If you're pregnant, it's time to boost your protection from COVID-19. Protection from previous vaccines or from COVID-19 infection decreases over time. Your next vaccine will help protect you and your baby from serious illness in the months ahead. For information or to book an appointment at a HSC vaccination center, visit hsc.ie. Call our team in HSC live on 1800 700 700 or contact a participating GP or pharmacy from the HSC for us all. With all the stories that matter across the Northwest, it's Greg Hughes on the 9 to noon show on Highland Radio. Okay, you're very welcome back to the second hour of the program and good morning. If you are just switching your radio on, we are broadcasting live today from Malin Head. As we head towards the end of the summer, we're going to be talking about this part of the world in a bit more detail. After 11 o'clock, we have a number of guests joining us. We're going to discuss what we're doing right, what we could do better, and it's not just about Malin Head, of course. It's about many of our natural amenities that we have. People arriving here in foreign registered vehicles have traveled great distances, just within Donegola, within Ireland, but within Europe to come and wonder here and take in these most amazing views. And they are absolutely stunning views. It's a nice clear day here. And we'll be talking more about that a little later on in the program. Of course, in this hour, we're going to be talking about someone or someone's going around and obscuring or marking out English language on our road signs. It's happening right across the county, it seems. Why is it happening? What would it achieve? I don't know, but we're going to be discussing that. And also, we're going to be reflecting on the life of Michael Collins. It's 100 years since his death. Dr. Joe Kelly, a historian, will be joining us to discuss that. That and so much more besides. But let's take a quick break to get the bingo numbers, and we'll be joined by our next guest. It's time for NCBI Bingo on Highland Radio. It's Monday the 22nd of August. You're playing on the green sheet. The reference number is S6, it's game number 34. The numbers are... And finally, 63. Phone your claim to 9104833 before 8 tonight. Leaving your name, contact number and the name of the shop where you purchased your book.  Get all your NCBI Bingo information at HighlandRadio.com. Distance seeing Ireland's best sights. We don't really need your car's story. With a Skoda service, you get a complete vehicle health check, genuine Skoda parts and free roadside assistance for 12 months. Your local Skoda dealer is DMG Motors, Clairod Donegal Town. Telephone 074 97 21 396 or visit dmgmotors.ie At AIB, we know how difficult finding the right home can be. The patience, resilience and belief you hold onto at every house viewing. 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But this time we're talking in the context of what's popping up around the county seemingly and that is our road signs that are bilingual. The English for the most part that I've seen so far in the prominent position above it, the Irish. Someone is going around putting red marks through the English version of our place names. I don't know if it's a publicity stunt or something, you know, that has more meaning than that. It's got us talking about it again. What's your take on what's going on? I think that if somebody is trying to start a conversation about the importance of place names, maybe this isn't the best way to do it in all honesty. Now, I understand the frustration like Irish place names are so important and beautiful and meaningful.  So I do understand the frustration that we're so reliant on English names for places. But I think the important thing here and the important thing that we try to do in Lane Relature County is open the door and invite people in to have a conversation. And I think that's what's really vital. And I think if you're defacing road signs or spraying out the English, there's a very strong possibility that all you're going to do is wind people up. So I don't think it invites people into the conversation. I think there are better ways of doing it. But I do think we need to look at how we're using Irish, what prominence Irish has, and what we lose when we lose our connection to the history and the heritage and the folklore and the stories behind the names of the places surrounding us. It's a really important conversation, but we need to engage in that in a much more positive way. Indeed. But maybe you're talking about inviting people in through the door. Invite Donegal County Council in through the door or the National Roads Authority, the TII, whomever is in charge of these signs. Maybe those that are doing it feel they've exhausted all avenues to try and get their point across. And it is now really over to the powers that may even have the Irish version, the version in a prominent position with the English version above it. I don't know, but maybe they feel the time for talking is over. That may well be the case. That may well be the case. And I would certainly want to see the Irish version, the original Irish names of all these places taking priority and that the English version of it outside of the Delta Terriers. And in the Delta, it should only be Irish. Well, talk a little bit about that because that's not the case. Well, I mean, according to the the official languages act, it should simply be Irish in the guilt because the guilt is first and foremost an Irish speaking area.  So why would you do it in the guilt? You know, we need to have a much deeper sense of respect for the language and be prepared to it. Well, if I'm going to, you know, if I'm going to Dunlowe, well, maybe I specifically look for and plough and Leah on the signage. But if the truth be told, no one's using the signs. I mean, everyone has their phone on. If they don't know where they're going, they're using Google Maps or some equivalent. You know, I don't think anyone's driving around now using signposts to get anywhere. So now more than ever, the English version on signs in the guilt thought makes no sense at all. Yeah, well, and I'm saying they shouldn't be. They shouldn't be English on them. And yes, people are using Google Maps.  I think I'm going to come into the fence of Google Maps here. We don't want to conflate that with some of these internal sat nav systems that come with the cars. Do you know what I mean? Because I certainly would not engage with them even in my own car. But I do find Google Maps pretty reliable, but I take your point. But you want the you want the signpost there. But look at it's not hard to look at a sign in Irish for Dunlop or Loch Nure or wherever it might be and work out where you're going. Do you know what I mean? We don't have to speak because the people coming up here, you know, they've come up to Malinhead. They want they probably want, you know, a more of an Irish experience. But unfortunately, what they've seen, they have seen big red X's through English names. Now, if they are from if they're English visitors, for example, or German or French, they might not get the conversation we're having now. They might tie it in with what, you know, happened historically in this country and they might say, well, what's going on here? Am I welcome if I speak English? You know, we have to sometimes also put ourselves in the position of the visitor as well. This is not simply an internal conversation because lots of people are seeing it and they might not get the context. I think we do. But I'm just concerned for visitors coming up here. What might they think they won't realize that this is some sort of an ongoing conversation about the preservation and use of our language? Yeah, exactly. And that's why I think it's not necessarily the best way to approach it. I think it's it can come across as a bit aggressive. And I, as I say, I do understand the frustration. And what I would like to see the County Council doing, and I would certainly hear in Leon Relature County, and we're going to look at this. We're going to talk to the Ithaca panel of Changa around the country, around the county about it as well of doing an awareness campaign about place names as to where they come from. What, you know, it's a great way into the Irish language. And so maybe that would be a more useful thing to look at how we do our signage to place prominence on Irish to encourage groups to use Irish language first. I mean, we all know Letcher-Cannon. You don't need to say Letcher-Cannon. We actually know we're living in Letcher-Cannon. So to use more Irish to give people more information as to where the names are coming from, to open, you know, that conversation off about heritage, about language, about history. I mean, if you look around here, like Elystrum comes from the word phallistrum, which means a yellow iris. Now, that's beautiful. You know, if you look at the place names like Gortley, it's Cavsfield. But that's the kind of information visitors want. Exactly.  They want to engage with the culture. They want to make some sort of a cultural spiritual connection. That's that's what they've got there. I'm not going to mention any store names because they're very good and good employers. I'm not being critical of that. But they want to see here what they can't see at home. And that is our culture. That is the background of some of these names. That is the hidden gems like where we're at right now, for instance, in Mallon Heard, you know. Okay. So where do we go from here then? I think we need to start having this conversation. You know, we are already having it. Don't get me wrong. But in terms of, you know, like someone needs to ask and we'll ask the council, what is the story with English being on? Signs in, in, in Guelph-Octerries, for example. You know, what's the justification of that? And also, what is the plan? Who's in charge of it? Is it the TII? What input does the council have? You know, I think people's voices need to be heard and we need to get this conversation out into the open. Absolutely. I would agree with that. And I would certainly be very happy in terms of, you know, on behalf of Lynn Relature-Callon to engage with that conversation with the council and to ask them what policies are. And what the policy is going forward because, you know, if you look at Letcher Kenny, it's a guilted service town. If you look at Anish Owen, you know, the organization Glor Anish Owen has just been funded to really, you know, ramp up their possibilities and their work in terms of promoting the Irish language in the Anish Owen area. So how does council policy reflect all of that? Not just in the Guelph-Octerries, but, you know, ourselves here in Letcher Kenny, up around Anish Owen. How is the council going to back those moves to increase the usage and the visibility of Irish? Because it's an absolute richness. You're right, Greg. That's what people want to see. That's what my job is here. You know, it's to promote the Irish language, but to do so in a way that invites people into the conversation. That is what is vital. And use it as our, as a, you know, our thread to a bow or whatever the turn of phrase is, a string to our bow. You know, this is a positive. This is something we should be embracing and enhancing, not squabbling about. Not me and you, Barbara, of course. We would never do such a thing. Thanks for your time this morning. Take care of yourself. Thanks a million. All right then. Goodbye. Councillor Meeho, Colin McGill and Asberg joins us on the telephone now. We've been talking about it with Barbara there. Councillor, you know, that's why is English on road signs or place name signs in the geltuck?  