donegal now given the Guiltec and the Guiltec and as you've said the and you get a very positive vibe whenever you go there are you hopeful that we're going to turn a corner here and that we will see a revival in Irish not just in terms of people learning the language as an academic subject but people getting into Irish and actually using the language on a day to day basis and to get back to what we were talking about earlier actually thinking in Irish yeah well you know that's a big step from appreciating the language but I think people have to open a bit and say you know why are they against the language I don't know any other country that's against Irish language except here in Ireland if I went to England they just want to like if I'm in the BBC they want to hear Gaelic they never ask me to sing in English well if I went to RTE they say oh maybe you should sing an English song you know we lose the numbers if you're singing Irish that's ridiculous you know if you had Ali Farkatura and singing African would you say the same to him please don't sing those songs in the African language so you know we have to just twist change our mindsets and just appreciate what we have and let the speaker speak the Gaelic and if you like the language say it and if you don't like the language just try and open up to it a bit and learn a few words because you're not talking about a language you're talking about a way of thinking you're psyche in even the English language if we lose this this language we lose so much of our own identity we become English people or American people because that's what we're looking at you know on TV all the time English English English there's hardly any Irish on it and we just need to think of who we are and what we're doing you know Meredin the Winnie it's been an absolute pleasure and hopefully your words will inspire people and perhaps inspire me to maybe sit back and get more into and expand on what's in deep deep deep in my mind from all those 40 years ago Meredin it's been an absolute pleasure thank you very much take care that's Meredin the Winnie there of Alton of course one of the you know absolute ambassadors of Irish culture and Donegal culture and making a very good point there indeed in terms of the decline of the language since 1800 but hopefully with the Gael Kaloshti and with the Gael Skullina and with that new sort of appreciation we will see a revival and maybe there's a challenge to all of us myself more than anyone let's take a break so we'll be grateful to Vespila vulgaris the common Irish wasp because Vespila vulgaris is equipped with an early warning system only audible when you're in harm's way just like front assist driver alert and lane assist early warning systems equipped to standard on Volkswagen's T-Cross T-Rock and Tiger SUVs which only kick in when you need them search Volkswagen SUV Volkswagen join me Marty Freel every Friday night from 8 for Rockin' Hits on Highland Radio in association with Arena 7 where you can enjoy dinner and drinks in a woodbury grill bar and restaurant before bowling in Arena 7 state of the art lanes see Arena 7.ie if you're thinking of changing your wash machine consider the brilliant 8kg 1400 spin washer from Bloomberg Raymond Sweeney here at Ben Sweeney Iranics if you often need laundry washed in a hurry this brilliant wash machine clothes clean and fresh in under 30 minutes saving money on your energy bills and giving you back valuable time it also comes with a 7 year parts and labor warranty for peace of mind call in to us and see for yourself at Ben Sweeney Iranics Port Road Letter Kenny or in the shopping centre Dunlow I've lost my car keys lost my car once in a multi-story lost my patience my hair lost that a while back I've gone forever the crackle of needle on vinyl leaves crunching I've found them all at spex savers I've got free hearing aids with PRSI and now those sounds are back so is my jar de vivre still can't find those keys though book a free hearing test today terms and conditions apply see our website for details don't sleep in and miss the very latest beds and mattress offers from bed and mattress retailer you'll get a comfy Irish made mattress upholstered base and headboard from an amazing 229 euro check out the full range at dfibeds.ie delivery free and guaranteed to you within 7 working days dfi beds sleep well live well why did I choose Ulster? I wanted a university who could give me the biggest possible future but also the best possible time now somewhere I could make friends and have good crack up for the best job possible I'm planning to take up one of the study of broad options and then my big plan is to specialise in media law in LA but for now, NI has one of the lowest student living costs in the UK so night markets, here I come learn why over 30,000 students choose Ulster at ulster.ac.uk apply now for this September National Broadband Ireland is delivering high speed fibre broadband to homes schools and businesses across Ireland we're laying the groundwork for a network that will enable almost 50 broadband providers to bring high speed connections directly to your door over 100,000 premises are already ready to connect and enjoy speeds of up to 2 gigabit and future proofed up to an amazing 10 gigabit to find out more talk to your preferred broadband provider or check your aircode at nbi.ie nbi building a limitless Ireland supported by the Government of Ireland make great photos into beautiful gifts at McGee's Camus Lattecanny different gift ideas include canvas prints, freestanding already to hang art blocks and personalised photo books perfect to mark any occasion there's also jigsaws, calendars, mugs and much more for details, visit McGee's.ie turn your favourite moments into something truly special with McGee's Camus Lattecanny and Milan with Ryanair 6 flights a week for summer 2023 Ireland West airport, don't just take off take it easy with a forecast and met her in Telus we'll see a mix of sunny spells and showers would light to moderate southerly or variable winds at first those winds veering west to northwest in western parts this morning a spell of wet and increasingly windy weather sweeping right across the region over the course of the mid morning and into the early afternoon coastal areas as well for a time don't forget there is a wind warning as Don Emery's been telling you on news over the course of the day that rain will clear eastwards later this afternoon and evening but strong winds will persist into tonight it'll stay rather cool today highs of just 6 to 8 degrees celsius now were you in a car driving around letter Kenny yesterday or indeed over the course of Monday or yesterday driving anywhere in the vicinity of Dunfanny, Chrysler, Downing's that general area of Cloughaneely and East Dunnegull heading toward the west if so I'll bet you were caught on a tailback because we saw Bank Holiday tailbacks longer I think than we've ever seen them before in terms of time we are well used to having huge Bank Holiday tailbacks on a Bank Holiday Monday at 5 to 6 as I said once I would not attempt to drive out of letter Kenny on a Bank Holiday from about 4 o'clock onwards in the afternoon I would just stay home and either stay home or go elsewhere in the county and stay there until 7 o'clock because you're trying to drive in letter Kenny on a Bank Holiday Monday at 6 stand clear especially if you're trying to head out the four lane heading out toward Derry and Northern Ireland however it seems that this weekend we saw more of that for a much longer period let's go to zoom and speak to the mayor of the letter Kenny Milford District Councillor Donald Mandy Kelly Donald good morning Good morning Donald Good morning to all your listeners You spoke about this at length at a municipal district meeting that took place yesterday afternoon in fact it was noticeable that the meeting was due to start quite a number of members were actually later arriving to the meeting because they were stuck in traffic You're 100% correct and I suppose listen you could say I suppose the motion had forward you could say in one way it was timely but in another way this was going on far far too long I mean you're 100% correct Donald there was actually four maybe five councillors yesterday where we had to delay the meeting and they were stuck in traffic and I was one of them coming in from the Glenswally side and all those councillors coming in from the Elton side and what was alluded to yesterday a truck that usually would take five minutes from the golf course to 35 minutes you know and it's absolutely shocking it's shocking what else is going on going on in the town at the minute and you know I'm eager to get resolved because like we are local representatives we are getting it near and right to show people are absolutely fed up there what's the end of what's going on at the committee at the minute and Donald has come to a stage you know that you know I hate saying it but I do I feel at the minute that our traffic management system has failed and something needs to be done and that's the reason that I have a motion forward yesterday Donald because I want the the MTA in the road and the council and I want them all around the table where we can clash heads and come up with a realistic solution to addressing this ongoing issue and let the committee because we can't stand back and let it contain you Donald I have been I've also been contacted by business owners in the town that you know they're suffering businesses are suffering and it's shocking and it's all down to the traffic management you know the table backs of traffic is absolutely shocking and there's people actually are made aware when across the border the shop don't instead of come run to their own local town and let the committee and I mean when you hear stories like that Donald it's direly and we need to sit down as a council as a local authority along with the MTA and the EII and road design and see how we address this going forward because I said all it's getting worse For the past 15 to 20 years the panacea what's been regarded as the cure to all our ills has been the mythical Bonnegie link and the second bridge across the swelling the thought process has been that once you can get that second bridge across the swilly you'll take a lot of traffic out of the Kenny town centre you'll get traffic moving a lot more smoothly coming in from that remelton site depending on where obviously you actually put the bridge and I know there's differing views between different councillors as of whether that bridge the link road should be closer to the remelton site or closer to the Kenny site and that's going to be an ongoing debate I suspect but I mean I think that the answer to the tailbacks we saw yesterday and that was the first time I recall it really stretching into a Tuesday as much as it did the Bank Holiday Mondays I said Bank Holiday Monday at six o'clock yeah that's been a feature for years every Bank Holiday Monday but that was the first time I saw it stretch and I at lunchtime most days I drive from the mountain up down into the town centre because it's where my office is and you know I had not seen tailbacks like I saw yesterday when I was going down and I went home for a quick sandwich before going to the meeting and yeah it was what should have taken me five minutes took me about 15 and we're told that the second bridge will solve everything is it that simple or is it going to be more complicated than that it's never that simple we're collecting what we have at the moment and they're saying it's not working we definitely need a bridge and I mean I've been lobbying recently about a bridge over the swally and that it has to happen and for the last two bridges around this the Glen Swally side if you like I've had the Kimmy as well so we get traffic ingested in there you know this is something we have to be looking at in the future and I mean people are saying the bridge over the swally for years and I mean it's been tough for a few years and I'm not that long in the council maybe in my third year here but it's something that I'm eager to put as much pressure as possible on to get this project started because it's a must you know when you see traffic and they let the Kimmy there's a good idea too you welcome the buzzers though and you know they're going to spend money with them don't they go all out of the Kimmy but our holiday resorts as well if you like to the downings and get out and down around Fannendale you know what we have to offer here a second to you know and it's great to see people coming in but we have to have a rose facility to cater for that and at the minute we don't have that and what has happened is people they're coming in here surely holiday makers and they're selling off a pound which is great but at the stage where they're not going to want to come near I mean who wants to set in traffic a five minute journey for 35 minutes or an hour or whatever it may be and another fact they're doing on this but for bud if there had been an accident emergency services needed at a home you know anything at that example where were they going to go how were they going to get there and I mean if someone calls for emergency wait and the circumstances where they haven't managed or seconds to wait you know and this is something that we need to be addressing to get the road network feasible and working and have their buses back up and run on the way they should be with them at the Kenny town as well it was noticeable having attended the meeting yesterday myself I mean it was noticeable I would say probably a minimum of 33% of the meeting yesterday was taken up with discussion on roads and road links and connections in and around letter Kenny at least 33% if not more yeah yeah you're correct there like as I stated yesterday at the meeting there were three different motions there my own I read the traffic ingestion he had conserved badly that brought on about the local transport the bus town bus and then he had to concert mcmonigal had a motion forward about Wendy Hall in which Councillor Kieran Brogan has been highlighting time and time and time again and I mean Councillor Brogan actually assaulted at a meeting water sales councillors and roads roads engineer supervisor and roads design out on Wendy Hall and you know places like that need addressed and you know that was a very informed of meeting to get out on the ground and see firsthand and especially for roads people to see firsthand what we're taking to the table what the people we represent you know want to the rest and you know it's very important that we do that and continue to do that and the motions they got coming forward on the one meeting I mean it stands to sense there's a massive massive issue that needs addressed here and you know myself as mayor of let the Kenny mill from the municipality I want to see these addressed I want to see the town I mean we are talking about let the Kenny turning it on in years to come to a steady status I mean we have the ATU there at the minute a fantastic university you know and we're struggling we're struggling with accommodation we're struggling with housing we're struggling with roads I mean it's shocking it is absolutely shocking you know we need to sit down around the table and clash heads here and have I suppose if you like the senior management take on board exactly what we want done and what the people out there that we are representing that is left on the phone and calling us with their concerns and issues looking for the best we need to get these people around the table sit down clash the heads and come up with a realistic plan I've stated time and time again that's simply not welcome I mean I can tell you the comments are coming in you're talking about the same thing traffic but no answers ask the councillor what's the solution we'd love to hear it you're talking about the same thing you talked about it last year you'll be talking about it next year another course is stop putting in all the extra traffic lights another course saying that four lane in letter Kenny is a disgrace I witnessed two ambulances come to a standstill last week why was there not an emergency lane left there now I know four lane is another issue and it didn't really get discussed at the meeting and maybe that's a conversation for another