Saturday/Sunday
A MORTAR found in Donegal was primed and ready to be used, most probably against an RUC or British army vehicle, according to senior Garda sources.
After an EU survey which found antibiotic levels in Irish cork to be the highest in Europe, the Department of Agriculture sought to reassure consumers about the safety of the meat. "These findings only corroborate what we have discovered ourselves, and we are satisfied that adequate controls are in place," said a Department spokesman.
Gardai were searching for a youth who attacked three teenagers and a security guard with a knife during a concert at the Point Theatre in Dublin. Gardai seized six knives, ranging in size from a pocket knife to a carving knife, at the concert.
Monday
The Cabinet was reported to be bin agreement about proposals to set up a new national food safety agency. The agency replaces the non statutory National Food Advisory Board.
Belfast Coroner's Court found that a CJD victim probably died through exposure to BSE infected meat. The inquest into the death of Mr Maurice Callaghan heard that he had deteriorated from being a fit and healthy sportsman to a "helpless invalid". The court was told that there had been 14 identified cases of the new strain of CJD and more were expected.
Storm damage was reported all over the country, and serious flooding occurred in many cities. Two people were killed in a car crash in Carlow after a driver lost control of a vehicle in high winds. Fallen trees blocked many roads, and a 750 tonne crane keeled over at a shipping terminal in Waterford.
Tuesday
The President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr Yasser Arafat, was given assurances by the Government of the EU's continuing active involvement in the Middle East peace process. The Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, said the EU's "economic weight" would be used to "bring the parties together". He also said the conditions many Palestinian people had to endure were "appalling".
A vendetta among criminal elements associated with the UVF was blamed for the shooting dead of a well known loyalist, Mr Tommie Stewart. Mr David Ervine, spokesman for the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), said the murder did not represent a breakdown of the loyalist ceasefire.
The EU Transport Commissioner, Mr Neil Kinnock, strongly endorsed the light rail plan for Dublin. He said there were numerous examples in comparable European cities to show that such a system would work. He described the alternative of putting light rail underground as "very, very, expensive".
Wednesday
The new Food Safety Board, designed to win back public confidence in the food supply, was welcomed by consumer groups, but described as "inadequate" by opposition politicians.
A Government spokesman said the board's primary concern would be the protection of public health. However, Fianna Fail's agriculture spokesman, Mr Brian Cowen, said the proposal to establish the board was a "joke". He said it was an attempt to "window dress the Government's mounting difficulties".
EU farm ministers agreed a £400 million compensation package for beef farmers, which is worth £45 million to Ireland and £50 million to Britain. The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, said the result for Ireland was "an exceptional deal by any standards". Mr Yates welcomed the fact that the compensation would not mean cutting subsidies to cereal farmers.
Thursday
Teilifis na Gaeilge went on the air and was welcomed by the President, Mrs Robinson, and the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton.
The first phase of Castlerea Prison was opened by the Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen. She described the prison as "an entirely different concept" from traditional prisons. She disclosed that those prisoners being transferred to Castlerea would have to undergo a rigorous selection process. The prison will eventually accommodate 40 prisoners.
The level of radioactive contamination in the Irish Sea from Sellafield is so low that it should not put people off eating fish, the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland reported. Its annual report said particular note should be taken, however, of the high levels of highly toxic plutonium in the Irish Sea.
Gardai continued to search an area near Malin Head in Co Donegal after five men were arrested in suspicious circumstances on Wednesday night. A boat and a jeep with a Northern Ireland registration number were found at the scene.
The largest number of Hallowe'en bonfires seen in Dublin in many years had the fire services at full stretch, but few troublesome incidents were reported. In the Gallanstown area, where a riot took place last year, the night passed off peacefully.