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

1. #RAPE: A 30-year-old man has been given two life sentences for the rape of two children in Athlone last year.

2. #ARREST: A man has been arrested in relation to the murder of Gerard Donnelly who was burned to death in Phoenix Park last November.

3. #EXPENSES: The former Fianna Fáil TD and Senator Ivor Callely pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today to making a false mobile phone expense claim.

4. #STRIKE: SIPTU said today that it is not in a position to call off a work stoppage planned at Aer Lingus and the country’s three main airports for Saint Patrick’s weekend.

5. #MURDER: Oscar Pistorius pleaded not guilty to the charge of the premeditated murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year.

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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.