I presume you've raised this with, with the powers that be. What did they tell you? Well, of course, I like to say I would certainly welcome this conversation. The conversation around, I suppose, protecting our identity or heritage or language culture is really important. And there are many activists out there who are doing fantastic work and trying to put the language forward. And there's plenty of others out there who are quite hostile to our language. But in relation to answering your question, it's just probably about three, four years ago, I went to the Irish language commissioner and raised a shoe off geltuck areas, having English names on them. And the council has identified where these signs are. But yet here we are three, four years on and nothing has changed. They haven't done anything. It was a law that was brought in by Iman O'Creeve in 1997 in relation to Irish names. And as Barbara correctly says earlier on, in relation to the names of our towns and villages, you know what they have meaning. And that meaning is important in terms of our identity. I know myself as chairperson of the Irish language committee. When I'm the council, I put forward a proposal actually up and around mobile. If we were having a meeting at the time that the legal kind of council would start using the correct names for her towns and villages and not use English names, because by using English names, the very name itself been forced upon us by our coloniser. And then it deludes and takes away our identity and who we are. Because if you look at Letty Kenny in English, it doesn't mean anything more than Balbuffet or Mobile or any. Any of them, yeah. Yeah, they don't mean anything. It's meaningless. And it's only right that we are trying to reclaim the proper names of our towns and villages. So who's in charge of this? Does it depend on the road? Is it Donegal County Council? Is it the TII? You know who is... It depends on the road, Greg. Well, that's it, right? So what's the TII's national policy? We need to know that. Who are the consultants? You know... Well, look, that's unfairness. Like, you know, they're dictated to through the government's policy that was brought about in 97. And unfortunately, it's not here to fully. But most of the signs are on the charge of Donegal County Council. So they'll have responsibility here. And I think it's good that we're focusing more so on the subject itself than the actual act, because that's where the debate has to be. And the frustration that a lot of Irish languages, myself included, feel is that we're not being listened to. Yeah, but there's better ways, like I was just describing here. You know, we're at Malham Head today.  And they have seen these signs on the way up because it can't be avoided. And I get where they're coming from. But even an addition to the sign or something, I just wonder if they're looking at them and wondering, you know, what's going on here? Are we going into some sort of a disputed area or something? Do you know what I mean? I'm not being dramatic, I hope. But I think it's an important conversation we should have. But I just wonder, well, maybe... because it's done, that's why we're talking about it. I don't know. The jury's out in my head. I don't know what the worst thing is. Look, I travel myself. I travel a lot. I go to many countries. But to be honest, and I don't mean to be a grunt here, I don't really care what they think because this is about us, everybody in our language here, maybe, but dismissive there. I don't mean it fully like that. But that's not the debate here, have to be about how do we protect and promote our language and our culture. The debate too is to be able to have these conversations and to make progress in a respectful manner in which we care about each other and everybody's feelings. That's the only thing I'm coming at. The internet being about one person saying, this is what I believe. Another saying, this is what I believe. Arguing, trading insults. This is nothing to do with you to general commentary. It's not about insulting anybody. It's about having the conversation and it's good because whoever has done the signs, I'm sure if they're listening and they're going possibly, this is what this is about. Listen to us, have the discussion and don't just park it as a councillor, as you well know, because we discussed this loads of time. I conduct myself at councillor meetings fully in Gaelic and it's getting better at the beginning. You know, you were laughed at and you were totally and utterly dismissed. But we need to do more. We have councillor officials who do speak Gaelic, are able to speak Gaelic but they don't speak English. We need to encourage people to use the language because the language is of no value unless we're using it. So just very finally, sorry to cut across you, but I appreciate you taking the time. Is there an official line, like if you put a question to the council on road signs, is there an official line or a commitment from them to look at this or what is on the record from the executive of the council as it relates to these concerns as well? No, well in terms of the Gaelic as Barbara outlined earlier, the name of the towns and our villages that are also in English, that's illegal. Council knows this but they haven't acted on it yet. They've identified every single sign that is written in English and the word is to change it and remove it but they haven't to date. And that itself would say to me that which I believe that the Irish language and the council is just a tokenistic gesture every now and again in terms of the couple of articles on that instead of it being very serious. Now we're very lucky that we're on the council we have two great staff, Sean of the Throsha, who are very committed and passionate about the Irish language which I'm chairing off and I don't mean to be egotistic we're making huge strides now we've taken it out of Lifford we're moving it around the whole community like I said we were up on Movil not so long ago and I think we're on Glenfinn the next meeting and that's important making that committee relevant making the language relevant because the language reflects who we are as a people and again we're discussing this it's good and for those who were out doing this here they're reduced. I just finally had an interest to mention Movil and Glenfinn there why don't you use Irish for these place names? Excuse me? You mentioned Glenfinn and Movil there why don't you use the Irish version of these place names rather than the no I'm just curious why you don't? Well normally I do normally I have to be honest with the Gaelic names I do use if you watch my Facebook it's the English version unless I'm really struggling with spelling but generally no I don't I conduct most of my work through Gaelic and I think here we are having this discussion which I'd like to thank Highland because she's have been very good anytime she's come up around the language and haven't dismissed it or ignored it like some of the media outlets may do so this is a very important discussion and debate. Alright listen thanks for your time again this morning I'm really appreciated thanks to Barbara as well right we will take a break Professor who's going to be joining us Dr Joe Kelly will be joining us we already had a Professor and we're going to be out speaking to a Dr The Nine Till Noon Show brought to you by the Northwest Truck Fest taking place this Saturday and Sunday in the grounds of Milford Mart with proceeds to Ellie's Wish to Walk to Sarland, Donegal Branch Neutrace Weenland Crunch Offer directly supported by the Arrivo fodder support fund is now available at your local homeland store by 10 bags of Neutrace Weenland Crunch ATP get one free the Neutrace Beef ATP Pack enhances animal performance through maximizing room and efficiency tees and seas apply contact your local homeland or farm commercial specialist today visit Neutrace.ie for full product details and more some of the popular home pets that need care and attention every day at Gary's Pet World our fully trained 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fun this Sunday at the north west truck fest at milford mart with truck fest head live music plus prize giving for trucks in various categories including the Deckey Hullian perpetual trophy and George Trissie memorial trophy this ad is sponsored by donnie galt hires okay you're very welcome back to the program and delighted to welcome on to it now our historian in residence doctor Joe Kelly good morning to you imagine why how are you keeping minding why you could hate the good morning yourself Greg and to your listeners in highland radio it's wonderful to have you on the program again okay so talk to us about Michael Collins his importance in our history we speak about an awful lot of important people throughout our history Joe where do you place Mr Collins or is that even disrespectful to ask I know I have to say I had a heavy heart yesterday and it was a little bit emotional I know it was a state celebration we had yesterday at bel nabla and your previous contribution about place names there's such a division division over what actually bel nabla means but that was the place where he was we was shot dead and look he was a great great Irish man people need to understand he was only 31 when he died he was a young man that brought the British Empire to its knees in this country that we've been trying for 800 years and just emotionally for myself like I really do I think it was lovely in his last entry in his diary in the 21st of August he said people are splendid he really believed in the people of Ireland and he was very passionate about the people of Ireland and you wouldn't but feel the loss of such a wonderful person to our nation at such a young age and sadly sadly it was our own that killed him and that's a sad part of our history but look I was very proud to put up my tricolor yesterday and I've been flying today I think it's a momentous occasion 100 years ago actually today that Michael Collins was shot dead possibly the greatest Irish man that ever lived okay well we'll talk about his death how did he become to be arguably one of or the greatest Irish man to have ever lived take us back to his early life and then how he came to be in such a position of influence well look from Cork and near chronic healthy that's where he was educated and he sat the civil service had a kind of an exam system and he appeared and he sat that exam when he was about 15 now his father was about 75 when he was born and he says Michael will do great things and Michael was only 6 when his father died and Michael did do great things he passed that exam and then he went to work in London for 10 years he worked in the post office and while he was in London 1906 those 10 years he became very much involved in lots of different Irish cultural the GA which he played and he was part of the administration cornering the language language movement and more importantly he became involved in the Irish Republican Brotherhood and it was the famous Sam McGuire you know the Sam McGuire who was in London who actually was a Protestant as well that's interesting to point that out it was he that brought him into the Irish Republican Brotherhood and influenced him he had obviously those ideals from youth but Sam had a big influence so he got another job then and he was there to 1915 he actually was studying law in London as well but previous to 1916 he just came home and then in 1916 he was involved he was in the GPO in 1916 and interestingly enough he was the at the camp he was the right hand man of Joseph Mary Plunkett so that was Collins' involvement in 1916 and then he wasn't court marshaled but he