THE vast majority of Donegal student nurses plan to leave Ireland after they qualify - to start new careers abroad in Australia, America and the UK, a survey has found.

The Union of Students in Ireland new survey information today which showed that 93% of student nurses have considered emigrating when they finish college.

Over 600 student nurses were surveyed across the country and 564 (92.5%) said they have thought about emigrating when they qualify as a nurse.

”If the vast majority of student nurses emigrate Ireland once they qualify, Ireland will be deporting essential skills, talent and finance,” Kevin Donoghue, USI President, said.

“It’s easy to see why so many student nurses have considered emigrating once they’re qualified. A lot of those who move to England to start their careers have their flights, first month’s accommodation and postgraduate paid for.”

More than 1,000 nurses are set to retire from the health service by next June. Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation General Secretary Liam Doran spoke about how the hospital overcrowding situation is affected by the amount of staff.

Mr Doran said that the INMO wants extra beds to be opened but the hospital does not have adequate staff to deal with the current beds and cannot open the new beds without additional staff to service them.

“Many student nurses feel a better life awaits them abroad.” USI President Kevin Donoghue said.

"Countries with a huge shortage of nurses such as England, America and Australia are actively recruiting Irish nurses - some are even offering them positions before they’ve finished their final year. If the Irish government fail to educate and maintain their health professionals, it risks repeating the mistakes of the 1990’s when past generations of newly qualified nurses had no option but to emigrate.”

There was widespread anger this morning - after a Go Safe Speed Van blocked access to a public car park.

Locals in Termon were left furious - after access to a public car park was blocked off by a Go Safe Speed Van.

The speed safety vehicle was parked at the entry of the Church car park just outside Termon.

The van regularly parks outside the graveyard, but locals were furious because this morning it blocked entry to the car park!

Those wanting to attend the church or visit the graveyard were prohibiting from doing so - due the way the Go Safe Speed Van was parked!

Locals vented their frustrations on their social media timelines on Facebook and Twitter - .

"Go Safe van abandoned across entrance to public car park in Termon this morning - what an advertisement for good behaviour on our roads!"

"What a bit of parking, if that was anybody else you would be clamped, fined and towed."

"You can still get in and out around the van in fairness folks, but it is extremely difficult to see oncoming traffic come from either side due to the way it's parked.

"Not the cleverest bit of parking I must admit, but you can still get in and out though, but it does absolutely make it more dangerous when trying to merge back onto the main road."

"Absolutely ridiculous bit of parking, what are they thinking, why would you purposely make it difficult to gain access to the public car park! Only in Donegal!"

BLACK FRIDAY fever has hit Letterkenny - with motorists reporting severe traffic congestion all over the town.

The traffic in and around Letterkenny has been described as chaotic - as frenzied shoppers look to purchase bargains in the run-up to Christmas.

Hundreds of retailers have slashed prices on a whole range of products and consumers have flocked to Letterkenny to hoover them up!

Traffic is particularly bad at Penney's roundabout with motorists reporting delays of up to fifteen minutes just to get from Tobin's Filling Station to the roundabout.

Gardaí were called to direct traffic at the LYIT junction earlier this morning - due to a huge build up of traffic in the area.

The lights have been criticised in the past - and the Gardaí were forced to direct traffic to alleviate the problems.

Traffic has eased at the LYIT junction considerably - but others parts of Letterkenny are still badly affected.

SOCCER: Finn Harps head to Cork this Saturday in the League of Ireland Quarter-Finals, in which will be a thriller of a game.

Finn Harps travel to Cork this Saturday hoping they can beat Cork City in the League of Ireland Quater-Finals.

Both teams finished second in their group, Sligo Rovers had won the their last group game against Finn Harps which meant that they would not get home preference, However Harps will be travelling in full comfidence after having a brilliant season, and will have a full strength squad on Saturday.

Cork City missed out on topping their group as UCD came out victors against waterford.

Finn Harps defence will need to be on their toes against Cork City.

The formidable strike force of Cork City have scored an incredible 44 goals in 12 league matches.

