What did you pay for them? They're quite cheap actually. I thought you were going to say 13 euros. I need you to buy. You're hungry. There's about five. I have one. No I can't. I'm going to see that. But anyway, thanks for the offer. Well look at one then. I don't know what I'll get you. Can I get you one next week that... No, you're fine. No, I'm not. But can you get ones that are celiac friendly? Cross-on's not having complicated. Well, you paused me if you really looked far too good. Yeah, all right. We'll see. I'm sure some of our listeners might have some information that regarding. Take care of yourself. Have a lovely weekend. You too, all right. All right. Thank you. All right. Today's the 9 to 9 news show here in Highland Radio. We have a Friday panel joining us very, very shortly. But it's 9 o'clock. Time for news update. Good morning. Donald Kavanaugh. Thank you, Greg. Good morning. The mother of Daniel McLaughlin who was killed in Goa five years ago says she is hopeful of a quick resolution of the trial of the man accused of her rape and murder. It follows a high level meeting in India between US Chief Minister and two high level diplomats from Ireland and Britain. Danielle had been travelling on a British passport at the time. With more, here's Donna-Marie Doherty.  Her mother Andrea Branigan told the Irish Daily Star she is hopeful that yesterday's meeting will help speed up the trial of VCAT Bagat which began in April 2018 but has been beset by delays. The Consul General of Ireland Jerry Kelly and Britain's Deputy High Commissioner in Western India met with Goa's Chief Minister to seek the quick conclusion of the trial. Mr Kelly gave the Chief Minister a letter from Ms Branigan requesting that the trial be expedited and expressing her fear that she will never get justice for Danielle. In a joint statement issued after the meeting, Mr Kelly and the Deputy High Commissioner said ensuring a quick conclusion to the trial is a significant priority for the two governments as well as for Danielle's family. The Social Democrats are calling on the government to introduce a mini-budget following the publication of CSO figures which show inflation at a 38-year high. The party says the historic inflation rate, coupled with the announcement that interest rates are on the way up in the coming weeks, will compound the financial difficulties already facing many families and the government should establish an emergency fund to help those most at risk. Meanwhile, as the St Vincent De Paul organization reports a 20% increase in requests for help this year, the Society's Donny Gall President says that she expects the cost of living crisis to worsen in the autumn. Rosa Lacken says a number of factors will lead to a further surge in appeals for help. The autumn will see a huge surge in requests for assistance because not only have you back to school but then the weather will be getting colder and people will be looking for fuel, help and so on. So it's okay the government has brought in some measures but they're really going to have to look at the bigger picture of the support that's required. I honestly believe that there will be a huge surge in demand come the autumn, yeah.  It happened at around half past six last evening on the N3 between Butler's Bridge and Bell Turbot. The 17-year-old was rushed from the scene to Cavern General Hospital where he later died. A woman in her 50s and a man in his 40s are also being treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries. And especially for people with any witnesses and in particular anyone with dashcam footage to come forward. And the County of Dunningall GP says it's right that the HSE is scaling back on its contact tracing operations. The health authorities are planning to reduce them at the end of the month. Staff at centres in Galway and Limerick are being redeployed to other government departments, with the Limerick staff now working at a passport call centre for the Department of Foreign Affairs. Well, Mr Renauder, GP Dr Dennis McCauley chairs the IMO's GP subcommittee. people have sort of in their own ways moved on. I think that the general public have actually become quite used to living with COVID. I think that the effectiveness and the actual productivity of the contact tracing team now would have to be questioned. I think there was always going to be a situation when the numbers of cases of COVID began to drop below a certain level that they would dispense with the necessity of the full contact tracing team and then they would use local teams instead. The Indian Blastery with widespread showers mixed with some brighter sunny intervals. Several of the showers turning heavy today with a chance of some isolated thunderstorms. Top temperatures 16 to 18 in strong and gusty south west winds. That's Highland Radio News. We're back with NewsInfo at 10 o'clock. If you are 65 or over or you have a weak immune system, you can now get your second COVID-19 booster vaccine.  It will improve your protection from COVID-19. You can book a vaccination center appointment on hsc.ie or contact a participating GP or pharmacy. For more information on your second booster or to book an appointment, visit hsc.ie or call our team in HSE Live on 1800 700 700 from the HSE for us all. And now it's time for the talk of the Northwest, the 9th and Noon Show with Greg Hughes on Highland Radio. Hello, a very good morning to you. Just approaching five minutes past nine and this Friday, the 10th of June, you're very welcome along to another edition of the 9th Till Noon Show. And it is Friday, which means coming up late, Sir Michael and Finula will be in studio with us from 11 o'clock. Talking all things entertainment eases into the weekend and we kick off with the Friday panel where we discuss some of the big stories of the week. We want you involved in that conversation, obviously. You get involved by texting 08 660 25000 08 660 25000. What's up to that number two? Or give Donna Marie O'Caroline a call and 07 491 25000. You can hop on the website right now and watch the show HighlandRadio.com. You can watch in browser there. You should see the links or go direct to our social media and feel free to interact and have your say there as well. OK, let's introduce our guests this morning. And we say hello first to Patty Rooney, P.R.O. of Friends of Vatican University Hospital. Patty, good morning to you. Hi. Good morning, Greg. Claire, Peter. Claire McDonough, director of La Maison Letter Kenny, a member of the Letter Kenny Chamber. Claire, very good morning to you. Good morning, Greg. And you heard Patty Allude to Dr. Peter O'Rourke, former consultant orthopedic surgeon. Good morning to you, Peter. Good morning. Are you fully retired now or are you still involved in the initiatives overseas? So what way does that work, Peter? Well, I was due to go to Vietnam as part of group to do joint replacements. And that unfortunately fell by the wayside for COVID, but it looks like that's going ahead next March. I'm not involved in any clinical work, but I do other bits and pieces. Yeah, OK. Just for that, my own curiosity when I saw your face, I was just wondering. OK, we'll start with you, Patty, if that's all right. First on the news that they sell to their decision to locate in-house cardiac catheterization lab at Letter Kenny University Hospital. A lot of anxiety, perhaps some of it avoidable in the lead up to this decision. But, you know, we'll take good news as we get it. This is good news. Absolutely, Greg. It's good news. I have to say over the last month or six weeks, it's been a fascinating experience actually watching this unfold because it's extraordinary that people very, very far away from Letter Kenny. I'm talking about people in Galway can make a decision to switch off the service, whether taking any consideration at all, Greg, about the impact that it's going to have on people. And I'm talking about 400 people or so that will need diagnostic angiography next year. You know, had it in Letter Kenny that suddenly they would have 400 mile round trip to Galway to get the service when it was readily available on their doorstep over the last 12 years. Very safely, I have to say, I don't recollect any patient's safety issue or any adverse outcome in relation to one case. It was very, very safe and very sound. There was also very little consideration given to the consultant cardiologist because one of his there was a tool taken out of his box of tricks that had impacted on his ability to care and treat for his patients. And I mean, that would be akin to Peter, for instance, the MRI scanner had been taken away from him and he would have to send his patients to wherever to get that service. And of course, the other thing then was that a decision could have been made so casually without the impact on a registered charity. Like the people have done it all that raised three quarters of a million euro. And this piece of equipment that was going to be used, Greg, for a service that otherwise wasn't was an attendance bar. And it's just extraordinary that those decisions were taken without taking any of those things into consideration. But even when the decision, even when a description of those decisions and what is to come was being made by Mr. Canavan, very clinical approach to it. Maybe that's the way it has to be about, well, it is what it is. We're going to have a look if it's safe to do so, we'll do. But if it's not safe to do so, we'll not do it. And no apology is given. Now, I don't know enough about this to sort of necessarily challenge that as best as a possibly could. But it felt to me very like, you know, very matter of fact when if I were a member of staff involved in this listing, I'd go, really? You know, is that how it works? Is that how you might view us? Do you know, do you get where I'm coming from? Yeah, Greg, but the mood music, though, very soon before after this was that if they cheer, come tribute and they deserve a huge amount of credit now for bringing this publicness into the public forum in the first place and keeping it there until the decision was made one way or the other. I mean, if that first hadn't been made now, Greg, the diagnostic service would have been gone in the hospital because I don't think any review would have been taken place. The decision was made to stop it. And I think that would have been the end of it. So you believe, even though it was said otherwise, a decision had been made to withdraw the service from Letter County? Oh, I would say so, because remember that now, you know, the private company that was provided the mobile service, I mean, they were the catalysts to start not this to blow off in the first place. But I mean, the equipment was lying idle in the hospital. It went idle to it with a small lie because it was used for other things. For the last four years, if there was a concerted effort to use this equipment, it would have been done long before this. I think this was an opportunity to close the whole thing down. I think the people who were involved in this saw this from what it is that it was an opportunity to close it down. All right. And it is by coincidence, as our guests will know, that we have two guests that formally, you know, were involved with the hospital. This is not predetermined as far as someone. That's Caroline's pulling strings. I don't know that we had access to. But I'll come to Claire in a moment. But to you, Peter, just to Patty's comments there, that, you know, this was outed and the publicity helped in retaining these services. What all the decisions that are made go under the radar and aren't in the public domain that if they were, maybe do you agree, by the way, that public pressure would force the sale to group to make a decision like this? I hope so. I'd be a little less reticent than Patty.  I mean, the breast services, an example that had to have an awful lot of public support before this was able to continue. And I understand recently, the second breast surgeon after four or five years is only actually the job has actually been formalized. The colorectal service, again, an awful lot of pressure to be put on to maintain that. I mean, a sale would quite happily bury Lefford Kenny. I mean, I gave a presentation. Why though, why would they quite happily do so? Because if they give us resources, it reduces what they can call in for themselves. I mean, I gave a presentation at an orthopedic meeting many years ago in Galway. And one of the slides was a large shark eating a number of small fish, the small fish being Castle Bar, Lefford Kenny and Sligo. And that's what's happened. They have no interest in what goes on in Lefford Kenny. And I mean, if we try to bring on services or resources, we are blocked every which way we turn. Patty was involved in the management although he's retired some years now. He will tell you if he's how difficult it was to deal with anybody when you tried to get services for Lefford Kenny. And the advent of sale to means go, we have a power base and they're more than happy to use it. And we can tease that out a little bit more with a follow on, Claire.  We've I don't I shouldn't presume that we haven't been sort of intimately involved in the hospital. But when you hear it from people that have, it's thank thankfully we have people that speak out and campaign as best they can to try and retain and enhance these types of services. Yeah, I think that's really important because as you say, Greg, people like myself and yourself are not involved in the day to day life of the hospital. We have no idea about these processes and systems. And like any organization, I'm sure there's a hierarchy. There's there's a management system. And my experience in any of these organizations is that, you know, Donnie Gall is on the periphery. So whether you're talking business, you're talking health, you're talking education, we do seem to be we don't want to be negative. But we do seem to be at the end of the list of priorities sometimes. So that's why and I suppose that's that national experience. You know, when I when I visit family and Dublin, our family and friends down the country, Scott, Donnie Gall is really, you know, you're always moaning about something. And, you know, but it's really what it means is because that's how we were treated. We have to be very pacifist and in our opinions in our campaign. So we do need people to speak out. And, you know, I think part of that is. You know, forums like this morning are very important because it educates the rest of us as to where exactly you need to learn support to those who are back on our behalf. Yeah, well, we heard this week, 87 nurses have resigned from the hospital. Recently, we suggest a recruitment and retention problem. Then we're receiving daily calls and contacts, reservices there, people who access the services last year, be pre COVID. And now it's different. They feel it's more impersonal. They feel that they're not getting the same level of care. And of course, we'll throw in the caveat for the majority. Of course, the staff are fantastic and so on and so forth. And I'm not in any way playing that down. But I think that's that is that is a given. And of course, then the experience of ED long wait particularly bothers me for for our older generation. I mean, Patty, what is what is going on at the hospital? Then there's talk of a team going into to review review all whatever that might conclude, but from the outside looking on, it seems that things are disimproving there from not a terribly high base to begin with. Yeah, I mean, I can't speak Greg about what's going on because the system that's it. And it's all could I be asking