was sent to Fonga it was an internment camp and Michael had learned a lot of administration skills while he was in London working with the postal service he seemed to be a natural organiser a very intelligent bright capable a man of great skill and being able to read situations and work with people and motivate it seemed to have just a natural gift he was endowed with that and so really it's something that the English never learned from I mean we had that with the H blocks later when they interred all these men it really became universities for the revolution so 1916 was over all these men were interred including Michael Collins and actually there's a lovely photograph of Joe Sweeney from Dunlow with Michael Collins in Fonga had the two of them leaning over a banister as other men in it as well Collins got out he knew he was going to create hell for the British back in Ireland and he was released in December 1918 but in the meantime he'd created sales throughout the whole of Ireland and the war of independence would become rural Ireland's 1916 we didn't get the chance to rise out in 1916 so Collins made sure that he had his sales worked out he had his strategy worked out and really that was the beginning of Collins and he came home then and it was Tom Clark's wife that managed to get him a job the National Aid and Volunteers Dependence Fund but really it was it was really a central position in gathering information and intelligence on the British and so then obviously we know then in 1918 there was the election the election of Sinn Fein TDs rather than MPs and the first style then was formed in January 1919 and Michael was elected for Cork South Cork so he became an MP or a TD and attended the first style and was made Minister for Finance by de Valera so that was his main role to that point and then he was appointed in about September of 1919 so shortly after the formation of the first style he was made Director of Intelligence for the IRA and organiser for the volunteers and to be honest he was the brains behind the War of Independence obviously there were other people as well but he coordinated it and he was able to cycle around through Dublin and he was one of the most wanted men in the British Empire at the time and they weren't able to discover him with that in mind obviously you're talking about the various roles that he held he was involved in the organisation of attacks on police and assassinations were both of his roles common knowledge you talked about him having being wanted man but free to cycle the streets of Dublin and such but how was he perceived amongst the public here or in the press yeah well it was interesting at the time people knew of him and there was a reward for him but they knew him and knew of him but nobody ever gave evidence or spied on him or spoke and that says a lot about the Irish people at the time they knew what he was trying to do and setting out to do he didn't get involved actively himself he had a squad we know the story we talked before about a bloody Sunday in November 1920 Collins was behind that with his gang and his idea was he knew he couldn't the man was so intelligent we talked before about Red Hugh O'Donnell and I would put Red Hugh O'Donnell Collins on the same level like what Red Hugh achieved in his time Michael Collins achieved in 1920 and what he realised was he couldn't take on the British Empire their army was next to none the Britannia rules the waves their army was next to none and he realised the only way we can take on the British army is to take out their eyes like a cat catching a mouse and he says I need to take out their eyes and so on bloody Sunday he had 11 of their top intelligence officers execute it, summarily executed there was nothing nice about it they were just murdered, shot dead and so therefore all this intelligence that they had in Dublin Castle was of no good to them because they didn't know the people the brains behind it weren't able to explain it and so the English realised very quickly that this is what was going on and he was mastermind he was very good at penetrating into the British intelligence system and anybody that's watched the film Michael Collins would know of Ned Bray who was working in Dublin Castle and he gave information but they eventually caught on to him and knew what he was doing and maybe that brings us later on to the treaty Collins knew that he could only go so far with guerrilla tactics arms were getting short munitions were getting short intelligence were getting tighter he knew as time went on he was getting more and more difficult and at the same time for example the likes of de Valera who he managed to he planned his escape from Lincoln Prison and de Valera then went to America for 18 months on a propaganda tour Collins was left with a lot a lot of responsibility and remember at this stage he was 28 29 he was a very very young man but given all that he had to be accepted he was one of the negotiators of the treaty I mean how would he have been received I wonder over in England okay we seem to have a slight connection there with Joe Kelly I'm going to put that question to him after we take a very quick break stay where you are because we have more interesting conversation coming up soon this week in home store and more all clothes hangers are all 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Discover Calfrey the College of Agriculture Food Rural Enterprise Northern Ireland Specialist Agri-Food and Lamb Base College Study Agriculture Food Porticulture Aquine Flouristry Veterinary Nursing and Lamb Base Engineering with three campuses at Greenmont and Antrim Lohrion Cook Stout and Ennis Skillen we have a range of courses available from level 2 through to master's degree visit cafre.ac.uk to find out more if you are aged 55 to 64 it's time to boost your protection from Covid-19. Your protection from previous vaccines or from Covid-19 infection decreases over time. Your next vaccine will help protect you from serious illness in the months ahead. Book an appointment at a HSE vaccination centre on hse.ie Call our team in HSE live on 1800-700-700 or contact a participating GP or pharmacy from the HSE for us all. Okay you're very welcome back Dr Joe Kelly still with us. So I was going to ask you just before we had a freeze out there. Arthur Griffith Collins was sent over to negotiate with the British with all that had gone before what would they have thought of this negotiating team I wonder Well that's a brilliant question what they faced. And remarkably it's not one you gave me I actually come up with that all by myself A fabulous question they faced a formidable team probably one of the best political teams ever put before them. Like they had Chamberland Lloyd George Birkenhead and Churchill. These were the people that Collins Duggan, Horace Plunkett Griffith and Barton had to face. So they were up against it but what people don't realise is that the Valera had already met Lloyd George about four times in London the previous to the negotiations The groundwork was set was it? There was a groundwork set one of the things that Lloyd George did when the Valera arrived over the first time he made sure that there was a massive map of the British Empire put behind Lloyd George before he sat so as to let and a little dot Ireland to see what England controlled and here this is what you're negotiating with. So that was a very psychologically and you what they were doing So to use common terms then sort of in a modern way what would have been the red lines for the Irish party and the red line for the British party in other words you know compromise was going to have to be reached there was going to have to be give and take but were there red lines? There were red lines but the red lines weren't always straight in that sense I think that's a good political answer You see if you look at the previous negotiations back as far as 1914 the intention was that there would be a government in Northern Ireland Belfast and that there would be a government home rule government in Dublin and that after seven years the two governments would form as one that was what was proposed in 1914 that didn't happen as we know with the Government of Ireland Act Northern Ireland was established the six counties and then obviously the war of independence happened subsequently so what they were negotiating for six counties was off the table that wasn't the way that the Republicans were looking at we didn't fight for 26th County Ireland so it was already a red line for the British negotiations for the Irish negotiations the hard line would have been people like that the real staunch Republicans and the Valera had managed to convince them they would accept the minion status to a certain degree that meaning that the king would still be in charge technically but the oath wouldn't be as strong and he was saying look this is something we'll work at eventually and it'll dissipate over time and the Valera had seemingly got them on board so looked at negotiations were very difficult people will always ask why the Valera wasn't there Cosgrave often said that the best player didn't go to play on the field the Valera's attitude was the king wasn't there and he seen himself as the president of the Irish Republic so he wasn't going and it was a safety valve if they weren't happy with the treaty people might not people but some might sort of go well okay that's fine he came home and everyone agreed but it was not easy presumably to get this over the line it would have to be accepted in the door and across general society as well like was it 50-50 in people's opinion as to whether because as you say and you can hear how important it is out of Kiev when they talk of Crimea and how important it is to retain that to have that return to them to secure peace there I presume the same kind of how could anyone celebrate this type of outcome to negotiations that meant six of your counties were gone yeah well that was a reality that they already had lived with in 1920 but they hadn't accepted it yeah it does and Collins put people maybe don't realize and this will bring us maybe into another subject that are on the Drombo Martyrs in their own county I mean they were sent Charlie Daley particularly they were sent to Donegal to continue the northern struggle so Collins was still fighting for the six counties in that sense and he'd made a pact with Divalera look we'll fight over the treaty but we'll go into coalition after the election in 1920 and when Lloyd George heard this he got very very annoyed so the treaty there was differences in the treaty and eventually look the reality is eventually Divalera had to accept it the question maybe for historians and the question I would ask is why did the dial not say were not accepting this and go back to London and see what more could be leveraged and then come back but I think the decision was made but you talked about those earlier meetings I mean how much of this in reality was already decided and what followed was you know was just dramatics was the deal done? To some degree the deal was done and I think Collins realised that I mean again more than anybody he probably was acutely aware of the armament situation with his volunteers you know we couldn't keep fighting the British army I mean the threatened a terrible war within three years or three days he realised the pressure he was under from the IRA's point of view but they could endure further they were depleted stocks it wasn't just possible to keep this going and so his understanding was this was a step towards full freedom using this freedom of the 26 counties to fight for the other six counties something that no IRA's government has