Saturday/Sunday
Extensive tributes were paid to Donal McCann, following his death on Saturday. Friends and colleagues had been gathering round his bedside in Our Lady's Hospice, Harolds Cross, towards the end, to say their farewells to a much-admired actor best known for his classic performances in plays such as Juno and the Paycock, The Faith Healer and The Steward of Christendom.
The Steward playwright Sebastian Barry said: "It seemed as though he waited for certain friends to arrive and only died when everyone had stopped in to see him." Monday
The Dail Public Accounts Committee was poised to use for the first time its powers to compel witnesses to attend its meetings, in response to a major report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on the collection of deposit interest retention tax (DIRT). The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr John Purcell, was called in by the committee to examine the entire area of DIRT payments and bogus non-resident accounts in the wake of the controversy over such accounts being held at AIB in the late 1980s.
A decision to fund the Government's strategy on reducing heart disease with money from the tobacco industry and smokers was welcomed by ASH, the anti-smoking body. The group regarded it as a welcome first step and urged the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, to consider it to pay for other worthwhile initiatives such as the fight against lung cancer, in which smoking is seen to be a major contributory cause.
Cardiovascular diseases of the heart and blood vessels were ultimately responsible for half the death-rate in Ireland, according to the National Cardiovascular Health Strategy, which lists some 220 recommendations for the improvement of health among the population.
The Independent Radio and Television Commission said it received 21 applications for six new radio licences proposed for Dublin. There were no applications for a proposed AM licence. The applications are to be made available for public inspection from Thursday.
Tuesday
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, prepared to patch up deteriorating relations with the UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, at informal talks in London. A meeting between Mr Ahern and the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, was also arranged to confirm that Senator George Mitchell will chair the review of the implementation of the Belfast Agreement, triggered by the failure last week to appoint a power-sharing executive.
Publication of the report of Comptroller and Auditor General raised substantial issues on which the Dail Public Accounts Committee will seek to question representatives of the Revenue Commissioners, the Central Bank and a number of major financial institutions. There was evidence of widespread tax evasion through bogus accounts in the banking system, the report said. The C&AG gave detailed evidence of such bogus accounts in most of the major financial institutions during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Strong criticisms were expressed in a report presented to the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, of operating standards within the Blood Transfusion Service Board. The criticisms related to computer systems, deficiencies in the training of personnel and a delay in transferring to a new headquarters.
The Irish Medicines Board had said the board's operating standards in terms of computing, as well as buildings and the training of personnel, were not to the level expected from "a fully accredited pharmaceutical operation".
Wednesday
The IRA rejected demands for it to decommission its arsenal "in the current political context", but confirmed its "definitive commitment" to the success of the peace process. While it did not rule out the prospect of decommissioning, the IRA declined to confirm whether it supported the Sinn Fein initiative in signing up to the principle that it should take place before May 2000.
The Government discussed its National Development Plan which will involve the spending of over £30 billion on the economic and social development of the State during the next seven years. The general strategy of what is the largest development plan in the State's history was approved by the Cabinet.
Thursday
The Legal Aid Board came out publicly against a plan of the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, to transfer its headquarters from Dublin to his home town of Cahirciveen. The board said the Minister had not consulted it about the proposal and added: "The disruption and dislocation caused by this transfer will impede the capacity of the board to effectively manage the service. The board heard the news first, courtesy of a broadcast made by Mr O'Donoghue on the local independent radio station, Radio Kerry, when he said he had secured Cabinet approval for the move."
The Flood tribunal's investigation into planning corruption was dealt a major blow by the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions to charge the former assistant Dublin city and county manager, Mr George Redmond, with tax offences. Legal sources said Mr Redmond, a key tribunal witness, could now decline to answer questions before it on the grounds that there was a criminal investigation in progress.
Attempts to create gender equality within the Civil Service have failed, the Taoiseach told an audience of overwhelmingly male civil servants at the start of the latest review phase of their Strategic Management Initiative.