day because there is a lengthy conversation to be had there too you're hoping I know you're hoping to get a meeting together there's no doubt about it there's no doubt about it there's no doubt about it there's no doubt about it I mean I wasn't this was passed before I came under the council it's been forward to be quite honest because the bridge over the swally is key the bunny key length is key with the TNT project we need updates on all these here with the solar and relief road with Wendy Hall we have the A5 we need to get an update on where all these are at and get them moving forward the bottom line of your motion was you want the council, the council engineers the road planning office the national transport authority transport infrastructure Ireland or the national roads authority would have been in its previous name I mean is that meeting going to happen and will the right people come down from Dublin the people that can make decisions because if the people that can make decisions aren't sitting around that table and aren't in the position to engage in dialogue well then the meeting is going to be for naught really yeah well that's not all I'm going to be having in my part to ensure that it happens I mean listen you always have them they don't want to come in in front of us as the local representative because let's call it speed of speed there's a lot of the time they don't want to hear what we have to say and we're the people on the ground we know what's needed here and I'll be pushing forward to have this meeting listen it will happen I can assure it will happen but what I can assure is all the relevant bodies around the table but that's something that I have requested now I'm going to stop their own local authority and how to take that on board and try to get it up and running get everyone around the table clash heads and come up with a realistic solution to address this problem going forward Councillor Donald Mandi, Kelly, Mayor of letter Kenny, Milford Municipal District thank you very much indeed for speaking to us this morning it's the 9th of noon she won a Highland Radio 10 o'clock going to be slightly delayed getting to news Donna Marie's on the way but right now we'll take a short break we have a collection of suits, casual wear and footwear at Watson Men's Square in letter Kenny top brands include 1880 Club, Diesel and Tommy Boe footwear all at great prices stand out for the big day at Watson Men's Wear open seven days a week on Main Street at Kenny and at WatsonMen'sWear.com Boys travel Remelton continue to provide quality tours to top attractions including Bloom in the Park Dublin Zoo and Emerald Park for details on these and many more tours see Boys Tours on Facebook or call 9151043 Century Complex is the perfect family day out, kids will love exploring Century Play, lots of tasty food options available at backstage and biters and Century Cinemas are showing exciting kids movies, comedies, dramas action movies and more call us on 074 91 21976 or visit CenturyCinemas.ie for more information. Remember a loved one with the personalised memorial, acknowledgement or wallet cards from Bizprint using your choice of wording and background call in and speak to Catherine at Bizprint Portrait Letter Kenny or call 911 779 55 Live on air online and on the Highland Radio app this is Highland Radio News Good morning it's Donna Marie Darty with the news and we'll be back after 10 o'clock. An English-owned counsellor has hit out after a number of people were captured on CCTV footage illegally dumping behind a supermarket 10 waste bags in total were deposited into bins behind the store in Moff in recent days Gardie and Donegal County Council have been notified of the incident counsellor Terry Croson has called the act unacceptable and opportunistic. I called the zipper warden of the bag and then arranged for them to be picked up for closer examination my issue here is businesses have to pay a lot of money for the disposal of their own waste and it is totally unacceptable for opportunistic behaviour like this should happen. Donegal into rep Mary T. Sweeney is condemning the latest figure that 8500 legal abortions were received last year it's reported that 85% of women who have an abortion have so due to socio-economic reasons Mary T. Sweeney says it's a tragedy. The killing of babies by abortion, by legalised abortion is tragedy is the tragedy for the Irish people that we have lost those classrooms full of children that should be here going up in our society because mothers can't afford to have their babies they believe there is help and support out there for those mothers. Look up groups like Donegal pro life there are lots of groups out there who will come and help and try and give offer support to mothers in crisis. Donegal counsellor says the lack of will from Donegal county council to build homes in rural areas is already affecting school numbers in the rural areas that's according to counsellor Martin McDermott who says the lack of delivery of SI housing is severely negatively impacting rural areas. counsellor McDermott says there needs to be a shift in the mindset of the council. We've been pushing this now for a number of years and we're still in a situation where SI houses and particularly here in Anisho there's been none built to council we're taking this seriously there would be houses built because there are families that are prepared to give land to the local authority to build SI houses for family members we can give out to the department we can give out to everybody else but I think our own council first of all has to get the act together and make this happen and then push it down the line to the department and get the department to grant the funding for these houses. Letter Kenny Milford municipal district has been told it's not possible to secure active travel funding to bring a footpath from Woodland school to the town foundry it's necessary for both safety reasons and as a community resource members were told that active travel funding is only available within the urban speed limit area but they will continue to try and source external funds counsellor Kavanaugh says a way must be found there's so many complaints to get from people out there at school time and the excess of cars in the parking and the danger of that and so on so it tackles all those problems and it promotes the healthy lifestyle in Ireland and all these things and the green agenda as well we just need to find a way of pushing this A group of doctors say they're tired of seeing young lives derailed by cannabis use and claim there's little been little attempt by government or the HSE to counter-prope cannabis messaging it comes ahead of the citizens assembly on drug use which will hold its first meeting next weekend Ifa Cairns reports In a letter published by the Irish Times which includes the head of Trinity College's School of Medicine and two former IMO presidents say concerns raised about the health implications of cannabis use remain ignored they say for people under the age of 25 it's the most common substance generating demand for addiction services and is a bigger issue than alcohol The letter cited hospital admission data for 2020 which indicated that over 1,000 people were admitted to medical and psychiatric hospitals with a cannabis related diagnosis The group of 21 doctors told the paper legalising cannabis isn't the answer to resolving these issues and hopes renewed priority is given to prevention and treatment in the citizens assembly on drugs use And now to weather A yellow wind warning is in operation for Donnie Gall until 8pm today Winds will veer west and northwest in western parts of Ulster this morning and a spell of wet and increasingly windy weather will be coming towards over the province later rather cool today with highs of just 6-8 degrees that's all for now we'll be back again with the latest at the 11 o'clock headlines until then, good morning The obituary notices this Wednesday morning April 12th The death has taken place of Mary Theresa Trarity Nee Duddy of Kilmuklu Creasler at her home from 11am today Funeral mass in St Michael's Church Creasler on Friday at 11am followed by burial in Doe Graveyard Mass can be viewed on MCN media Family time from 11pm to 10am and on the morning of the funeral Family flowers only please Donations in lieu if desired to the Creasler Day Centre care of any family member or James Harkin funeral director The death has occurred of Nora Shuvlin Canoctay Ardra Remains will repose at her home from 2pm until 10pm today Funeral from there at 12.40 tomorrow going to the Church of the Holy Family for Rayquia Mass at 1pm interment afterwards in the Adjoining Cemetery The death has occurred of Anne McKay Cloughan Ballendrait Lifford Anne is reposing at her sister Katrina and Tony O'Neill's resident Cloughan Ballendrait all day today Funeral from Cloughan tomorrow morning at 11.20am going to St Patrick's Church Murlock for 12 Nun Rayquia Mass with burial afterwards in the Adjoining Cemetery Mass can be viewed on the Clonley Parish website Family flowers only please Donations in lieu if desired to the Donegal Hospice or the Irish Heart Foundation care of any family member or Kelly's funeral directors The death has taken place of Carmel Hunter Nee McCormick Three Mornbeg Road Castle Derg and formerly of Donna Manna Reposing at her home funeral leaving her home tomorrow morning at 10.50am for Rayquia Mass in St Patrick's Church Donna Manna at 12 Nun interment afterwards in the Adjoining Cemetery Donations in lieu of flowers please to ovarian cancer research care of Quigley funeral directors The house is strictly private to family and close friends only The Rayquia Mass can be viewed live via the Donna Heady Parish Youtube The death has taken place of Pete Doherty Drim Clon Family time until 12 Nun today Removal at 4.30pm this afternoon to repose in the oratory of the church of our Lady of Perpetual Soccer Glen Finn to arrive for 5pm The funeral is at 8pm Rayquia Mass at 12 Nun tomorrow with burial afterwards in Kilty Vogue Cemetery The funeral mass can be viewed live on MCN media The death has taken place of Pat Tully behind St Cern Donna funeral from her home this morning at 10.30am to the Church of the Sacred Heart Cern Donna for Rayquia Mass at 11am and the Adjoining Cemetery The death has occurred of Mary McKinney Gartenamuck Castle Finn Reposing at the home of her brother Jimmy and sister-in-law Mary McKinney, Gartenamuck and Castle Finn funeral from there this morning at 10.30am for Rayquia Mass at 11am in St Mary's Church Castle Finn with interment afterwards in St Mary's Cemetery Family flowers only please Donations in lieu if desired to St Joseph's Hospital's Drunerler Finnview Ward care of any family member The death has taken place of Thomas Tom Connolly Kelly Clug Letter Kenny funeral from his late residence this morning for Rayquia Mass at 11am in St Union's Cathedral followed by interment in Lex Cemetery funeral mass can be viewed on Church Services website House Private this morning please Family flowers only Donations in lieu of flowers to the orthopedic ward of Letter Kenny University Hospital For more details including any family health guidelines for wicks and funerals please go to HighlandRadio.com Donals with the kind of McDonald's you'd make an occasion of the kind that asks deep nice and answers you bet that deserves a lunch day not just a lunch hour the new Steakhouse Stack it's McDonald's and then some available until the 9th of May served from 11am participating restaurants only Good morning it's the second arm of the 9 till noon show on this Wednesday morning of April some of your comments we were speaking to Maria Niuini about the Irish language before the 10 o'clock news and Cora says conversing with people from Connemara in Irish it was total double Dutch trying to understand the nook than radio and I cannot because it's a totally different dialect now the Cora says my kids have been doing Irish in school for years they can't get a grip of it and yet French was introduced a few weeks ago and they're all flying with it what is it about Irish that's so difficult my cousin learned more French than Irish as his teacher was more passionate look at Joe McHugh, Minister for Guelph who hadn't a word of Irish and the Kenny sent him to Glen Column Kill we Daniel learned it there too although he probably sang for his supper there and look at him now presenting Gloratira like he was a native speaker that comment comes in from Kevin who is a done low Good morning to you Kevin we spoke to Mary in the first hour she was in Bunkrana and she was being terrorized by people kicking at her door she was in the windows at night Cora says the same lads climbed onto a shop roof last week and threw tiles at cars another Cora says there are no fun in people banging on old people's doors and windows with regards to the Biden visit the DUP can put the US and EU under threat to the extent that they're coming with loads of money to try and get them back into Stormont Donegal has been starved of funds for hundreds of years because they kept quiet and didn't cause any trouble for the Dublin government they're giving the promise of money to the DUP as well that's an interesting comment there Cora says with all due respect to President Joe Biden neither he, the US nor Dublin can provide any real inspiration to the educationally and economically deprived communities in Northern Ireland the economic benefits Biden is promising will go to the select wealthy few not to the poor there is simply no inspiration provided to the young in Cregan or in West Belfast as shown by recent events little has changed sadly in poor communities over the past 25 years the native language of Ireland provides an inspiration but that's simply forbidden by those in power to be discussed and the native language must be hindered and stamped out where possible so says Raymond now with regards to the Irish language Cora says I think we need a similar TV show to the one Ayn ran the first at Realt in the Gwelftham in Lenkallam killed two quite a few from Ranafast married there and Paul Mescal for the most shot there I also heard a review on Duolingo as I found out it's in the Duolingo dialect and that was the only gripe about it from a cork reviewer I came in and that's from Quivine in Clohenlia I'm not sure if that's the same Kevin from Dunlow or a different Kevin from Dunlow Cora says some years ago I used to work in Galway the job was outside many of my Connemara colleagues all spoke Gwelik when I said we have a lot of Gwelik speakers in Duolingo he said no you don't you have Scots Gwelik in Duolingo I felt totally insulted the traffic discussion we had with councillor Donald Mandy Kelly was a one that understandably got a lot of reaction Cora says nothing new I honestly cannot see a new road easing the traffic now the Cora says all happens is that money is wasted and all you have to do is look at the roads there at the moment another Cora says the traffic in Letterkenny has been a total disaster for years now I live outside of the town on the Derry Road unfortunately I have to go into Letterkenny traffic is usually at a standstill from the Neil T. Blaney Road heading toward the Polestar yes it is very busy there in the evenings I have daughter works in that particular area and yeah she finds herself caught in traffic pretty much every day trying to get home why don't Duolingo County Council go into Derry and talk to the engineers there they don't have the same backlogs and roundabouts there work great so says a Cora another Cora says please chat about something that actually might happen fair enough our national roads throughout the county need a good lick of tar compared to other counties they're in a bad state so says a Cora why are we not communicating with the 10T roads project for the bridge and new roads they're in the planning process in fact that was highlighted on our news yesterday we spoke to councillor Jerry McGonigal for the five o'clock news last evening and he made exactly that point that the 10T is progressing and it's in the planning stages and hopefully we may get the monarchy link and bridge as part of that ongoing process but it is a process what councillor Kelly is saying is he wants to have a meeting to make sure that there is joined