Saturday/Sunday
THE impasse over IRA arms decommissioning continued to dominate pre-election talks in Dublin, London and the North.
Mr Dessie McCleery (37), was shot dead in a crowded pizza restaurant in Belfast on Saturday afternoon in another murder believed to be part of an internal INLA feud.
The boom in the Northern Ireland tourist trade was sharply reversed with holiday inquiries falling by 40,000 for the same period last year, although figures remained higher than before the ceasefire.
A traveller woman, Mrs Muriel Maguire, and her family were burned out of their home at a halting site behind the Guinness brewery at James's Street, Dublin by four armed and masked men.
Gardai in Dublin were investigating the case of 22 starving and neglected dogs who had to be put down. The dogs 20 Yorkshire terriers and two cross bred fox terriers were discovered in makeshift kennels at the rear of a house in Crumlin. A vet said that in 30 years of practice he had never seen anything like their "deplorable condition".
Following the confusion over the loss of a British extradition warrant it was decided that all future warrants will have to be signed for and "receipted" by the Garda.
History and geography are to be retained as "core" subjects in the Junior Certificate.
Monday
In the lead up to Thursday's Northern Ireland elections the simmering inter unionist rivalry erupted into public acrimonious exchanges.
The Evening News, the first new national newspaper since the collapse of the Irish Press titles went on sale. There is no financial connection with the Irish Press group but the paper's editor, Mr Dick O'Riordan was former editor of the Evening Press and its production editor, Mr Hugh Lambert, is former editor of the Irish Press.
Over 1,000 workers at the Cadbury plant in Dublin staged a 48 hour walkout the biggest unofficial stoppage this year in a demarcation dispute. Normal work resumed at An Post following the end of a five week strike by clerical workers.
A Garda forensic team began investigations into suspicious circumstances surrounding the death on Sunday of Mrs Ellen O'Regan (70), who lived alone near Dunmanway, Co Cork.
A claim by TDs for a salary increase of £10,000 was condemned by the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises group as an example of "the insiders seeking to feather their own nests".
Tuesday
The British and Irish governments agreed to invite the former US senator, Mr George Mitchell, to play an important role in the forthcoming Northern talks. This decision was taken at an informal Anglo Irish Conference meeting in Dublin by the Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, and the Tanaiste, Mr Spring.
An investigation began into the last hours of a Dublin mother of four, Mrs Patricia Murphy (34), whose body was found by workmen near her home in Griffith Avenue, on Tuesday morning. She had last been seen when she left work at a guest house in Drumcondra at 10.30 a.m. on Monday. Mrs Murphy was the 10th woman this year to be killed or who died as a result of violence.
The 12th case of BSE in the State this year was confirmed by the Department of Agriculture. The cow, found in Co Longford, was later destroyed and buried.
Ms Stefanie Shultz, the German girlfriend of the murdered INLA man, Mr Dessie McCleery, said she would refuse to leave the country following a death threat from a rival faction of the organisation.
Wednesday
Right up to the eve of polling, canvassers for the 23 parties contesting the Northern elections reported widespread confusion about the voting system and expressed worries of a low turnout.
The Central Bank forecast another strong year for the economy but cautioned that rising house prices and strong demand for mortgages could fuel inflation.
There are no women in the most senior grades of local authorities, according to a new report. There is no woman city or county manager, and at the next level there are only two women county secretaries and one finance officer. Ms Mary Wallace TD of Fianna Fail called for reforms in the "clearly discriminatory" system where less than 3 per cent of senior posts are filled by women through the Local Appointments Commission.
Two men from Ballydavid, Corry, who were missing at sea since Tuesday, were rescued from the cliff face at Brandon Head. The Irish Marine Rescue Service called for people putting to sea to take elementary precautions.
Telecom Eireann promised further reductions in charges following a sharp rise in profits arising in part from the increased use of mobile phones.
Leaders of the Irish fishing industry reacted angrily to European Commission proposals to cut the EU fleet by up to 40 per cent over six years.
Thursday
The overall turnout in the Northern elections was better than expected. Polling was slow initially but picked up after tea. Unofficial estimates put the numbers at about 60 per cent of the 1.2 million electorate.
In Dublin, it was believed some elements of the Government are confident of an IRA ceasefire before the Northern talks begin on next Monday week.
The house where Samuel Beckett was born, at Cooldrinagh, Foxrock, Co Dublin, was sold at auction for £850,000 more than double it's 1989 price.
Angry farmers described the Government's response to the BSE crisis as pathetic. They claimed Irish beef producers could lose up to £260 million this year due to the British crisis.