Saturday/Sunday
THE Government parties will nol give an undertaking to hold a constitutional referendum on abortion before the general election.
A national state of emergency was declared in Albania following a weekend of rioting.
A British cabinet minister stated for the first time that Britain would not join monetary union in 1999.
A primed Mark 16 horizontal mortar was found in a vehicle in Warrenpoint, Co Down.
The Palestinian leader, Mr Yasser Arafat, said that Israel's decision to build a new Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem was an attempt to "destroy the peace process
Monday
Loyalists were believed to have been responsible for a bomb discovered near the Sinn Fein office in Monaghan.
The Eastern Health Board unveiled a £14 million plan, including the recruitment of almost 200 staff, to tackle drug abuse and AIDS in its area.
The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association recommended a radical shake-up of training and a new approach to unemployment in a report.
The President, Mrs Robinson, on her three-day visit to Rwanda, raised concerns about the detention without trial of 100,000 prisoners there.
The Control of Horses Act, 1996, designed to rein in wandering horses and their owners, was signed into force.
Tuesday
Fianna Fail left open the option of holding another constitutional referendum on abortion. The party chairman, Dr Rory O'Hanlon, pledged that the "current unsatisfactory situation" would not continue.
The Cabinet accepted recommendations of a review group on pay in the public sector that fundamental chants in the salary structure of the chief executives of the top 21 commercial State companies were needed.
Dozens of Albanian citizens were killed and a policeman was burnt to death during clashes in the south of the country.
It emerged that the bomb discovered near the Monaghan Sinn Fein office contained 25 sticks of commercial explosive - enough to have wrecked part of the town.
A handwriting expert at the Sunday Independent libel trial said the signature of Mr Proinsias De Rossa on the "Moscow letter" was probably a forgery.
The jury in the soccer bribes trial failed to reach a verdict at Winchester Crown Court.
A prison officer was awarded £8,375 at Dublin Circuit Court after the judge praised him for having the courage to expose a hair regrowth surgical treatment as "a scam and a confidence trick".
The Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, announced that the first phase of a programme for breast cancer screening would begin in June.
Wednesday
A senior Fianna Fail figure allegedly received more than £1 million from Dunnes Stores, according to details contained in formal correspondence between Mr Ben Dunne and the rest of the Dunne family.
A Cork Circuit Court judge declared an insurance policy null and void after it emerged that a financial consultant, who received £100,000 in payments-because of head injuries, was studying law.
The Criminal Assets Bureau seized documents and other materials in nine north Dublin houses, some of which are believed to belong to a criminal gang.
The North's multi-party talks were adjourned until June 3rd in an atmosphere of frustration and recrimination.
The European Commission adopted a farm price freeze for 1997-1998.
Thursday
The former Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Mr Lowry, announced his resignation from the Fine Gael party.
A Supreme Court judge, Mr Justice Ronan Keane, criticised successive governments for failing to introduce abortion legislation in the five years since the X case judgment.
The situation in Albania remained tense, with news that President Sali Berisha's supporters were recruiting volunteers to travel south to fight rebels.
The Blood Transfusion Service Board admitted that it had not informed the relatives of about 335 deceased people who had received blood products potentially infected with hepatitis C.
In the Sunday Independent libel case brought by the Minister for Social Welfare, Mr De Rossa, counsel for the newspaper said it was his client's belief that Mr Sean Garland's signature on the Moscow letter was genuine.
The Minister of State for Enterprise and Employment, Mr Pat Rabbitte, announced that publicans outside Dublin face a maximum prices order on alcohol because Limerick pub owners have refused to reduce their prices to last November's levels.
The Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, said the Public Service Management Bill, which radically restructures the public service, was aimed at creating a more efficient, accountable and customer-focused service to citizens.