The pitches have started for the 13bn we found down the back of the sofa, as low-cost loans for builders, digital health records and extra funds for the Land Development Agency are among the things the Apple money might be thrown at now that the shackles are off. With that money you could build, for example, 39,000 bike sheds...or buy 32.5m Oasis tickets.

Elsewhere, good news for those with very big (like huge) pensions as the tax relief is to rise to cover pots of up to €2.8m by 2029 under Cabinet plans, while an anti-immigration protest in Dublin’s city centre was dispersed by gardaí last night after several hours. 

While the far right protest against immigration, migrant workers are quietly getting on with life in a new country and, as this excellent article illustrates, it is invariably a hard life, lived in the margins. 

Meanwhile, coverage of the WRC hearing involving Siptu and Ger Malone continues, and the Indo reports that ICTU has lobbied the Taoiseach on the passenger cap at Dublin Airport, a story that also features in this morning's members' news bulletins, which will publish at around 9am this morning.

Zen

It's been three years since the publication of Sally Rooney's last novel (Beautiful World Where Are You) so the publication of a new Rooney novel will be a cause for excitement among her many readers. Intermezzo is described as an "accomplished continuation" of Rooney's work, "more philosophically ambitious, stylistically varied, disturbing at times and altogether stranger." 

Sounds promising. However, if that's not to your taste, I've an alternative suggestion from our colleague Geraldine Hickey at the Irish Aviation Authority, who is an avid fan of Caimh McDonnell's Dublin Trilogy series ("a trilogy of eight books"). Funny, dark and addictive.

Have a lovely weekend.

Niall