ever done in our history to fight we basically abandoned the six counties historically and that wasn't Collins ideal and as I said to you he was still encouraging the northern campaign as I said he sent men to Donegal and so his concept was look we'd still fight for these six counties and what was promised as well I wonder if we could maybe we could come back to this element of this story especially given the local interest in this Joe and I'd love to go for hours but we can't so I want to get to his murder and I know you have got a load of talking heads together to sort of suppose what may or may not have happened but you said right from the beginning it ended up he was taken out by one of his own so talk to us about his death in the last four minutes that we have please Joe well very quickly he was in a tour of Cork leaving Cork and while going through the men that were waiting they had heard that he was in the area they were sent to ambush him they'd been waiting quite a while they were ready to abandon the ambush and then the next thing they had pulled a cart across when they heard he was coming shots were fired and Collins was the only man that died in it and he said he would never be shot in Cork didn't he he said he said that they'll never kill me in Ireland that was his concept that you know that he would be immune to that haven't said that Birkenhead said to him when he was signing the treaty you might have signed your own political death certificate he says no he says I've actually my actual death certificate and he was quite correct in that and who would have done it and what's the motivation oh there's a lot of controversy over that but you must have settled on a view on this Joe I will look at it was done certainly by the Republican side there's no question about that the intention by the ambush was to kill there's no doubt about that and unfortunately Michael Collins was killed and that was that and there's no blazing or sugarcoating that reality but the facts are that he was shot by his own countrymen and when he supposedly when he was shot he says no revenge he shouted to his comrades no revenge no revenge and one thing that's very important to say Collins during the Civil War did not want any of his former colleagues to be executed to come to think that later on Kevin O'Higgins and the free state government would execute 77 and he didn't want that to go and there's one thing that's very very important that to say and I realize we're cut for time he said one important line and it ties in what's one of your earlier contributors there earlier on and I just want to say this line we have to learn that freedom imposes responsibility we are going to have United Ireland that Michael Collins dreamed of but there's a responsibility on us now to figure out what United Ireland that is going to be and I heard your Horry McLaughlin TD talk about that I think it doesn't belong to any political party but the reality is United Ireland is going to happen and on the anniversary of Michael Collins maybe it's time we start having a discussion as to what does that mean the realities of it as well even the not even just obviously just the practicalities of it yes you know in terms of even a postal service you know hospitals education even the controversies in Irish language we have to figure a way out and fail to prepare to fail and I think Highland is ideally I've said this before ideally positioned to have that conversation because you straddle both north and south and also all communities and traditions maybe you're very welcoming to that conversation you'll be part of that conversation it might be something that we plan and discuss and actually you know mock it up as if it's about to happen we'll do it and what needs to be done we might work on that listen I think it's a good thing that we always feel we don't have enough time because we have been talking for half an hour and yet we've run out of time again thank you so much for your time as always it's really informative and I know the listeners love it thanks Joe we'll chat again very soon OK that's Dr Joe Kelly there we'll be back with the we'll be back with the news after we take this break Saturday and Sunday in the grounds of Milford Mart with proceeds to Ellie's Wish to Walk and MS Ireland Donegal Branch the big bucks are back 20 crowns Highland Radio four Fridays four winners plus one lucky Ja Ja Jackpot that anywhere 2,500 euro every Friday and on the fourth Friday someone also wins 10,000 cash money go to highlandradio.com and get your 10 euro ticket it's a whole new meaning to cash flow Highland Radio don't sleep in and miss the very latest Beds and Mattress offers from dfinebeds.ie Ireland's leading online bed and Mattress retailer you'll get a comfy Irish made Mattress upholstered base and headboard from an amazing 229 euro check out the full range at dfinebeds.ie delivery free and guaranteed to you within 7 working days dfinebeds sleep well live well I have great news for everyone who's looking for a good night's sleep Restex Beds are looking forward to welcoming you to their brand new showroom at mountaintop letter Kenny it's one of the biggest and best bed and mattress showrooms in the north west and has fantastic open and offers now in store restex is the most trusted name in beds and mattresses in the north west why don't you call in and get the bed of your dreams at restex bed mountaintop letter Kenny oakfest 2022 returns this September the 10th and 11th at oakfield park Ruffo the two day family friendly music event runs across two full days with loads of amazing acts headlined by Ryan Sheridan on Saturday on the undertones on Sunday for the entire weekend with limited tickets remaining get yours today at oakfieldpark.com forward slash oakfest or ticketmaster.ie an exciting weekend not to be missed oakfest 22 at oakfield park you are tuned to the 9 til noon show here on your number one local radio station Highland ready with broadcasting live today from Malinhead we're going to be talking about that and so much more besides in the next hour but now it's time for a news update at 11 o'clock and it's good morning once again to Daniel Brennan morning Greg Professor working at letter Kenny University hospital says that overcrowding in its emergency department is a symptom of the wider issues throughout the facility Professor Kemal Peter told today's 9 til noon show that a multitude of delays in both diagnosing patients as well as allowing patients to be discharged along with a lack of staff willing to work there are the main issues he also says that morale in the Irish health service has reached a low point as many younger doctors and nurses see emigrating to better paid roles abroad as their future you can hear his full conversation with Greg on our website now a new survey shows that almost 4 in 10 childcare workers are looking to leave the industry with nearly 2,000 managers and staff in the early years sector sites low pay is the main reason for people leaving 2 in 3 managers and owners say issues with recruitment will impact the quality of their services Dara O'Connor from SIPTU who carried out the survey says the quality of care could be undermined for young children because of the lack of staff the army's bans have cost the state 25 million euro since 2018 the defence forces school of music has 3 military bans the army bans have no military training or role outside of a 6 week introductory course today's Irish Jilly Mirror reports that the state functions accounted just for 8% of the over 800 bans attended by the bans in the 2 years prior to the pandemic Shen Fian say that the government should begin preparations for a united Ireland following the results of a new opinion poll the poll carried out by Lucid Talks for the Sunday Times found that more than half of voters in the north support a united Ireland within the next 15 to 20 years Deputy Potter McLaughlin said today government must take a number of steps to prepare for an Irish unity referendum and finally today marks the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Ireland's one of Ireland's most well known revolutionary figures Megal Collins was shot dead in an ambush on this day in 1922 in Belnablat in County Cork the chairman of the Irish professional government army chief and minister for finance was just 31 years old at the time that's all from the news desk for now I'll be back with headlines again at midday until then good morning and immunity this season discover the Udo's choice microbiotics family range in the fridge at your local health store or pharmacy hey Brendan Daveney is the presenter of Highland Radio's DL Debate podcast it's the show's broadcast itself after 7 o'clock on air and then you get to listen to it whenever you wish right Brendan good morning to you good morning Greg how are you getting on I'm the very best house thing lovely initial one absolutely beautiful we're very northerly here you know the most northern part of the island of Ireland but anyway we're going to be talking about that in a moment Brendan a lot to look back on in terms of the senior and junior championship you've got great guests as always former Dr McGuire winner Brendan Kilcoin and the Donny Gold News reporter Ryan Ferry so what do you think is going to dominate the conversation in that regard this evening yeah well listen we're just looking back at the weekends championships the three championships first of all with Brendan and the seniors I was in beautiful Bondourne yesterday the sun was shining and St Durans had a easy victory over Bondourne the local team and the top teams I suppose in the county are as usual Greg ahead of the head of the pecking order in terms of the open exchanges and the championship so the round three draw was yesterday so I'll talk to Brendan just about some of the parents and match ups in that draw and just how is there anybody from the chasing back to put their head up and maybe cause a shock this season what do you think the only team I spoke to was the one team at the minute we're not sure about because they have such an injury and so many players out if they were to get those players back we'd have to see what they'd be genuine contenders but I mean sit on top of the pilots Kilcara and St Dunans and they certainly seem like they're the two real form teams at the moment and of course leave con and you can never ruled out teams have been putting in good performances you know most notably St Michael's Glenn Swally you know we've been coming up with a couple of decent performance here in Balak Shannon of one two out of two you can't ask for more in that that said now you know they beat Bondorn and Ardraha who are struggling at the minute they just got across the line with them at the weekend so I don't think you could count them as genuine contenders Greg so it'd be interesting just to look ahead to round three and look across the championships as well Ryan Ferries joined us from the Dunneagall news as well just to get his opinion on the particularly on the intermediate and junior stuff Interesting guest to in Ender McGinley a lot to you'll have a lot to cover with Ender yeah certainly we have to throw the question about the Dunneagall job to him he's a man who's stepped us to on the county management and with the name like McGinley Greg Shirley is some Dunneagall blood on him there he's up from the Balegalli area there but I'm sure there must have been some Dunneagall connection at some stage but Ender had a couple of years at Antrim there so yeah I'm fascinated to get his insight into management and into county management and the time and the effort it took because you know talking to him previously I'd be good