EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the stories you need to know as you start your day.

1. #FLOODING: The bad weather has caused flooding in many areas across the country. Worst hit is Dublin, Meath, Louth and Kildare.

2. #FATAL: A man has died after seven people got into difficulty while kayaking in Wicklow.

3. #SIT IN: Sinn Féin has denied that Mary Lou McDonald’s Leinster House protest was a publicity stunt.

4. #CRUELTY: A man has been sentenced to four months in jail and banned from keeping animals for two years after pleading guilty to cruelty to a number of dogs.

5. #TALKS: Teachers unions will meet today to discuss their plan of action after opposing Junior Cert reform. [RTÉ]

6. #INTRUDER: A disturbed Army veteran carrying a knife made it into the White House after the Secret Service assumed he would be stopped by the bushes.

7. #THEATRE: A Fine Gael MEP has dismissed calls for a referendum on water ownership as ‘just a bit of theatre’.

8. #HEALTH: Irish scientists have figured out another way smoking is bad for you.

9. #TOY SHOW: The Late Late Toy Show is just two weeks away. The show has received a record number of ticket requests this year and the deadline is today.