Bj Banda will be hoping he can get a goal after not scoring in his last game.

Mark Coyle is out with suspenion after being sent off in their previous game. However Harps have players coming back from injury such as Declan Sharkey and Ciaran Kelly.

Harps will travel down the night before and will have plenty of rest before the big game.

The game kicks off at 1pm at Bishopstown, the winner plays UCD or Shamrock Rovers.

Lets hope Harps can go out and win, after such a succesful season.

BUSINESS: Tobin's Topaz/Spar  Express Service station in Letterkenny has been named the No.1 Convenience store in Ireland!

The multiple award-winning shop is one of the most successful stores in Ireland - and has enjoyed an incredible year in business.

They've already won industry awards in 2015 for excellence - and they were honoured again at an Industry awards ceremony in Dublin on Wednesday night.

Leading Industry magazine Shelf-Life named Tobin's as Ireland's top convenience store.

It's an amazing achievement for all the team at Tobin's - and just highlights yet again how successful and established the store is all across Ireland.

The hugely popular and successful shop is run by Eddie and Annette Tobin - and has been opened since 1980.

It employs 37 people and management and staff strive everyday to provide the best customer service possible.

Well done to all the team at Tobin's.

FEATURES: A Donegal Toy company is set to showcase its fantastic product on The Late Late Toy Show!

The Late Late Toy Show is a national institution - and is one of the most watched TV programmes every year!

Millions of viewers tune in to see what are the best toys and products on the market - and witness RTE presenter Ryan Tubridy wear some dodgy Christmas jumpers!

Hugely successful Donegal Toy company - LOTTIE DOLLS are set to feature on the show.

LOTTIE DOLLS have been an incredible success since being launched by Co-Founder and Managing Director Ian Harkin.

LOTTIE DOLLS are distributing their products in THIRTY countries all over the world - and now employ eight people here in Donegal.

LOTTIE DOLLS have also won an incredible TWENTY-SEVEN International toy awards.

LOTTIE DOLLS has been acknowledged as an innovative toy brand that is disrupting the toy aisle.

LOTTIE is a fashion doll with a difference; created to challenge negative body image concerns, premature sexualisation and the demise of childhood. No make-up, high heels or jewellery.

The business is continuing to grow and expand all the time - and Harkin has expressed his delight at the opportunity to feature on The Late Late Toy Show tonight!

Toy Show producer Katherine Drohan, has hinted that Lottie will be showcasing her ground-breaking superhero outfit tonight (which was designed by a real little girl, Lily aged six, from Ohio, USA) as Lottie’s kid-tester is said to have been very taken with the ‘girl superhero’ toy in rehearsals.

Lottie is the perfect toy for girls (or indeed boys!) cute, fun, educational, portable and perfectly giftable, she comes in a wide assortment of themes to suit each individual personality.

From tinkering with science or learning to ballet dance, stargazing into the nights sky, unearthing fossils on the coast to attending a glittery masked ball as a snow queen, even jumping in muddy puddles!

Locally, you can find Lottie Dolls in McElhinney’s Ballybofey and in Letterkenny; Crafty Kids and Moonshine Coffee Shop/Donegal Craft and Gifts and Surprise Surprise in the Shopping Centre.

You can find out more on the Lottie website (www.lottie.com) and tweet #lottiedolls during the show tonight to WIN 3 Lottie Dolls!

DDTV:Watch Marc Walsh score a cracker of a goal as Ireland came from behind to beat Poland 3-1.

Marc had a storming game -playing on the right wing - and was a constant menace to the Polish defence.

Poland went 1-0 up after a lackluster start from Ireland, but it wasnt long before Ireland got into their stride.

They went 1-1 after Ireland scored a free-kick.

Ireland continued to put pressure on Polands defence, when Marc found himself in space and went on a mazy run and took it around the defender in the box and then being fouled and won a penalty which was sloted away.

Then on the 74 minute a ball was played over the top onto Marc's stride which he took around the keeper and then cooly smashed it into the top corner.