up thinking locally and nationally now for those of you who play Highland Radio NCBI Radio Bingo it's time to grab your books it's time to grab your pens and in just a moment I will hand you over to Kanas Wednesday the 12th of April you're playing on the blue sheet the reference number is S13 it's game number 15 the numbers are and finally 33 phone your claim to 9104833 before 8 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 NCBI Bingo information at HighlandRidio.com SirvicoSmears Advice on Menopausal Fertility Hormone Profile AMH urinalysis SirvicoSmear ECG and 24 hour blood pressure monitoring Choose your level of service you need today and find out more by booking your immediate appointment by visiting lettercannymedics.ie LetaCannyMedics we listen if you want to talk to suit you. Call us for a free consultation on 9-1-25-25-3. Find us at Balli Rain letter can eat beside Rossum College. Medical cards welcome. For all your denture needs call Donegal Denture Clinic on 9-1-25-25-3 online at donegaldentureclinic.ie. It's the 9-0-0 show on Highland Radio. It's 19 minutes past 10. Now if you listen to Highland Radio news on a regular basis you'll have heard several discussions over the past few months about the All Island Rail Review and you'll have heard a set reference on more than one occasion that said review is complete but it couldn't be published because it had to be cleared by the Irish government in Dublin, by the UK government in London and also it had to be cleared by Stormont and there wasn't a functioning Stormont executive to clear it. Now judging by a story that's appeared on the journal it appears that is going to be published because Stormont is effectively going to be bypassed. Owen Dalton is a reporter at the journal. He can tell us more. Owen good morning. Morning Donald. Owen we in the northwest unsurprisingly have been tracking this All Island Rail Review for quite some time. We understand it has some very interesting things in it and we're awaiting its publication. Concern here has been that it'll sit on the shelf because of Stormont's inactivity. You believe that's not going to be the case? Yes, so we have been covering this over the last couple of months and most recently the Department of Transport has now told us that its officials are looking at recent legislation that was passed in the House of Commons as a way of publishing the report without Stormont and needing to be sitting and working I suppose and the legislation that was passed was in November time and that legislation was I suppose effectively it was passed through the House of Commons partly to extend the deadline for Stormont to return but also it contained details around the decision making powers particularly for civil servants who have effectively been running departments in the absence of elected politicians. The review is going to have a number of very interesting things in it. It's going to have a lot to do with the Western Transport Corridor with train services in Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Roscommon, etc. A lot of attention is going to be focused there but obviously here in the Northwest the big focus is going to be on North-South links and restoration of links potentially between letter Kenny and Derry and also talk about taking a line from Porta down back in Viastraban and in through Lifford and in Donegal that way. By your understanding of what's in the report how concrete are those proposals are they written as actual proposals or are they written as vague aspirations? It's a good question I think that's the thing that applies to any report of this nature. Eamon Ryan has spoken about it as transport and climate minister he has spoken about this really a lot of times in the last couple of months he seems to be quite eager for it. He spoke most recently to my colleague type McNally in the journal in just the last fortnight speaking about how these lines are in a lot of cases are existing. I know that's not necessarily the case with say the letter Kenny Derry line but that these lines in a lot of cases are existing and it's relatively cheap. We mean that in government terms in terms of government budget to actually bring them back into use in terms of Ireland's climate targets which I have a 2030 deadline this I suppose this is looked at as one way of trying to lessen emissions. The reason for that is because these lines at the moment are being spoke of in terms of the report which we should say is not quite in draft form yet it still looks to be a few weeks away from that but the report seems to be putting these four these lines forward for freight which then you would be looking at I suppose taking trucks taking lorries off the road and instead transporting goods via train instead within the potential that these lines could then become open for passenger travel as well and we have seen I've heard this number of times and the figures show it as well. Ireland has seen I suppose a public transport boom I guess since the pandemic ended which apparently is it is a bit of an outlier in Europe for I suppose that might be partly due to public transport fares were have in the last 12 months but I suppose in terms of the real the likelihood of this report being implemented it does seem there is quite a bit of political will there and the there is a organized coalition of what are pretty much voluntary rail groups and they put out a release about two months ago I'm setting out that there were four options for I suppose proceeding with this report and like I suppose some of those speaking some of those rail groups this week who and they are across the country they're in I mean Waterford myself they are there are ones in southeastern the northwest western the north and wondering that some of their members were telling me this week is look they would hope to lobby to see if funding can be set aside for the upcoming budget and they don't want this to be a case of it sitting on a shelf I think they also and you know speaking to some of those people they believed it this it might have a better chance of getting this over the line when this government is possibly trying to seek and taking the Green Party we know are under a lot of pressure at the moment via the eviction ban and the housing crisis and that I suppose okay if it is a case that we are going to an election the next 18 months they need to be able to show that they have stuff for people who voted for them they need to show that they've been able to get stuff over the line there is a I suppose a real hope I guess there from the coalition of rail groups that this can be I suppose progressed within the next 18 months with budget for later this year being the first step of the way because the fickleness really of politics and let's face it the Greens political future is going to be uncertain once there is a general election are the Green Party going to be involved in the next government whatever the makeup of that new government may be and it could well be that him and Ryan is involved in the next incoming government and that he maintains his commitment to those lines and he's been particularly strong on this idea of getting a line from Porta down through Straban and into Donegal that way and he's he's mentioned that in the Dolan more than one occasion over the course of the past year but equally so if the Greens are not involved in the next government and if a man Ryan is not in a position of power then perhaps that big champion is not going to be there and being honest about it whereas a man Ryan can make some positive noises over the next 18 months when it comes to actual decisions and funding decisions about real investment based on this report that's not 18 months down the line that's probably minimum three to four years down the line yeah and and I just even on that I mean one thing I suppose some of those radio groups were speaking to they were nervous about is that some of these proposals that we understand are contained in the report are controversial I guess and maybe not so much actually in the northwest but where particularly in the Galway to Mayo it would be Atom Raleigh to Claremores those two towns and then also a Westford to Waterford line there's been a controversy around those lines because they are essentially looking to reverse what has been become a bit of a policy over the last decade in those parts of the country of converting rail lines to greenway cycle routes for tourism purposes and this report looks to I suppose now upend that proposal there's been a lot of unhappiness I suppose a towards that from people who I guess wanted to to proceed down the greenway route that is something that the rail groups have mentioned I suppose in the last couple of weeks as they would be afraid that suddenly some of these plans could be upended and if basically no work gets going on them and if this does be allowed if this is allowed to stay on a shelf for the next 18 months or so I suppose just in terms of what's happening in the immediate couple of months is that the Department of Transport in Dublin has told me that it is looking to potentially put out the report a draft of it for public consultation in quarter two and so that's relatively soon and that would be in case they have to do an environmental screening assessment which is really I suppose it's an environmental impact procedure that has to be done and they said it's not a guarantee you don't have to do such an assessment I imagine they will have to on the basis of the work that is involved here because this is stretching along a couple of dozen kilometers in different parts of the country if not more so you're looking I suppose we could see a draft of the report published in the coming weeks and then from there people will be able to make submissions on it as well and what we'll have a very good idea of what shape it is taking as you said some of the lines are perhaps more ready than others to be recommissioned particularly lines where there are either still tracks in the ground or at the very least the track lines are there and importantly the land is in government or state ownership we're going to get a situation if you're trying to develop new lines particularly in an area like Donegal where there hasn't been a rail network per se in over 40 years you're potentially talking about a massive compulsory purchase in some cases land purchase getting starting from scratch almost one would have thought the government's going to take the path of least resistance which would be prioritized to ones that will get done relatively easily and the ones that would be really difficult that would involve that huge infrastructural investment put those on the long finger and the fear would be perhaps that Donegal and the northwest will find itself very much on the long finger yeah I think that's a very realistic possibility as well and it's probably something that I can imagine a lot of people in the northwest will be guarded about and like we I always think we regularly see memes and the likes going around online of the old rail network and I suppose how Donegal has been impacted in that and I think funny enough if we go back to what we're talking about the Greenway cycle routes there there is a bit of a road map per se in terms of how local authorities and how state bodies can do these large-scale CPOs in the modern era and that's again I'm looking at I know like you go back to say Waterford a massive CPO was done about 10 years ago there to set up pretty quite lengthy of several dozen kilometers Greenway route you're looking at something like that but you're right it'll be on a larger scale there'll be a lot of negotiation but there is a fear that it can be put on the long finger I think that's yeah that can't be denied either I mean I certainly remember I came up here to work coincidentally from Waterford in 1990 and I walked over to Plunkin station to buy a train ticket from Waterford to Donegal and I went to the ticket office and the person behind the ticket office pointed to the map and said you see the map behind me I said yeah I said you see that big huge white spot up in the top left he said yeah he said that's Donegal and I ended up getting the train to Dublin and a bus from Dublin so yeah I mean and it's been I mean there haven't been trains running in Donegal for many many years and as you said the Greenway one is interesting because I mean a lot of the Greenways and the Waterford Greenway pretty much built on what was the old Waterford to Cork railway line and I'm old enough to remember trains running on that line actually particularly they used to run to Ballinacorty to the big factory that was there in Ballinacorty just beyond Clonay and I would well remember freight trains I believe I was actually on the last passenger train between I think Dorough and Dungarvin I was on the last passenger train to travel that line and I was about three at the time but I mean you know again that that whole line is now a Greenway so even if someone were to say the Waterford Cork line should be reinstated it's not going to happen now and and maybe the Greenway thing is the I mean they're developing Greenways in Donegal at the moment none as I understood well some there is one actually that's going from Derry to Newton Cunningham and and that would be roughly where there would have been lines in the past so there's going to be a lot of planning involved in that will there be a provision in this report do you believe to sort of allow for planning for CPOs allow for planning for land acquisitions before those decisions are made or you know would we see maybe indicative routes and all that being discussed first before we get into the nitty gritty of do you actually put in the money that's a good question I definitely think there has to be some indication of a route I suppose look in terms of your the Atom Roy to Claire Morris for Galway Mail and the Westford Waterford line the routes are there so you know like I suppose like we have that idea it might be premature to try to do something similar for particularly in the Northwest and I think just in terms of go back to what you're saying but the Greenway is there as well like I know with the Westford Waterford one and now provision has been made I think to do a draft feasibility study of an alternative Greenway route to I suppose ease the tensions that have been there and similarly there is another line which would be Waterford to New Ross and New Ross would be a town in South Wightford and I suppose like I've talked into some of the rail groups they haven't been too how do I put it they're not too non-plus I guess they're not plus but losing that line partly because and this is something that you'll find with some rail lines along the way could well have been like similar to the Dora line that you were speaking of there some of them can be quite curved and from what I understand it means the trains can't really pick up that much of a speed which you really need if you're going to be trying to make train be a passenger travel or freight travel an attractive option in the years to come you need these trains to be able to go at pretty good speed and that's similarly I think part of this rail review is also looking at trying to increase speed on your lines for Dublin to Belfast and possibly also Dublin to Cork. And what's the status of Waterford Ross layer at the moment I mean is that that's been decommissioned for some time now hasn't it or will trains get back on that again do you think? Yeah so that's been the decommissioned for some time and this was a route that was earmarked for a for a greenway and and I would have sat in on as in earlier days in journalism I sat in on council meetings where councillors in neighbouring counties were voting to allow their rail line to be I suppose decommissioned and converted to greenway use and that's still going ahead and because again I guess it might not be as feasible to kind of recommission those lines for train use and but in the case of I suppose Waterford works with like key tier is Ross layer Ross layer your report that has become in light of Brexit a really key strategic point and that's not just in words it's in legislation as well for Ireland and I suppose particularly I look for transport of goods especially and so what I suppose is now being looked at is using that line connecting I guess Ross layer to Waterford to bring that back into train use it has been out of use I believe for just over a decade now. Yeah it's a fascinating issue and we'll be discussing this a lot more over the course of the coming weeks and months but for the moment own Dalton reporter with the journal thanks very much indeed for speaking to us this morning. Thanks very much Donal. Thank you all take care right that's all there of the journal we're going to take a short break back in the moment we'll be speaking to one of our local councillors about this issue watch the show live now on YouTube Facebook and at HighlandRadio.com Breedon's furniture Cooley Maville with over 40 years of experience in furniture and floor coverings they've got Irish made furniture suites beds mattresses dining flooring slide robes and occasional furniture great prices and large selection now available at Breedon's home furniture Cooley Maville. 