you this question, Patty, if you never were involved in the hospital, you understand? Well, I'll tell you what, then you the precursor to this discussion and it was there was eighty seven nurses was left over the last two year. Yeah, that's right. And I mean, I'm outside the system. So these figures aren't accurate, but they're rounder about. I think the nursing profession make up around seven hundred and fifty staff out of a total staff of two thousand within the hospital. So they're by far the biggest cohort of staff within the hospital. So nurses have been leaving the hospitals in Ireland for a long, long time. And this isn't new. One of the reasons is that young nurses, particularly ones of around two years post registration, they do two years experience and then they go primarily to the Middle East and they go to Australia for the sun and the money and the lifestyle and all that kind of stuff. I mean, it's a long, long time ago now. Since I this is mental health or whatever. But I graduated as a nurse in October in nineteen seventy eight and I was in London in April, nineteen eighty. So this is going on for a long, long time. And remember, eighty seven is only that's equates to about forty four per year, so forty four out of seven fifties, relatively small number. But there is a whole load of other to use Peter's metaphor. There's a whole load of sharks nibbling away at the nursing profession in the hospital. And you have, for instance, a lot of developmental posts that have come on place in the last eighteen months for SELTA and this is through the staunch care program. And they're around chronic disease management and the nurses that have the experience and had the postgraduate qualifications. They're the ones that's been they're getting these posts. And you may say to me, Greg, well, why are they getting him? Because there is no reservoir of nurses in the sky that's raining nurses. That's what the expertise is. And that's where they're taking. Can I take you back, though? You talk about, historically, we have a turnover. People do a couple of years and they go and live their life or they might feel they're treated better elsewhere. But previously, presumably, there was a conveyor belt. So there was an equal or perhaps more amount of new nurses that would come through and do their two years before deciding to move on. Like, has that changed? Is there? No, I'm not saying that's the case, but it's a question. Has that changed? Well, one of the things that's missing, you see, from this argument is then you're telling us that there's 87 nurses have left over the last two years. But I bet you a dollar, Greg, that there isn't 87 nurses left less in the hospital than there was two years ago. I bet you a dollar that there's actually more. So I know that there's an issue about about getting nurses because every hospital in the state is fighting for the same pool. But while people are leaving, people are also joining. I was just making the point, though, about where nurses are going. They're not all going to Australia. Some of them are going to development posts because chronic disease management is the big thing, and it's the new thing. And they're all experienced and well-qualified nurses that have been used for this. The other factor, of course, as well, and it's always been a feature, is that nursing is predominantly a female profession. Nurses in the childbearing years, they because access to childcare is so expensive and it's very difficult to get the people reduce their hours. So if you get 10 nurses that decide to reduce their hours by 50 percent, 10 nurses become five nurses. And then you have five vacancies. You think that five people have resigned. They actually haven't. They've just morphed into half posts. The only way, Greg, that you would make any sense of any of this if there was an accident, if you'd on with those 87 nurses. Yeah, I mentioned that point. Yes. Where did they go? Otherwise, we're just we are speculating in the headline figure is shocking, but they could have gone to agencies, presumably. They could be working in the hospital through an agency. I don't know. It depends whether I don't know. But we just simply don't know. But Peter, do you see it the same way? Do you see it as this is this is the way it's at? I mean, if you read the article and then you see what's going on, you might think that they're they're at Lettiken University Hospital and they're so exacerbated, they fling off whatever over garment they're wearing and say, right, well, I'm out of here. Enough is enough. But Paddy's explanation there is that this is something that we we have seen. And in fact, we don't know the recruitment versus retirement stroke resignation figure. But but maybe this is just the same old story. Well, I can't disagree with anything Paddy said. I think money is one issue. You can go to North America or Australia and earn an awful lot more than you can and aren't literally multiples of what nurses earn and aren't. So that gives them an incentive to travel. And Irish nurses are very well received in any country to go to because they're very well trained. And that's one aspect of things. And the other aspect of things is that public hospitals train nurses. Private hospitals don't. And the NTPF has put a billion euros at least in the last 10 or 12 years since the advent of Mary Harney into the private hospital sector. So there are probably maybe 50 or 30 percent more nurses, excuse me, working in Ireland than they were 10 or 15 years ago. But unfortunately, they're working in the private. What's the solution to that, though? Because we have adverts running on this station. We've done interviews where they say, look, are you waiting? We've got the staff. We've got the space. We can effectively almost clear the backlogs in Donegal because we have the capacity and we have the staff. You know, is that the future of health care? Is that something that we need to to address? So is there any way we can improve it or what's going on, Peter? Well, unfortunately, if we outsource all our health care to private hospitals, which is effectively what a lot of our politicians suggest we should be doing, then we won't have a hospital in Everkinny. We'll have a community hospital. We won't have a general hospital, and that's the way things are going. I mean, if you cannot carry out a surgery, is what we're talking about here because medicine always gets treated because medical problems are usually acute emergencies, so there's no delay in them. So we're talking about surgery.  You won't get senior doctors to work as surgeons, then you won't have surgeons. If you don't have surgeons, you can't have an emergency department. So if you can't take out some of these appendix or fix their broken wrist or the broken ankle, you can't do anything else. And unfortunately, if you outsource the big stuff like hip replacements, gallbladders and things like that, then there isn't going to be anybody there to do the small stuff. And I literally worry about what is going to happen to me in 25 or 30 years time if I'm still around. But who's going to be there to look after me? And I don't have any confidence that Leather Kenny will be functioning as a proper general hospital by that stage. Claire, I presume most of the people go into the hospital where possible, get excellent care and discharged and have a very good experience. And maybe those people are less inclined to contact the likes of myself or a radio station or a newspaper or have you and relate that. But I don't know if you if you get a sense from from people that you talk to in their experience that everyone I speak to has a nervousness about potentially having to go there, whether that's for right or wrong or has someone close to them that has had a negative experience. And if they could, they probably would try and get into slugging. I'm not sure if that's a public perception or a reality or what it's based on. But do you get that yourself in your conversations out in the world? 100 percent. And I suppose I'm at a disadvantage in that the two gentlemen know the hospital better than me. But in advance of today, I did speak to some nurses. And actually, I'm from a family of nurses and there's seven nurses in my family and they work in various hospitals and some are retired. But what what really struck me is that in my family, when we talk about the medical professional, we talk about the health service in general and four of these nurses are now retired and they all trained in Scotland and came home. But when I would talk to them growing up, we talk about nursing. It was a fantastic profession. Very, very respected and the local nurse, you know, the nurse living in the village or whatever was so respected and so part of the community. And so very much needed and very much respected. When I talk now to younger nurses and women of my age or friends of mine, we do there's no conversation about any positivity because it's only negative that I hear in the sense that they're very burnt out.  Like, I don't know any other profession. Yours or mine, Greg, were regularly, you know, weeks, week after week after week, you get a call to come in to relieve to help your colleagues. So I think that the burnout that they experience because their role seems to be stretched and stretched and more and more is laid upon them. And at the same time, they feel from the two or three that I was speaking to, they feel very much under pressure in the role. And that's it's the burnout that has made them look to change. They're still nurses, but they're they're going elsewhere. They're going across the border or they're going into community roles or whatever. And it's really because it's not that they don't love working in the hospital. It's not that they don't love their patients, but they feel very much in a physical sense and a mental sense that they can't they can't do anymore. They can't keep going at this rate of work. So when I talk to my aunts about, you know, their experience of nursing and I talk to my contemporaries about their experience of nursing, there is a huge chasm. So what has happened for the nursing profession that they're so under pressure? And I feel speaking to them that that's not necessarily a letter can a problem. That's obviously a national problem. So in terms of how and I don't know, was that a management problem? Because I don't know enough about the hospital, but I think certainly the nursing profession is under huge pressure. It's difficult to have a conversation about what this is about management or or, you know, the next level of management or poor decisions from Dublin. It's very hard to ever get to the bottom of that. Like it would be very simple in a private company. If there was problems in your company or this company, it's very easy to determine who is responsible and people are quite would be comfortable having that conversation when it gets to talking about the hospital, not so much before we go to the break and move on to the next subject. And I'll ask you, Peter, in your experience and for what you fear might be coming. How is that hospital run and is there one thing we could do either internally or externally to improve what's going on there? I think the public certainly have reacted to various things that have happened over the years, but it doesn't appear that the politicians are listening to us. I mean, if you take the cardiac catheterization lab as an example, Waterford have one which is working nine to five. They want one which now works 24 hours a day plus another one that works nine to five, because otherwise the poor people from Waterford would have to travel to Cork to get treatment. Yes, you had me hold Martin a couple of weeks ago in the media talking about how wonderful the service we get from Alteneghelden is because of one patient he knew of who had a STEMI, which is an acute blockage of a coronary artery, travel to Derry to get treatment. So, I mean, I think we suffer from the proximity to the border and a lot of political will, which thinks that we should be availing of services in a different country and different jurisdiction rather than actually developing services here. And that's a wall we've been banging our heads against for the 25 years I've been working at Africa. Yeah. And in that conversation with Mr. Canavan, he said quite clearly, part of living in Donegal is that you may have you probably have to travel for services. You know, it's accepted. It wasn't that we're trying to get stuff here or there. It's just that the reality of living in Donegal is that you may have to travel for certain health services. And that's just what it is. Not when you live in Waterford, obviously. Yeah. OK. Patti, do you see is there there's no silver bullet to any of this, though, but in your experience, was the one particular frustration from your time in management there? Or is there what could be done to turn things around? The biggest frustration that hospital management have. And I know, Peter, that you share a bit of this as well, is that there is an expectation in the health service that the hospital has to do it all. It can't do it all. You can actually double the bed capacity in every hospital in the country. But if you leave things the way that they are, things will be as bad as ever in two years time. There are a lot of people that are using hospital services that don't need to use them, but they have to use them because there's no alternative. Then there are people who are in hospital and then they can't be got out because there's no work for them to go or nobody to look after them. The route in and the route out has to be fixed as well. No hospital in the state can... Every hospital in the state is in trouble and there's no point in putting us forward. Some kind of a message here about the fact that Letter County is any different than anything else because I don't think it is. But the problems are more acute in the likes of Letter County and Limerick, aren't they? Yeah, well, Gaulie is particularly bad and I know the University College Hospital in Corksback. I don't very often share anything on Twitter, but I did, it was just yesterday or the day before that, about a patient who videoed an episode in the emergency department at Hounstall Hospital in North London. You didn't see that during the round-strike? I saw it on your Twitter. You did. Where a nurse in charge came out to the waiting room in the emergency department with a clipboard and the waiting list was packed. And I know this hospital because I worked in North London myself, not in that one, it's much bigger than Letter County, it's about 600 bed. She talked about something that there was 280 people waiting, there was 90 hadn't seen the doctor, there was 60 waiting for her bed. The hospital was full. She was going off for duty, she was going to come back in 10 hours time and she expected to see everybody that was in the waiting room. She expected them to be there when she came back and she advised them to either go home or go to their GP or to be prepared for a wait. And Claire made the point of people going across the border. The good luck to them, Claire, is all I have to say because if anybody knows anything about Alton Galvin, there are problems around ED wait times, ambulances backed up at the ED, all of that kind of stuff is replicated in Letter County all over the place. It's the grass is not green. All right, okay, it might not be, right? But Bod, okay, we were speaking to many women and their partners recently who said that now, if you have a suspected miscarriage or in some cases you are actually miscarrying, that you are waiting in AD. We were speaking to