Saturday/Sunday
Dermot Morgan died a day short of his 46th birthday after collapsing at his London home while hosting a dinner party for friends. Tributes to the comedian, who gained international fame as Father Ted in the Channel 4 show, were paid by politicians and entertainers.
The British government turned down two Irish Government nominees for membership of the North's Parades Commission, it was revealed.
Ecstasy tablets with an estimated street value of at least £250,000 were discovered by gardai in Cork using sniffer dogs.
The Irish Home Builders' Association called for more land rezoning, particularly in the greater Dublin area, to ease pressure on house prices.
Monday
The State is due to withdraw its case against a Dublin man charged with murdering one of the two women stabbed to death near St Brendan's Psychiatric Hospital, Grangegorman, last year, The Irish Times disclosed.
Gardai discovered a bomb in the boot of a Northern-registered car in a derelict barn at Hackballscross, just south of the Border.
A father of eight was jailed for life in the Central Criminal Court for the murder of his former lover. Sean Brennan (49), of Church Road, Tullamore, Co Offaly, pleaded guilty to the murder of Mrs Bernadette Sherry (43), a mother of three, at Shanderry, near Portarlington, Co Laois, in April 1997.
Waterford received a significant boost with the announcement of 210 new jobs.
Tuesday
Two men, a Catholic and a Protestant, were shot dead in a bar in Poyntzpass, Co Armagh.
Damian Trainor (26) and Philip Allen (34) were murdered by two masked gunmen who had ordered them to lie of the floor of the Railway Bar, which is owned by Mr Dessie Canavan, brother of an SDLP councillor, Mr Tom Canavan.
The Government became embroiled in a major dispute with Opposition parties over its decision to amend the Tribunals of Inquiry Act, 1921, to facilitate a change in the terms of reference of the planning tribunal.
An action by a former taoiseach, Mr Charles Haughey, and members of his family to stop the Moriarty tribunal investigating their financial affairs was adjourned for medical reasons concerning Mr Haughey.
Wednesday
Political and religious leaders condemned the double murder in Poyntzpass. The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, and the SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, walked together through the village.
First National Building Society announced plans to convert into a public limited company and float on the Dublin and London stock markets in autumn. About 220,000 savers and mortgageholders could get free shares worth an estimated £1,800 each if they approve the plan.
A Cork detective garda, James P. O'Sullivan (51), of Kingsford, Grange, Cork, was found guilty of criminal damage at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. The judge described claims by the defence of a Garda conspiracy as "wild allegations". A Co Tipperary builder, Mr Noel Barron (50), died following an explosion and fire at his mother's home in Thurles. He had been questioned by gardai several times about the disappearance of his wife in 1982.
Thursday
The Irish Times reported the Government is prepared to drop the definition of the national territory as part of a radical change in the Constitution if there is overall agreement on a political settlement for Northern Ireland.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, strongly indicated May 22nd may be the new date for simultaneous referendums, North and South, on a new Northern agreement.
An interim report on the Defence Force hearing impairment issue estimated that, if the 150,000 potential claimants won damages, the eventual bill to the Exchequer would reach £5.55 billion.
Mr George Mitchell, the Dublin criminal known as The Penguin, was arrested in Amsterdam with computer components worth millions.
Ryanair requested Dublin Airport authorities to cancel security clearances held by striking baggage-handlers in a further escalation of the nine-week dispute.
The Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI) criticised the points system for entry to third-level education as a way of "helping to keep poor people poor".