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zero just 12 euro each then save at the till with our five of 25 grocery vouchers Dunn stores always better value terms and conditions apply voucher can be used on extents or grocery shop of 25 euro or more voucher excludes alcohol please drink sensibly take it to the limit it's a celebration of the eagles by Johnny Brady Simon Casey Nigel Connell and the Sheeran family you can hear take it to the limit at the Millennium Forum Dairy on Saturday April 15 tickets from 28 pound 50 now on sale from the theater box office or online from www.takeittothelimit.ie it's 9 to noon show on Highland radio Council Michael McClaverty joins us on the line Michael good morning to you good morning you've been listening to the discussion on rail and and certainly uh you're based in an area where there's a lot of talk about greenway developments and and the uh the Burton Port letter Kenny Greenway uh very very much a live entity and and going ahead do you believe that uh we will see rail return to Dunnegal or is this a pipe dream a supposedly donal and and into the into the future at some stage when I say into the future it's a possibility and the years and years ahead and the late years out at this stage like we're struggling to get to get a greenway done up here be muckers to get it finished uh which is going to be the sounds of it's going to take years the way it's going so I mean that's the fact of rail coming to Dunnegal or rail coming to Ireland as such is basically going to be a long long way off anyway and I'm not against the rail I think if it did come it would help it would be an advantage to be another added tourism thing and so on and it'd be good for medical reasons and so on people that know that need to travel that way and all that would be helpful obviously not everybody should have to care not everybody should have to planes when you're sick and so on and it would be helpful that way providing those connections all the relevant towns and that that type of thing but don't really the health and safety is to come under here as well big time here for example where I live down here outside the funny you're well aware of um the area that is the uh if you're going if you're going to the other side of the funny the first place you pass there uh I suppose the first person if you pass if you like once you go past the old Michael honey's garage and now seem to be a brewery and to the future hopefully if the next place stop then it's the lake house you go past the lake house in Orsonholm you have a footpath there for maybe 100 yards or something on to John Rowan on the way roughly to where the old Port of La Hotel used to be before it was 10 years ago for a future development and so on but then from the Port of La Hotel area landmark right on through Port of La where there's probably upwards of of 60 70 houses there at the minute built in the last 20 years on the left hand side everybody's familiar with on and then there's a tiny town you have no footpaths unfortunately this directive wrote as well which is 10 56 a number of people have lost their lives here as well down through the years and various situations unfortunately for those and their families but yet don't people are trying there long long before my time going back 25 30 years when the scene this situation developing and particularly when the Port of La Hotel is going good the immediate need for a footpath and this footpath still is not forthcoming we were a delegation there and doubling there myself and fellow councillors 12 was all together with what the PAI there at the end of December and all been for Port of La as well as many other roads and very other various other radiations so on around the place we're told it couldn't happen because it's outside the speed limit it's the same situation there this morning with Jim McAvon although he I think he was trying for active travel yes like we were trying for active travel as well but again because it's outside the speed limit and our situation here in Vanite they won't do it this is ridiculous Eamon Ryan is going to be out of well he'll either be in power out of power in 18 months time as you look at yourself there a while ago what remains to be seen obviously either way but the point is the need to look at the health and safety end of it here first what is more important footpaths in Vanite a footpaths outpouring Woodland school there or any other place that is asked for that really don't in all fairness to the legs of Eamon Ryan being a minister of transport all would take I'm pretty sure is stroke of a pen and say right boys and girls with that carry on instead of that we're talking about rail that could make them happen for the next 30 years or make them happen at all and the point you're making is the point you're making Michael is if we can to get it together to actually sort a footpath on a busy walking route between Port Nabla and Dunfany what chance do we actually have of organising a full rail service linking Donegal and letter Kenny and Derry or linking letter Kenny to Straban and Port of Down via Lifford if we can't get a couple of miles of footpath what chance do we have of getting a rail system exactly don't we have none because for example the rail as far as I recall from memory would off around here recall from history that is went off around here in the Falkyari area round six gates 69 if I believe the last the last the last the last train went and that was the end of it the end of it then Ian McGair would be better yeah I think it may have been I have it in my head it was 59 was was the last I have 59 in my head for the rail services in Donegal and I wasn't around myself in those days now but I think it was in around about 59 but Michael it's a point well made and thank you very very very much indeed for making it that's Council Michael McClaffordy there now let's go to Derry you'll have heard there was four suspected pipe bombs discovered in the city cemetery in Derry they were found there yesterday in the same area where clothes worn by participants in the parade on Monday which led to some incidents between marchers and police clothes were discarded there and burned joined on the line by Father Michael Canny he's the victor vicar general of the diocese of Derry a Father Michael good morning good morning Father Michael obviously the last thing we want to hear is hear about bombs being discovered in the sacred precincts of a cemetery well Donal this is an annual event every Easter Monday for so many many many years now this event takes place and I personally have now come to call it the annual commemoration of disrespect for for our dead as opposed to commemoration of the dead because every year it ends up with something of course happening in the cemetery and the surrounds of the cemetery and of course this is a deliberate attempt by these people to lure in the police with a view to injuring them or indeed maybe even killing them and and and they're using the cemetery which is a very special place in the hearts of all of us and particularly around about the Easter time when people go to put flowers on their loved ones grave or for whatever reason and these people you know met up with these young children to lure in the police with a view to kill them and of course or injure them and obviously the pipe bombs and the petter bombs were part of that in terms of the as you say there are events each year and and in fairness there are republican commemorations take place and they do take place respectfully and the dead are remembered but it does appear that that some of the commemorations are particularly at some times they do tend to be hijacked to make a contemporary political point and to make that political point through the use of force well the reality is that this particular one on Easter Monday in in in the city cemetery in Derry here has always for the last number of significant number of years it's all called trouble now there are events on Easter Sunday all over the country and they pass off very peacefully and they're done with great respect for the dead and membrane and commemoration which which you know is is to be commended and and and supported but this one is always with a view to to to the police with a view to to to cause a mayhem and and to cause and it doesn't promote you know the okay's they try to use the opportunity to maybe to highlight some political cause but of course the reality is all it is doing is just just bringing the city bringing the cregnery into district into the headlines for the very wrong reason and isn't for doing the cause of a unity one aota have you at any point had a chance to have discussions yourself with the organizers of the Easter Monday event no i i personally haven't been involved with them for a long number of years now but i know previous years that my colleague and others have been involved with them and i think that maybe most right thinking people say that they have made up their minds what to do and they use all people who maybe go with well intent to negotiate to try to you know get some organization of good sense around the place but i think that they use it manipulated just for the sake of publicity and and to achieve this end and i know last year in the previous years a lot of people were actually involved in all sorts of things right up to the wire but at the same time then the all promises were broken all sides so it seems to be a futile at this stage but unfortunately i suppose we still can't give up efforts but they seem to want to use this opportunity to lure in place with a view to to killing uh or or or may mean police and of course in the process they had total disrespect for the fact that they're also maybe enough in these children who also could get killed or badly injured with petal bombs or type bombs and and the reality is given the pictures that we've seen and given the fact that young people some of them no no older than children are involved i mean and several of those in the front line as it were i mean the good friday agreement was 10 years and more before they were born so it isn't as though those young people grew up during troubles and are are responding to their experience of the troubles because i mean they're they were born in a very different era to the era that you were born in and worked in yeah well these are as we can see from the pictures on television screen and newspapers these are very young children and that's why i say that these are obviously people who organize these events are using manipulation these young children so as to to lure in the police for something more sinister so in actual fact it is just my mind it is a pure pure evil because first of all they're planning uh to kill or to maim or to injure unmanipulation children so it is certainly uh the very evil intent from from the word get go you'd be hoping i'm sure for a community response to this i mean you'll be in regular contact with community leaders in in the kregen is there something that could be done on on that level i know there there have been discussions at community level in the past and you've said perhaps uh there there hasn't always been good faith do you hold any hope that uh after another uh Easter Monday of incidents as we've seen this year that maybe discussions between the community and the parade organizers will will maybe lead to some changes for next year well well we won lives and hope but uh i suppose i'm an open we die in despair but but the reality is that i think that down through the years there has been so much engagement from all sorts of sources and all sorts of people with these people but but it has never ended in any other than chaos and hem and as a matter of fact this year perhaps maybe uh it was maybe while it wasn't a good end it was maybe perhaps one of the better endings in a number of years because the police didn't fall into their trap and as soon as the first petrol bomb was thrown the police made good their escape and of course i suppose to some extent prostrated their plans and and their designs which means then they had to abandon their bombs so i suppose the the police tactics rather than falling into their into their trap they let the police do the opposite which i think is in fairness was good sense on on their part and as well as that the police on point of view the organizers it was certainly an attempt to try to bring in police so to engage with them and the police were making it clear from thursday friday of last week that they believe this was going to happen so they obviously did have intelligence and of course these pipe bombs and the sort of petrol bombs that are required don't grow out of the ground or fall to the sky all of a sudden so they obviously had good intelligence to make them to know that this was about to happen and and and they didn't fall into the trap so and i suspect maybe it prostrated their plans uh you know of the organizers to some extent but nevertheless um the very fact that there was an attempt there i think we have to call it for what it is father michael canny thank you very much indeed for speaking to us this morning that's uh father michael they're the vicar general of the diocese of dairy it's uh 11 minutes to 11 we're going to take a short break back after these a public interest message from dunny gall county council become a museum detective at dunny gall county museum search for clues and discover more about the history of dunny gall with the museum detectives backpack the backpack is free to borrow when you and your family visit the museum and it contains a series of activities for children of all ages why not pop in for a visit over your Easter break and have fun exploring dunny gall's past dunny gall county museum is located on the high road in letter kenny and admission is free telephone 0749124613 email museum at dunnygallcoco.ie or find us on facebook dunny gall county council supporting our communities and protecting our heritage for over 20 years carzone has been the trusted name in ireland's motoring marketplace bringing one million car buyers and sellers together every month and now buying or selling a car has never been easier on carzone with expert tools and advice download the carzone app or check out carzone.ie carzone ireland's trusted motoring marketplace enjoy summer with home store and more we have everything you need for garden living bring your garden to life with our great range of garden furniture we've rat and corn assets dinner sets and much more and when it comes to barbecues whether it's gas charcoal or smoker we've got what you need to cook up a storm also there's fire pits chimineas and patio heaters gazebos solar lights garden decor and much much more visit us in store or shop online at homestoreandmore.ie make your garden your sanctuary home store and more a happy home highland video weather updates with ireland west airport fly with air lingus on their new daily service to london heathrow and connect onwards to eddy plus destinations worldwide include new york and boston ireland west airport don't just take off take it easy and looking at the other forecast from met aeron and met aeron are telling us that the winds will continue to veer west to northwest in western parts this morning and into the afternoon we'll see a spell of wet and increasingly windy weather