Your Friday morning catch-up

Good morning. Here’s everything you need to know before you start your day.

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“The kids are coming home” — Marian Fitzpatrick sang out the message the country had waited for, shortly after she got word from North Carolina that her grandchildren, Jack, 10, and Sarah, 8, were to be brought back to Ireland following a tortuous custody battle. A court decision last Monday, giving custody of the children to Jason Corbett’s sister, Tracey Lynch, and her husband David, was approved by a judge yesterday.

Over the past 24 hours Irish Water has caused yet more havoc for the Coalition after reports that the “water conservation” grant — seen by some as little more than a bribe — would only be given to people paying their bills. It is clear that Labour and a section of Fine Gael backbenchers are no longer seeing eye-to-eye on a key matter of policy.

Elsewhere, the mother of a young man who stabbed his twin siblings before taking his own life has described how much it meant to her that an inquest jury recorded an “open” verdict in the killings. Helen O’Driscoll said, "It really wasn’t Jonathan that did it, if you know what I mean. It was whatever sick person took over him. That’s the person that did it."

In other news, a number of email addresses associated with Government departments and State agencies have been discovered on a leaked database of the Ashley Madison website, an online dating site targeted at those who wish to cheat on their significant other.