1. Kenny expected to be taoiseach 70 days after election
Talks between the Independents and Fine Gael are due to resume at 9am this morning to iron out any outstanding details of the new Government. Talks went on late into Thursday when members of the Independent Alliance met to discuss the draft programme for government. Cabinet posts are expected for at least three Independent TDs The Programme for Partnership includes a commitment to spending an additional €6.75 billion on public services over the next five years.
Miriam Lord: And on the 70th day the work of creation ends: Genesis of new government to be followed by adjournment of Dáil to allow dust to settle
2. Boeing 767 makes final journey up Shannon to ‘glamping’ site
Is it a barge? Is it a plane? No, it's...both. Normally when you hear of a Boeing passenger plane taxiing up at Shannon, it's not the river that comes to mind. But businessman David McGowan, determined to transport his decommissioned Russian 767 to a new "glamping" site in Co Sligo, decided its ultimate voyage would be of the old school variety. The aircraft - which will be the centrepiece accommodation at an alternative transport themed glamping village in Enniscrone - was transferred from the runway at Shannon Airport to Knockbeg Point.
3. Northern Ireland count: candidates face anxious two days
A two-day count to decide the make-up of the next Stormont Assembly will begin this morning.Hundreds of thousands of people in Northern Ireland voted yesterday to elect the next 108-member Northern Ireland Assembly. While more than 1.2 million people were entitled to vote in the North's 18 six-seater constituencies, the general expectation was that the turnout would be less than 60 per cent. The election campaign has been quite low-key, which has led to speculation that the turnout could be in the mid-50s in percentage terms, or possibly even lower. In the previous Assembly election, in 2011, turnout was 56 per cent
4. Eagles born on Lough Lein for first time in over 100 years
Eagle chicks have hatched beside one of the Killarney lakes for the first time in more than 100 years. Anglers who have been guarding a white-tailed eagle nest on an island on Lough Lein, the largest of the Killarney lakes, reported the hatching of chicks in the past few days in the nest high in a tree. There are believed to be two chicks who hatched on Brown Island, a small wooded island northwest of the medieval monastic island of Inisfallen in the Killarney National Park and not far from Tomies Mountain where chicks have hatched before.
5. Klopp, players and fans make it happen at Anfield
Liverpool stand defiant in the face of Spanish football's dominance of Europe. The Champions League final may be an all-Madrid affair but Jürgen Klopp's team prevented La Liga following suit in the Europa League version by swatting aside Villarreal. "They won't know what's hit them" was Jürgen Klopp's promise via the front page of the Liverpool Echo, something of a hostage to fortune perhaps considering Borussia Dortmund raced into a two-goal lead here in the last round and it was stoppage time before Dejan Lovren was finally able to tilt the tie the home side's way. The Liverpool manager was careful not to take anything for granted – "great moments and great nights don't just happen at Anfield because you step off a bus and touch the sign, great things happen here because players and supporters make them happen" – though it seemed to be a given that England's last representatives in Europe would not slide out of contention as meekly as Manchester City did in Madrid, and Villarreal probably knew that as well as everyone else.
Misc…
Sinn Féin and the Gerry Adams nerves: Replacing him is a challenging prospect – but his recent gaffes have been a liability, writes Noel Whelan
Ireland can and should accept refugee children: We have one of the best care systems for unaccompanied minors in Europe, writes Muireann Ní Raghallaigh
Pop Corner: Rihanna/Calvin Harris single shows this is what we pay for: Ariana prefers to be all things to all women; Katy B would rather go on the pull than date online.
Varadkar threat to pull funds in St Vincent's hospital row: Minister issues warning on dispute over €150m relocation of maternity hospital
