Orange and Green urged to pull back from brink

SATURDAY/SUNDAY

THE Northern Secretary of State, Dr Mo Mowlam, appealed to Orangemen and nationalists to "pull back from the brink" and compromise over the Drumcree parade.

Unionist councillors boycotted the installation dinner for Belfast's first Catholic Lord Mayor, Mr Alban Maginness, because, they said, of the presence of the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams.

A 49-year-old Dublin man was murdered in the city on Saturday afternoon. Mr Tim Rattigan, a roofer who lived in Drimnagh, was shot once at close range by an unmasked gunman while he was placing a bet in a bookmaker's.

More than 2,000 people took part in the Dublin Gay and Lesbian Pride march.

MONDAY

The British government admitted it secretly dumped radioactive material in the Irish Sea during the 1950s. Up to two tonnes of "low to intermediate contaminated waste" was dumped in Beaufort's Dyke between Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Minister for Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, demanded a full inventory.

The Dunnes payments tribunal was told by counsel for Mr Charles Haughey that the former Taoiseach probably received Pounds 1.3 million but was not aware that the money came from Mr Ben Dunne. An account managed by Mr Haughey's accountant, the late Mr Des Traynor, was found to contain up to Pounds 40 million belonging to various Irish residents.

The latest statistics from the Department of Agriculture showed the number of BSE cases recorded in June has fallen to three.

The family of a seven-year-old Co Antrim boy who almost died after he was mauled by a Japanese fighting dog called for a ban on large dogs in urban areas.

TUESDAY

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said on a visit to Belfast that nobody wanted to see tomorrow's Orange parade "forced through" the Garvaghy Road. Mr Ahern said he believed Dr Mowlam was doing her best to find an accommodation in what was a "very sensitive issue". The Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, said another Drumcree crisis could be avoided but yesterday supported marching down the nationalist road.

The Co Carlow mother of eight children who was infected with hepatitis C settled her legal action against the State on the steps of the Four Courts. Ms Mary Quinlan did not receive an admission of liability from the State, but got an apology from the Blood Transfusion Service Board.

A couple whose "paradise cruise" honeymoon in the Caribbean turned into a "disaster" were awarded Pounds 10.235 damages by Dublin Circuit Court.

The Opposition demanded that the Dunnes tribunal be extended into other aspects of the secret bank account.

WEDNESDAY

The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) said preventing the Orange march going down the Garvaghy Road would mean "innocent civilians being killed in an ongoing war to stop the Irish Government interfering in the internal affairs of Northern Ireland." The LVF was responsible for the murder of the Catholic taxi-driver, Mr Michael McGoldrick, during last year's standoff.

The half-yearly Exchequer figures showed the State's finances at their most buoyant ever, with a surplus of receipts over spending of Pounds 732 million. The figures showed that Government borrowing will probably be eliminated this year and the economy is growing more rapidly than expected.

The Dunnes tribunal heard allegations against the former Fine Gael chairman, Mr Michael Lowry. A Dunnes Stores manager in Co Cork said he had asked Mr Lowry to see if a case against the company could be adjourned. The Fine Gael TD for Westmeath, Mr Paul McGrath, sa5d Mr Lowry told him his opposition to a Mullingar development linked with Dunnes Stores was "sending out the wrong message" to Mr Ben Dunne.

Attempts to rescue Bell Lines shipping company collapsed.

THURSDAY

Hopes faded for a deal on Drumcree.

The assertion by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Burke, that the march should not be "forced through" Garvaghy Road was described by the Grand Orange Lodge as "totally unhelpful" and evidence of the "evil hand" of the Anglo-Irish Secretariat.

Mr Lowry admitted to the Dunnes tribunal that his tax affairs "were not in order" but he was anxious "to put past mistakes behind me and try to return my life to some sense of normality." The Opposition withdrew motions calling for the extension of the tribunal's terms of reference after the chairman, Mr Justice MeCraeken, said he was opposed to such an extension.

The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, said he would introduce legislation for 10-year sentences for serious drug dealers and an automatic audit of their assets.