EACH WEEKDAY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you five things you should know before you head out the door.

1. #FUNERAL: Hundreds of people turned out in Donnybrook today to pay tribute to renowned poet Seamus Heaney. Monsignor Brendan Devlin, who led the service, said the whole country was “keenly aware of the deprivation at the disappearance” of the literary great.

2. #SCHOOLS: Education Minister Ruairí Quinn is proposing new laws that would see schools banned from accepting admission fees or interviewing parents ahead of the enrolment of new pupils. It is hoped the new rules will lead to a reduction in the number of court cases over admissions.

3. #RAPE: Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell has appeared in court in the UK on multiple charges, including the rape of a young girl. The court was told that the actor, who plays Kevin Webster in the soap, told his victim she would “die” if she told anyone. Le Vell has denied all charges.

4. #BANKRUPTCY: Former Fine Gael minister Ivan Yates has defended his decision to move to the UK to declare bankruptcy, ahead of his return to the Newstalk Breakfast show as presenter this week. He said he was writing a book on his experiences and has a chapter on banks entitled “Arrogant, Inhuman, Bastards”.

5. #BIG CAT: Police in Co Down are investigating reports that a ‘big cat’ may be responsible for a number of sheep killings in the county. Local residents have claimed to have spotted a large wild cat in the same general area of the attacks, and the PSNI said today that local officers are making enquiries.