The young man who plays most of his football with Gweedore Celtic will be a very happy going home.

Gardai are investigating a serious assault which took place in broad daylight today in Letterkenny.

Donegal Daily understands that a man was assaulted by three youths and received injuries close to Station Roundabout at around 2.30pm.

It is not known the reason for the assault but it is believed the confrontation started after a verbal confrontation.

It is not believed the victim was robbed during the encounter.

Gardai rushed to the scene but it is understood the three youths involved in the assault had already fled.

An eye-witness confirmed to Donegal Daily "It all happened so quickly. All of a sudden they were shouting at eachother and then a scuffle started. The next minute I knew it the man was on the ground and blood was coming out of his mouth and out of his nose.

"He was very shaken up and an ambulance arrived a short time later. The youths who seemed to be involved ran off."

Gardai arrived at the scene and interviewed a number of people in connection with the assault.

The man was taken to Letterkenny General Hospital where he is being treated for his injuries.

JOB VACANCY: One of Donegal's most well-known, reputable and established insurance brokerages are seeking to recruit an Insurance Administrator to join their team.

Management at O'Malley Scanlon Insurance are seeking for an individual to join their dynamic, innovative and hardworking team.

The vacant position is to cover a member of staff who is off on maternity leave.

The successful candidate will work as a General Insurance Administrator for Personal and Commercial Lines.

Key requirements:

• Applicants must have APA or CIP qualifications or working towards same.
• Applicants need to have strong organisational, written and verbal communication skills as well as excellent attention to detail.
• Positive and enthusiastic as a customer service executive, you must be friendly and personable and have a team player mentality.
• Willing to assist in achieving the overall objectives of the office.
• Must be familiar with Relay, Hiqs and Comquote systems.

If you are interested in applying then send your CV now to omalleyscanlon@eircom.net

Patrick Gill, 10, will appear on The Late Late Toy Show tonight.

A DONEGAL HIP-HOP DANCE sensation will perform in front of millions this evening - when he showcases all his dancing talents on The Late Late Toy Show.

Patrick Gill, 10, from Buncrana is the All-Ireland U12 popping champion.

He's a hip-hop dance sensation - who has been tipped for success and stardom.

At just TEN, he's already starred in TWO music videos - and will now perform to millions on The Late Late Toy Show.

Elite Dance Academy owner, Clare Mc Carron told Donegal Daily, "I'm so proud this week that my little dancer Patrick Gill from Buncrana - AKA 'Paddy Popper' will appear on The Late Late Toy Show Tonight!"

It's just incredible! He also just recorded another dance video with RTE on Thursday - for a Christmas Special of 'Pop up Popstar'. "

"He is a superstar and we are all so proud of him - and we all wish him the best tonight!

The annual Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat Dinner Dance has been launched!

The dinner dance, now in its 41st year is the flagship fundraising event for the charity that saves lives at sea and will be held once again at the Great Northern Hotel in Bundoran on Friday 29th January 2016.

As part of Bank of Ireland’s Enterprise Town event which happened recently, the charity applied for match funding from the bank and received the news in the past week that they had been successful.

Event director Cormac McGurran said: "We are grateful to Bank of Ireland for their contribution.

"We were forced to cancel the soapbox race during the year due to bad weather which had an effect on our fundraising. Mike Denver is this year’s artist and a great night of food, fun and music is promised on January 29th."

Tickets are on sale locally from all lifeboat crew members, BMG Hardware Bundoran, McNern Barbers Ballyshannon, Temptations Beauty Studio Ballyshannon and Bundoran Tourist Office and would make an ideal Christmas present.

Donegal students science it up!

More than 40 students from Donegal engaged in an innovative education programme, which seeks to inspire children about the wonders of science.

Hosted by Abbott's diabetes care business in Donegal, the students, together with their families, took part in Abbott Family Science at Bundoran Library.

They were guided through a series of exciting hands on science experiments by Abbott experts who actively volunteer their time to share their passion for science.