sweeping eastwards across the region over the next hour or two some damaging gusts possible with those winds increasing strong and gusty with gales in coastal areas the rain clearing eastwards later this afternoon and evening we will see those strong winds persist even though the rain clears in the evening it'll stay rather cool today highs of just six to eight degrees celcius this is the nine till noon show on highland radio as we know us president joe biden is on the island he's in belfast at the moment he's making a keynote speech at belfast university today and then over the next number of days he will carry out engagements in dublin and in mayo and in laud he'll not be in donnie gall there have been some hope that he might have been uh attracted to donnie gall we know um the a number of high profile people congressman brendan boil and others were trying to make that happen but sadly it didn't happen now i've got two people on zoom to have a discussion with this morning and uh who better to speak to than our resident historian on the nine till noon show dr joe kelly joe good morning to you why didn't why you could don't know that there's a lot to good morning to yourself and all those in highland radio might imagine why joe it's a pleasure as always um we know that joe biden has family connections in laud and in mayo but how important do you believe his irish connections are to them because we have this habit whenever u.s president comes we always say oh there must be an election coming he's trying to go for that big irish american vote i mean you know we can't be a bit cynical about this but do you believe that there is a genuine wish to get back to ireland on joe biden's part we know it's not his first visit here yeah exactly he was here as vice president in 2016 june 2016 i look as it goes and most commentators would accept that you know joe biden's irishness has been very very important to himself as an individual it's not just as a political stepping stone for the irish electorate in america but actually his irishness and his concept of who he is and his own self identity is very much based on his irishness and he's talked about that throughout his whole political life and in fact some you know lecturers and professors would argue that he's the most irish american president there ever ever has been even more irish than john f kennedy who got to be a president by you know family connections etc joe went through the hard way so to speak and brought his irishness with him his determination and you know it's very interesting the two very things that the people of ireland like his family left in 1851 the two very things that the poor people of ireland left and immigrated be it to america or anywhere in the world were two things the two f's family and faith and here he's coming back family wise to his roots and also to his faith he's visiting knock and uh his faith is something that you know he's a catholic president just in the same way that john f kennedy was so look those two are important to him and so i don't think he's been dishonest or disingenuous or trying to use it for political capital he loves ireland he loves who he is because of his irish ancestor as ancestry and that goes with the 32 other million irish americans that are over in america and speaking of faith we're told that his great great great grandfather sold the brick that built balanac cathedral and the money from the sale of that brick paid the passage to america is that true yes that's yeah that's true his great great grandfather the passage was paid for by his father that would be sure that would be joe bines great great great grandfather in 1851 and he sold i think it was 27 000 bricks to build the cathedral in balanac and it was the sale of those bricks that paid the passage to bring them to america and in fact joe's relations um in in in balanac joe joe blew it as his name he has actually built a stage outside the cathedral or in the cathedral sorry so that joe biden can give a talk in the cathedral tying it back to his own history so that's back to the the family and the faith and in the same way in louth i think the louth connections are very strong connection as well um and that's the his great grandfather was own funnigan and he emigrated from a cooly peninsula and again uh his his aunt um would have been very very strong in her irish and and dislike of of england believe it or not and if you read his his um his biography promises to keep he has some very interesting um analogies in which he describes how he grew up for example his mother was with him on holiday one time and he she found out that the queen was actually queen elizabeth the second slept in the room that she was given and she refused to sleep there and then he mentions as well in the same book that uh it was unfortunate that he has an english name his father was english yeah that he's so proud of his age but and his aunt said look uh you're i know your daddy has an english man but you know something he's still a good man so like you could see kind of some of the irish anti english sentiment growing through there but look he's here obviously on a personal capacity there's no doubt about that and i think this is a highlight for himself in his own life but he's also here in a politically capacity there's a serious business to be done here as well politically as you've said the louth connections and the mayo connections a big search for donnie gall connections was made in recent weeks and the donnie gall connection inevitably has been found so i just say we also have with us on zoom this morning kelly billen who's a research manager with the irish family history center a kelly a very good morning to you morning kelly you have found evidence that uh there is indeed a donnie gall connection with your biden tell us all about it now there is it's a really strong and very interesting connection actually and it was a total surprise to us so this is on the president's maternal line as well and this is his scanlon family so the president's if you can keep track of all this because he has a lot of irish ancestry but it's his second great grandfather was a man called uh or sorry second great grandmother was a woman called kathryn scanlon and her father was anthony scanlon so we're right back at the start of the 1800s now and he was a mailman himself but he worked in the irish coast guard so because of that he was based all over ireland and a huge portion of his career he was based in donnie gall and this would have been the very start of the irish coast guard so we're talking 1820s 1830s really different to what we would see it as now and so the president's great great great uncle was actually born in one of the coast guard houses in donnie gall and i you know to be discovered which one yet because there were i think 11 contemporary houses but this was um a very important part of the country as a coast guard if you were stationed at donnie gall that was really you'd made it and this was the coast guard had been set up in england since i think 1805 but these were the first years of the coast guard in ireland so to be trusted in an area where you were i mean you were stopping smugglers coming up from the north you were protecting shipwrecks you know you were saving people's lives at sea so the president's ancestors were they would have been very important people in the donnie gall area and they would have known everybody you know around where they lived because this was as you said the weather today you know typical of this the winds would be battering in that would have been an everyday 24-hour job and we're talking boats in the 1820s so slightly more difficult than now you know you don't have an engine you don't have electric lights you're going out with your torch and you're hoping that you can fight off effectively the pirates so it's a very strong connection we know that the family were there for a number of years because they were settled in the house the children were born there and then they eventually emigrated to the states so we found your connection and i believe that evidence of that's going to be presented to joe biden over the course of his visit he's going to be appraised of of those particular links he is indeed yeah we're going to we're going to privately present the information to the president but a few extra pieces bits and pieces so that um you know if he ever wants to dig into it more he can certainly go and check it out himself there's a lot that we're you know going to discuss publicly but there's a few pieces we want to say for you know the president yeah well joe kelly that's interesting news were you aware that the the donningall connection was so stark as far as joe biden was concerned wasn't aware at all and congratulations on that bit of research that's amazing even to go back that far and the coast guard um very very interesting and again um just shows you how diverse our own history is and the fact that we're able to connect all these places my old mouth donningall and it says it says a lot about what's available in our roots this is back to understanding who we are um and we're very very small island but have a massive massive political impact worldwide and so well well done yeah now kerry and joe i'm going to ask you both just to stay with us for a moment i'm going to to to mute mute your volume because it's 11 o'clock shop lk at brine mccormick sports and leisure main street let it can be all the kids are back playing football with longer days and shorter nights kids football boots from only 25 euro available in velcro or lace check our new range of kids boots shorts socks and accessories visit our new club room with quarter zips t-shirts and matching bottoms for your favorite local club click on team wear at bmcsports.ie for more details dunny gold denture clinic letter kenny denture problems we can help at dunny gold denture clinic we customize personalize and tailor your dentures to suit you call us for a free consultation on 9 1 25 25 3 find us at ballet rain letter kenny beside rossin college medical cards welcome for all your denture needs called dunny gold denture clinic on 9 1 25 25 3 online at dunny gold denture clinic.ie i've been surfing all morning at flemingltd.com to find out about Fleming doors Fleming steel and Fleming coatings and their full range of products so come surfing with me at Fleming ltd.com Fleming 91 48 234 it's two minutes past 11 o'clock and with apologies for the today we say good morning to dunham redardy thanks donal good morning an inish own counsellor has head out after a number of people were captured on cctv footage illegally dumping behind a supermarket 10 waste bags in total were deposited into bins behind the store in muff in recent days gardy and dunny gold county council have been notified of the incident counsellor terry crossen called the act unacceptable and opportunistic kehirdok of the letter kenny municipal district is calling for further action to be taken on to resolve ongoing traffic issues in letter kenny it follows a meeting having to be delayed after multiple members got stuck in traffic on route yesterday counsellor dono mande kelly says businesses are suffering as a result of chronic congestion on letter kenny roads dunny gold into rep mary t sweeney has called the latest figure of eight eight thousand five hundred legal abortions performed last year a tragedy for the irish people it's reported that 85 percent of those who availed of an abortion did so for socioeconomic reasons she says there are supports in place for mothers in crisis a group of doctors say they're worried about the danger of cannabis is being ignored it says around 22 000 people are addicted to the drug here and it's a bigger issue for younger people than alcohol a group of doctors have published a letter in the irish times saying legalising the drug isn't the answer 593 people are waiting for beds in irish hospitals this morning that's according to the latest figures from the imno 447 patients are in emergency departments while 146 are in wards 30 patients are currently waiting for a bed in letter kenny university hospital three in the emergency department and 17 in wards elsewhere and finally ukraine's president has condemned the execution of a ukrainian prisoner of war by russian soldiers a video of the murder has emerged on russian social media channels but it's not clear when it was filmed vladimir zelensky says occupying soldiers have executed thousands of prisoners that's all for now we'll be back again with the latest news headlines at 12 o'clock and until then good afternoon hello i'm quiva de barra from trocra urging you to return your trocra box donation your support will bring emergency food baskets urgent medical care and fresh safe water to families in samalia families who have lost everything in the worst drought in the country's history your help can make all the difference visit trocra.org or call 1800 408 408 you see it's not just a box it's a lifeline trocra together for the just world it's the 92 new show on highland radio welcome to the third hour of the program this morning we have on zoom our historian dr joe kelly and also kelly billen who's a research manager with the irish family history center just before the break kelly was briefing us on president joe biden's ancestral links to donnie gall we've discovered his great great great grandfather was working with the coast guard in donnie gall and was very involved in the establishment of of coast guard indeed in arland kelly i take it the the research is going to continue and we're going to be hearing more about these links in the coming weeks yeah absolutely so we have um you know we've been working on the president's ancestry actively since 2016 and there's always new information becoming available as you said joe it's amazing how many records we have a hold off and you know every day there's new records being made available to us online so with that we're constantly developing the president's irish ancestry we do have a few things up our sleeve like i said that we're going to present to the president privately but we do have a lot that we want to share with everyone you know now that he's here so there are more connections not only the donnie gall connections we've more male connections we have a new gallway connection and the president is really as you said earlier joe one of the most irish presidents that we have one of the most irish american presidents so we have a lot more to share beyond what's already out there publicly kelly thank you very much indeed for sharing all that with us this morning it's absolutely fascinating to hear that and uh i know brendan boil the congressman was trying to get joe biden to come to donnie gall and a lot of people now are saying oh if only we'd know all this six months ago perhaps he might have been a bit more successful but yeah absolutely who knows what's going to happen for the next one and kelly thank you very much indeed we're going to let you get back to your research and all the best with it you've been doing phenomenal work so far and congratulations to you and your colleagues going back to you joe kelly in terms of the political impact of this visit obviously we can't ignore the inactivity at storm and we can't ignore the whole executive and assembly debate that's going on at the moment how much of an impact do you joe kelly believe that joe biden's visit is going to have i look we're a political vacuum we know that nationally and internationally it really i think biden's going to try to give it a little nudge and he has to be very careful and tempered with how he proceeds with that and because the unionists have more or less say that the Windsor framework isn't suitable for them or isn't what they require and yet it gives the six counties northern ireland the best side of of the eu and also of brexit it's an amazing deal in that sense that economically they can benefit both ways and and so how he achieves that i'm not sure but the fact that sunik richie sunik was there meeting him and it was to belfast that he went first uh is quite significant i think and maybe what they're trying to do from a starting point is to try to undo the the block that borris johnson had put there there is no doubt that borris johnson damaged the good friday