people that are there for three or four hours. That wasn't the way it was before. Are you saying that's how we get people in to hospital and get people out? Because that's the kind of stuff I'm talking about, right? So that's the patient experience that I was trying to sort of get across. That's not right. No, I'm not trying to get the impression that everything is perfect in Letter County because I feel it isn't. And I'm actually surprised to hear that because I'm out of the place now for four years, but the experience, the admission policy that there was for women in a distress strait to access the Guiney services, they went straight to the Guiney ward. I don't know what, I'm not sure what happens now. I don't know, they were bypassed ED completely. I'm not sure. Another person I'm speaking to, they're in a wheelchair and require assistance in with one individual. That individual has to leave and the person would be left there. This is the kind of patient experience as well. And that's what we're talking about, Claire. That's when I was talking to you about, and I appreciate you going and speaking to the nurses too. It was a brilliant insight, but it's how people feel they're being treated in there. Not in a, and this is not across the board, but we contacted the HSC about the situation with women having to go into ED with suspected or actually miscaraging, having a miscarry, sorry. And it was like, well, sorry to hear about that. They can make a complaint. There was no reference to, right, well, this is why it's happening. This is what we're going to do. The response accepted it and said, they can make a complaint. If they don't like the answer, they can complain to the ombudsman. That's just shocking. I can't imagine being in that position and having to be forced to sit in a waiting room for four hours when in actual fact, your own destination is going to be the same place. You're going to be going to Guiney. I don't understand why that's happening. I have no idea. Didn't know until you shared that Greg that that was even happened, but I'm actually quite shocked because that's just prolonging someone's distress. I actually think that's horrendous. I really do. I don't, you know, I would imagine that somewhere along the line, somebody's made a decision on paper and they haven't thought it through, but really, you know, we should be a lot more vocal about that. That's horrendous. All right. Listen, thank you for your time so far. That's the voice there of Claire McDonough. We also have Paddy Rooney and Dr. Peter O'Rourke on the program. We'll hear more from them after we take this break. Keep your texts coming in, by the way. I'm Sam Shed. Perotill Protect, a garden angel. A mess on the inside. I know what I saw outside. A cat. No, a man burglar. Hopped Sam's back edge and stowed his bike. He couldn't believe it. But FBD did. With no excess to pay, they'll get him back in the saddle. After all, support is what FBD do. 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Pay a bill, send a package or lodge into a bank account. Our on-post service is available Monday to Saturday. Chrysler Supermarket, we're here for you. The Yine Show and Vintage Club will host the IVS All Ireland Rally, a family fun day not to be missed with hundreds of vintage cars and tractors on display. There's lawnmower racing, a fun fair, children's sports day, fashion show, trade stands and lots more at Carrick Field Mobile Sunday 12th of June, the biggest show in town. Tickets are now on sale for Century Complex VIP meal deal, which includes a two-course meal and backstage, admission to selected movies in Century Cinemas VIP screens, a combo with popcorn, soft drink and a free refill, all for £33.95 per person. For further information and to get your tickets, visit CenturyCinemas.ie. OK, you're very welcome back to The 9 Till Noon Show here on Highland Radio. It's good to have you on board. Don't forget you can watch the programme on our website, highlandradio.com. It was confirmed yesterday by the ECB that interest rate rises are on the horizon. Fuel prices are going through the roof. We'll start really feeling the impact once again for the majority, I think, when the impact on oil prices as we head towards autumn and into winter, food prices also continue to rise. Clare, just from your perspective as an individual and as a business owner, you know, even those with money, I think when things begin to become more expensive, the discretionary spending slows down. Is that something that's on your mind or do you feel on the horizon? Not even necessarily for your own individual business, but maybe just speaking, you know, on behalf of the business community as a whole? Well, I'd be lying if I said it was all rosy in the garden and, you know, the positivity is rife.  I think from a business perspective and, you know, we in the chamber are very much about ensuring that we are strong voice for business and, you know, try to make sure we articulate as many of the concerns for business in all of the various places that we do from, you know, from national government right down. But I think in relation to where Donnie Gaul and where Ladder-Canny sits now facing into the end of the year, as if I hear the end of the year is going to be tough one more time. I think I'd like to screen. But I think, you know, the resilience that business has shown, particularly in Ladder-Canny and Donnie Gaul over the last two years throughout the COVID pandemic has been extraordinary. And if there's one thing that I am very confident about is that the fact from the businesses I deal with on a daily basis within my own business and then throughout the chamber is that there's a huge amount of peer support there. It's one of the things that I think Ladder-Canny Chamber does really, really well. And we have a very good support group there on WhatsApp for over 170 businesses. Not all of them are members, but the majority are. So I think, you know, daily I'm on that group and I can see where people are having difficulty with customs charges or they're having difficulty with maybe delivery or fuel or getting things from A to B, whatever, and that they might have helped and peer support that's on there is phenomenal. So I think at least one thing in our favor is that we have a great... That's why the customers are still spending. Well, they are still spending, but I do think a bit like the recession that we lived through when we had just started our business, I think every business in every household will begin if they're not already looking at where they're spending their NEXS money that they do have. I think people are going to make much more sensible decisions around journeys, around heating their homes and all of that sort of thing. I think we're all going to be a little more careful, but I think where this squeeze is really going to become evident, I suppose is I think after Christmas that that's where I think things are going to get a little bit tighter. Having said that, I don't think there's an awful lot that you or I can do sitting in Nett or Kenny when we're looking at an energy crisis and huge geopolitical ongoings. At the same time, I think when we look at some of the resources we have here to help us get through difficult times, I think that that's the best place to start and what I would encourage any business who's having any difficulty getting information or support or signposting. There are organizations there, not just the Chamber, but the Lay-O office. There's Donegal Women in Business. There's lots of different organizations there. There's no business owners should be facing crisis or worry on their own. I think the sooner you plan for things, the better. So that's what I would encourage people to do. Yeah, and I think there's never been a better network than there is now. It's just tap into it if you feel you need to. Absolutely. And just on that, sorry, Greg, just to... Yes, I'll carry on. If anybody is thinking about the Chamber and wanting to get involved, we are having a coffee morning or sort of a meet the Chamber event. We do these quite regularly, but we're having a sort of an informal come for a cup of coffee to the theater next Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock and let's literally just have a cup of coffee. We're most of the Chamber Board or a lot of us will be there to talk to, but also Tony, the CEO will be there as well. But just if you would just want to come along and get a bit of support, ask a question, but anything, please do. Obviously, we're hoping that you would become a member, but you don't have to be. Our key aim really is to just get people talking and get business owners out there, particularly, I think, soul traders or anybody who's in business on their own. It can be a lonely place. And if you're worried about things, there's nowhere better to start than a cup of coffee with a friendly face. Yeah, simple as that. Paddy, where do you feel we're going with, as I said earlier on, the rise in interest rates. We haven't seen that for an awful long time. Fuel and feud prices. And interesting, we heard from Deputy Pierce to Hardy yesterday, because obviously, one of the things we instantly focus on on fuel prices, because I think it's so, it covers everyone and it's so in your face. He said at the moment, even if the government had the will, they could maximum cut fuel, petrol price by 13 cent in terms of the excise, diesel by nine. So in terms of even what the government could do on something like that there, the wiggle room, unless they get derogation is very, very narrow. Of course, food prices continued to increase. Some of that can be offset with getting different products and I'm trying that myself as best as possible. But it's getting tight already for people or at least the perception that it's getting tight. And of course that then affects people and how they think and potentially Paddy how they spend. Well, it's getting tight and it's getting probably dangerous as well, Greg, because when we had the recession started off in around 2008 and it blew up very badly around 2009, 2010, 11, that was solely around sort of economic issues and market bubbles and stuff like that. This is a different kettle of fish here because we have a combination of that and the war in Ukraine. People that are addicted to alcohol, Greg, never really care about the price of it. They really care about the availability of it. And with all of the sanctions that's taken place with Russia, with their gas and their oil, the price of fuel, it's inevitable that it's going to go up. There could be a problem about the availability of it as well. I don't know, is any of the three of you old enough to remember back in the 1973, was it when the war was... No one's going to put the hand up Paddy. No, it wasn't born, Paddy, sorry, I wasn't born. I was there. Well, I was. I think that was more out of respect for Peter than to suggest, Claire, maybe you were born in 1973. Ah, Peter's only a young fully. And so there's an issue with the availability of it and the price of it. I mean, I got three bags of smoke and fuel and I was always getting it from the one supplier and it was consistently 48 euro. And I was told recently the next time when I get a delivery, if I can get it, it's going to be 90 euro. So there is no way, I think, that the government can actually chase inflation. And you know, ironically, I'm seeing more turf cut than I've ever seen before. Yes.  And the reason I say that's ironic, if that's the right way of putting it, of course, because we've had the big conversation this year about Aiman Ryan and the rest of the government, but particularly Aiman Ryan, trying to reduce the amount of turf. And yeah, you know, that's not to say that Aiman Ryan was doing the wrong thing because of the environment is there too. We can't forget about that. We've been lulled into a false sense of security, Greg, over the last 25 years. And Claire will be very, very familiar with this. Well, Peter, of course, is the fact that we've had very low interest rates and money has been freely available to borrow. We can more or less put our hand out over the last 25 years and anything. If we can afford it, we can get it. But two things that's going to happen now, for sure, is one of the prices are going to dramatically increase. And we're talking about 10, maybe 10 to 12% year on year for about three or four years. That's going to be some hike. And the other thing is the things that we thought that were readily available to us, now we won't be able to get it. There's going to be an issue about electricity. That was going to be a problem anyway. There's going to be an issue about gas and coal and fuel. And there's also going to be an issue about food. Now, one of the times we always thought, well, food supply was an issue for Africa and so on and so forth. But if you follow and heed all the warnings about what's happening to grain supplies in southern Russia and Ukraine, I mean, Kevin Bradley was on your program a few weeks ago. The owner of Highland Decree and said that they had to try and source around for new flour supplies because they were going to run out. Well, you see those pizzas that we ordered and the tapas and so on and so forth, they might necessarily be there anymore. And that's how difficult this is going to get. Well, let me ask you, Peter, you can talk to what Claire and Paddy talked about as well, but we hear from Vladimir Putin himself and the Americans have conceded this as well, that he's actually making more money now, profits through oil and gas than he was before the war because the sanctions cut them down supply and then he makes more profit because we are still effectively sourcing it from there, even though we state we're not and we're trying to avoid doing. So do we have to then have a rethink or maybe start talking about the decisions our world leaders are making? Because if they're sanctioning Russia to try and halt his war machine, but it's pushing 1.6 billion people to starvation effectively, the price of living is skyrocketing, but Russia is making more money now than they did pre-sanctions. Well, do we need to start asking questions or is this just the situation when you're in a war? I think it's more simplistic than that. The sanctions are to a degree to affect the Russian government, but it's also the Russian people because the Russian people are the ones who can stop Putin, we can't. So I mean, all the world companies that are pulled out of Russia, the fact that Russian shops are even worse than ours, that there's less in them, I think that will be what puts pressure on Putin and the Russians to actually stop. If there weren't sanctions and everybody just sort of said, go ahead and do what you like, he could, would have pushed through and done much worse things and possibly even used nuclear weapons in Ukraine and be pushing to take over the entire country rather than just the Donbass region. I mean, he first attacked Kiev, which was the capital. He tried to decapitate the government by taking out Vladimir Zelensky. So I think sanctions are the only thing that the world can do short of attacking him and actually fighting a direct war against him. Yeah, okay, listen, thanks for your views on that. We have to catch up with one more break. That was Peter O'Rourke, Claire McDonough and Paddy Rooney. We'll be back shortly. Get cash for trash at Curries. Bring your old, broken, unwanted tech into your local curry store this month. We'll recycle it for free and give you five euro off your next purchase. Plus, with mega deals now on, we've got massive savings across the store. So get into your local curry store today. TZ's apply, see website for details. Happy Father's Day. This Father's Day, choose Calvin Klein, Chanel, Hugo Boss, Burberry, Lacoste, George Euromani. Choose McGee's Chemist, Main Street, Lattie Kenny. Great gifts for great dads. Click McGee's.ie. New this week in home store and more. All summer duvets are half price. But better hurry. Because when all our half price summer duvets are gone, they're gone. Also, all outdoor cushions are still half price. But when all our half price outdoor cushions are gone, they're definitely gone. 