This is the seventh year of Abbott Family Science in Ireland, which aims to encourage young people to become proficient in science, to pursue careers in science and engineering, and ultimately to inspire the next generation of scientists.

Working together, students between the ages of 7 and 10 and their families are introduced to a range of activities that encourage the exploration of scientific principles in a fun and practical way. Using only common objects that can be found in most households, such as cups, balloons and pieces of newspaper, parents and children conduct experiments that illustrate how science is all around them.

This year, 10 Abbott sites in Ireland engaged in education outreach, reaching more than 450 students nationwide. The events coincided with National Science Week, which took place from 8-15th November 2015.

Speaking about the Abbott Family Science programme, Liam Curley, Site Manager in Donegal, said Abbott’s strategic philanthropy approach is to focus on local social investments that are aligned to our business.

"We believe that inspiring the young people of today can produce the scientific leaders of tomorrow, as science and technology will play an increasingly important role in the future of our planet. To date, we've engaged more than 10,000 students and families in Ireland through Family Science and our other science education programmes.”

“Globally, nearly 120,000 children and their parents have enjoyed science education events in seven countries around the world, and we are proud that Ireland was the first European country to implement these programmes in 2009. In Ireland, the impact of the Family Science programme is clear. In a post programme evaluation, 91% of parents indicated they would discuss careers in science and engineering with their child, an increase of 46% compared with their response before participating. Similarly, almost 80% of respondents felt that it was more likely that they would do hands on science learning activities at home, after participating in the programme.”

A critical element of the programme is the partnership and participation of teachers; 100 percent of teachers surveyed report that their students gained an important experience with hands on science discovery, and that it was valuable for their students to interact with scientists and engineers working in their community.

The perfect Christmas present for a gardener - Vitopod Heated Propagator!

Okay, let’s paint the picture. Your dad/Mum/wife/husband/child is a keen gardener, they’re forever out footering around the garden, loves their hanging baskets, always reads ‘yer man Austin in the Donegal Daily’ and you think “I know, let’s get Dad/Mum/whoever something for the garden for Christmas”.

Stop. Close Amazon. Take a deep breath and read on.

My first bit of advice. Don’t buy anything that says ‘Great gift for gardeners’. Or anything that’s got a picture of a gardener on it. Or a ceramic mug with a ceramic lid ‘to keep flies off’, or something that says ‘Lawn Ranger’ on the front. I describe myself as someone who footers at gardening, likes to be outside….but….I hate novelty. An Apron with ‘special pockets for gardeners’….Re-gift.

If you have a gardener in your life and you’d like to buy them something special then buy them something that they would never think adventurous or extravagant enough to buy…..here’s a few suggestions:

Heated Propagator.

These can range from €15 to €200 depending on the size. The smaller one are ideal for starting a tray of seeds off in, the larger are ideal for overwintering tender plants and come with thermostats and vents. A serious gardener would love one of these, and they will thank you for every more. Look on-line for a brand called ‘Vitopod’, available from Quickcrop.ie

Oscillating Hoe.

A wonderful garden tool that speeds up the maintenance of borders and the veg garden. A tool that, once bought, you’d wonder how you got on without it. Its not a gimmicky thing, it’s a serious bit of kit. A must for any gardener. Available from Fruithillfarm.com, priced at €43 with the handle. Get the middle sized one.

Felco Secateurs. A really good pair of Secateurs last a very long time. My pair of Felcos I have for 16 years now, and still use them every other day. The Felco 8 is the model to buy. €53 for the secateurs and don’t forget the pouch for them, €17 from thegardenshop.ie
Gift Voucher for a garden centre. If you’re having mental block, and thinking about all these things and saying “But I think Mammy has one of them”, get a Gift Voucher for them from The Garden Centre, Cooneys, Loughside, Homebase, Ashtree….wherever they like to visit. But get one for €50,€100 or whatever. This way Mummy can then pick something that she’s always had her eye on, like a nice birdbath or a set of big planters. Again think big on the voucher. Maybe 2 or 3 of you go together and get a big voucher or present.

