Saturday/Sunday
A couple in their 50s from Co Westmeath, Vincent and Mary Cully, were shot dead at their home near Delvin. There were scuffles outside Mullingar District Court when Mr Seamus Dunne (41), of Tevrin, Mullingar, appeared on a charge of murdering Mrs Cully on November 8th.
The President-elect, Mrs Mary McAleese, was applauded as she attended the Remembrance Day ceremony at St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. Neither she nor her husband, Martin, wore a poppy to the ecumenical service.
Thirteen people were treated in hospital when the Dublin-Westport passenger train was derailed near Knockcroghery, between Athlone and Roscommon. The train was carrying 180 passengers.
About 200 people attended the ardfheis of Republican Sinn Fein in Dublin.
Monday
The British au pair, Louise Woodward, was freed by a Massachusetts court after her conviction of second degree murder was reduced to manslaughter and her life sentence cut back to 279 days of "time served". Judge Hiller Zobel called her initial conviction for the murder of eight-month-old Matthew Eappen "a miscarriage of justice".
A planned £40 million investment by US medical instruments manufacturer, Boston Scientific, was announced by the Government. The company is to employ 1,050 people at a new plant in Cork, and an extra 1,000 at its existing Galway plant.
The High Court ordered the largest builder of apartments in Dublin, Zoe Developments, to stop all work on a site where a man was killed in an accident earlier this month. Mr James Masterson (24), from Mayo, was the third person to die on a Zoe site since 1991.
Mr Ruairi Quinn and Mr Brendan Howlin were confirmed as the only two candidates when nominations closed in the contest to succeed Mr Dick Spring as leader of the Labour Party.
Former president Mrs Mary Robinson received the special prize at the 1997 People of the Year Awards in recognition of the achievements of her Presidency.
Tuesday
Mrs Mary McAleese was inaugurated as Ireland's eighth President at Dublin Castle in a day of ceremony and celebration. The formality of proceedings in St Patrick's Hall was offset by hundreds of schoolchildren who cheered every ambassador, minister and guest as their limousines entered the Castle Yard. Mrs McAleese said the theme of her Presidency was building bridges.
A spokesman for IRA dissidents claimed that 35 members of the organisation's "South Armagh Brigade" had resigned out of lack of faith in the current leadership and the direction of the peace process.
Hundreds of mourners attended the joint funeral of Vincent and Mary Cully in Westmeath.
Mr Danny Butler, the Belfast man deported by New Zealand after a dramatic day-long siege at his home in Auckland, arrived in Dublin. He had fled Northern Ireland in 1991 while on bail pending an appeal against an 18-month sentence for firearms offences, claiming his life had been threatened by the IPLO.
Wednesday
The Government abandoned its limit on capital spending and announced a 17.5 per cent rise in investment in roads, education and other major projects when it published its Estimates for 1998.
The UN Security Council voted unanimously to impose travel sanctions on senior Iraqi officials as the crisis over Iraq's threat to expel US weapons inspectors deepened.
Ryanair announced a sharp rise in turnover to £96.9 million for the six months to the end of September, mainly due to the introduction of new routes.
Brazil's Supreme Court rejected a request by Britain to extradite the "great train robber", Ronnie Biggs.
Thursday
Mr Ruairi Quinn was elected leader of the Labour Party, beating Mr Brendan Howlin by 37 votes to 27. Mr Howlin was elected deputy leader to succeed Mr Quinn, who said his aim was to have a Labour TD elected in each of the 41 constituencies.
The ESRI said tax cuts in next month's Budget should be targeted at the lower-paid. Its quarterly commentary also predicted that Ireland's strong economic performance would continue into next year.
Gardai seized up to £3 million worth of cannabis in a raid on a house in Tallaght, Dublin. Five men were arrested.
Six US weapons inspectors on UN duty left Baghdad for Jordan after being ordered out of Iraq. The US said it was not ruling out military action in response.
The Garda Representative Association announced that members would protest outside the Dail next month over the Government's failure to resolve their pay claim.
