Northern Lights from Fahan Hill in Buncrana, Inishowen, Co. Donegal yesterday evening (Adam Rory Porter).

HERE ARE THE things you need to know as we round off the day in three easy steps…

THINGS WE LEARNED

#CROKE PARK 2: Nurses, gardaí and firefighters are set to step up their campaign to oppose Croke Park 2 over the coming weeks with town hall meetings planned for the next fortnight. Meanwhile, trade union UNITE has told the government to “be quiet and stay the hell away” from the voting process on the pay deal.

#UNITED NATIONS: Former Irish President Mary Robinson has been appointed UN Special Envoy to the troubled Great Lakes region of Africa. The announcement today was welcomed by NGOs working in the region as well as politicians back home.

#ALCOHOL: Alcohol Forum launched Ireland’s first ever National Alcohol Awareness Week as the organisation said the country’s legacy of harmful drinking and its impact on children is a ‘national scandal’. The organisation has a number of events planned over the next week to raise awareness of the issue and to encourage a responsible attitude to drinking.

#STEUBENVILLE: Two teenagers in the US have been found guilty of raping a fellow high school student in a case that became notorious after a video of boys laughing about the assault on the “dead” drunk girl went viral. The two football players broke down when they heard the verdict yesterday which found them “delinquent beyond a reasonable doubt” on all counts.

#GRAND SLAM: Ireland’s Grand Slam-winning ladies returned to Dublin today, greeted to a well deserved hero’s welcome. Smiles, hugs and a baby in a trophy – all here.

THINGS WE LOVED

• These exclusive, behind the scene snaps from the classic film Willow. Look at Warwick Davis’ lovely head of hair.
• We are big fans of cupcakes so we love the ambition of some of these unusual recipes…even if we wouldn’t try them all ourselves.
• If you liked that picture up top, you’ll love this collection of images of last night’s Northern Lights compiled by The Metro Times. We know you’ve probably had enough of things turning green for St Patrick’s Day but this was all natural.

THINGS WE SHARED

• This is what posh Irish toilets looked like 700 years ago. State-of-the-art.
• These totally impractical shoes. Nonetheless, we have to have them.
• This video of a policewoman being really sound, pardon the pun. They had arrived to tell the guy to turn the volume down and instead he treated her to a ‘hair job’. We love how completely unimpressed her colleague is at the end. “Right, you ready…?”

(LiveLeak2014/YouTube)

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