EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the stories you need to know as you start your day.

1. #BLAZE: A number of people were hospitalised following a serious fire in Clondalkin in the early hours of this morning. A woman and a young boy were also seriously injured in the blaze.

2. #TUAM: Galway County Council has said there are no records to suggest remains were found during the construction of a housing estate on the site of the former mother and baby home in Tuam in the 1970s, RTÉ reports.

3. #DRINKING: Almost half Irish people think drinking to excess is “no big deal”, according to a new survey.

4. #US EMBASSY: There’s no immediate sign that the Trump administration is about to appoint a full-time ambassador to Ireland – but this man is keeping the seat warm.

5. #VERA TWOMEY: After four and a half hours of meetings with Health Minister Simon Harris last night, Vera Twomey, her husband Paul, along with TD Gino Kenny, are positive that a deal can be reached for Ava Barry in less than two weeks.

6. #FRANCE: An investigation is under way after intruders at a French zoo shot dead a white rhino and hacked off its horns in a grisly poaching incident.

7. #PINK WATER: Officials in a Canadian town have apologised after a water treatment plan turned the supply pink. Residents of Onoway complained when taps began running in a disturbing hue, the BBC reports.

8. #THE OUTLOOK: The forecast for today is almost spring-like. It will be cloudy this morning with scattered outbreaks of rain, Met Éireann says. It will become generally dry later with some bright or sunny spells.

9. #PAY GAP: Ireland has a gender pay gap of 16%, according to figures released today for International Women’s Day.