EVERY DAY, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you really ought to know with your morning cup of coffee.

1. #CONFESSION: The children’s minister Frances Fitzgerald has insisted that admissions of crime made during a Church confession – which are currently privileged and not legally admissible – will not be exempted from new rules on reporting child abuse. The Church has hit out at the plans, saying the sacramental seal of confession was “above and beyond all else”.

2. #ROSCOMMON: The family of first patient who was required to travel from Roscommon to hospital in Castlebar, because of the withdrawal of A&E services in Roscommon, say their father was ultimately forced to go back to Roscommon for treatment – because his hospital records couldn’t be accessed from Mayo. The family of John Bligh tell their story in today’s Irish Daily Mail.

3. #NORTHERN IRELAND: Police have been confronting up to 100 rioters in overnight disturbances in Portadown, BBC News reports. The disturbances follow rioting earlier this week to mark the Twelfth of July.

4. #SEANAD: It has emerged that 13 members of the Seanad are entitled to a share of a €434,000 payout – for getting promoted. The 13 members were all former local councillors who had to give up their council seats when they won election to the Seanad earlier this year – and are now entitled to severance from the local authorities. Gordon Deegan’s report is carried in many of today’s papers.

5. #DRESS CODE: Downstairs in Leinster House, the Irish Times reports that tensions are brewing between the Ceann Comhairle and the Taoiseach over the latter’s decision to delay introducing a dress code for Dáil business. The Dáil would need to have final approval on the proposals, but with the houses rising for holiday this week, there’s no vote scheduled in the draft agenda.

6. #HACKING: Rupert Murdoch has commissioned full-page adverts in all national newspapers in the UK today, apologising personally for the conduct of some staff at the News of the World over the phone-hacking affair. Yesterday Murdoch lost two CEOs – including Les Hinton, of Dow Jones, who has been a lifelong friend to the billionaire.

7. #METRO NORTH: A decision on the Metro North is officially due in a few months, but the decision could be made very easy – because the Irish Independent’s print edition says Dublin Airport could be served by a DART extension for only a tenth of the cost. The Fingal Independent had previously reported that the scheme could be set for a DART rebrand.

8. #BANAMA REPUBLIC: The High Court has been told that developer David Daly – who was given 24 hours’ notice to repay €457m in loans by NAMA – has been told he cannot appeal NAMA’s decision to appoint receivers to his properties, because he never appealed NAMA’s acquisition of his loans in the first place.

9. #GOING GAGA: It’s not been a great few days for Lady Gaga. Not only has Rihanna overtaken her to become the most popular musical act on Facebook, but her UK fan website has also been compromised by hackers who may have accessed personal details of tens of thousands of users.