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Cooney's Home Interiors Letter Kenny Retail Park. Style and perfection at incredible value. Collis says, I worked in Letter Kenny University Hospital for nearly three decades. What puzzles me about things is that Paddy Rooney was part of the management and senior top two while these problems you talk about today were happening. It just annoys me, Highland asking him for solutions, but he didn't use these answers when he was in a position. I suppose, I mean, I didn't want to read that out after 10, I probably wouldn't. Paddy, without you, I haven't an opportunity to respond to that. But do you understand the tone of the question and what's your response to it? No, I don't mind that, anybody saying that. Oh, I know, that's why I asked it. But I'm giving that, and Peter may or may not support me on this, but just because the people might think that the hospital management are in control of everything that takes place within the hospital, but that quite clearly is not the case. Look at the very simple thing around the decision, around the Cary and Kath. If Sean Murphy had the decision to put that service in place, we wouldn't even be talking about that. You can't do anything in the hospital at all without getting approval from above. I mean, it's not the manager's fault in the hospital that EDs follow patients that shouldn't be there because there's nowhere else. It's not his fault that all these number of delayed discharge people didn't know where to go. I mean, the management in the hospitals up and down the country are caught in this whirlwind as well because it is a complex, systematic problem that involves primary care, secondary care, and tertiary care, and hospitals cannot do this themselves. But I will concede the point though. There are the small points though in the couple of examples that you give. Well, here's one. We were in the ED last week because my partner is lung cancer and had one side effect similar to COVID and was told he had to go to the COVID section. So should common sense not come into the equation at this point? I'm not asking you to comment on that specifically. I can't possibly answer that because I'm out of the hospital too long and I know that the red zone and a green zone for people that were potentially COVID positive and potentially negative. And I presume that's why this peer man was put into that funnel. I don't even know is that there and I don't even know enough about how that was channeled but that was about protection of other patients as well. I suppose it was an infection control measure. I don't know enough about it. But there are decisions that hospital management can take locally, but there is a whole raft of things that they have actually no control over. They have to just sail in the water that's being determined by other people outside of the hospital. Yeah. But then that's the systems faulted and Peter. Yes, but that's what I've been saying for years. I just wanted to hear it one more time. I mean, what Paddy says is true. I was involved in management for about 18 or 19 of the 25 years I worked in the hospital.  We all knew what the problems were. We all knew what the solutions were. How much blowback did you get from speaking out? Absolutely none. All right. I got a bit of satisfaction because I vented my spleen. But I mean, I'll give you two or three examples. Mary Harney sort of suggested that we should do more surgery and day surgery rather than inpatient to reduce the pressure on beds. We all transferred the patients to day surgery but we got no facilities to do it. And we have a cancer service in letter Kenny, which is great, but there was no support for diagnostics for it. Letter Kenny needs to have a diagnostics department in x-ray, which works eight to eight, six days a week, not nine to five, five days a week. We have a cardiac investigations department that works nine to five. It should be working eight to eight, six days a week. And that would reduce the pressure on beds. These are the sort of things that make a difference. But the management, I'm sure, would agree with me that those sort of things would benefit the hospital. But do you think there's anybody in the hospital who can actually achieve that or develop that? No. So all that happens is we get told by go away, our politicians, that you have to get people through the emergency department in two hours. But it's physically impossible. So it's like turning water into wine. It's a miracle. And miracles don't happen very often. But this is what politicians and senior HSE people tell you to do without giving you any resources to do it. And that's why it's frustrating. And that's why people like me retire early. Yeah. And Greg, can I just make a point here to support that? I mean, when I went to work in the hospital first, there was one orthopedic surgeon and possibly three general surgeons and a three gynecologist and so on and so forth. And there is multiples of those there. Now, the people that Peter will confirm. The only problem is that the theater capacity upstairs on floor five, there's still only four theaters there. So when you have eight surgeons from different disciplines actually theater, now you might have 22 surgeons accessing four theaters. That's not a surprise to hospital management. We've been banging away at that kind of stuff there about increasing theater capacity, but it's going up the line and just people are listening and that's something that's been replicated in every hospital around the country by the way. I mean, Claire, again, it's not hugely encouraging what we're hearing. It's interesting to get the insight, very interesting in fact, and it's the most important voices on this because, again, we see elements of it, but now we're sort of getting the curtains being pulled back a bit. We're getting an insight into it. It's maybe probably more pessimistic than optimistic. What's your view, Claire? And Paddy, you can call back on that if I'm wrong. It is really interesting to get that view because you and I, in a sense, Greg, I believe, people were, you know, and that collar that rang over that story, the perm on the lung cancer. Like, we hear these stories all the time. Like, I had a friend whose husband had an assist on his back last week or the week before and he went to have it drained in the hospital. He was told to go and get a dress with GP. He went to the GP, the GP said, I don't know, we won't touch that. And they sent him back to A&E and they had to wait there four hours to have a dress for addressing an A&E for four hours. Like, there's something badly wrong. You know, and I don't have the answer. I'm not medical. I don't have the answer. But I would imagine that the answer isn't in fact medical. The answer is systematic. You know, the way to process this. No, yeah, Greg, just the point I was gonna make here and Peter will support me on this as well is that, Claire, you're a member of the Chamber of Commerce and most of the organizations that you represent, private organizations, the management and the owners of those companies can actually determine the job description and the contract of employment for your staff. Hospital managers and chief executives up and down the country cannot do that because job specifications, job descriptions, contracts are all determined nationally. So Peter made the point there about cardiac investigations, which is a very, very good point. But the cardiac technicians come into the hospital on a contract that's been determined nationally. The teams that they work nine to five months on Friday. And the managers and chief executives of hospitals up and down the country can stand on their head from now to Christmas and they won't get that job. Okay, so that's some of the big stuff. But Peter, a lot of what people have issues with is the little stuff that management locally have, presumably within their gift, to run the hospital slightly differently. And I think if they got some of the seemingly on the wider scale of what you guys had talked about, the little stuff, correct. You know, it might go a long way for people having more empathy with what's going on in the hospital more broadly, if that makes sense. It's, what you say sounds right, but in practical terms, achieving it is extremely difficult because the problem is if you sort of, for instance, if you have the example about somebody who needed a dressing, if you set up somewhere for them to do that dressing, you have to take staff from somewhere else to actually do it, which means that something else suffers. And if you, if I use an example, as say our cancer services, we have great cancer services. We started off with one oncologist, I think we have three or possibly even three and a half now oncologists, which means they're treating a vast number of more patients. All those patients require investigations. So the CT scanner and the MRI scanner are used probably about 50%, if not more of the time for cancer patients, whereas other people, like if you have back pain, you could be waiting six to nine months to get an MRI scan or a CT scan. So the problem is, if you take more slices out of the cake, the slices get smaller and something gets squeezed. And what happens is the things that were done before, which is general surgery, orthopedics, they get squeezed and their services. Every action has a reaction. Dr. Peter O'Rourke, thank you so much for your time this morning. I really appreciate it. Take care of yourself. Also, Paddy Rooney, thank you very much indeed, as always. Take care of yourself. And Claire, I mean, you kind of passengers on this one, but you've made some great comments and had some great input. And I really appreciate your time. But interesting, I think we both agree, don't we? And the listeners might as well to sort of get that insight into what's going on. Listen, chat to you soon, Claire. Thanks very much. Take care. Bye-bye. Okay, that was the Friday panel there. I'll get to some of your comments after the news at 10 which will be delayed by about a minute. My apologies, rejoin us or stay with us, sorry, for the news and obituary notices, and then we'll be right back. Peep that cost of Brexit with no customs charges. Do you need a UK address for your limited company or personal use? Space Hub in Derry can provide you with your own mailbox. Have your post and parcels delivered to Space Hub and collected your convenience. There's brand new 20-foot shipping containers now in stock, ideal for all your storage needs at our Springtown and Coulmore depots. Find us on Facebook at spacehubderry.com or call 04871 87 807 for more details. Going on holidays this summer, look the part in any of the new Donegal jerseys home and away from Brian McCormick's Sports and Leisure, your official O'Neill Starkas, new Donegal GAA Nevada range, now in store and online. Donegal Nevada T-shirts with matching shorts, Donegal Nevada quarter zips, hoodies and jackets and fresh new summer colors, available in junior and adult sizes. Look the part, play the part, in store or online. Click and collect on BMC Sports.ie. Brave lives behind every open sign, behind every add to cart or how would you like to pay today? At AIB Merchant Services, we back Brave with payments and business solutions designed to fit your business needs, whether that's in store, online or on the go. To discover more about how AIB Merchant Services can grow your business, search AIBMS.com. AIB, we back Brave. First Merchant Processing Ireland DAC trading as AIB Merchant Services is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. When it comes to searching for a holiday, Atlantic travel and other Kenny deal with all the major tour operators from Dublin and Belfast to find you the best deals available. A week in the sun, a cruise or maybe a short break. Whatever suits, you can book in confidence with Atlantic. Knowing your holiday is protected, shoot something or wrong. Take the hassle and worry out of your holiday booking. With the award-winning Atlantic travel, sit Oliver Plunkett Road, letter Kenny. For a quote today, see Facebook. Visit AtlanticTravel.ie or call 911-26193. Walk the line once again with the multi-award-winning Johnny Cash and June Carter tribute show Cash Returns. Celebrate the music of The Man in Black at the Millennium Forum Dairy on Saturday 18th of June. Limited tickets are available now at the box office. That's Cash Returns Live at the Millennium Forum Dairy on Saturday 18th of June. Live on air, online and on the Highland Radio app. This is Highland Radio News. Good morning, just on 10 o'clock, Donald Kavanaugh at the Highland Radio News Desk. A former orthopedic surgeon at Latter-Kinney University Hospital says the more that surgical services are contracted out to private hospitals, the more of a risk there is that the hospital will be downgraded. Peter O'Rourke says the more surgical services are scaled back at the facility, the more of a threat there is to the hospital's future. Speaking on the 9 to noon show with Greg Hughes today, Mr. O'Rourke said he fears that the situation in 25 to 30 years may be very different. If you outsource all your surgery, you won't get junior doctors to train as surgeons. You won't get senior doctors to work as surgeons. Then you won't have surgeons. If you don't have surgeons, you can't have an emergency department. And I literally worry about what is gonna happen to me in 25 or 30 years time if I'm still around. Who's gonna be there to look after me and I don't have any confidence that Leather Kenney will be functioning as a proper general hospital by that stage. The mother of Danielle McLaughlin who was killed in Goa five years ago says she is hopeful of a quick conclusion of the trial of the man accused of her rape and murder. It follows a high level meeting in India between Goa's chief minister and two high level diplomats from Ireland and Britain. Danielle had been travelling on a British passport at the time of the attack. Donna Marie Doherty has more details.  