process quite a considerable amount and we have a different person in richie sunik thank god and hopefully the the push that is required i'm sure biden will be not just giving them moral support and political support but we'll be saying to look at from an investment point of view from the international you know funds that are available that this is a good deal for the peace in in in ireland and in the six counties and one mustn't forget like bill clinton as far as i know is here as well what bill clinton has done as president he came here twice to ireland and how he in the last you know the minutes before the the uh good friday agreement encouraging him to sign up to this that this has been very much influenced by american presidents the fact that he had sent george mitchell back in 1998 the fact that john kennedy the third now um he'd be the grandnephew of of of jfk is the envoy from biden's administration uh to northern ireland i mean i i think that's terribly terribly important but again he's probably he's found it difficult to tread that with the unionist community and how to bring them on board but the political vacuum has to be resolved and resolved fairly soon because we see you know you've been counted in your news the the the availability of of armaments and the finding of pipe bombs and things like that where there's a vacuum there's a danger and the biden administration know that the irish government know that the english government know that and the fact that he hasn't gone to storm and says a terrible lot he's not willing to go to an empty building where political processes isn't isn't happening i think that's the the message that he will be trying to get across look we have to get this over the line we have to get back into power sharing and and you know when he talks about being an irish american he doesn't define that as 26 counties irish america is 32 counties and he's made that very clear by his fact that he visited northern ireland first that it was at the invitation of ritchie suenick that he arrived first in ireland in belfast i think that's very significant and i think it's very humble of the irish government to stand back and allow that to happen on the island of ireland yeah knowing that he would down south to meet uh you know uh michael d higgins and speak to the houses of the irises and so forth and here in in in the 26 counties as you said the opportunity to address storm and not on the table because of an activity there however joe biden will tomorrow afternoon address the joint houses of the iraq this the doll and shanard how significant is is that address going to be well it's johnette kennedy did in 63 and then ronald reagan in 1984 and then bill clinton with the peace process in 1995 it'll be very interesting to see what he has to say i have no doubt that he will talk about his own sense of the irishness but he'll also maybe lay down a view of look where do we have to go it's no it's not good enough to say this is who we are it's where we want to get to and and one must remember he's 80 and michael d higgins is 81 these are elder men um and they realize that look they've lived a lot of life and maybe what they'll try to bring what what joe biden will try to bring is a vision of the future for the future of everybody on this island a shared ireland for everybody and that we must work towards that um so i think it'll be very interesting i i'm not sure what he exactly is going to say but i do imagine that he will be encouraging both north and south and governments both in ireland and england to work towards bringing back the storm and bringing back peace and ensuring that there's no political vacuum um i have no doubt about that but from a from a tourism point of view it's going to be amazing i mean you couldn't buy the in america the the advertising on news you couldn't buy all that um and so from that point of view our irish americanness is is very very important at this moment um and i think he's the seventh president now to have come come to ireland and probably as as kaley was saying and what we i'd say it grievously to uh that he's probably the most irish american she would know that better than i with her genealogy studies and her understanding of that so look um it's a great day to be irish in that sense it's a great day for irish america and please god it'll be a legacy that he will leave that will build on the peace process that bill clinton and um others like barathea herron and uh javid tremble and john human others had tried and jerry adams had tried to secure and tony blair as well one mustn't forget all the work that has been done to this point and to build on that you see we build a bridge in peace but we must use the bridge there's no point in building the bridge you're not using it and and that's that's the thing i hope that he gets us to understand that we must all use this bridge of peace that has been built for future generations dr joker a good point to end on thank you very much indeed as always our historian there dr joe kelly and thanks indeed of course to kelly as well from the um irish genealogy research center uh one one wonderful to hear about those dunigol links on the biden side and uh we look forward to exploring those more and more as time goes on joe and kelly thank you very much indeed just a few your comments before we go to a break color says all motorways should be designed with rail alongside them we need to look forward it's just a matter of time before letter kenny is twice the size of what it is at the moment let's take action next take action now instead of waiting until it's too built up to do anything and that was one of the issues that was raised by by some of the counselors yesterday actually they were saying at the meeting that the problem with in the town centers you cannot do anything too much new in the town center so you're going to have to be doing your work on the outskirts to try and ease the traffic congestion and everyone sending in comments saying something needs to be done quite what that something is of course this is the big question as always is the case uh color says traffic starting toward the shopping center around about toward the new dunes road markings and roundabouts are confusing as it is they lead to frustrating frustrated and angry drivers we need better road markings and signage for this route otherwise there may be serious collisions uh with regards to the irish language uh mary says when i was at school everything was taught through irish even english if a teacher asked a question in english we answered in irish we weren't allowed to speak english during playtime shin on scale um another and says we need to place much more emphasis on the spoken word and donald says the life of a language depends on its use 100 years after the uh british withdrew from this part of the island we're now more than ever british-american in our culture than we were before with the influx of immigrants and other languages over the past few years that'll help develop a multicultural multilingual society and perhaps may inspire irish people to have more pride in their own culture and language and that is a very very interesting point as we become more called multicultural as a society will we maybe get a better appreciation of our own culture that we have to an extent left behind and hopefully that will be the situation now it's time for a break and after the break it'll be our wellness wednesday discussion uh april is autism awareness month we'll be discussing uh autism assistance dogs with our guests after this short break the county's number one talk show the nine till noon show on highland radio there's never been a better time to go full lethal let's hear it from our customers it's great value for money to force them for us anyone that has a big family they should be shopping in little without it they'll be they'll have a holiday at the end of the year go on go full lethal today the 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expressway travel route 32 from letter kenny to dublin expressway bringing you the time at time is 16 minutes past 11 o'clock now as we say this is odyssey awareness month there'll be a lot of discussion on issues pertaining to odyssey and what we want to discuss this morning is the use of assistance dogs and we all know people who have odyssey that use assistance dogs and they have been getting great service from those dogs and those dogs have in many cases i think helps to enrich and improve the lives of people with odyssey beyond measure joined on zoom this morning by elaine cannon who is the breeding and acquisition coordinator with odyssey assistance dogs arland elaine good morning morning don't know it's a pleasure to have you on on the show this morning and it's something we've seen more and more the rise in in the use of service dogs and i think most of us will know somebody who has an assistance dog and whose life has been hugely enriched by it yeah you know the families that we work with would say that the dog has had a huge impact on on their family i mean primarily the dogs are used for safety so the child is attached to the dog via belt and onto the dog's harness so a lot of the children that would qualify supposed to have assistance dogs would display boating behavior and they would have no concept of danger so therefore they'll be having to be strapped into buggies or you know their parents holding their hand tightly and children just don't want that after a particular age so the the assistance dogs gives the children that sense of independence and freedom but also safety so it helps lower those anxiety levels not only for the child but for the parents as well so they tend to help the whole family and as well as that practical um you know safety element of what the dog does the dog also in many cases i suspect gives the child a focus for emotion that an emotional bond does build up between child and dog so that the dog is more than you know as as you say first and foremost the dog is there for safety but the dog also becomes in in every sense emotional as well as safe support yeah you know the the dog has no expectations of the child so the dog doesn't seek or eye contact from the child you know the child can fully relax with the dog and the dog can help them um just develop coping mechanisms but i supposed to deal with that stress as well and that it's interesting the way you phrase that because maybe that's part of the issue that when people it may contact with someone with autism perhaps we're we're looking for the eye contact perhaps we're looking for a response perhaps we don't know what response to expect and perhaps we're on our guard as a result of that and maybe because we're on our guard there is a tension comes from us and that tension comes across and that tension is felt by the other person in the conversation and the interaction becomes awkward as you say with the dog the dog is just there the dog is just happy and it does allow a more natural bond to grow it does and as well like the child can get a lot from the dog in sensory terms so just stroking the dog patting the dog feeling like the physical weight of the dog against them can be very calming and soothing and uh yeah just very reassuring for the child as well there's a lot of research goes on and i'm sure and i know you you have links with various colleges and universities as well so i mean i'm sure there was research going on to to look at the impact that assistance dogs are having and there's no doubt in my mind that the research is coming across um you know with the answer that yeah the impact is very positive oh yeah like research studies have been done i think there's more underway and they have proven you know that the dogs do have a measurable impact both on the child and on the whole family as well like that can't be underestimated um because it can be stressful you know living with child uh with additional needs so the dog can help the whole family you've been doing a lot of work with students in universities and colleges making them more aware of autism and the dogs as well how important is is that initiative to get out there to the colleges to the educational institutions yeah so i suppose like we just don't provide assistance dogs we're all also into raising awareness of autism and autism inclusion so we launched the FOILTA campaign a few weeks ago and um one of our great volunteers Niall from the Roots Town Park Hotel and Cork and our fundraising manager Jacob have been out and about touring the country visiting college and colleges and working just not with hospitality students but all students and just because what Niall noticed in his hotel was that quite often guests and staff members wouldn't know how to interact with the family or the child to autism um or they were just lacking some basic awareness so we're hoping to try and spread that and do things like you know promote signage have autism awareness champions and staff in hotels and things like that just get the message out there there's also and we've all become used to seeing the notices uh no no dogs except for guide dogs now that's obviously being expanded more and more to no dogs except for guide dogs and service dogs but what's the legal situation with regards to public buildings be they buildings in public ownership such as council offices or libraries or or theaters or whatever or be they private businesses such as hotels bars restaurants whatever but what what is the legal situation of a service dog do you have a right to bring a service dog into a building yeah so I suppose our organization and organizations like Irish guide dogs would be accredited so internationally accredited by assistance dogs international and for that we have to go very through very exhaustive accreditation process every few years so organizations that train dogs for children with autism and blind people who are accredited by the AGI have full public access rights to um so the kids can go everywhere yeah so effectively it is illegal for an accredited dog an accredited trained dog it's illegal for that dog to be turned away yeah I know there have been court cases in the past particular guide dogs where they've been stopped and um yeah they've gone through the courts and there's been fines given out how important is it then and as you said you know the awareness in in colleges and so on and when you're briefing people in colleges the students in colleges today are presumably the managers and the front of house staff of tomorrow so from that point of view you're getting them early how important is it that there is a national awareness campaign just to uh gently remind people in front of house positions in buildings across the country to remind them of those legal responsibilities well it is great because if you're out with your child in your assistance dog and you go somewhere and you're being questioned and maybe you're being asked to leave that's really a very unpleasant situation to be in to say the least um and if if staff just have that information then those situations don't occur and all our families when they have ID cards to show that they're you know their dog is a member of our organization unfortunately there are people out there who try and bring their pet dogs into those situations um and I think they do more harm than good for the like official accredited assistance dogs but they will always be wearing their jackets they'll always have their ID cards and so they're they're pretty easy to spot and recognize and as well the the jackets is an interesting one because I've heard discussions before on should you should an ordinary member of the public interact with a service dog particularly a service dog who is on duty to quite a phrase because you know you hear very often that no if if a dog is on duty you shouldn't pet it you shouldn't in any way distract it it's got a job to do it's you know if it's doing a professional job it's doing it well and we should really be stepping back and and letting it do that what what are the protocols with regards to an ordinary member of the public interacting with a service dog so definitely I would obviously yeah never just you know put your hand out and go to to pet the dog or you'd have some people that would start whistling at the dog when you're