friends with him he was managing upwards in 60 60 people and that's what when you took everything into consideration and he says it was such a challenge that if he was to do it again he would literally have to take a career break in terms of management so that then I suppose Ender's now taking a seat in the Sunday game as well you know he worked for me for a long time doing co-com at games there and he's a great analyst and a great fellow and even though he's technically on hold this evening he'll be giving us a few words good stuff pulling in the favors there Brendan listen thanks very much indeed that's the DL debate after seven this evening on air and available for you to later as a podcast Brendan good luck thanks for that I wish you had more time great Greg you're busy man let you keep doing your thing yeah okay take care of yourself we got an email in to say what's wrong with parents in today's world I think many of these parents should be prosecuted for abuse then it was first sorry first they were using their children to get free bees off big companies then it was a parent rushing into a room and tells their child that there are people outside who are coming to fight them and the child must fight with them now it's a filter which contains a ghost type figure which is being used to scare children I think that might be a man that appears behind you when the cameras held up to both people all this crazy stuff has a lasting effect on your child please stop well Aileen Hickey is CEO of Parentline and joins us on the program now Aileen good morning to you good morning it's great to have you with us there is no doubt that there are a number of people out there monitoring their children using children for clicks in a relatively innocent way don't get me wrong but I've seen some of these videos that have been put up on the likes of youtube as well as tiktok and you do wonder what impact it might have on the child the child can't be that complicit in it because anyway what do you think of what's going on can you hear me there's a slight delay sorry what do you think of what our e-mailer was saying I suppose what I'm thinking is there has to be a bit of a balance here this isn't kind of the odd post of a family pick or an occasion because actually I think what needs to be borne in mind is that social media is a great way of communicating particularly for those who are trying to communicate with family abroad there are huge positives to it the issue is about the oversharing that goes on and there are parents who have their own children's digital footprint long before they're even born with pics of ultrasound and all the rest of it it has to be about balance and a bit of moderation because it's not aside from the sponsored posts and the advertising and all the rest of it it can simply be that there are kids out there who will later in life find it very embarrassing about the pics that have been shared about them without their permission that they may make them targets that they may be fun of or for bullies later on so actually there are parents there who are some of the biggest violators of their own children's privacy and there's a lot talked about the changes of the internet and all the rest of it and yet parents can make their own children I suppose be potential victims obviously they're usually doing this very unwittingly and they're revealing far more information about their children than they realize but what parents need to remember is that kids have the right to keep their data private and not have posts pics, posters of them continuously I think the phenomenon is now known as share-inting and there are some figures to suggest that children by the time they reach 13 years of age can have had 13 hundred or more photographs shared of them by a parent so there are parents out there who are making political statements and that's certainly an issue they can be making a political statement simply by having a slogan on a child's t-shirt or getting them to hold up banners or having pictures of them taken at a march with their children's shoulders and that's politicizing a child without their permission from a very early age the funny thing is historically there are people, young people who were speaking at events and the videos are still played out now when I've seen them on Twitter it's not something that's brand new because of social media but it's an interesting point that you make you're criticising a child without their permission this should all be about respect and consent and respect and consent is a two-way street parents talk a lot about the respect and consent of their children but it's a two-way street a child has a right to their own privacy and to keep their data private obviously the other thing that you mentioned there was which is the even bigger issue of concern is where a child becomes part of their parent's sponsored post-servation of the child it's not just exploitation actually the issue is as well is it makes a child get into the mindset that it's all about getting likes validation on the internet that's not something you want a child to feel validated because certainly they won't be getting likes at some stage it's about common sense parents picking and giving a bit more thought to the post they put up and choosing carefully and considering what you mentioned there which are the long-term implications for their children of this oversharing but that's really I don't know how we have that conversation Aileen because you know I think a lot of people would say that you're making sense but then a lot of parents do engage in that and maybe when you're talking for the first time about over-sharing what was that phrase? I think people are going to go am I sharing or what does that mean because obviously we care for our children we don't want any harm of them and maybe we don't even know the full consequences about 22-year-olds now that had their entire lives shared on social media yet I don't know I think we're not far from it Aileen but nothing as public as this I mean obviously there was Bebo and stuff but I think with the advent of Facebook and others maybe we're only going to start seeing what the negative consequences of this could be You've actually just said it there that is the issue that we don't really have any way of knowing at this stage what all this over-sharing how it can impact a child's life into the future so the only thing that you can do is consider before you start posting stuff the dangers you might be putting your child in and in terms of social media posts and validation as I said at the beginning this isn't about the odd family pick here or there and who you're sharing it with because you can obviously you can share in a private setting without having to share on a more public forum so you know it's just about giving a bit more thought to it maybe communicating with your child as to what they would like obviously this is once a child is of an age where they can talk and think for themselves but communicating with the child and remembering that there has to be respect and consent and a child does have a right to keep their own data private and they're not simply content okay listen it's fascinating conversation thank you very much for your time this morning I really appreciate it Aileen thank you and enjoy the weather it looks lovely up there it is lovely but I'm glad I'm indoors just yet the temperature is rising thanks so very much indeed take care of yourself Aileen Hickey there CEO of Parentline and she has been watching me on camera of course and I have behind me Malinhead we made it here we got as far as Malin the last time and we got a bit of stick for it why aren't you in Malinhead well we've made it all the way to Malinhead today and we have a number of guests joining us to talk about what is here what the offering is is it being maximized what's the visitor experience like I'm watching now as a UK registered vehicle pulls into a car park which is full and what time is it now it is it's only just what is it quarter past eleven they're having to reverse out I see two cars now just having to park on the side of the road because there's a handful of spaces there they've already been taking up so there's no buses here yet there's no midday rush and already people who just want to go up and see the most northerly part of the mainland are struggling so we'll get an insight into that and see where we're at okay but let's take a break as we line our guests up we'll be right back with you music family fun a truck convoy and much more you so much better better translations by brian freel is coming to the on green on theater letter Kenny from the 30th of august to the 3rd of September in an age of brexit this modern masterpiece reminds us of the power of language communication and understanding this new production is directed by the abbey theaters artistic director Katrina McLaughlin don't miss the abbey theater Lyric Theatre's co-production of Brian Freel's Translations at the On Green On Theatre. 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Okay, you're very welcome back to the 9 till noon show. We're joined in studio now by our next guests and they are Councillor Martin McDermott. Good morning Martin. Good morning Greg. I've got a mic for you. Very good. This is the risk alley fire manager of the Malin Head Community Development. Good morning to you. Yes, good morning. That's not you. What about now? I'll come back to you in a second. Stay where you are. No, we'll come back to you no more. Martin, Councillor McDermott. I was just noticing as we were handing over to the last ad break, you know, there are some facilities up here, but you'll really do have to come up here to realize that we're not making the most of it here. The car parks already full. There's people already parked on the side of the road. There's no buses here yet. Not many camper vans just at the moment. You can see how very quickly this place gets locked down. Yeah, that's for sure, Greg. I mean, yesterday we were here for a launch of a bench. You couldn't even get anywhere near up here. The traffic was backed up down to the end of the road. They were parked side of the road everywhere. People couldn't get up or down. So you can see the volume of people that are about. This is a Monday morning and you can see the volume of people is about here already. When the buses don't tend to come to later on in the afternoon. At that stage, there's even more traffic here and people can't get up and down. So, you know, look, as I've said to you before, we've been talking many of the time about the development of Mal and Head. And we had public consultations back three years ago. We have a plan in place for the redevelopment of Mal and Head. Yeah, but in 2021, you in 2021, you put a question down or raise the issue in the council and you asked, what is the story? And can I ask you just to move slightly to your right, Martin?  