Her mother Andrea Branigan told the Irish Daily Star she is hopeful that yesterday's meeting will help speed up the trial of Leakette Bagat which began in April 2018 but has been beset by delays. The Consul General of Ireland Jerry Kelly and Britain's Deputy High Commissioner in Western India met with Goa's chief minister to seek the quick conclusion of the trial. Mr Kelly gave the chief minister a letter from Miss Branigan requesting that the trial be expedited and expressing her fear that she will never get justice for Danielle. In a joint statement issued after the meeting, Mr Kelly and the Deputy High Commissioner said ensuring a quick conclusion to the trial is a significant priority for the two governments as well as for Danielle's family. The Social Democrats are calling on the government to introduce a mini-budget following the publication of CSO figures which show inflation at a 38-year high. The party says the historic inflation rate coupled with the announcement that interest rates are on the way up in the coming weeks will compound the financial difficulties already facing many families. Meanwhile, the St Vincent de Paul organisation is reporting a 20% increase in requests for help this year with the society's president, Indoni Gaul, saying she expects a further surge in appeals for help in the autumn. The co-leader of the Social Democrats, Roshan Shorthall, says the government must establish an emergency fund immediately to help those most at risk. What is desperately needed now is an emergency fund to be established because there are people who are going to go under as a result of these price hikes and as a result of inflation. And the government needs to set up that fund so that it's available for those families that are most at risk. And ministers are concerned over what they consider a lack of urgency to transfer state-owned land to the Land Development Agency. There are plans to build 15,000 new homes on state property over the coming years to deal with the housing crisis. The cabinet's been told that some agencies are dragging their heels when it comes to transferring land. Managing director of Tom Phillips Associates, Tom Phillips says the absence of a central database of state land isn't helping. In the supply and demand delivery equation that you have to bring housing forward is to understand what land is available because there isn't a central repository that is one place you can go and say, that's all state land. So some of the land, they're actually having to work out what is actually state-owned land. And that's a very slow process, but it's one that needs to be given the resources to happen very quickly. So to actually understand what the land is in the first place before you can go and talk to the various parties that might be able to help to deliver it. What the forecast and Metair and Telus, it will remain windy and blustery today with widespread showers mixed with brighter sunny intervals. Some of those showers will turn heavy during the day with a chance of some isolated thunderstorms, top temperatures 16 to 18 degrees Celsius, strong and gusty southwest winds. The showers will continue overnight with clear spells developing, temperatures of nine to 12 degrees Celsius in fresh southwest breezes, strong near the coast. Tomorrow, Saturday, we'll see further widespread showers or longer spells of rain with some sunny spells. The odd heavy downpour can be expected on Saturday in highest temperatures of 14 to 16 degrees Celsius. Once again, it'll be breezy or windy with strong southwest winds veering westerly. That's how in brilliant news. We're back with news again at 11 o'clock. Obituary notices for Friday morning, June 10th. The death has taken place of Ruby Slavin, Ney Duffy, 25 Angleside Drive, Strabane, reposing at her home from 6 p.m. this evening. Funeral from there on Sunday afternoon at 10.20 for mass in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Strabane, at 2 p.m., followed by interment in Strabane Cemetery. Donations in lieu of flyers, please, to the Friends of Cancer Centre, care of Quigley Funeral Directors. The recurring mass can be viewed on MCNmedia.tv. The death has taken place of Keri Grant, Ney Patton, Gordani, Quigley's Point. Keri's remains were reposed at her home from 3 p.m. today. Keri's funeral mass will take place on Sunday at 12 noon in St. Columba's Church Strung, followed by burial in the Adjoining Cemetery. Family flyers only, please. Funeral mass can be viewed live on St. Columba's Drung.net. The death has taken place of Vincent Conlon, Baron Bank, Mahara Nenon, Letter Kinney. Vincent's remains were reposed at the home of his daughter, Darina. At Vincent's request, the house is strictly private to family only. Funeral service will take place at the Church of the Irish Murders, Letter Kinney, tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. There will be a private family cremation at the Lakeland's crematorium cabin. The death has taken place of Jerry Lehnert, Larissa Lodge, Norsham Home, Letter Kinney, formerly of Montgomery Terrace, Meville. His remains are reposed at his home in Montgomery Terrace. Jerry's funeral mass will take place tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. in St. Pius X Church, Meville, followed by burial in Ballet Bragg Cemetery. Mass can be viewed live on myvilleparish.com. The death has taken place of Thomas Gibson, Ballet Bowl, convoy. His remains are opposing at Terence McClintock's funeral premises. Funeral from there this afternoon at 2 p.m. for 2.30 p.m. funeral service in St. Nenon's Parish Church convoy, followed by burial in the family plot in the adjoining graveyard. Wakes strictly of private to family-only. Family flowers only please. The death has occurred of Patrick Joseph Murphy, Volcarra. His remains are reposing at his sister Margaret's home in Volcarra. Removal this morning to St. Finnean's Church, Volcarra, for 11 a.m. recrame mass. Burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. House private before the funeral. Mass can be viewed live on MCMmedia.tv. The death has taken place of Daniel Curn, known as Terence, formerly of Five Calais Road, Calais. Reposing overnight at the church of the Immaculate Conception Calais, for recrame mass this morning at 11 a.m. in Tearment afterwards in St. Columbus Cemetery Drone. Family flowers only please. For more details, including any family health guidelines for Wakes and funerals, please go to HighlandRadio.com. Okay, you're very welcome back to the second hour of the show, or you're very welcome to the programme. Good to have you on board. Coming up a little later on, we are going to ease you into the weekend by not talking about anything too serious. Michael and Finnean are gonna be in joining us, and we've got guests as well. We're gonna get the weather, the week's weather for you as much as we can determine. That's all between 11 and 12. On Tuesday, we have a special guest on the programme, Mr. Garth Brooks. He was on this programme a number of years ago, ahead of his doomed croak park gigs previously. They're gonna go ahead this time though. And he'll be joining us on the show on Tuesday. So that'll be a We Treat For You as many of you, thousands of you, will be gearing up to get on and see him perform in September. And we understand that if you didn't get a ticket, that there might be some positive news in that regard in terms of further tickets being made available. But anyway, be that as it may, Mr. Garth Brooks will be with us on Tuesday, right? We've a lot to get through, including your comments. I have hundreds of them here. I really appreciate it. We have loads and loads, and I get through as many of them as I possibly can. Some are sort of duplicates, but we don't filter them. We just try and get them out to you as we get them in. But what we'll do is we'll take a break for the bingo numbers, then a short break. Come back and we'll move on with the programme, including your comments and guests. It's time for NCBI Bingo on Highland Radio. It's Friday the 10th of June. You're playing on the yellow sheet. The reference number is S15. It's game number 23. The numbers are 73. 68. 65. 48. 85. 31. 59. 29. 62. And finally, 38. Phone your claim to 9104833 before 8 tonight.  Get all your NCBI Bingo information at highlandradio.com. Start playing NCBI Radio Bingo today. Three chances a day, five days a week to win daily prizes of 400 Euro plus, not to mention a weekly jackpot of 5,000 Euro upwards. Books available at your local retailer for just five Euro each. It couldn't be simpler. Real money, real people. When you get enough people together, you can achieve almost anything. Send someone like me into space or create change on the ground. People power, strengthen numbers, whatever you want to call it, it works. Together with over one million homes and businesses already with Electric Ireland, we're making changes for a brighter energy future. Be part of the change at electricarland.ie. The Kerry Keele Vintage Rally is back this Saturday, the 11th of June. Enjoy a great display of stationary engines, cars and tractors. There's also trade stalls, crafts and demonstrations, live music and children's amusements. That's the Kerry Keele Vintage Rally at the Church Grounds this Saturday from 12 noon. Proceeds in aid of church funds and local charities. Can and furniture in Milford now stock and supply a full range of mobility aids. Everything from mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs to walking mobility aids and lift and rise chairs with delivery across the Northwest and a full back-up service. Visit the open days this Friday the 10th and Saturday the 11th and see the great choice available. That's all at Cannon Furniture Milford, just 500 meters from Needle on the Kerry Keele Road. See Facebook or call 911-535-79. Donegal County Council in association with Bryce and Recycling are holding a half-priced bulky goods event at Letter Kemi, Lahee and Dunlowe Recycling Centers from the 7th of June to the 18th of June during site opening times. For more information and opening times, visit DonegalCoco.ie or call the council on<PHONE_NUMBER>. It's the Inneshaun Vintage Show Friday 10th of June at Carrickfield Moville. There's Matthew Cramsey followed by Barry Kerwin's Matrimony Band. Doors open at 8 p.m. with a light bar. This ad is sponsored by Hannan Green. For all your insurance needs, we have you covered. Right, changes in areas of the brain associated with emotion have been identified in people with broken heart syndrome. Scientists at the University of Aberdeen discovered changes in the level of brain activity in areas known to control the beating of the heart. Takatsubu Syndrome is a sudden form of acute hot failure and is usually brought on by emotional distress, but scientists do not fully understand the condition. Dr. Hilal Khan, his clinical research fellow at the University of Aberdeen, he joins us on the program now. A very good morning to you, doctor, and thanks so much for joining us. Hi, you're great, thanks for having me today. I'm struggling to hear you, actually. I'm getting good volume. OK, can you hear me a little bit better now? Yeah, just, it's very faint, but I can just about hear you. OK, I'll try and speak as clearly as possible. So, talk to me about what you thought the most interesting and key findings of this investigation. Yeah, so this study was a study that we did in the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary to try and look at the sort of brain-heart connection that might exist in patients with tachycephalocardiomyopathy, because tachycephalocardiomyopathy is a condition that affects about 5,000 people in the UK alone every year. And those patients who do suffer from it have similar sort of poor outcomes that patients who've had a bona fide heart attack where they have a blocked coronary artery. And we felt that it was important to understand better this condition, because once you understand the condition, how it occurred, you can then target treatment and prevention measures to try and reduce, you know, to improve outcomes for patients. And so this is the reason why we did this study. And what we showed was that patients who had an episode of broken heart syndrome, they were more likely to have abnormalities in key areas of the brain that are responsible for regulating essentially the fight-and-flight response in people in response to strong emotions. And these abnormalities, for example, the areas of the brain that were particularly responsible are known from previous research to, you know, if those areas are not working properly. For example, in a stroke patient who had a stroke in that area, they're more likely to develop injury to the heart or, you know, elevations and blood enzymes that suggest some injury to the heart. And so, you know, for the first time we've demonstrated, I think a sort of a connection between these two areas. And I think hopefully, you know, taking research forward, you know, we hope to try to expand on this and sort of be able to produce some sort of meaningful results for patients that can translate into improvements in their outcomes and quality of life as well. Is this in the same space as, you know, the emotions that might trigger palpitations or an elevated heart rate if you're anxious? So, yeah, that's a good question. So, because there's a lot of misunderstanding about, you know, broken heart syndrome. Is there some other conception that is just a little bit of anxiety or stress that seems to, you know, that often it's kind of a bit, the person is just a bit of a stressful person. But I mean, the triggers tend to be, you know, tend to be a lot more severe in general. So it tends to be, you know, a third of patients who are, who do have an emotional trigger, they tend to present, you know, usually after a bereavement.  Although it can also be triggered by, you know, extremes of emotions. If someone was very happy, it could happen as well. Extremely happy. But generally speaking, it tends to be in, you know, in response to bereavement.   Yeah. So in relation to that then, so obviously lots of us go through extreme emotional stress, but not all of us get this syndrome. Okay. So is it that some of us are, are emotions are stronger or do the strong emotions that we might all experience trigger a fault in the brain or heart? Yeah. That's also a very, very good question because the, it's obviously a slightly different question to answer because not everyone gets it. So it only affects, you know, the 2% of all women who present to the hospital with a suspected heart attack end up having a, you know, a broken heart syndrome rather than one of these. The reason it occurs, like I said, it's a little bit unclear to us because we still need to do more work. And this is, you know, one of the reasons why we're trying to get, you know, and raise awareness because it's not well understood.  So it just, it might be that when, you know, they get started with adrenaline from the nerve endings and the heart, they, you know, the heart doesn't quite like it as well as maybe someone else. So maybe there's a small subset of patients with potentially, you know, we don't know, but we are currently doing work in genetic studies in tachycephalocardium, you know, you know, whether or not, you know, certain genetic markers could be associated with it. And, you know, it could be the people who might have a slightly different gene for a particular, you know, stress heart, you know, kind of a, kind of a adaptability marker in the heart that just doesn't allow them to adapt well to stress.  It could well be that patients with tachycephalocardium might have developed a sort of a brain, sort of, you know, maybe a maladaptive, you know, rewiring of the brain over the years, you know, and that might be what's leading to this as well. And in those that you analyzed, okay, do they have to show their heartbrokenness? Do they have to show it externally? In other words, can someone be heartbroken but deal with it internally and, you know, put on the brave face or what have you? Is there any difference between those that, you know, feel that they just can't cope with this loss versus those that think they're able to cope, that internally they're devastated, externally they seem fine? Yeah, obviously it's very hard to generally, I suppose to give a chair answer to that, but most patients, you know, in my experience who present with it, you know, they seem to be managing very well. There's no sort of a open, you know, it's not like these people are distraught.  