walking past to get its attention so never distract the dog from its work but you know quite often the families will welcome people coming up chat to them so always just ask first like having the dog can be an icebreaker for the child and you know seeing that interaction with other people and even other children is great the families love to see that but just ask first is the rule of thumb yeah um Elaine any any final words or as an awareness month I mean what should we be I mean if you had one message to say to people look this this is what we want you to be aware of what would that message be I would say the message to be aware of is just go and gain some understanding you can do things like check out our website Autumn Assistance Dogs Ireland.ie we've loads of information on there um our waiting list so if families are out there there might be families listening who are thinking I'd love an assistance dog for my child so our waiting list is opening we open our waiting list once a year and we're usually overwhelmed with the number of applications so from the 24th of April there'll be a button on our homepage where people can register for their information sessions they learn all they need to learn there about applying for a dog and to find out if their child meets the criteria so I'd say yeah go check out our website to get more information. Elaine thank you very much indeed Elaine Cannon ASD breeding and acquisition a coordinator with Autumn Assistance Dogs Ireland it's been a pleasure speaking to you Elaine and uh all the best with the ongoing work thank you very much indeed thank you that's Elaine there speaking to us um from Autumn Assistance Dogs Ireland now we're going to change tack completely it's as you know it is the teachers conference season yesterday we spoke to uh Joanne Irwin from the TUI and today let's speak to another Dunigal delegate who is at a meeting down south this time in Calarney Onja McGinley is the central executive committee representative for Dunigal and Litrim with the INTO Onja a very good morning to you. Morning Donald thank you for having me. It is our pleasure um the vacancy crisis and the recruitment and retention crisis in the secondary sector we discussed yesterday with Joanne I take that that's also a very real issue for INTO as well. It is certainly um particularly with regards to um we're trying to keep teachers in the system um the workload issue has come up time and time again and um the INTO actually published a survey on workload earlier this year and then we also have the difficulty with the substitution crisis and trying to get teachers to cover um for approved teacher absences that was a motion that was adopted yesterday at our congress calling for full substitute cover for all teacher approved absences and really the in essence the the purpose of that motion is to ensure that when teachers are off and they're not able to attend the workplace that the children will be taught by a fully qualified teacher. Yeah um workload for teachers and class size it's one of those problems that's that's always going to be there to a certain extent um still very much a live issue for discussion and debate. It absolutely is um the workload issue as I said just there briefly um the INTO published a report uh on the workload challenges that these teachers and school leaders and really it was alarming the insights that were um were highlighted in that report um it found that nine out of ten primary teachers are struggling with workload that's literally burst at the seams we're trying to keep up with different initiatives that are been foisted upon our schools and certainly we want to do the very best for our children but it's it's the lack of a supportive support for for the for the system whereby everything lands at the door of the principal but we're trying to ensure that there's post-responsibility in our schools so that um those those uh issues can be can be dealt with and um there's a bit of distributed leadership there because that's a very important issue and we and the report also highlighted that principals are working in additional 600 hours a year outside of school time and there's just so much paperwork with really unrealistic expectations um and an overloaded curriculum and we're welcoming a new curriculum that's coming in uh into place but certainly we're trying to get the workload issue um experienced by teachers and school leaders uh reduced and that school leadership will be will be given teams to be able to implement that new curriculum. I love the discussion obviously over the past number of years about pay and you know there was the discussion on um the reinstatement of of the pay that was lost in the wake of 2009 and the financial crisis then but very much now the discussion is inflation the high level of inflation and at the very least at teachers unions and I know indeed John Boyle of the INTO was quoted as saying this earlier this week that pay rises probably in the region of 10 to 15 percent would be necessary uh in realistic terms to actually combat inflation. This is this is again the the pay issue that we've that we brought to congress this year and was unanimously um adopted by our delegates um we have the paying with the lack of uh pay structures that will match inflation. We are trying to bring it now to the public services committee of the Irish congress of trade unions to prioritize a general increase in salaries for teachers to protect their incomes and the cost of rising cost of rising living costs. The INTO members have called on the executive of which I'm a member to establish a task force in October on how to construct a 20-point pay scale for the pre-2011 entrance um because that's a significant issue for them and then um just that we were saying that uh any we have to sorry the approach that we take must address the teacher allowances including the allowances that have been sanctioned for new beneficiaries since uh February 2012. Obviously a lengthy discussion to be undergone in the coming months now we will have the the the public pay agreement up for renegotiation toward the end of this year I mean would you be anticipating a difficult and potentially lengthy negotiation? Oh I have no doubt at all that the negotiations will be difficult and they will be lengthy donal you're absolutely right because um we have a number of asks from our congress delegates today and of course those asks over the last three days and of those asks actually become when the motions are passed to congress it becomes the INTO policy so we have to ensure that they are part of the next pay agreement and I'm sure that those talks will be resuming will be resuming shortly and because the building momentum pay agreement that we're currently covered by will will complete by the end of this this year. I know two pensions have been an issue at conference and pension awareness is something that you as an executive you you and your colleagues have been very anxious to get discussed and get teachers fully appraised of the situation with regards to pensions and planning for the future. Absolutely um the we've noted really the substantial deterioration in pension benefits for teachers who have entered the service since January 2013 um the value of public service pension substantially reduced reduced as a result of those changes over the last probably 20 years really um the introduction of a career average pension scheme across the sector means the teachers entering the profession since 2013 can expect a much smaller pension than those who started before then so what INTO are looking to do now is to have a pension awareness campaign focused on the deficiencies of that single pension scheme so the teachers can plan for the future plan for their retirement but I suppose the earlier they start planning for that the better prepared they'd be. Finally Anya you will have had quite a lot of members in schools across the country where building projects were delayed we know Gwelsk on the Garo Moshry in Donegal town in particular in in this neck of the woods but schools right across the country uh were facing uncertain futures now that issue it seems was resolved last week and it now seems to be all systems go and uh that that sort of blockade by the Department of Public Expenditure has been taken off it must have been a relief to you that that was taken off before Congress because I'm sure if it hadn't been it it was it would have been another issue that would have been I suspected very live one during Congress this year. It certainly would have there were 58 building projects in total that were deferred and as you mentioned there the Gale Scotland on a Galtown was one of those. I was with them on their protest last week the week before last and I spoke with some of the teachers there the I&TO made representations to the department to encourage the lifting of that ban to go to go forward or to try the lifting of the ban so that those building projects could go forward we had this this appointment time and time again the situation should never have happened it was a very stressful couple of weeks but the schools involved and as I said because of I&TO intervention I suppose that that ban has been lifted but as you said it certainly would have been an issue they come up with Congress and everybody deserves to be working in a safe and secure environment and I'm glad now that those school projects can continue. Anya thank you very much indeed for speaking to us this morning that's Anya McGinley there the central executive committee representative for Donnie Gull and Lytrum with I&TO and I think your time in Kalarney is pretty much coming to an end in the next day or two so enjoy the rest of it and save journey home. Thank you very much Donal take care. You too Anya thank you very much indeed that's Anya there speaking to us from Kalarney let's take a short break back after these. Watch the show live now on YouTube, Facebook and at HighlandRadio.com. All-leading shoe stores. Visit the Anychon Co-op HomeBuild event at the Anychon Gateway Hotel Bonkrana on Saturday April 15th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Meet the suppliers for expert advice on all your home build needs. Make a support available on the day. See Facebook for more details. The Lotto Jackpot is an estimated 4.2 million euro. Play responsibly in-store in-app or at lovery.au. The National Lottery. It could be you. 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And you're welcome back to the Nine Tail Noon Show. It's Donald Kavanaugh on the program for the moment and it's a Thursday. It's not a Thursday. It's a Wednesday. I will get the grips. I swear I will get the grips with this eventually. It's a Wednesday. It's 24 minutes to noon and it means it's time for this. Business matters in association with the ATU Donegal Faculty of Business. Are you a senior manager in the private sector looking to reinforce your leadership skills? ATU are offering a level nine executive MBS in leadership and innovation based around action learning starting late April. Take the next step in your career and contact the exec head coordinator on 9186206 today or email donald.hanigan at atu.ie. Joined in studio by Keirno Donald for this week's Business Matters. Keiran, a very good morning to you. Good morning Donald. Great to speak to you as always. A lot to get through and some very interesting interviews actually from the podcast which we will get to in a moment but looking at some of the business stories that have been making headlines around Donegal and the Northwest and we start with the touch repair scheme. Yes Donald applications are now being taken for the local touch repair scheme that's being funded by Donegal County Council and the Heritage Council. This year's grant scheme consists of two strands and funding is ranging from 3,000 euro to 15,000 euro. Deadline for applications will close on Friday April 21st at 12 noon so check out Donegal County Council's social media platforms for more details on that. And that is an interesting one and an important one because if you have attached roof I mean you know you can just leave it sit there because particularly when you have weather like we have out there now at the moment that really brings it home to us how important it is to get good maintenance on those so hopefully anyone who does have touch will be able to avail of that particular grant. An important event coming up in Cairndona for the local business community there. Yes Donald the first Cairndona business and community awards gala is taking place at the Bailiff and Lodge and Spa on Saturday May the 6th. There are eight different categories and voting closes at middate on Sunday April 23rd and MC on night will be our own Jimmy Stafford. The community monuments fund is one that we've been hearing a little about and a number of local groups have benefited. Yeah quite a significant amount almost 400,000 euro has been awarded to Donegal community groups under the community monuments fund. Seven projects in the county will share a total of 384,000 euro. The largest allocation of 103,000 euro has been earmarked for Killatee church and graveyard while 99,000 euro is going to Ramahae church and graveyard. Donegal ETB always to the forefront in helping with business development in the region and a new business and administration course that may be of interest to some of our listeners. Yes Donald Donegal ETB's Fuller Education and Training Service has developed a new business and administration course. Participants will learn about information management, event coordination and implementing procedures and systems. So along with a six-week placement with Atom Ireland and Leroy Kenney this city and gala's level three course means those who complete the course will be employment ready in 22 weeks. This program is commencing on Monday April 24th and will run through until September the 22nd. So check out Donegal ETB's socials for more on that. Now a business and monohunt has been awarded by the Small Firm's Association's National Small Business Awards but the owner of the business might be known in Donegal for a slightly different reason. Very much so this way I included it. Yeah Maffet Automated Stories Limited has been named as the overall national winner as you say. So the monohunt firm was founded by Sam Maffet in 2017 and now employs 28 people. So Sam Maffet will be well known and that's part of the world, willing Donegal the national rally in 2013 and 2019 and his brother Josh is actually the defending champion. So along with winning the overall award Sam Maffet's company also picked up the manufacturing and innovator category prizes at the award ceremony so well done to him. And congratulations to Sam and I suppose for people who follow the rally I mean did you know that Sam Maffet was you know a very successful entrepreneur in in that way. Let's look at the podcast and some very very interesting discussions on the podcast this week. Yes Donegal on this week's show I will be talking to Larry Kinney based graphic designer and photographer Stevie Toy and the owner of Irish Coffee Tree in Irish Forest Park, Patrick Stewart. After graduating from Larry Kinney AT, Stevie Toy worked as a graphic designer for a number of local newspapers and moved to Brown's printers in Larry Kinney before setting up on his own. He covered his first wedding as a paid photographer in 2017 and back in February he was named Irish wedding photographer of the year for 2023. In this clip Stevie speaks about the benefit of social media platforms when it comes to showcasing his work. Especially in a business that's that's primarily image based. It is and it's something that I need to push more to be honest with you because I get wrapped up in my work and I forget I didn't post anything in three days and it's it's crucial to be doing it you know um it's I've any amount of content to put up there but it's just getting the time to do it and getting it up but I do have to schedule it and I really have to push it more because we have some images there that are beautiful photos like this I should showcase them more than I do. Is it hard to imagine a business world now without social media? It's I would say it's impossible I would say it's impossible everything's social media now like I have a website which