Saturday/Sunday
Dublin Airport was closed on Saturday, and all Aer Lingus flights were cancelled on Sunday after the long-running Ryanair baggage-handlers' dispute escalated dramatically. Thousands of SIPTU members refused to pass pickets after the 39 baggage-handlers, members of their union, who were in dispute with Ryanair, had their airside security clearances withdrawn.
On Sunday evening an agreement between Ryanair and SIPTU was reached for a return to work by the striking baggage-handlers after talks involving the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Tanaiste, Ms Harney. The five point plan ended the industrial action at the airport. It committed Ryanair and SIPTU to engage in separate discussions with a Government-established inquiry team.
The Irish rugby team, which was expecting to be heavily defeated by France in Paris following recent poor performances and the resignation of coach Brian Ashton, lost 18-16 after leading for most of the match. New coach Warren Gatland, a New Zealander, rebuilt the team's morale in a very short time, partly through encouraging thousands of goodwill messages from the public.
Monday
The British government decided not to extradite Ms Roisin McAliskey to Germany to face terrorist charges. The Home Secretary said that in the light of the medical evidence in her case, her extradition would be "unjust and oppressive."
Ms McAliskey was expected to remain in her London hospital for some time. Her mother, the former MP, Ms Bernadette McAliskey, said she was "relieved". The decision was being seen as an incentive for Sinn Fein to rejoin the multi-party talks process.
Ryanair announced that it would be expanding its European flight network with the purchase of 25 new Boeing 737s at a cost of £1.4 billion.
A convicted murderer, Stephen Rock (33), a low-risk "trustee" prisoner who was permitted to work outside the prison gate, escaped from Mountjoy Prison.
The former Supreme Court judge, Mr Justice Brian Walsh, died after a short illness, aged 79.
Tuesday
Six mortars were fired at Armagh RUC station from a rugby club car-park in the early hours of the morning. There were no injuries. No organisation claimed responsibility, but security sources said they believed the attack was carried out by Continuity IRA members with the help of dissident Provisional IRA members opposed to the ceasefire.
Ballistic tests were being carried out on an assault rifle discovered by gardai during a raid on a house on the Cavan-Meath border to see if it was the weapon used by the IRA to kill Det Garda Jerry McCabe.
Wednesday
As voters went to the polls in by-elections in Dublin North and Limerick East, the Independent TD, Mr Harry Blaney, threatened to withdraw his support for the Government after a meeting with the Taoiseach. Mr Blaney warned he would withhold his support if Mr Ahern did not keep to a deal on Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution, which the two men had signed last June. The Northern Secretary initiated an ambitious equality strategy, aimed at remedying the situation whereby Catholic males are twice as likely to be unemployed as Protestants. Dr Mowlam set a 13-year target to end what she described as a "stubborn" imbalance. It emerged that eight asylum-seekers had been deported in the previous nine days. All eight were deported by the Department of Justice under the terms of the Dublin Convention, the agreement under which migrants must apply for asylum in the first EU country in which they set foot.
The actress Aine O'Connor died in a Dublin hospital, aged 50.
Thursday
The Government's working majority was reduced to one as Labour won both seats in the by-elections. Ms Jan O'Sullivan was returned as the new deputy for Limerick East, while Mr Sean Ryan won the seat in Dublin North. The Taoiseach faces the prospect of trying to retain the support of three independent deputies as well as trying to secure the backing of a fourth, Mr Tomas Gildea, from Donegal. The pound hit its lowest level against sterling for nine years, closing at 81.95p. A fourth man was charged with the murder of Det Garda McCabe during an abortive IRA raid in 1996.
The former Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, announced he would not stand for the Dail at the next general election.