But, you know, if there was a sort of person I think who was, you know, very distraught, we wouldn't get this higher, you know, for such an uncommon condition, we're able to recruit the patients we need. Yeah. Have you learned enough that if you were a GP now and, you know, one of your regulars was coming in and they suffered a, maybe they were pre-deceased or lost a long-term partner or even a pet and, you know, would you be at the point where you go, well, maybe we just keep an eye on maybe an ECG now and again, or I don't know how you might discover these kind of issues. Are you convinced enough now that you might give certain patients a bit of extra attention in this regard? So, I mean, obviously I would, I mean, I have a lot of research in it so I would definitely give an extra attention.  You know what I mean, though. Yeah. But, yeah, yeah, so essentially, so I think it's important to understand how these patients present as well to get an idea. So, you know, essentially these patients will present with the symptoms of a standard heart attack. So, and sometimes it looks like they're having a massive heart attack and some of these patients will go straight to the, you know, to the Andrew Graham lab and have a procedure done with the view of putting in a stent. Because everyone thinks this lady, you know, has a, usually has a blocked artery. And then we go down to open and to look in the artery. There's completely, in most cases, just completely normal. There's not even a bit of plaque there, you can see sometimes. And essentially, you know, that's how they present. And then, you know, because there's been, and then the heart, essentially, the heart, essentially gets, it tickens and fills up, gets sort of ballooned out, usually, because it fills with water that we think is due to inflammation. And then the heart also drops its function. So, you know, normally the heart is working, you know, and most people have above 55% sort of, you know, function-wise, we say. And then in these patients, they can drop down to kind of in the 30s or 40% quite low. At least sometimes the drop in function is even more severe than you do get with an after a heart attack. So, the genuine objective viable condition would real, you know, real quadruple changes in the heart. And even long term, you know, what they do is they, these patients will tend to recover in three months' time. What we tend to do is bring them back in three months and repeat scans and so on to see that they're, you know, everything is okay. In terms of, you know, long-term follow-up, you know, again, these patients do have the similar sort of long-term, you know, pattern as patients had a heart attack. Unfortunately, they don't have the treatments of a patient who had a heart attack, because we don't have any, you know, really proven, you know, good treatments that would be effective at sort of improving the outcome of these patients long-term. But, you know, I think it's obviously important to keep an eye on them, but in terms of, you know, screening and follow-up, unless they have more symptoms, you know, I mean, I wouldn't, I'd say if someone's complaining of chest pain, I'd definitely make sure you do an ECG or, you know, a tracing of the heart. And just two more brief questions. Do we know, I mean, I presume, I presume we're talking specifically about broken heart, so our focus is on that organ. Do we know if the same triggers or the signals from the brain affect any other organs of our function? So there is definitely work on other organs.    It's like the engine room, isn't it? Well, we think, you know, I think of cardiology doctor myself like sort of the heart, the engine room. But obviously, Sure, time for the hots out there. No offense to the brains. Yeah, yeah. But it's definitely, you know, it's definitely more about the central processing unit, you know, inputting stuff. It regulates everything between nerves causing, you know, causing, you know, increase in heart rates.  And that has a variety of effects. Anyone, I think anyone who suffers with anxiety or white coat syndrome or it's astonishing the relationship between the brain and the heart and all other elements of the body. The brain, I know you're a heart man, but the brain is what it can actually do is it's wonderful and it's scary all at the same time. Very final, my very final question for you. So there are people, and I think lots of us will feel that someone close to us or someone we know genuinely died of a broken heart and people can be quite cynical about that and go, yeah, right, well, I'm sure. It is a thing. It can actually, it is a thing. And I think that's been proven, but now we need to just do more analysis of it and you're going to come in from, of course, from a very clinical approach, but it does happen. Yeah, 100% it definitely happened. And that's something that people need to be aware of. It definitely does happen. And it's not something to dismiss, obviously. It's always hard to know, unless for me, just to make a call about anything until you have the clinical information, but definitely we've had patients who haven't survived the broken heart syndrome. So it's something that sometimes what happens very quickly is quite clear to me how it could cause someone to pass away, so unfortunately. So, and that's why we need to do more research, increase awareness of people who are more aware of it. It's not one of these things that gets dismissed. All right, thank you very much for your time, Dr. I really appreciate you working through this and issues with us as well. That's Dr. Hilal Karn, he's clinical research fellow at the University of Aberdeen. What do you think about that? I think it's confirmed what a lot of people feel they all already knew. I'm a disabled man, a waiting replacement, appointment at Kinsbridge Belfast, waiting six years. I have to go to the matter of private Dublin three days earlier, been waiting on results from a letter of Kennedy since early 2019. Sounds good, going private, my worry is how will I afford the petrol to make them trips it's a nightmare and we are getting into that space now. From Facebook listening to people talking every morning on the 9 till noon show about the services available in the 26 counties, Greg, would you want to become part of it? You were living in the six counties, transport services awful, hospitals are in a mess and staff are leaving for a better life toward the parts of the world. Look at the micro problem and how that's been handled. Young people once educated have to emigrate to earn a living. The country is in a real mess because the government is a joke and they don't care for the ordinary man. A couple more before a break on our next guest, I totally agree with Paddy, top management get the blame for so much, yet they are only caretakers and all decisions take place in Galway. Well, you see, you have to understand that we, I'm gonna say we, I don't mean me or Highland, I'm on about us as a population, work with the information we have, don't we? Someone could come out like Paddy did there and explain. I thought it was quite interesting to hear from Peter and Paddy, not everyone will be convinced with what they have to say, they would say, well, you were part of the setup, you would say that, wouldn't you? I get that, some people are gonna feel that way. But you know, to give us an insight into who makes the decisions, how those decisions are made, I've got to the point now, any issue we're talking about, let's get to the root cause of the problem and work our way from there. So I think it's just interesting to get that information. Maybe more people could speak out, but they're hamstrung in doing so within that organization. Greg is the old saying goes, too many chiefs. Another would Peter have put his name forward in the general election and fight for the hospital? I don't know. I think there's a space going at the moment. I'm not sure what Peter or indeed maybe Paddy's political affiliations are, if any. But I would say there might be a few parties interested in perhaps, if not Peter, Paddy Rooney could have a golden. He seems to be politically, he doesn't seem to be, we know he is politically stewed. He's got an insight track and quite a lot of things. And as I say, there's vacancies there. Could Paddy Rooney be a future general election candidate? I don't know. I've heard nothing in that regard, by the way. It was just as that listener said, Mr. O'Rourke, what about Deputy Paddy Rooney? Could that be a thing? As I said, I don't know what is, if any political affiliation he might have. I've been trying to renew my license. I can't seem to get through to the office over the phone to get it sorted. I've tried to call every day for the last few days. Has anyone else had any luck? Let us know. I'll wait six to 25,000. Well, we already got an answer for you, but you can add to this. Appointments can be made via the website for license renewal. It's a step-by-step process and it will take your details there. So get on the website, but what if you don't have access to the web?  You might want to do that. A camper van has put a big bag of rubbish into my bin. My bin is being charged by weight. It's the first time it's happened. People usually do stop in the area to take pictures, but this is too much. It's just too much. It's cheeky, isn't it? I would agree. The Marlin Park Hospital in Galway has just reopened after having to have its roof replaced. It's got a new orthopedic services there. This will be all ortho cases sent to Galway. That's what that one person believes. Here's another case of the decision-makers either forgetting or more likely not caring about how far Donegal is from civilization. Yeah, indeed. Another, the government tell us no money for hospitals, no money for schools, no money for pay rises. So where's the money coming from to fund the war? I don't think we're funding the war, but I take your point. Last week, I was in Galway for an 11 a.m. appointment. I left Donegal early to get there. When I arrived, I was told my appointment was canceled. A very nice receptionist said, I appreciate you've come a long way. Let me see what I can do. I got to see the doctor who told me there were only two doctors seeing 62 patients that day. The next day when I got home, the cancellation letter came in the post, right? Okay, so there's a couple of things going on there. Obviously the cancellation, why not send text or call? Secondly, fair play to that receptionist for pulling you through a few strings, but you manage to make the system what seems to be a broken system work there. Well, every day there are complaints about the hospital if any other business is going that bad and in that amount of difficulty, et cetera, then you look to the top table for their heads. Another end privatization, it's ruining our health service, put all our public money into our public hospitals, stop starving our public hospitals to feed the privateers and so on and so on. Dozens and dozens and dozens more comments, keep them coming into us, we really appreciate it. Okay, we're going to be back with our next guest in just over two minutes. Mm, the strawberries and cream frappe and Belgian milk chocolate frappe have arrived at McDonald's. Enjoy the taste of summer with the McCafe ice-trange. Strawberries and cream until the 26th of July contain strawberry flavoring only. Belgian milk chocolate until the 6th of September, not available on delivery. Participating restaurants only, subject to availability. Join Derrick Ryan in the Abbey Hotel, Donegal this Friday 10th of June for an out of dancing with special guest, Johnny Brady and his band, Pay at the Door. That's Derrick Ryan in the Abbey Hotel, Donegal this Friday 10th of June. On this week's business matters, I'll be talking to hearing aid audiologist and owner of Donegal Hearing Clinic, Sabrina Robb. I'll also be speaking to Donegal ETBs, Further Education and Training Services course recruitment advisor, Tara McGuire, about the latest course offerings. So join me, Keir Newdarno, for Business Matters on Sunday evening, after the 6 o'clock news. The Business Matters podcast is also available to download at heilvideo.com. Business Matters in association with the Faculty of Business at ATU Donegal. The part-time level eight honours degree in business is delivered through a mix of online and face-to-face lectures. Email execedbusinessatlyit.ie. That's E-X-E-C-E-D business at lyit.ie or call 911-86206. Treat your garden to a makeover at GMG Stone Letter Kenny. We offer great value on decorative stone, garden paving, slabs and artificial grass. All tailored to your needs with home delivery available. We also supply railway sleepers, whiskey barrels and place sand, all available for pickup or delivery. Open Monday to Saturday from 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. You will find us beside Donahue Motor Homes on the Port Road for an appointment call<PHONE_NUMBER>. GMG Stone, just what your garden needs. The Ineshawn Vintage Club will host the IVS All Ireland Rally, a family fun day not to be missed with hundreds of vintage cars and tractors on display. There's lawnmower racing, a fun fair, children's sports day, fashion show, trade stands and lots more. At Carrick Field Mobile Sunday 12th of June, the biggest show in town. Northwest Regional College has launched its exciting range of part-time courses starting this September and enrolments are now open. Whether it's a new skill or a new career direction, there's something on offer for everyone. For course details that are Dairy London Dairy, Limavari or Straban campuses, visit nwrc.ac.uk slash part-time and remember enrolments are now open. Refresh your future with a part-time course at Northwest Regional College. OK, you're very welcome back to the 9. Call Noon show here on Highland Radio. We welcome on to the programme of Councillor Neve Kennedy. Councillor Kennedy, apologies for holding you there. Just to be honest with you, I didn't realise you were there for a couple of minutes, so thanks for your time. No problem at all, Greg. How are you and everybody? I'm good. We are all doing OK. Right, OK. You are expressing shock and anger that not more is being done with our vacant and derelict buildings in towns and villages to address the current accommodation crisis impacting this county. And, you know, I take on what you're saying because we've been talking about this forever in new initiatives, new schemes, websites where you can report this, that and then and nothing ever seems to come of it. Absolutely. And it's just becoming a crisis point. I think we've realised it's been a crisis for quite a while with the housing issue and now to realise the amount of people who are looking for homes that can't get them. Younger people, young families, people with mica crisis, people that are just genuinely looking to get, even to get to work, that they can't get accommodation near where their work is. It's gone crazy and we need to do something and tackle it. But we're passing by empty buildings on streets and town centres and in villages all over the county. Do we have the tools to address this, though, Neve? I mean, are the tools there and we're not using them? Because, you know, there's... I mean, the... I think the process of actually taking over these buildings is so complex that maybe that's one of the reasons we don't go near it. It absolutely is. And in fairness, a lot of people who've maybe got older, they've closed the shops down, they're not living on the streets anymore. And these buildings get deteriorated to an extent whereby it's going to cost them far too much money to do them up again. So there needs to be initiatives and incentives for people to get them done and for the local authorities to take this on and to tackle it head-on. Because I know, and we all know, there is a massive crisis and by this winter it's going to get an awful lot worse. I think as local representatives, we're getting calls daily. Multiple calls from people who just don't have housing anymore or they're getting letters from the landlords to say that they're selling their houses because the cost of the houses has gone through the roof and they want to get out now and get their money and run. And the cost of rental has gone through the roof as well, which we've seen even really like 800, 900 a month, you know, for a small two-bed apartment. It's just unsustainable the way things are going. So we do need to tackle it. There are a couple of things that we do need to do. We need to utilize that repair and leasing scheme and get it up and running properly. I know that the local authorities now have been given, they're allowed now to hire full-time team of vacant and derelict officers throughout the counties. So that's come from the housing for all initiative as well. So hopefully, you know, we'll get that up and running soon. We had a workshop there just during the week there this week and we had this discussion. It started out on the county development plan and it took over by the housing and the lack of really and truly. It's obviously number one priority in the county and we need to address it really head on. And no disrespect to you, sorry, and I appreciate you making the calls but I've done this so often at this point, Neil. I just don't really see us ever doing this for a myriad of reasons, most of which I probably don't know.  