A Nice Plant. Look out for some amazing plants available now in the garden centres such as Camelias, Chinese Dogwoods, Tree Rhododendrons, Magnolias. Some of these might retail for €60 so again its about getting them a plant they would never normally consider due to the size/price. All Gardeners love getting plants. Don’t get them a Houseplant. Just Don’t. Better still, go to Cluain na tdor garden centre in Falcarragh and let Seamus O’Donnell pick you out a tropical delight from Taiwan or New Zealand for them to really admire in their garden.

Polytunnel. I’ve written about these before and shouted the benefits of them from the rooftops. A Polytunnel (or glasshouse) allows them to footer about no matter the weather, grow things there location wouldn’t normally allow them to grow and will transform how they garden. €400+ depending on the size, GillespiePolytunnels.com based in Killygordon. Glasshouses RockHill Shed Centre will sort you out. Both offer supply and fit.
Daddy has a pile of apple trees, they fruit loads and all he does is bag them and give them away? Well PressFruit.co.uk will supply you with a fruit press from £95, which he can then use to press this autumn bounty and make juices, booze or whatever. Really good idea.
A great hobby, and a financially rewarding hobby at that is to keep Bees. Donegalbees.ie have Hive Starter Kits from €365, this will get him/her started.

Books.

Not the latest celebrity gardener books. But a really good interesting garden book such as ‘Encyclopaedia of Gardening’, ‘Forgotten Fruits: The Stories Behind Britain's Traditional Fruit and Vegetables’ ,‘Five plants that transformed mankind’ are three fascinating books in my collection. TheBookCentre.ie in Ballybofey are great for ordering titles in, UniversalBooks in Letterkenny and Jones &Co in Carndonagh are amazing for old gardening titles. We gardeners prefer older books than the latest title, 3 old books from the 70’s will get you more brownie points than 3 published yesterday. €6+ a wonderful old gardening book will be greatly received.

A trip to Mount Stewart Gardens.

There is nowhere in Ireland, in my opinion, that showcases amazing horticulture like Mount Stewart near Belfast. A full day trip, with lunch on the way and dinner on the way back will have the gardener in your life delighted. Mount Stewart has it all, and then some. No matter if its January or July its always worth a trip to MountStewart. €100 (incl lunch, dinner and fuel etc)

Now I’ve given you some great ideas, don’t be buying them novelty gardening gloves, or woollen cap with ‘Head Gardener’ on it….last result buy them a years subscription to the Irish Garden Magazine, garden.ie, €46 for the year, and every month they’ll get horticultural inspiration through their door.

Gareth Austin

Enjoy!

Gareth Austin is resident Horticulturist with BBC Radio Foyle, a member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulturists and Horticultural Lecturer with the National Learning Network. For more see www.garethaustin.com or join Gareth on Twitter @GardenerGareth .

The kids from Creeslough aren't afraid to get stuck in.

When it comes to looking after their local environment, the kids of Creeslough are cleaning up!

This week the children of SN Glasáin, Creeslough carried out a Day of Action against litter.

This will go towards helping them achieve their first Green Flag for Litter and Waste which they have been working towards for the last number of years.

It was a wet and cold day but everyone was in high spirits as they left the school to carry out a big clean up on the roads surrounding the school.

Sitting at the foot of Muckish the local scenery is stunning and the children and wider school community are committed to keeping the school and surrounding area litter free.

Some of the other activities the school is undertaking include a trip to the Recycling Centre in Letterkenny and they also have invited Donegal County Councils Environmental Protection Officer Suzanne Bogan to come in to speak in the school.

The school will undergo assessment in the coming months and hope to have our Green Flag Flying by the end of this school year.

Gardai have appealed to drivers to slow down this evening.

Met Éireann has issued a Status Yellow wind warning for Donegal for the weekend with westerly winds expected to gust up to 100kmph today and tomorrow.

A Status Yellow rain warning is in operation for counties Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Clare and Kerry.

A Status Orange gale warning has also been issued.

There has already been reports today of localised flooding across Donegal.

