EACH WEEKDAY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you the five stories you need to know before you hit the road.

1. #EXODUS: The Government has confirmed where ministers are off to for their traditional trade & tourism St Patrick’s Day trips.

2. #SPAT: A (fresh) war of words has broken out between Enda Kenny and Michéal Martin, over whether the two should take part in a 1-on-1 debate.

3. #DETAINED: Two men have been arrested for blocking the progress of a meter installation van, with staff inside.

4. #WINNERS: Stephen Hawking is pretty happy with this year’s Oscar winners.

5. #AH HERE: There are currently three weather warnings in effect for the country. Spring, apparently, remains on hold.

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The 5 at 5 5 minutes, 5 stories, 5 o’clock…

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.