Saturday/Sunday
The Government indicated that it is to introduce a work visa programme to attract non-EU immigrants similar to the programme for Irish people who go to the United States and Australia. The new "two-tiered" system will allow immigration from asylum-seekers applying for refugee status as well as high-skilled and low-skilled immigrants arriving to take up jobs that employers are finding impossible to fill with Irish citizens.
An Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland conference was told the decline in the study of science in second-level schools threatened the State's attractiveness to foreign industries. The conference also voiced concern that many second-level students spend too many hours working in part-time jobs.
Damian Gill (19), from Clonmany, on the Inishowen Peninsula, was killed outside a disco in Buncrana at the weekend. There have been several violent incidents in Buncrana over recent months. A file has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Monday
The Northern Ireland Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, in a speech to the House of Commons, said he planned for success and not failure on Northern Ireland. However, if there was a default in implementing either decommissioning or devolution, the two governments would take steps to suspend the operation of the institutions. He said Northern Ireland stood on the brink of a "remarkable transformation".
The Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, addressed senior members of his party at a private meeting in Stormont in advance of Saturday's crucial meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council.
A new Institute of Public Health, pooling medical expertise from both sides of the Border, was inaugurated. Located in the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin, the institute aims to expand the information base, skills and resources of professionals to improve public health throughout the island.
The Flood tribunal heard of the existence of the "kitten book", a small copybook with a picture of a cat on the front which detailed cash payments of £94,000 from the Bailey brothers' company, Bovale Developments, to its workers and to Mr James Gogarty.
Tuesday
The RUC was awarded the George Cross, Britain's highest civilian award for gallantry. The British government rejected suggestions that the timing of the award was designed to placate unionists and the RUC at a time when the force is facing major change.
The Central Statistics Office published the results of a national crime survey which showed crime levels are higher than the numbers of crimes recorded in annual Garda reports. The survey showed a high level of non-reporting by the public of certain types of crime.
Delays in the diagnosis and treatment of female cancer patients due to under-resourced cytology services have affected a significant number of women, according to a Caring about Women and Cancer survey.
Wednesday
The Government survived a Dail vote of no confidence in the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue. The Labour Party, supported by Fine Gael and the Green Party, put forward the motion saying the Minister's policies failed to deal effectively with asylum-seekers and prison overcrowding and suicides. He was also criticised over the renewed spate of armed robberies and industrial relations problems in the Garda.
The annual report of the Environmental Protection Agency on the quality of Irish drinking water shows that many private group schemes in rural areas, which supply 20 per cent of Irish households, are contaminated by bacteria and are unfit for consumption.
Mr Kyran McLaughlin, joint managing director of the Bank of Ireland-controlled Davy Stockbrokers, resigned after leaks from his personal papers to the media and other parties. Details of a Liechtenstein-based trust account for his children are being investigated by the Revenue Commissioners.
Mr John O'Connell, founder and director of the Travellers' organisation, Pavee Point, died. Mr O'Connell had also helped establish the European anti-poverty network and the European Gypsy Traveller network. Over 100 Travellers formed a guard of honour at his funeral.
Thursday
In an interview with The Irish Times, the Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, acknowledged unionist concerns about accepting the Mitchell review as an open-ended process. He promised his party that its entry into government with Sinn Fein could be time-limited to ensure decommissioning followed devolution, tied in with the developing role of the de Chastelain International Decommissioning Commission.
He criticised the "dirty tricks" of unionist hardliners over a bogus Sinn Fein letter to Ulster Unionist Council members ahead of the council's meeting to vote on the Mitchell review.
The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, contacted the Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, after talks between Garda representatives and Government officials broke down. Gardai are refusing to operate the new PULSE computer system until they receive a pay award above the national agreements.
Dunnes Stores announced it would undercut the German-owned Aldi group by 1p on basic lines in six of its Cork and Dublin stores. Although the Competition Authority welcomed the announcement, the Irish Farmers' Association warned that short-term gains for consumers would result in damage to producers, retailers and the industry.