(A Sikh man holds a child as they take a holy dip in the sacred pond at the Golden Temple, Sikhs holiest shrine, during Baisakhi festival in Amritsar, India, today. Pic: Sanjeev Syal/AP/Press Association Images)

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

THINGS WE LEARNED

#SHOOTING: A man was shot earlier today in Rowlagh Park in Clondalkin, Dublin 22. The man, who is believed to be conscious and breathing, has been taken to Tallaght Hospital. It is believed that he was shot in the jaw and shoulder.

#PROTEST: Upwards of 5,000 people protested in Dublin’s city centre earlier today. The protest was against the implementation of the local property tax and included a visit to Dublin Castle, where EU finance ministers are meeting this weekend.

#BONDS: The status of Ireland’s bonds may be upgraded by rating agency Moody’s following yesterday’s deal to delay the repayment of Irish bailout loans by seven years, RTÉ News is reporting. Moody’s remains the only rating agency to currently rank Irish bonds at junk status.

#LUCKY ESCAPE: An Indonesian plane carrying more than 100 passengers broke in two after missing the runway at Bali airport today and landing in the sea, leaving dozens injured but no fatalities. The plane came to rest partially submerged in the water not far from the end of the runway, with inflatable slides deployed from the front exits and a gaping crack in the fuselage towards the rear.

#SINN FÉIN: Martin McGuinness has said that Sinn Féin is not a pro-abortion party. The deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland made the comments during the party’s Ard Fheis, which attracted anti-abortion protesters outside the Royal Hotel and Theatre in Castlebar, Co Mayo.

#RECEIVERSHIP: Businessman Bill Cullen has said that “entrpreneurs have no future in Ireland”. His comments came following yesterday’s reappointment of a receiver to the Muckross Park Hotel in Killarney, Co Kerry, which he had been running with his partner Jackie Lavin.

#SHORTAGES: The Irish Association for Emergency Medicine has said that staff shortages in Ireland’s Emergency Departments will worsen after July. The group said that the shortages would continue until the career prospects of those in emergency medicine improved.

THINGS WE LOVED

• Eveyone loves a good quiz. You do, don’t you? Here’s the thing though… just how well do you know birthday-boy Seamus Heaney? Find out here.

• Until today, Trinity Comprehensive school in Ballymun was just another school to us. Not anymore. Based on this video, it might just be the coolest school in the country. Here’s why…

(Trinity Comprehensive/YouTube)

THINGS WE SHARED

• Dublin City Library have taken quotes from James Plunkett’s historical novel Strumpet City and illustrated them using old photographs from Dublin. The results are a must-see.

(Photograph courtesy of Dublin City Public Libraries)

• Ireland can be a pretty special place. Don’t believe us? This selection of shots from Dublin taken earlier this year should help change your mind. Turn up the volume, press play, and be immersed.

(theo jebb/Vimeo)