An Emirati falconer calls a falcon’s name and swings a pigeon to attract a falcon during a training session on the outskirts of Dubai, United Arab Emirates recently. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

HERE ARE THE things you need to know as we round off the day in three easy steps.

THINGS WE LEARNED

#SALES: Have you been out and about enjoying the post-Christmas sales/madness today? Retail Excellence Ireland says that early indications are that sales and the number of people out shopping are up this year on last year. It is little wonder given these pictures and these tweets from Dublin today.

#CHILDLINE: Childline, the ISPCC’s listening service, says that it received over 1,200 calls, texts and messages on Christmas Day. The figure was slightly down on last year but a spokesperson said it was still “a busy day as usual”.

#ROAD DEATH: A man in his twenties has died in a car crash in Donegal. The crash happened late last night at Treanamullin, Stranorlar in Co Donegal.

#ABORTION: A Labour TD has taken issue with Cardinal Seán Brady’s Christmas Day message where he urged people to protest against plans to legislate for abortion under the X Case. Micheal McNamara has accused Cardinal Brady of having “misrepresented” the legal position within the Oireachtas.

#DEPORTATION: A petition to have the broadcaster Piers Morgan deported from the US over his calls for stricter gun controls has now reached over 70,000 signatures. CNN host Morgan has drawn criticism for his views.

#DEATHS: The creator of the hit TV show Thunderbirds, Gerry Anderson, has died today, aged 83. Meanwhile in other sad news, RTÉ reports that the poet Dennis O’Driscoll has died. The author of nine volumes of poetry, as well as an essayist and critic, the Tipperary man was 58.

THINGS WE LOVED

• We love and admire the dedication and bravery of these swimmers who took a dip in the water at Garryvoe beach in east Cork yesterday, all in aid of Ballycotton Lifeboats.
• Kurt Cobain was a great loss to the music world when he took his own life nearly 20 years ago. Here are some lovely pictures of him in better days.
• This dog and his big nose:

A hound outside the kennels at Badminton, Gloucestershire, at the start of the annual Boxing Day Beaufort Hunt. Pic: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

THINGS WE SHARED

• Buzzfeed has picked up an interesting story in which Mark Zuckerberg’s sister complains about a privacy breach… on Facebook.
• The Atlantic has curated these interesting images of people in the US posing with the guns they got for Christmas.
• Finally, spare a thought for the Christmas turkeys this festive season (Warning: some bad language):

YouTube: SminkyAnimation

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