EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you the five stories you need to know before you head out the door.

1. #GONE: Fine Gael’s John McNulty has withdrawn from the Seanad by-election following a week of controversy.

2. #RIP: Stage school founder and Dublin icon Billie Barry has died. She passed away peacefully this morning.

3. #MAKING A SPLASH: Water charges have been finalised, a day before the system come into effect. The Taoiseach has said that Irish Water – and your PPS numbers – “will not be sold”.

4. #RESIGNATION: Hilary Quinn, a director of Irish Water, has resigned from the board after it was revealed that he was hired as Junior Minister Paudie Coffey’s driver.

5. #UH-OH: The European Commission has said that it believes Ireland provided illegal state aid to Apple for almost 20 years.

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

Catch up with our Homeless Ireland series here>

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.