Here's the news:

Further school closures are expected as a result of structural checks which are currently being carried out according to the Minister for Education Joe McHugh. Tyrrelstown Educate Together and St Luke's National School in west Dublin were closed following structural checks, with 1,200 pupils affected, and checks on 42 schools nationwide are continuing.

The Irish Times reports landlords could require planning permission to use Airbnb under new plans to tighten the rules around allowing properties in areas of high housing demand to be used for short-term lets, giving greater power to councils over short-term letting platforms.

Bord na Mona has announced up to 430 job losses, with 150 to be lost in the first half of next year. The power and fuel company said it was open to a voluntary redundancy scheme.

Austerity budgets hit lone parents hardest according to a new ESRI report, which examined the gender impact of budgetary decisions over the past 10 years. The full report is now available, after its findings were preliminarily released and reported on last month. 

Voting on the presidential election and referendum on blasphemy will take place on islands off the west coast today, ahead of the nationwide polling day tomorrow.

Finally, today's zen is the collection of winning photos by Brad Goldpaint at this years Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.