Saturday/Sunday
Seven men died on roads at the weekend, four in the Republic, and three in the North.
Loyalists resumed their picket outside the Catholic church of Our Lady in Harryville, Ballymena, Co Antrim. The picket was held at the church during Saturday evening's Mass, for the first time since spring last year. Protesters said they would return the following weekend.
A rift emerged in the Labour Party as its leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, contradicted his foreign affairs spokesman, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, on policy on Kosovo. Mr Quinn said he was opposed to a unilateral suspension of air strikes by NATO.
The governor of Mountjoy Prison, Mr John Lonergan, criticised the lack of follow-up care for prisoners, who usually leave prison "worse off than before they come in". He was addressing participants in the National Youth Parliament in Waterford.
Mandate workers at Dunnes Stores Terryland branch in Galway served notice of their intention to strike from Monday.
The union accused the company of breaching the Labour Court's Code of Practice for Employee Representatives by refusing to confirm whether shop stewards would be allowed to attend a disciplinary hearing on behalf of a suspended employee.
Monday
It emerged that Mr Justice Hugh O'Flaherty of the Supreme Court told the Chief Justice's inquiry into the Philip Sheedy case that he did not discuss the matter with Mr Justice Cyril Kelly of the High Court. Mr Justice Kelly, when in the Circuit Court, freed Sheedy after he had served one year of a four-year sentence for dangerous driving causing death.
A review of security and procedures by prison officers at the Four Courts was announced after a petty criminal escaped from a holding cell. Gardai suspected that the man may have benefited from an escape planned for another man. He escaped through a window with previously cut bars.
Dublin city councillors unanimously agreed to confer the freedom of the city on the veteran broadcaster Gay Byrne. Labour members put aside their complaints about the way the nomination was handled, deciding not to push for the honour also to be conferred on the Burmese opposition activist, Ms Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, said she would have talks with the UN special rapporteur, Mr Param Cumaraswamy, about his report on alleged collusion between members of the security forces and paramilitaries in the North.
Tuesday
The North Western Health Board admitted a blunder involving the cervical smears of 2,000 women in its area. Almost 70 wo men were to be informed by their family doctor that their tests, carried out in 1997, were reported incorrectly as normal.
Efforts to break the deadlock over decommissioning resumed at Stormont with a series of meetings, including a round table session involving all the parties supporting the Belfast Agreement.
The Northern Ireland Police Authority strongly defended the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, against allegations of "indifference" made in the report by the UN special rapporteur.
Wednesday
Informed sources said Government Ministers were "dismayed" that the report from the Chief Justice on the handling of the Philip Sheedy case contained no recommendations on what action should be taken.
The North Eastern Health Board said that it, too, had used the private Claymon Laboratories in Dublin to analyse cervical smear tests. It said it would be checking about 1,000 tests. Beaumont Hospital later said it had about 200 tests to check.
Lawyers for the former minister for foreign affairs, Mr Ray Burke, made a surprise appearance at the Flood tribunal with a new legal team. They were expected to outline his version of what happened at the meeting at which he was paid £30,000 at his home.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Liz O'Donnell, acknowledged the Hillsborough Declaration would not be the basis for resolving the decommissioning impasse.
A public inquiry was told that the Luas light rail system planned for Dublin could run on a 24-hour basis, 365 days a year "if passenger demands so require". The inquiry was into part of the proposed system.
Radical measures to control the threat of potentially fatal E.coli 0157 food poisoning were called for in a report published by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, following a sharp increase in confirmed cases over recent months.
Thursday
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, had talks in London on the Northern peace process. They announced a series of bilateral talks in London, for next Monday, aimed at breaking the deadlock over decommissioning.
At the Flood tribunal, Mr Ray Burke's legal team said no favours were asked for or given in exchange for the payment of £30,000 which he received at his house in 1989.
The Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, confirmed that the private laboratory which analysed cervical smear tests for the North Western Health Board, also carried out analyses for Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.
Reports that two men were seen trying to burn a body in west Dublin were found to be false. It emerged that they were trying to melt copper wire.
