NEED TO CATCH up? TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of today’s news.

IRELAND

Simone McCarthy, Michael Crawley, Edward Dela Torre, Ciara Treacy at the Gap of Dunloe for the new Wander Wild Festival in Killarney.

• Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said he agrees with a 2015 PSNI assessment about the Army Council of the Provisional IRA and its influence over Sinn Féin
• X-rays on patients exhibiting coronavirus symptoms were carried out by doctors rather than radiographers at Cork University Hospital
• Leo Varadkar will travel to Washington for the annual St Patrick’s Day visit if no government has been formed by 5 March
• A white Mercedes Benz and €5,000 in cash were seized in a CAB raid
• Over €8 million in funding was announced for the development and maintenance of outdoor amenities such as trails, walkways, cycleways and blueways.

WORLD

Flood water surrounds a church in Tirley, Gloucestershire, more rain in northern England PA PA

#CORONAVIRUS: South Korea confirmed 52 more cases of coronavirus, making it the worst-affected country outside China.

#DIVIDED UNION: The European Union budget summit ended without an agreement.

#GRACE MILLANE: A 28-year-old man has been jailed for at least 17 years for the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane in New Zealand.

#RIP: Man United greats Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Alex Ferguson and Denis Law were among mourners who have gathered for the funeral of club hero Harry Gregg.

PARTING SHOT

“The gods of irony decided to have some sport, and when the ceann comhairle declared the nomination of Eamon Ryan, the Green Party leader and definite back marker of the contest, there was a long pause before somebody in the chamber bestirred themselves to call for a vote,” writes Lise Hand in a highly enjoyable rundown of what happened yesterday during the votes for our next Taoiseach.

But the way the palaver works is that if there is no call of ‘Votáil’, the candidate is deemed elected by acclamation.

For 15 seconds, as Ryan burst out laughing and gestured for ciúnas in the chamber, it looked as if Ireland was about to get its first Green Taoiseach, entirely by accident.