I feel profoundly both the history in this event, and I feel profoundly the enormity of the honour that you are bestowing upon me. From the bottom of my heart, go raibh mile maith agaibh.
- The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in his address to the Dail
The attitude that not a single RUC officer should be a member of the new police force is a mirror image of those who say that Sinn Fein has no place in the executive because of the activities of the IRA.
- Special adviser to the Taoiseach, Dr Martin Mansergh
I now believe that his assessment was right, though I wish that on this as on other occasions he had been less inclined to impugn the motives of those who disagreed with him.
- Lady Thatcher, on Enoch Powell's opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement which gave Dublin a formal say in the running of Northern Ireland for the first time
Cead Mile Failte Linfield.
- Cliftonville supporters wel- coming Linfield fans
I actually think anyone who kisses and tells for money is a hooker who defers payment.
- TV sports presenter Des Lynam
When I was growing up there were two things that were unpopular in our house: one was me, the other was my guitar.
- Rock star Bruce Springsteen
The Eucharist has become the be-all and the end-all. People may find it hard to see that there could be a wedding without a Mass, that God's blessing can be there. Where there's love, God can be present.
- Secular priestess and coun- sellor Catherine McCann
A crime of this magnitude is a political act.
- Yuri Yarov, Yeltsin's aide, on Galina Starovoitova's murder
The President is sick. What about us - are we so healthy?
- Moscow News commentator Lyudmilla Telen, on the events of the past days and Mr Yeltsin's pneumonia
A wonderful wand for O'Connell Street . . . a beautiful illuminated spire.
- Joan O'Connor, the former president of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, on the structure that is to replace Nelson pillar
It's a huge hypodermic needle, an eternal eyesore and symbol of a drug city. There's no way we're going for that.
- Labour councillor Eamonn O'Brien on the new monument
I want to make it clear that we are totally opposed to this futile, self-defeating action.
- Brendan Ogle, chairman of the National Locomotive Drivers' Association, which claims to represent 120 drivers, on the 24-hour train drivers' stoppage
At a time when we are hearing constantly of a fall in vocations, it's refreshing to see a Poor Clare in the news.
- Brendan Treacy of Drumcree, Co Meath, on the inclusion of Clare for maximum EU funding, in a letter to The Irish Times
At last we can have some justice, which has been denied for so long.
- Pedro Feuntes, Chilean exile, on the decision to allow the extradition of Gen Pinochet
When you fall in love with someone you interest yourself in their family, their history. We're going to have to learn to love the political traditions of the unionists, to love the drama of an Orange march, to love the Enlightenment traditions of Protestantism.
- Broadcaster Eoghan Harris