We need this team together, we really do. And we're calling for a team in each MD in the county because each councillor and each community knows, you know, who owns what, what's vacant, what needs to be done, and you know, get help and assistance for this, not have red tape thrown in our way. We know we can do this, we genuinely can. But I think there needs to be a will and a drive and a good old push because if there's money there for housing, we need to get out, we need to get in there and get these houses reutilised again and revitalised and repurposed for people to live in because otherwise I can see some mobile homes, you know. Yeah, indeed. All right, listen, thanks, Neve. I appreciate your time this morning. That's councillor Neve Kennedy, 08, 660, 25,000, the WhatsApp number. Michael Murphy, Sports and Leisure is everything you need for getting fit in 2022. From training gear to resistance bands, skipping ropes, weights and foam rollers, we have all the essentials to see you through every step of your fitness journey from training to recovery. Shop our range of gymwear, equipment and accessories at MichaelMurphySports.ie. Prep for your best, you, this summer with Clarence and Michael Hennies. Choose three deluxe-sized complementary beauty traits with the purchase of two or more Clarence products, one to be a moisturiser or serum, plus take home two make-up must-haves with a third purchase, available at Michael Hennies in-store or online until June 25th. Welcome back to Check Out Loin, where the new Lidl Beef campaign is causing a bit of a stir. You were saying that, cheese? Well, bread, beef says he's got all these blasts in here in awards. She was all won awards, like. It's not neat to go on about this. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Strawberry. He says he's quite fresh, like, but I'm a Lidl strawberry, like, come on. Eh, Tornup, what did you have to say?  Other than that, I'm going to win the award, and I don't need any air in an hour and a man in. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm joking me. He did what? Everyone loves Lidl beef. Well, almost everyone. Lidl, more for you. Cannon furniture in Milford now stock and supply a full range of mobility aids. Everything from mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs to walking mobility aids and lift and rise chairs with delivery across the Northwest and a full back-up service. Visit the open days this Friday the 10th and Saturday the 11th and see the great choice available. That's all at Cannon Furniture Milford, just 500 meters from Lidl on the Kerry Keele Road. See Facebook or call 911-535-79. All ready for next year? Why not make sure of it with Seat? Trade up to a 221 Seat SUV and you'll be offered PCP finance from 1.9% and a three-year service plan for just 9.99 a month with the bold new Arona, the stylish new Ateca or the outstanding seven-seater Turaco, we're all ready. Are you? Trade up to your 221 Seat SUV at DMG Motors, Claude Rd, Dunnegold Town. Finance provided by way of her purchase agreement from Volkswagen Financial Services Ireland trading a Seat financial services subject to lending criteria. Terms and conditions apply. Visit seat.ai slash 221 for further information. It's the Any Show and Vintage Show Friday 10th of June at Carrickfield, Movil. There's Matthew Cramsey followed by Barry Kerwin's Matrimony Band. Doors open at 8 p.m. with a light bar. This ad is sponsored by Hanon Green. For all your insurance needs, we have you covered. OK, you're very welcome back to the 9.99 show here on Highland Radio. We welcome into studio now our next guest, and that is Finley Thompson, a student at Ross's Community School. Finley, thank you very much for joining us. Good to have you in with us. Thank you very much, Greg, for having me on. Good morning to all your listeners. No, it's good, and I think it's an important topic you've been looking at. So talk to us about it. What were you examining? Public transport in rural Ireland, really. So down in the Shannad, I suppose, we were down there last Friday, where some of the first young people to be included in it. I suppose a talk, a proper talk, it was sitting. It was a session with you up. Were you part of that? I was a part of it. Did you feel hurt at that, by the way? Sorry, before we start talking about that, did you feel hurt at it? Definitely, I think that was one of our concerns that we were maybe patronised, because there was a debate, and you know, but they took our view seriously, they didn't patronise us, they listened to us. I suppose that was the main thing that we were hoping for, and we achieved that. But we're also hoping for more things, to be included further, and not just us, but other young people, because we are in the minority in the government as young people, and I suppose we have some great views that we would love to share on that, and yeah. All right, so you were speaking in the Shannad as part of a delegation from Froyga, which is a great organisation, and was the general tone of the conversation the climate crisis, and was your particular focus on, you know, alternatives to cars and what have you? Talk to me about what point you wanted to get across. So everyone had their own, I suppose, their issue, their topic, some people talked about sustainability, some people talked about circular economy, my one was real transport, being a dunnegull man, I thought that's my topic, that's the topic for me. I suppose my way I approached the speech was highlighting issues, but also giving alternatives to the issues, like I talked a wee bit about hydrogen cars. I knew the lack of real transport in dunnegull, I know I mentioned about dunnegulls, it was effectively in the Stone Age, and during the transport, I suppose those are problems I see as a young person, and I suppose even, you know, we're not experts on our topics, we haven't got college trees in them, and we very openly admit that, and we're learning all the time, and it all kind of started with a script called The Collective, and that's this young people, and that's why we've kind of filtered from there now to the Shannad, and I suppose we're talking about these topics and that, and we're learning all the time, but we're sharing our unique youth opinion on that. All right, so what is our realistic expectations definitely in your opinion?  So really, from our perspective, do we have to start thinking about, do you, if you're, I don't know, what's the nearest big town to Bel Critch, would you say? Dunnello, so it's about, there's females from Dunnello.  We have local link actually, I hear an awful lot of good things about it, all right? But like, what can our expectations actually be? So what brings us out of the Stone Age? Without us having to say, well, I can't expect to have a bus come to my door if I live, you know, six miles up a country road from Kilibag's. Well, I think maybe the main thing about it is the pedestrianization. You know, being able to give people alternatives, you're right, you can't have a bus come past every door. Things like the local link, absolutely love them. I use them all the time myself on that. But you know, I'm three miles from Dunnello, so I mean, to have to get from my house to Dunnello. So I was talking about a set of TDA about this, and she said, you know, this is one of the problems that the local links are facing, they're a great service, but getting people to the point of the destination on that is a great problem. So I think the pedestrianization already, you know, at the moment, we're from Lecture Mac Award to Glenties, and we're hoping kind of from Dunnello all the way to Glenties, you will have a cycle path. And that would be an absolute great resource and encourage people, not just from the tourist point of view, but also I suppose from anybody, being able to cycle, you know, looking at all tier motives and that, because Dunnello could be a great template for other counties. You were on the Stone Age at the moment, but we don't have to be stuck on the Stone Age. We can quite easily come out of there and I suppose, you know, show people this is how it can be done and showed to other counties. And this is the just transition conversation, isn't it?  And you have to actually give us realistic options to get there. Yeah, exactly. No, a hundred percent it's, I suppose we have, you know, as Dunnello, we're a very rural county and especially a hundred years ago, you know, my grandfather at 91, a hundred years he had a better chance of catching a train than I do of today. So we've kind of gone in the reverse in terms of our public transport. And that's one thing we push for was maybe the possibility of trains in Dunnello again because we have a lot of little routes still available and that. So I suppose we're just this development and trying to, you know, push things along in that and give people the options, you know? I think too, and a lot of people go, and I'm a perfect example, I could not use an electric bike to go on to and from work, but you've given a perfect example there. I've got people in my own family that it's the same situation we're talking about at distance. I just think if electric bikes were more available, more affordable, you know, and we had some, I think they'd almost be as important in Dunnello as the electric car for these types of journeys that we're talking about, especially if they were a safe place to store them. Do you know what I mean? In park and ride or pick up drop-off points. I know we can't do that here, but you know, people say, well, how can I cover that five kilometers or that four or three kilometers? And it's like, it's not safe to do so. Push bike, you know, it's not for everyone. Walking, it can be difficult. I just think e-bikes, if they were properly subsidized, I would love to see what the level of take-up would be. I think there'd be tons of them in this county alone, but they're just too bloody expensive. Well, exactly. I think money is our biggest problem of the country. Do you think there's something to that? There's definitely something to that. And I talked about maybe the possibility of proper storage within local link and bus stations, you know, of storm bikes, because I know myself in my own school, nobody recycles school and that, and you know, in national schools and that. It's a dying, I suppose, thing where people cycle to it. And the encouragement of that, I suppose, where people, I suppose people try and cycle as you say, e-bikes and that. And the big thing is the charging. And I talked about that with electric cars and rural settings with electric cars, very hard to charge them. There's this big, like Audra has no charger. Exactly. I mean, you know, on the wild Atlantic way. Yeah, exactly. So there are a huge problem with them. So we, as we were always looking for alternatives and trying to, you know, I suppose trying to get to where we want to be, but maybe not the same route as every other county, like Dublin, you know. I mean, when you see the targets that have been set in and how far we are away from them. And the fact that we can't pretend that we're not one third of the way almost through this decade and the ambitions for 2030. Do you believe we have the ability to get where we need to be? I think we do. Yeah. It'll definitely take a bit of work, you know, and I'm very hopeful because talks like us going down to the Shanadats, those are important steps, you know, letting young people in there, as I say, a problem shared is a problem after. You know, you can underestimate that, where, you know, you're letting young people and also not just young people, but other people, you know, give their opinions on these problems. I think we can't solve these problems but it will take a bit of work. How much, how important, sorry, generally speaking, do you think the issue of climate is amongst people of your age group? I mean, in any cohort, you're always going to have very active people that will put themselves out there and care more about things than others might. But I just wonder across the board as much as you can determine, Finley, do you think a lot of young people see that we are in a climate crisis? I don't think so. I suppose I will admit myself that, you know, I suppose two years ago, before I joined Cripp's like the Collective and Froyga, I wasn't very interested in climate, I wasn't very interested in the youth advocacy and that. You'll be more worried about the immediate things in life, don't you? Well, exactly. You're worried about when's the next pulse going to be on us more than the climate, but when you start to peel back the problems, and this comes back to the climate education.  People think that's brainwashing, you know? I mean, there are people who organize themselves actively to say, you're trying to brainwash our young people into a certain narrative. You know, there is still that conversation there that people still believe that this is just being driven by big business or whatever it might be, and that it's not a thing. Yeah, well, I suppose, I don't know, I suppose at this stage, I think we can't deny that it is a thing.  No, go ahead, you take a drink of water. You need your fuel too? Well, exactly.   