This was okayed in 2018, if I'm not mistaken. Three years later, you asked, well, what's going on? Where's the progress? Well, where is the progress? So you have the question. What's the answer? Absolutely. In 2019, as I say, there was a public consultation where all the people, the community, the businesses came together and fall charting came up with a redevelopment of the tower and redevelopment of Mal and Head. That process over the last three years has really been way too slow, both from a council perspective and from a fall charting perspective. And I think, you know, we're at a period of time now where things need to move on. And that is hopefully moving on very, very shortly with the going to Part 8 planning, going to the Falkshireland Committing to funding for this development and to be fair to Falkshireland. They are very much committed to funding this development and the same with the local authority. But the timelines that have been working to it is way too slow. And hopefully, as I say, over the next couple of months we'll see a movement in that development. Alley Farn, what do you think? Do you think we will? Well, we're at the slung, I suppose. We can only hope that we don't have to put in another summer like what we had this year. Well, was that the same for us then? Well, we've always tried to promote Mal and Head and in turn by promoting Mal and Head we're promoting the whole of Anishone. So this is the icon, this is the jewel and the crown for want of a better word. That's the main signature point on the wild Atlantic way. I didn't see any today actually but there's always somebody, Mal and Head to Mal and Head or Mal and Head to Mal and Head. There's activity at this spot 365 days of the year and when we promote Mal and Head we want people to come and the coach industry and people on buses they're getting afraid to come up here because you come up here, you're blocked and your day's ruined. We need proper parking up here and we also need activities up here and we need something to generate jobs up here to keep people in this area, that's bottom line. Where is the proposed development to take place? There's another question. Do you know the answer, Morton? Here at Mal and Head. Yeah, whereabouts? Yeah, well the development starts here if you look out here, Greg to your right you have the tower. There's a redevelopment of doing up the tower and these outhouses and then there's a massive big walkway that comes from the very top of the tower down to that next tower and then that goes the whole way down over the Aresai, down to the water, back up again and then back out into Don Alder which is Ireland's most northerly point and that's... What? You mean I'm not at Ireland's most northerly point yet? You'd have to walk out... Sheva, stop at the bus! This is as close as you're getting today. It's a fantastic development and it will be iconic... Where's the car park going? It's proposed that the car park goes before you come up here to Alder at the very bottom. What do you think of that, Ally? I think we'd be delighted to have one. We can do the electric bus thing, we can do all that thing in the future. I think that makes sense because you don't want to be pouring too much tar on concrete up here. That's what all these top researchers and all are saying. So we'll take it. We just need it to be right and I'm sure it'll be a teasing. There'll be a lot of it. We'll get some of it right and get some of it wrong but it has to start and then we can fix it. But, Councillor, you know, Ally referenced there. Mallonhead, a lot of times you have to try and promote things and you give out for, well, they're not mentioning this. It's here, it's people want to come. It is Monday morning, it is towards the end of August. I didn't think there'd be anybody up here to be honest with you but the car park is full of people around taking pictures and all. It's just a shame that we're not making the most of this. Because I think, if I'm honest, if I were from down the country and I came up here, what's here at the moment, I don't think there's anything here. I mean, we've got private individuals up at the top which I haven't got to yet, which have coffee shops and all that type of stuff and we'll be speaking to some of them. But in terms of what the council or the countries provided as infrastructure, there's not an awful lot here outside of the toilets. But there's a fear here that we ruin one of our greatest assets, which is the views of the country as well. Greg, this pathway here takes you to where Star Wars was followed in Skeildron. The beauty is unbelievable. But we've got to... There's always a balance there. Yeah, we've got to make it right for when people come that they can park at their leisure, use the toilet at their leisure and spend longer here so that they will be able to spend more money within any showman. Do you think that people would stay in any showman or do they come up here turning away again? Yeah, that's the problem. And that's the issue, Greg. The timelines that fall, Charlene would say people spend 28 knots in Malinhead. That's not long enough. You know, we have to develop this area, keep the beauty that we have, but develop it that we keep people here. So you're thinking people are coming up, taking the photo box ticked in the way again? Absolutely. We have to develop it that we keep people in this vicinity that we're able to, you know, come to Malinhead, move on to all the other parts here. Like, you know, down the coast to Glingad, Kildaf, to Moval, you know, to Klanmani, to Bunkrana, to Cairndona. We have lots of other businesses that could be tied into this, the Dove family village, you know, the Marine Castle. But do you not even remember the fight to get any shown as part of the Wild Atlantic way? Yeah. I mean... While the packages down the road, you know, we have so much to offer here, but we need to have the iconic spot that people come to and that they can be derailed everywhere else, any show in 100, should be and must be and could be. Everybody's big is the Ring of Kerry. It's one of the most beautiful runs that anybody could do. And we need to develop that. We need to build all this into this, because tourism is so important, there's so many people, there's so many jobs dependent on this all over the peninsula that we have to. And you ask the question, has it happened? It hasn't happened quick enough. Absolutely not. There's no doubt about that, but it must happen, Greg. Yeah.  I do. I think we have a lot to offer. Certainly, within any show, there's no doubt about it, but by having something prestige here, it will take more people into any show and it will benefit the whole area. And I think, you know, you asked about the Wild Atlantic way, this is the top, this is the top airner regarding numbers of, you know. But it wasn't on the original plans, that's the point I was making. Again, when people complain and we've got it on, so it's on now, so don't be worrying about it not being on. You know, we're here. It's the most, it's the most visited signature point in Donegal. Is it? Yeah. There's only one place in Donegal that claims to have more visitors as Glenn Fay, as far as I'm led to believe. And that is marketed by, you know, a state agency. Well, you see, when you were talking about, when you were talking about what's planned here, I was thinking Glenn Fay and I was thinking Park and Ride, you know, like, if you have a car parked down there, however far down it might be, and I'm pointing behind me, sorry, I know we're on radio here. I just wonder, with a family with toddlers, if there's no way to get up there, will, is that enough for them? Because in Glenn Fay, the walk is fantastic and people love the walk and the cycle, but the buses is where it's at.  They've got brilliant staff on them. I'm not saying you could have a conveyor belt of buses here, but I think really that's, that's where you need to be at because a lot of people don't like walking, Ali. And I'm one of them if you know it, look at me. But I do think we need, we need our car parking very, very close to this location, like Glenn Fay, not in Ballinhead, half, five miles on the road, because people will not, people come here, they're not coming on the Lewis, they're not coming on the train, you know, they're coming, 90% of them on their car or whatever and we want them to be able to avail of a quick hop on, hop off. And Mark too, part of the, part of the attraction as you drive up here is the sense of, you know, the, the rural nature of it. Do you know what I mean? It is the, the houses that seem half built onto the road as you drive around them. Do you know what I mean? And it's not dissimilar to other parts of our county. I mean that, if I'm a tourist, right from outside, that is the experience I want as well. I don't want to come up here and everything flood lids and loads of buildings and massive windows of glass and stuff. Do you know what I mean? It has to feel real, but the basics needs catered for that. You don't even know what you just expected there.  No, absolutely. And the drive up to here, you see that we want to keep that, you know, rural element to it and that you're coming to the most northerly point in Ireland. And that's, that's all part of the, the new iconic program that falls out in the council of put together. And I think that's, that has to be kept. And to be fair to the local community and Allie here and Mal head development, you know, the work and the time and the effort that they put on to keeping this on the agenda and pushing it. That's, that's vitally important. Is that, is that a good code language for Allie's a pain in the neck? Well, you can read into that whatever way you want. That's why you're here too big.   And, you know, we said we'd come up and I think it's important too. And the conversation is 90% positive. It's the 10% we need to get right. This is not about having to go at the council, council as well. It's just getting to where we need to be. And you have to come up here to appreciate it. Yeah. You know, talk to me about these buildings on the, the hill to my, to my right here to your left there.  Well, for most people who come to Malinhead, they probably think, well, all we're coming to is rural or a derelict buildings, but there's some great history here. Yeah. I think it's, as I say, they look quite modern and I think that's why they look like the probably the last generation. I'm not, off the top of my head, I'm not sure when the tower was built, but, you know, the, the buildings there, Marconi was one of the, one of them buildings is the Marconi building. Which is very, very important in, in the world. You know, it's to do with the first radio signal was sent from Malinhead. From where? First ever? First ever cross water by radio. Right. I mean, that's pretty important, isn't it? Right. And out off this coast here, like we have more, we have more German or more U-boats and liners sunk off here than there is anywhere probably else in the world. Which was showing how Ireland was neutral during the war. You know, all these things Kind of neutral. Kind of neutral. Yeah, don't be ruining a good story, you know. We were neutral. There was a, the weather station, the weather was, was red here originally. Yeah. Before it moved into where we met Airness now. So, you know, lots of things have happened at Malinhead and it's important that when we get our new or whatever, that all these things are remembered in some form or fashion. So that, again, it becomes educational and it becomes, you know, to tell people, it's just not enough for people. But you see, the thing about it is it's like our conversation we were having earlier on about the Irish road signs. If you're coming here, if you make the trek to Malinhead, right, that's the kind of stuff that you want, you know, you want to be able to take a picture and say, do you know that this is the tower in which such and such? Now, I hope you're not being a wee bit flexible Ali, because of your love of Malinhead. I hope what you're telling me is true.  