Five things you need to know today

‘Irish Times’ latest poll; Cork shooting of Real IRA man; SF TDs reject link to Stack murder

1. 'Irish Times' poll: Fianna Fáil pulls ahead of Fine Gael to become most popular party
Fianna Fáil has pulled ahead of Fine Gael to become the most popular political party, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll.
Both parties have gained support since the previous poll in October, with the biggest gains going to Fianna Fáil. Labour has also improved, while Sinn Féin and Independents have lost ground.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has seen a big jump in his satisfaction rating and there has also been an increase in the Government's rating.

2. Gardaí attempt to trace killers of Real IRA man in Cork
A postmortem is to be carried out on Thursday on the remains of a senior dissident republican who was shot and fatally wounded in Cork on Wednesday evening.
Gardaí hope the test will shed light on the weapon used and possible suspects for the killing Aidan O'Driscoll (37) - who was nicknamed "the Beast".
He was shot three times as he walked along the Old Commons Road near Blackpool Church of the Assumption on Cork's Northside at 5pm.

3. Mick Wallace abusing privilege with unfounded claims, says Nama
The National Asset Management Agency has claimed Independents4Change TD Mick Wallace is abusing Oireachtas privilege by making unfounded claims about it.
In a letter to the Committee on Procedures and Privileges, Nama's head of legal Aideen O'Reilly criticised comments by Mr Wallace in the Dáil.
Mr Wallace alleged 20 employees or former employees of Nama were engaged in malpractice.
Ms O'Reilly said the Wexford Deputy had not made the information available to the Garda.

4. Skills shortage threatens Dublin's post-Brexit financial services boom
Hopes for a post-Brexit financial services boom are coming under threat from a skills shortage that could curb its central bank's ability to keep up with a surge in licence applications.
Ireland's finance minister Michael Noonan last week admitted the Central Bank of Ireland — which he said wants to hire an extra 170 staff next year — is already struggling to compete with the private sector for the talent it needs and cannot put a timeline on how long it will take to deal with complex licence applications.
And insurance industry insiders said private companies were also already struggling to hire in some areas.

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5. Two Sinn Féin TDs reject link to Brian Stack murder
Two senior Sinn Féin figures have been linked in the Dáil to the murder of prison officer Brian Stack in 1983.
Dublin North-West TD Dessie Ellis and Kerry TD Martin Ferris were named in the House as having information in connection with the killing.
Both Sinn Féin TDs named by Mr Farrell denied in the Dáil they had any role in the murder. Mr Ellis said he was in prison at the time. Mr Ferris said he met gardaí in 2013 and had nothing to answer for in relation to the killing.

And finally: Centenarian TK Whitaker built the State's economic foundations
TK Whitaker celebrates his 100th birthday today. We look back at his achievements as a radical civil servant who played a pivotal role in the economic, social and political life of the State.