I have to I'm getting a new website rebuilt now in the next few weeks um but I would say eight or nine of my bookings out of ten come from Facebook and Instagram. Now that will be music to the ears of our bosses here actually because there is a huge emphasis on highland radio on social media and and on promotion and on reminding us that we are effectively a multimedia digital platform now or not just a radio station and we go far beyond radio waves and I suppose what Stevie there is saying is exactly that I mean you know if you're going to promote yourself word of mouth is great the ads in the paper are great ads on radio are great but you've got to do more now you've got to get right out there on on on social media. Yeah and for for him to say eight or nine out of his ten bookings come through social media as proof positive of exactly what you're saying Donald and I suppose it's just I suppose it's another reminder of how much the world we live in has changed and how much change there is and how we get our information. Your next guest is Patrick Stewart sadly sadly not the Patrick Stewart we would know from Star Trek Generations so on and so forth but no this this is Patrick Stewart from Ard's Coffee Tree. Yeah a local man Patrick Stewart opened Ard's Coffee Tree in Ard's Forest Park along with his wife Karen in 2017. The lockdowns in 2020 saw a notable rise in the number of visitors to Ard's Forest Park and that increased health firm in 2021 and 2022 much of Ard's Coffee Tree stock is sourced locally with his full range of tree becks supplied by Amplank Patisserie in Falkera. I ask Patrick what business person he admires most? Well I suppose he always gravitated to the likes of the Mikolo Leary's and these people but I suppose locally I would have to praise a guy called Larkin Vorty up in Wild Atlantic Camp. He's a guy that took plenty risks and didn't lose the chance you know so now I would say Larkin is a guy locally that employs lots of people takes lots of chances and has lots of successful businesses. And it's great to hear a business person promote somebody else in the locality and you know you could have named anyone but yeah it's good to see that. Yeah look he came up with the idea as well it was going to be a weekend thing and then on a seasonal basis Patrick as a project manager as well with Optum. This was a side line that he developed and it has actually been a very good success story. As you say he does a very good job at promoting the area and we did speak about maybe the need to promote the likes of Ard's Forest Park a bit more but it's very much in the centre of so many things that are in that area and as he said himself and there's a bit of a duel in the crown and Donegal tourism. Absolutely yeah and when you open a coffee venue like that I mean you know on the one hand it seems to be really easy and simple thing to do but people have become so you know discriminating now about their coffee and people have developed taste and people know what good coffee tastes like and if you're not providing good coffee you're not going to stay in business for very long. Yeah very much well I'm sure the footfall around his business will be a very good vote of confidence. Absolutely. The one thing he did say is well it's weather dependent at times and we were joking the fact that the most the most used app on his phone is the weather app so very much dependent or largely dependent on weather but they've managed to keep it going over weekends and obviously with the start of the tourist season and the earnest this weekend that's where they said they go down and talk to Patrick. Well given the numbers that were around that area over the past couple of days hopefully they've been utterly run off their feet this past weekend. Good to see and good to hear there from Patrick. The full interviews of course as ever on the podcast Kieran how can people hear it? Yeah they are available to download now at hidingradio.com or wherever they get their podcasts. And the show will be broadcast at the weekend? Yeah on Sunday evening usual time after the six o'clock news. Kieran Donegal presenter of business matters just to repeat the two interviewees there that will appear on the podcast Stevie Toy the photographer and graphic designer and Patrick Stewart the owner of Ard's Coffee Tree in Ard's Forest Park both available on the podcast it's on the website hidingradio.com and it will also be broadcast on air after the six o'clock news on Sunday. Kieran thank you very much indeed. Goodbye and all thank you. Business matters in association with the ATU Donegal Faculty of Business. Are you a senior manager in the private sector looking to reinforce your leadership skills? ATU are offering a level nine executive MBS in leadership and innovation based around action learning starting late April. Take the next step in your career and contact the exec Ed coordinator on 9186206 today or email donald.hanigan at atu.ie. This is the best value on all pet foods accessories grooming and care products call in and let our staff help you spoil your pet today you will be amazed by the range of product for all pets with exceptional value on all leading brands alternatively you can browse and buy online at petworld.ie and we will deliver to your home. Being a gardener will change your life a few years ago I attended a sudden death incident and had to work with the victim's wife and child it was traumatic for the family but you just absorb the trauma yourself you stay strong so they don't have to. They had no family in Ireland so when the boy's birthday came around I organized for Gardie Coast Guard and the fire service to drive along the coast where he lived to show that we were all thinking of him in what was a really difficult time. I work in a close knit community and we look after each other uniform or not his birthday matters to me as much as my own. Being a gardener is a really tough job but it is definitely a job worth doing you can apply now at publicjobs.ie and Mereryn tell us that it is going to start getting very windy indeed out there just looking at the weather forecast that those winds will veer west to northwest in western parts into the afternoon that wet and windy weather will sweep right across the region as the afternoon goes on some damaging gusts possible winds increasing strong and gusty with gales in coastal areas for a time. There is rain it'll clear eastwards for a period but strong winds will persist into tonight top temperatures this afternoon of just six to eight degrees celsius it's going to be a little bit windy it is going to be a little bit wet as well so be careful out there just a few comments before we go to our next caller with regards to traffic local lettercanny bus driver it took me an hour and five minutes to get from the golf course road to rena seven at one point the traffic queue into town yesterday afternoon at around about half past three and remember there were no schools was all the way out the dunes of illustrant thankfully we know what side roads to escape on and get in quicker but felt sorry for the double row of car owners in that dreadful key well as I was driving from the Highland video base here in mountaintop down in to den car in lettercanny and I must actually admit I did um and funny it's another row that we've been discussing over the past couple of days I just took a ride went up the windy haul road and got down to den car that way and it was a lot quicker um goddess I remember a few years ago a builder wanted to build accommodation opposite the new university in lettercanny and that was turned down that development would have provided accommodation for a lot of students so says a caller with regards to uh how we revive the Irish language some comments from um the school um on the Irish language column says use your a couple of focal normalize it if people hear it they'll speak it and on you says make every play school a meaner now a couple of our comments there more to come a little bit later but now let's go to a story we referenced on our newspaper review and it's from a discussion at the dunny gall municipal district meeting which took place this week uh we're joined this morning on the line by councillor neve kennedy neve very good morning to you good morning to all good morning everyone neve um there's an issue in kitty bags there is a road which can help alleviate traffic in kitty bags but because it's called the industrial road people are assuming it's leading into the industrial estate and they're not using it exactly it is it has an issue that's going on for quite a while and it's something that everybody had noted that why isn't people using this road and what's what's wrong that's a perfectly good road it completely ticks you out of the town it takes you straight into fintra and leads you on to kilt our car at the unculling hill and indeed locals living in kilt our car in unculling hill don't turn to use the road either because they seem to feel that it's slightly longer than the old road the old fintra road but it's really not it's just i think it's just a force of habit for locals that just use the old road but the old road is no longer kind of fit for purpose because it's just there's no footpath on it there's a lot more houses over the time and a lot more people walking out walking in cycling etc so the industrial road actually takes it was i said it's opened about 15 years now and it has a number of factories on it and it's a great road and it literally takes you out to the glenly roundabout but why i mean camper vans everything is coming up like conningham's junction up up the street up the old road taking you to kind of five there's five roads off it on the on the junction which leaves an awful mess the fish shop is there and i mean i'd say rolling in the fish shop could tell you some stories of what goes on there and to see the traffic flow and how things happen and if cars are parked it just causes a great backlog right up as far as the old carpet factory so it creates quite a mayhem and obviously with the Easter holidays and people come and stay we've found that a lot of people were still using the old road so the industrial road is not right is it a straightforward is changing the name if you were to change that name to say the fintra kill car link would that help i think it would for a start off it's not even on the on the google maps it's not on you know it's not on that map so people are not used nuts because i i genuinely think because there's industrial roads people think that it's an industrial estate and they're not going up that way there's no point that's just an industrial estate to the dead end but it's actually not it takes you out to the glenly roundabout and takes you clear and up a good a perfectly good road um which is it needs to be it needs to be used um and as say we've got a load of people coming out in camper vans coming through for the holidays again and they're wanting to get into the the camp sites at fintra and kill car and and carrot at the sleeve league camp and and they're still coming up the old fintra road and causing congestion and meeting traffic coming down and then we've got fish lorries coming up the hill and it just it's just mayhem and so we're just asking i suppose to get this we've we've looked for to get the road name changed now for the last probably six months so i brought it up yesterday at our council meeting to see can we bring it forward to plenary to put the put the correct name on the road it really never was named i mean industrial was just because it was an industrial estate up there so we now need to name the road and get it on google maps and get it on the right way so people will not be stressed out by traffic and have people complaining about you know are are you suggesting any particular names at the moment or is that up for discussion well yeah we did we did we put it out there to the public back probably about six months ago and yes uh a simply lovely name um is the glenley pass because it's passing the glenley uh forest and it's at the glenley roundabout so it takes it takes all the boxes yeah we don't want to call it after anybody's names or anything like that because you don't want to upset people or put people out so safer and better that is something that's in the locality and it's always a name that has been there from the glenley forest so that's the name we would love to use so the glenley pass so hopefully then that'll come up before the next plenary meeting of council and we'll get the backing of council i mean is it just as straightforward as getting it up for adoption out of full council meeting or does it have to go through more bureaucracy first there was a lot of bureaucracy at the beginning and in fact at first we thought we could put it through our own uh our own um municipal district meetings and then we were told by corporate know that we couldn't we had to go through to plenary so it was agreed at our municipal district then letters had to be sent out then to the people who live on the road or businesses on the road to let them know that this is what the intent was and if they had any issues or anything like that so well nobody's any issues nowadays anyway because everybody's got a postcode so you know that there should be no issues with that so everything looks like it's in place so um our roads engineers are now working on that to bring it in through corporate and to get it through for the next plenary meeting so hopefully we will have less confusion going forward for the summer donal excellent we look forward to uh to to seeing that happen in in meantime uh councillor knee of kennedy thanks indeed for speaking to us this morning thank you thank you indeed that's councillor knee of kennedy there uh we have a few minutes left before we go so let's uh clear up a few of your comments uh a few left over actually from yesterday we discussed the driving test caller says once you do a test you're qualified yet you have to have someone on board with you it's a very unfair system especially for people in rural areas now um i don't think no you don't have to have somebody else on board with you i think this may be a slight mistake a caller is making we have when we pass your test you get rid of the l plates you put up the end plate for two years but you can drive on your own with the end plate once you've passed the test you do drive on your own you do have to put up the end plate to show that you've recently passed your test my own daughter indeed passed her test just over a year ago still has end plates on her car but not she drives to work herself uh every day so no you don't have to have somebody in the car with you if you have an end plate uh i failed my first theory test hoped to do my second theory driving test in september how does it work for people with disabilities my understanding is that with with regards to the theory test the theory test is exactly the same and then when you do your test you if you have to drive an adapted car to suit your disability you will do your test in the adapted car and the the tester will assess whether you are competent to drive um i i have a potential issue myself and i made inquiries about it and i was told no that that issue does not come into play with regards to the test um it's to do with sight um i am monocular i do not have a vision in my left eye um and basically i i made inquiries and i was told no it isn't just though you are monocular or binocular or whatever the big question is are you competent to drive and if you're competent to drive then you can drive so it's fairly straightforward it isn't as though if you if you have an adapted car because of a disability you'll be tested in that car and then you will be given hopefully your certificate of competency to drive and that's it from the mind to an intro for this wednesday as ever john brison is up next around the northwest we'll before that of course we'll have the news headlines at midday with uh donna marie daugherty uh thanks as always to all our contributors thanks uh especially to you for listening thanks to uh to neve and to carline uh for taking your calls carline indeed for producing as well uh from myself donal kavna have a very good day it's the right price tiles and wood 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