I wonder, Mark, do you have your dads? Ali doesn't always tell the truth. From a politician, that is as good as you'll ever get. I can't, can someone open the window that I already in here is choking me? But we have a story to tell here at Malinhead and it's so important, you know, that we tell it and it's so important that people learn. So, Alif and Agelman, is it? Yes, I do. Is it? All right, I'll explain it. Come here, Martin. I didn't know that. Well, I guess, can finally then sort of back to where we began because we've got the guests to meet and maybe you sort of did back in, I don't know. Martin, talk to us about timelines then because a lot of it feels aspirational, but this has been OK. So, just recap what you've been told as it relates to planning, OK, funding, progress. Yeah, well, Falkshire Island have, as I say, have committed to the development here be needed to be extra state funding from the department but we can't actually get that until we have a planning permission in place. All the drawings, all the you know the work that the consultants have done is all done and ready. We're just in a position now where there are negotiations with landowners in relation to land that hopefully as I say over the next probably six to eight weeks will conclude to a point where the council will have to move forward to planning remission and going to get plans put together and sent for planning remission and at that point then that won't take a very long time to get that done because this will have to go down more penala because as you know this is a special area conservation here as well that we're on and all the boxes will have to be ticked on that but look we certainly want to be in a position for early 2023 to be in a position to to get funding in place and to move the development on here. Yeah I just and I don't doubt your commitment to this I just this feels very much like I might ask you the same question in 2025 out of your out of your hands you can only do what you can do it just sounds to me because we've done these stories a thousand times it just sounds to me like it just takes a look this is something that from the to come back to the day that we I got into the politics here in this part of the if not in a zone that Ali Farn and Jim Mullen and and the Mallell head development group have been pushing and we've been pushing very very hard and it's like hitting your head off a brick wall there's no doubt about that going in the one direction it's just how we get there we have to keep the pressure on we have to keep pushing and I really do feel that we're at a point Greg where this is very very close of getting over the line yeah Ali we'll have to wait and see yeah we need a little bit faith isn't and Greg just it's brilliant to have Highland at Mall and Head today and I want to thank yourself Caroline and James and Kevin for coming down because it's all pleasure it's brilliant to get Mall and Head promoted and and to get this area promoted and I just want to acknowledge coming to we were in downings on Friday and I was saying to Ali earlier and I think I said it on there as well 36 kilometers as the crow flies from from downings where we were on Friday to here but it would be a two hour drive it's it's remarkable really isn't it but worth it yeah and they said over there that that's the best peninsula what do you think Ali I don't know maybe should set up I'll agree with that maybe should set up a charity boxing match between Yoon Tiny Vaughan but this is technically the 33rd kind of a if I heard of Peninsula versus Peninsula what do you think Martin we think we're the best yeah we we we certainly I'll rephrase that we don't like we know we're the best right okay well who might argue who might argue gentlemen both of you thanks very much indeed and we'll have more guests joining us on the program as I say we appreciate Ali Farron's time as always he always gives us a great welcome as does Chancellor Martin McDermott okay let's take a break and we'll see what guests we've lined up for you after these the 9 till noon show brought to you by the Northwest Truck Fest taking place this Saturday and Sunday in the grounds of Milford Mart with proceeds to Ellie's wish to walk and MS Ireland Donegal Branch fancy an adventure pack up the car and enjoy a day out with the National Trust in Fermanagh find magnificent mansions treeline trails and riverside rambles go butterfly spotting at Castle Cool hire a bike at Florence Court and explore Loch Earn by boat at Crom what's the sunset from your tent or glumping pod explore and re-explore adventure and re-adventure search national trust ni to find out more national trust for everyone forever for big name menswear at great prices visit what's in menswear in letter Kenny top casual brands 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at milford mart this saturday and sunday highlights include truck lights display on saturday at nine and on sunday afternoon it's a convoy of trucks through milford at five this ad is sponsored by brown scars milford means a zuki dealer okay you're very welcome back to beautiful malin head the nine till noon show live from ireland's most northerly part mainland anyway i suppose you could say and it's getting busy up here now people visiting from all over just going by the number plates and what have you and there is something else for people to see or indeed to take a seat on it's the bench of hope and that's what we're going to talk about now because in studio with us is valerie fits patrick good morning valerie good morning very nice to be here and thank you for having me this morning yes indeed it's it's a brilliant opportunity the timing is excellent this bench was the official unveiling yesterday yes well attended by all accounts it was it was a fantastic day yesterday the weather was absolutely gorgeous and we unveiled the bench of hope at three p.m. it was an absolute honor and a privilege to be here yesterday in such a gorgeous place and we were delighted to have the fox family here so the bench was put up in honor and recognition of johnny and gertie fox so they are two people who are part of the founding committee for darkness into light and we all know the amazing impact that darkness into light and the walks and the fundraising has had in the lives of so many people and it's touched so many people's lives so yesterday after about a year or two of planning we finally got to unveil the bench in recognition of johnny and gertie fox so it was a fantastic day very well attended there was a lot and lots of people here lots of family and friends and also with the bench goes a poem and so there's a poem there on a plinth and it's called your light and the idea of the poem is that you will read it you will think about things you will have maybe a positive view on whatever might be going on in your life and the idea is that we will all share our light and we will all come together as a community the bench is there for anybody to sit on and if you're sitting on that by yourself maybe a passerby might smile at you or have a kind word or say hello it's a lovely bench the materials were sourced in dunny gall so everything there is from dunny gall reflecting the beauty of this place and the idea of the bench really is that you sit there you relax you take it all in and you get inspired and and you reach out to other people so as I said the title of the poem is your light so it's all about sharing your light and being involved with other people supporting other people we know mental health is a hugely important topic for us all and it permeates every single part of our lives so we're delighted to have this bench and poem there that people can enjoy as they come here anytime when we hope to put a lot more benches in a lot more places so we've reached the most northerly point of Ireland and our next one hopefully would be in the most southerly point of Ireland and then we will hope and and do you hope in in some way they become maybe part of the uh mizzen to malin journey absolutely interestingly enough um this place was chosen because johnny fox himself uh was the uh first solar solo runner to go from um malin head to mizzen head so he would he would have started here a long long time ago um and yes absolutely it would be fantastic if if these became different points around Ireland that people could go to and where is the bench located we're sitting here at the car park now um where is it from here so uh just behind us here we have the car park and we have the toilets so um it's literally just there as you come out of the toilet at the edge of the car park it's the first thing by the way just to be clear you're not sitting outside the toilets no just in case someone at home is painting a picture of so excuse me definitely not it's the edge of the car park as you come out of the toilets you turn left exactly so it's actually a beautiful vantage point actually fantastic it's actually the start of that pathway that brings you down and you can take all those fantastic walks around malin head so as you leave you'll see the bench you'll see um the word hope is printed on the plinth so as you embark on your walk you have hope with you and you've hope at your back but the lovely thing is when you're coming back up the hill to return to your car later on uh you can also see the words hope and it's on the other side of the plinth because we all know it's easy when we're setting out um and there's no uphill struggle but when you're coming back and your legs are tired you often need that little bit of hope so please please please come to malin head sit on that bench read that poem be inspired and share your life with other people because that's what we would love you to do and thank you so much Valerie thank you so much for your time we're going to be speaking to our next guest in studio here just after this show the nine till noon show in association with the northwest truck fest this saturday and sunday at millford mart with live music family fun at truck convoy and much more want unbeatable value from sky here's the deal get sky broadband for just 29 euro a month plus sky queue for only 10 euro a month super fast super reliable broadband and sky queue with your apps and recordings that sky broadband for 29 euro a month plus sky queue for 10 euro a month for 12 months now that is unbeatable value go to sky dot ie availability subject to location offer does not include sky tv subscription new sky customers only set up fees minimum term and further terms apply for more info see sky dot ie slash speeds bingo every monday night at halfway house bingo burnfoot doors open 730 with eyes down at 830 2500 euro musko the snowball is now 6100 euro on 45 numbers or less if you're not in you can't win that's halfway 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package per household brought to you by the department of social protection okay you're very welcome back to the program into studio now we welcome ronan da hearty who is co-organized the jika jika festival it's this weekend in malin this coming weekend is it yeah malin head and saturday and sunday all very exciting yeah talk to us about it what kind of festival is it it's an electronic music festival we have sasha headlining who would be one of the biggest deaches in the last three decades and yeah there's another 60 deaches on the program as well so i haven't heard about how come i haven't heard about this um it would be big with the younger generation that would explain it now come here ronan i'll just see if you'd say i don't listen to country come here um what was it going to say to you was where is it actually taking place uh behind the cv tavern right in the field behind there to be two tents excellent all right so sasha's the headliner um i think most people are going back people in their 40s will know who sasha is of course uh who else uh stands out for you for those listening that would be interested there's a young dj called modea who's from doneigall and he's about to blow up very big and uh vertigo who's big for the last 20 years as well