EVERY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of the day’s biggest news stories, as well as the bits and pieces you may have missed.

• One you couldn’t miss, on Twitter, the airwaves or the papers was the ongoing debate over Senator David Norris’s hopes to run for the presidency. He says he will continue his campaign but the question is: Who is supporting him now?
• The HSE has its critics – and none more so than the head of its own Child and Family Services section Gordon Jeyes. He had some withering words for them – and the Government’s plans for child protection – at a lecture uncovered by RTE Radio 1 today. Read more here.
• It was Reek Sunday today, when the Catholic faithful have traditionally climbed Croagh Patrick in Mayo for penitence and forgiveness. The Archbishop of Tuam had something to tell them when they got to the peak today…
• The people of Syria tonight are in mourning after Government-ordered tanks drove into cities and fired, reportedly indiscriminately, on citizens from dawn. Scores are reported dead, more injured and all just before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins.
• The US is in financial trouble – although the Government and Republican Congressional leaders say they are close to a deal to raise the debt ceiling. Could they not just give Apple a call? The BBC maintains Apple has more cash to spend than the US government.
• Been having a good August Bank Holiday have we? Photographer Michelle Geraghty found the crowd at Indiependence in Mitchelstown, Co Cork in bouncing form, as our main picture shows. The chilled-out punters at Castlepalooza in Tullamore, Co Offaly were captured by photographer Stephen Kilkenny in this ‘wish-you-were-here’ slideshow. And TheJournal.ie reader Anna-Rose Prior couldn’t resist sending us a snap of Purple Rain from Prince’s Malahide Castle gig…

• It’s a bank holiday Sunday evening so take it easy, grab that glass of wine/mug of cha and settle down with TheJournal.ie‘s latest installment of Sitdown Sunday: 7 deadly reads. It’s our handpick of the week’s most brilliant writing – and a classic from the archives.
• Like Twitter? Love ‘fake’ Twitter accounts? Here are some of the best…
• We’ve heard a lot about home-swapping being the ideal recession-friendly way to holiday. One woman in San Francisco is not so sure. Read her story on USA Today.
• It has come to our attention that Celine Dion has shut down a blog called RidiculousPicturesOfCelineDion.com In honour of the recently departed site, we thought we would bring you some pictures of Celine which are most definitely, absolutely, cross-our-heart, not ridiculous at all… And one video that definitely is:

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