We live in a very fast-paced way of life at the moment. I think we're gonna have to slow down a bit, reevaluate what's important to us humans as a nation in Ireland, but also the world. Yeah, so what if they say, well, listen, we're a tiny little country, the impact we have, it's got no impact in the wider scale of things, and of course, they're gonna mention China, and look what's happening over there. Ironically, per head of population, China's actually doing better than us, they're just an awful lot of people in China. What do you say to the argument like that there, is it, why should we make all the sacrifices, you know, before the big countries do? I would definitely say that, you know, by everyone doing a wee bit, it leads to a big action, it leads to big results, you know, if everyone is doing their own wee bit, then it'll add up, that little amount add up, you can't underestimate that, you know, that everyone, if everyone takes the view, well, I don't need to do anything, because if I don't do anything, then somebody else do it for me, and then everyone takes that opinion, then nothing gets done. Well, that's kind of really, yeah, the turn of the question. Right, so what's next for you, Finlay, and not you personally, but in sort of this, you know, as we're up at, we don't, I presume we don't want this to be a one shot deal, you know, you're up at the Shannon, they were nodding and going on like, it's great to hear young people, and it's great for us to be speaking to you, and not at, you know, all the usual stuff. So what has to happen next to make sure that this just wasn't a nice trip away to Dublin? I would say, definitely, including bringing us back, and I suppose opening out the circle of the people you're including, you know, minority groups, people as affects, because young people are a minority group, because an affects us in a particular way, can affect other groups in a particular way, bring, I suppose, just this constant consultation, keep pushing, Coyla Martelli, he's a very good, you know, a very new generation, I feel, you know, very open to new suggestions and ideas. The fact that young people in the Shannon, that's a very new idea, and I suppose that's a scary thought to some, I assume some politicians on that, but I suppose just, you know, bringing us back, and I suppose being open, by having an open conversation, letting young people speak, I suppose young people have so much to say, we need to give them the platform to openly participate in our government and express their opinions. Does this extend to allowing 16, 17 year olds to vote? Because maybe then all of a sudden, their voices and their opinions takes on a new weight. Well, exactly. One of my very good friends from, who also was part of this consultation, may aware, she says, if you get 16 year olds to vote, then all of a sudden, you have politicians having come into schools to educate young people. You know, it's not just you're trying to, you know, get the older people to, I suppose trying to tell them, you know, we're doing this and this, why you should vote for us, you can have to include it in the education system, you're gonna have to tell, well, why should I vote for you and that? And I suppose, yeah, there definitely is that argument that bringing down the voting age could be a quite important thing, and it's very much changed the political landscape. It might be a game changer, personally speaking. It could very much change the whole way, and in terms of solving the problem, it could definitely, I suppose, help solve, push things along, speed it up, because time is our biggest, I suppose our biggest enemy at the moment, you know, as you say, we're only one-third away, we're through this decade, so I suppose we're trying to push things along as fast as possible and that. Very finely, you're also heading out to the council of Europe, what's the purpose of that?  Well, exactly, but that's... Are you all setting it? Well, that's the thing that we talked about when I flew down to Dublin and that, that I suppose we want alternative motives, but going to the council of Europe was part of, I suppose, youth participation within the council and that, and they're very, very pro, and they're very good and very open with trying to bring people, young people into, I suppose, how European politics work and that, this is, I suppose, a bit more of a, showing us the council in person, because all of it's obviously been over Zoom, at the moment, so I suppose it's, and there's three of us going myself, Orno, Brian and Mae Ware, and our two leaders, Sandra McIntyre, and we're going to meet with Senator Joe Riley, who's been a great advocate for us, and that's, and a great, I suppose, somebody who's really pushed us on and tried to get incorporated within the council and that. Yeah, all right, that's some brilliant stuff. Thanks for your time. Thank you very much, Joe. And well done. It's been good having you in. That's Finley Thompson, a student at the Rosses Community School from Bel Crick. We appreciate your time this morning. Okay, it's time for us to take a break. We will be right back. What are you doing this June 11th? Love to dance. In a band. Like to act. Love to drop. Want to get juggling. Whether you want to run away with the circus or explore your hidden talents. Come out and play at this June 11th for Cringing and Oak, a national day of creativity for big and little kids. Go to creativearland.gov.ie to find out more. Cringing and Oak. Supported by RTE. Bassarin are recruiting professional bus drivers nationwide for seasonal work commencing April 2022. All you need is a full category D license, digital taco and CPC. Root and fleet training will be provided. For further information and to apply online, go to Bassarin.ie forward slash jobs. McDade, bathroom, plumbing and tiles serving the Northwest for over 40 years. Explore our showroom with more than 40 displays. Choose from an array of shower doors, shower trays, baths and bathroom accessories. Speak with an expert about tile selection and wall paneling. We also stock an array of plumbing, heating and stove spare parts as well as a great selection of kitchen mixers and radiators at our trade counter. Our stove department is also available for you to choose a style that suits your needs and complements your home. McDade's, bathroom, plumbing, tiles, bunk runner, we're here for you. The Saturday stretch week six is here. Every Saturday throughout June, visit Oakville Park Refo from 12 noon until late. This week there's high-heeled converse, live in the stretch tent with later running trains, food specials and buffers restaurant, craft beers and wines and live music after six from different acts each week. It's a perfect family day out. Normal gate fees apply, no booking required. Season pass and go pass holders enter free. That's the Saturday stretch at Oakville Park. Would you like to further your education without the need to attend on campus? Atlantic Technological University, Sligo are now making education accessible through the Higher Education for All initiative. Study a full-time degree and attend live online classes in an inclusive learning environment. If you need to stay at home due to caring commitments, a disability or financial circumstances, then Higher Education for All at ATU Sligo can help you take the next step. Visit atu.ie slash Higher Education for All. There's something for every kind of dad at Lidl this week. Whether it's our incredible electric hedge trimmer for only $69.99 or our fabulous cordless beard and hair trimmer at only $16.99, it'll be bang on for somebody. So whether he's really into gardening or just really into himself, we've got Father's Day covered. Lidl, more for you. We detail what the new actions will be and how your farm can gain priority entry. Hill farmers say they won't allow land sterilization through designations. And in labor-saving tips, we look at portable water troughs. This week's Irish Farmers' Journal with all you need to know on the new rep scheme. You cannot afford to miss it. Now when you're 99 and choose from any of the Pringles' 165 gram range, now three for five euro. It can't stop you going back for seconds though. Nothing's that powerful. Lower the cost of your shop with your Tesco Club Card or app that power to lower prices. Tesco, every little helps. Product subject to availability excludes Express Doors. Irish Sun doesn't really count, right? Look, we all deserve a bit of Sun. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland. So whether you're at home or abroad, protect your skin by following these sun smart steps. Slip into long loose clothes, slap on the sunscreen, slap on a sun hat, seek shade. Yeah, even on the cloudy days. Oh, and slide on the sunglasses. I do have very funky sunglasses. And I do love this hat. Be sun smart from the HSE and Healthy Ireland. It's one of the biggest and best bed and mattress showrooms in the Northwest and has fantastic open and offers now in store. ResTechs is the most trusted name in beds and mattresses in the Northwest. Why don't you call in and get the bed of your dreams at ResTechs Bed Mount and Top Letter Kenny. On the 17th of June, we have the all new Nissan Aria in the showroom for one day only. Make sure to call in and see what you've been waiting for for all these years. The ultimate electric car to enter the market now taking orders at iMotors Letter Kenny and Mallon. Good morning to you this Friday morning. It is the nine till noon show. Come up shortly. Mike Glenn-Fernulle join us in studio. But it's 11 o'clock, so let's get a news update and say good morning now to Donald Kavanaugh. Thank you, Greg. Good morning. A former orthopedic surgeon at Letter Kenny University Hospital says the more that surgical services are contracted out to private hospitals, the more of a risk there is that the hospital will be downgraded. Peter O'Rourke says the more surgical services are scaled back, the more of a threat there is to the hospital's future. Speaking to Greg on the nine till noon show today, Peter O'Rourke said he fears the situation may be very different in 25 to 30 years from now. The COVID-19 testing centre at the Cleary centre in Donegal Town is to close. The centre opened on September 27th, 2020. Since then, it's carried out over 33,000 swabs. It'll cease testing on this day week, June 17th. The HSC says as COVID moves from pandemic to endemic status, that means the community testing service nationally will reduce in a gradual and controlled manner. A former deputy manager of Letter Kenny University Hospital believes the decision to remove the angiogram service from the hospital was taken to casualties. Speaking today on the nine till noon show, Paddy Rooney said he believes the decision to remove the service had already been made, but public outcry forced a U-turn. He said it was extraordinary that the decision to remove the angiogram service from Letter Kenny was taken, it seems, without consideration of the overall impact. The mother of Danielle McLaughlin, who was killed in Goa five years ago, says she's hopeful of a quick conclusion of the trial of the man accused of her rape and murder. It follows a high-level meeting in India between Goa's chief minister and two high-level diplomats from Ireland and Britain. Danielle had been travelling on a British passport at the time. The social democrats are calling on government to introduce a mini-budget following the publication of CSO figures, which show inflation at a 38-year high, the party says. The historic inflation rate, coupled with the announcement that interest rates are on the way up in the coming weeks, will compound the financial difficulties already faced by many families. Meanwhile, the St. Vincent de Paul organisation is reporting a 20% increase in requests for help this year. The society's Dunne Gold president, Rosa Glacken, says she expects the cost of living crisis to worsen in the autumn, and that will lead to more calls for help. And the last career look of the Glenty's municipal district says he will not support a new county development plan if it doesn't facilitate the building of houses with entrances out onto the N56. At present, planning for such developments is being refused on safety grounds, but independent Michael McLevry says in many cases, these applications are from people who already live alongside the N56 and have cars, so it doesn't necessarily mean an increase in traffic coming onto the main road. He says he and other members are seeking an urgent meeting with Transport Infrastructure Ireland. And we're back with news headlines again at 12 noon. Thank you very much indeed. Donal will be back with Michael and Finula, at least Michael anyway, after these. OK, you're very welcome back to the 9 till noon show here in Highland Radio. It is Friday again, so we are joined in studio now by Michael and Finula. Before I say good morning to them, Philamy, who's a regular viewer of the programme, watches Daily from Marlon Head apparently today, and it's coming from him, who's also a reliable source. He's marrying the love of his life, Audrey Doherty. So congratulations to you too. Have a wonderful day. Orin McLaughlin in Elise Boncranor, 21 tomorrow. Happy birthday to you. This coming in from Granny and Grandad McLaughlin in Grandshire, Boncranor. Please play a request for our daughter, Ellis McGonagall. Moreau Donfana, who's getting married to Joe Duggan at Holy Cross Church Donfana. He wishing them both the very best. From Mum and Dad, thank you. Yes, that's Eilish, is it? Eilish. Okay. That's what I did. Okay. Can you play Bruno's Mars, MRU, for Eilish McGonagall and Joe Duggan get married today in Donfana. He loves you from your pages, Page Boys, Danny, Jack and Patrick. We're not just going to get to that today, but someone will play it for you later and have a wonderful day. Please, all of you. Right, okay. Michael, Eddie, good morning to you. Good morning. Great to have you with us. Great to be here. Finula Rabbit. Great to have you with us as well. Thank you. Right, okay. Top Gun. Both of you have been to see this. Yes. Top Gun, the sequel. Yes. Maverick. Yes. Okay, I watched in preparation of possibly going to see this, the original Top Gun, a couple of days ago. You had seen it though when it came out. I don't believe I had. Dear God. I don't believe I had. How am I surrounded by Top Gun virgins? I don't know. Well, listen, it was a long time ago. Did you enjoy it? No. No. I've just watched it recently. I've never seen it. I would never watch it again. I loved it. Yeah. I've watched it again. Okay. I'd be afraid of it. What did you love about it? I loved it. The original one I was talking about Top Gun 1. Yes. My memories of it are that it was very kind of romantic. As in you had the whole Kelly McGillis and himself and that kind of thing and the singing and all that and the pub. Then it was very sad and tragic and then it just, it had everything and it had like, you know, at that time, when was that? 1987 or 1988 or something like that when it came out. They also had all these guys out playing volleyball with their shirts off which for us, young teenage girls were very excited.  Oh yeah. It was all very kind of exciting and macho and that kind of thing. Yeah. And everybody was just really perfect and handsome in it and it was just one of those kind of movies. I told you it was only the first time you ever saw like French kissing on the cinema. It was like unbelievable. Playing a bit of Berlin in the background and it starts about 50 times. They open in bars a bit. Yeah. But never gets as far as to the... Yeah. Until... Well into it. As does this movie. This movie starts with Berlin. Okay. But they probably thought the Danger Zone song was the song of the film. Yes, that's the one it was with. But maybe then the Berlin one became more synonymous with the film. Well, it just kind of comes together and it's actually, the Danger Zone is what starts off and then the Berlin one works out in the ding. It was very of its time. I think the first top gun. But people are very, very defensive of it. Very defensive of it. Oh, I found. I found, he said, looking across the movie. I'm not sure whether to speak to you first. Michael, in the context of it just being a standalone watch in the film for the first time. Or Fanoula with the natural sort of what it does to her memory. So let's presume most people watch the first one. Yes. Okay, so we'll start with you. Fanoula. Well, I went into this there because I mean, possibly, I've seen the first one a second time, maybe if it was on TV or something like that. But