EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you all the news you need to know as you start the day.

1. GOLFGATE: Minister for Agriculture Dara Calleary has resigned in the wake of revelations he attended a golf function with over 80 attendees at a hotel on Wednesday night. 

2. #QUIGLEYS POINT: A man and two children have died after the car they were travelling in entered the water at Quigley’s Point, Co Donegal last night.  

3. #LOKDOWN: Temporary restrictions in Offaly and Laois are expected to be lifted as planned this weekend but restrictions in Kildare are expected to remain in place for a further two weeks. 

4. #NURSING HOMES: Weeks after many nursing homes faced the devastating impact of Covid-19 outbreaks, many are now looking at the rising number of new cases across the country with fear and alarm. 

5. #RENT PRICES: The average national rent price has continued to rise year-on-year, despite the impact of Covid-19 on the rental market for much of 2020.

6. #PRISONERS: Dozens of prisoners in Ireland continue to ‘slop out’, despite a previous promise by the government to end the practice by this year.

7. #TRUMP V BIDEN: Joe Biden has vowed to unite an America torn by crisis and contempt as he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination.

8. #CORONAVIRUS: British holidaymakers face another scramble to return home to avoid quarantine after Croatia, Austria and Trinidad & Tobago were removed from the safe travel list.

9. #STORM ELLEN: About 40,000 homes and businesses around the country remain without power this morning after Storm Ellen. ESB said its teams are working to restore power as quickly as possible, and electricity has been restored to 140,000 other premises.