and uh ritchie blacker from dublin and jasmine gard easy who's been tearing it up recently so a lot of big names yeah and um there is a special guest headliner has that already been announced am i looking at an old press release or is there someone as well as sasha um no it hasn't been released yet um i'm actually unsure what the story is when when it's going to be revealed but how big a name is it um i'm not really not sure that's up to the other organizer that's on my part they must not trust you but not letting on at all at all but anyway we just all have our suffice to suffice to say it's it's going to be a name that people will very much recognize this is huge for the area isn't it i mean you're talking thousands of people expected in uh yeah it's uh jikajik is a huge organization they do uh events all over the world and uh was sasha like sasha's been deejaying in in the last month he's been deejaying in chicago new york um glastonbury manchester uh argentina oslo budapest now he's coming to my head so it's quite the list isn't it yeah and what about tickets the tickets are available uh yeah they are limited and a lot was sold this weekend so if you're looking to go out recommend you can get them via skittle brilliant okay and uh people will know where that's at up to 15 000 people expected no they won't be 15 000 they usually do 15 000 this weekend in dairy but uh that's over two or three days yeah um but yeah there will be a lot of people yeah of course tickets are limited so all right and it's jikajika jikajika jikajika okay brilliant stuff and uh just remind us one more time where people can get tickets via skittle or if you go to the jikajika website you'll be able to get them there brilliant okay run and well done co-organizer of the jikajika festival it's this weekend in malin sure to be uh sure to be a great weekend for those interested thanks so much for your time thank you very much take care of yourself thank you very much indeed right okay we're joined in studio now by uh bren wheeling good morning to you thank you very much for joining us how are you keeping hi great morning you're welcome back to any show yes it's it's great to be back and uh we were touching on uh the history people of course will know you from donagall climbing and mountaineering instructor as well um talk to us about what you what malin head means to you what this peninsula means to you i suppose that the you know what ali was referencing earlier was this significant um sort of um uniqueness about in its own and i suppose overall you know like it is a place about time like it you know where your park there behind you is in astral islands that's the start of islands geological timeline you have the oldest rocks in ireland there they're 1780 million years old you know in your situated at the top of ireland's largest peninsula you know they're unique things about that location but malin head is a place that really just has so many features linked to it and big names over time um ali mentioned that the tower the tower is a Napoleonic lookout tower built at the start of the 18th century by loids in conjunction with the british admiralty and the idea with that tower was to you know be a watch tower in terms of whether napoleon was going to invade ireland and use it as a back door to invade the british mainland marconi who ali also mentioned you know it's he's the founding father of radio you know and it's you know you're sitting there 120 years after he sent the first long wave radio communication from the building just beside where you're parked i mean that is something we should be screaming from the rooftops isn't it i mean or maximizing the the the potential of it for sure and look falcher ireland recognize that dunigal council council recognize that and you asked the question you know is the history supported by dunigal county council and they have a document which is called malin head and enchanting place with a colorful past and it lays out the history of malin head very clearly and that doc that document was produced in conjunction with dr shan betie who is a very well known historian from in ishown and like the timeline and significance of the area you know it reaches way back into geological time but into more modern times as well and it runs on and it is a place it is a raw location it's one of the raw last signature points on the wild atlantic way it gets 173 000 visitors a year that's bigger than sleeve league it's 165 000 a sleeve league and ali mentioned about glenvey they get over 200 000 visitors a year but yet look everyone recognizes malin head is constrained what you're feeling about development here then because you know by all accounts that's a very successful tourism spot and if people choose to spend 28 minutes here maybe that's that's all all we can achieve you talked about its ruggedness and it's untouched you know for the most part untouched are you nervous at all about any of that being lost through development at what is already a hugely successful tourism area where everyone's going to have to take a risk aren't they to make the site you know work in terms of giving and realizing its full opportunity and that's a risk that's going to have to be taken locally by landowners and by the council and by falter arland and it's going to need buying and you have like james joseph will be there the local landowner at the tower today and he's always there and he's helping and he's integrating with the businesses there and that's the kind of risk you need a bold step but one that's in keeping with this particular location and its uniqueness yeah you run star wars tours right i mean is the it's the interest still there that hasn't waned people still make the trip here to sort of have that connection with the with where the film was filmed yeah absolutely i'm up there tomorrow running a tour for a danish family so yes and then i'm running a trip for falter arland at the weekend with a group of tiktok influencers and thereafter then have an australian tv crew of falter arland the interest is very much there but it you know star wars is one element of the history and i've had some of the biggest star wars fans in the world up there doing the tour and my role there was i was looking after mar camo daisy ridley and we also had adam driver there but what people really feel is the common thread you've had in your show this morning authenticity you know people want to know about the place they want to know about the place names they want to know about the history and even the biggest star wars fans will say when they come to malinhead the star wars element is fabulous but what malinhead is all about is really the story that they're interested in right and no matter better man than yourself for that and i would love a chat separate to all of this really where we could dig into that a little bit more but we're out of time for now brand thanks very much for your time okay that's brandon wheeling there right in studio dominic mcdermott owner of cafe bam bag good morning dominic good morning and thanks for having me i think i had one of your coffees earlier you did delicious lovely can we how long have you been set up here we've been here for just over 14 years we think we're ireland's longest running coffee van and we started in 2008 we started with a tiny three wheel little coffee van that we imported from italy yeah but found within weeks that the weather at malinhead was far too much for it it was built for the Mediterranean and not for 75 mile an hour winds that we get up in malinhead so we swapped it out for a slightly bigger one that protects us from the wind a bit who have you served coffee to have no i mean everyone's equal in my eyes i don't do this celebrity stuff but i think you know we're all equal but come on for those who like the celebrity names drop a few the the supposed the big names were mark hamill and adan quinn connie nielson from the movie sets that we've worked on yes up here but my my favorite one my i think the biggest one we serve was john hugh because he used to come up here quite a lot and he was such a great man that he was always a privilege to serve him yeah a true a true great man indeed and in terms of the season right has it changed much in the 14 years because we kind of operate from kind of the beginning of march through to the end of september yeah i mean changed a bit over covid because extended a little bit did it now we extended we extended it a bit we found the past few years we've just had so many more people coming from island yeah and on staycations and it's been fantastic because it's seen so many people discovering this amazing rugged place that's so unspoiled they've discovered an island that they didn't really know that they had on the doorstep yeah okay and well what do you think the future holds for for malin um you know you've you're successful here uh you've been successful for 14 years we were talking a little earlier on about where maybe we this place needs to be and it has to be done correctly you know what do you i think your chatants will know a lot of people that come up here what are they saying to you visitors the visitors love this place because it is so rugged and unspoiled the reason we chose to do a van up here was because at the end of the day you can drive it away we drive it away and we leave absolutely no trace of us and people would never know that they've been any but we're going to that with the car park no so we does need some work it needs but it needs to kind of preserve the rugged look of it it needs people need to come up here and be able to stand up at malin head and see nothing but sea and mountains so whatever they do and they know the developers of the of any scheme are rarely aware of this it has to to maintain this kind of unspoiled beauty of the place what do you do up there other than coffee we do baking we have a bakery as well bro so we we sell coffee and cake and um there's another little stall up there that sells souvenirs wild atlantic gifts taxes um but we found that people aren't really looking for much more they need the toilet a cup of coffee a rock to sit on and maybe a little magnet or something to take home with them to say that we had to recognize and then a walk along the cliffs which is one of the best walks in in ireland i think yeah i mean it is beautiful we have a beautiful the whole place is beautiful and oh i'm saying that but i mean like i could name four or five different places right along our coasts and inland as well glen vey is landlocked and it's also beautiful we've got so much to offer we just have to make sure we're we're getting the max from it listen thank you so much for calling down thank you and your coffee is beautiful by the way uh so if you're up in malinhead call in to uh dominik and the team at cafe bamba and no doubt they will hook you up okay that's where we have to leave it on the program today we're back in studio uh tomorrow it's been wonderful to be up here in malinhead and to fulfill a promise that we said we'd come up here and i think it's been an interesting conversation that just does not extend to malinhead but to many many places around our beautiful county and region thanks to shamers who drove us up here uh kevin who engineered carol and of course as always who produces our sheen who helped us out back at base and also emma ryan for working on the program it sounds like there's so many of us uh work on this show it's not really but to do an ob a lot of people have to come in and help and we really appreciate it uh we're back with you in studio tomorrow morning from nine stay tuned jump residents up around the northwest after the news at 12 the nine