Motorists have been warned to slow down and not to drive through flooded areas.

There is a warning that west to southwest winds will continue to reach gale force 8 on all Irish Coastal Waters and on the Irish Sea for the rest of today, tonight and tomorrow, Sunday.

While Winds will reach strong gale force 9 this afternoon in the Irish Sea and all areas overnight and up to storm force 10 for a time tomorrow morning.

Former Donegal GAA manager Jim McGuinness has won a major award for his memoir 'Until Victory Always.'

The Glenties man scooped the overall winner award in the Sports category at the Bord Gais Book Awards in Dublin last night.

The book, which recalled McGuinness's years as Donegal manager, was described as honest and moving.

Now in its tenth year, the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards brings together readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians to celebrate the best of Irish writing.

The awards are voted for by both the public and members of the Irish Literary academy.

Other winners on the night included Anne Enright, Sinead Moriarty, Donal Ryan, Niall Breslin, Joe Duffy, Sara Baume and Louise O'Neill.

THE U14 and U16 County trials due to take place at the Centre of Excellence in Convoy tomorrow (Sunday) have been cancelled due to poor weather conditions.

Club managers are asked to make sure all their players are aware of this; trials are scheduled to go ahead on Sunday, December 6.

DONEGAL model Charlotte Murphy has landed her first TV gig.

The Letterkenny girl didn't land the title of Miss Universe Ireland this weekend but she did cause heads to turn.

"I was so proud to represent Donegal. I met a lot of people from the Irish media and fashion circles," Charlotte told Donegal Daily.

"Though I did not win, last night at the event I was offered my first ever modelling job. It is TV3's Lorraine Keane's fashion event, 'Keane on Style' which will be held in Harvey's Point on Thursday night.

"I will be modelling clothes from some of Ireland's leading boutiques. I am thrilled to have been offered this job from one of Ireland's premium agencies, Lockdown Models."

Bonagee United goalkeeper Eugene Ferry, pictured with James McClean - could do nothing to stop his side crashing out of the FAI Intermediate Cup this afternoon.

SOCCER: BONAGEE UNITED have crashed out of the FAI Intermediate Cup - after suffering a heavy defeat away to Killester United.

Peter Moran's side have enjoyed a fine campaign to date - and are joint-top of the USL.

However, they knew the difficulty of the draw prior to this clash - and it proved every bit as difficult as was predicted.

Killester United are on of the favourites to win this competition outright - and reached the FAI Senior Cup quarter-finals earlier this season.

Bonagee started brightly and had a couple of good opportunities to take the lead - but it was Killester who opened the scoring - and once they did they never looked back.

They were two up at the interval, and added two other goals in the opening twenty minutes of the second-half.

Bonagee battled bravely to the end but were outclassed by a side with serious credentials and ambitions to win the competition.

Letterkenny Rovers clash with Dunboyne AFC was postponed due to the adverse weather conditions in Co.Meath.

Letterkenny were scheduled to face the Leinster Senior League side tomorrow afternoon - but the game has been cancelled due to a water-logged pitch.

The game will now take place either next weekend - or the weekend after.

Letterkenny thought the game would've been reversed as was the norm traditionally, however the rules have changed in recent seasons.

SOCCER: Finn Harps U19's suffered a heavy 7-1 defeat in their League of Ireland quarter-final clash with Cork City earlier this afternoon.

Cork City came into this clash as the form side in the country - having scored an incredible FORTY-FOUR goals in their section of the league.

An away draw to Cork was always going to be a formidable task for Joe Boyle's side - but they were well in the game in the opening period.

Cork City took the lead early on - but former Letterkenny Rovers midfielder Gareth Doherty cancelled that out - and the side went in at the interval level.

However, Cork were simply unplayable in the second-half and scored SIX goals.

They could well have had more and that is now 51 goals they've scored so far this season.

Harps have enjoyed a good campaign with players like BJ Banda establishing himself in the 19's - before firing that all important goal against Limerick for the fisrt-team at Finn Park a number of weeks ago.