Saturday/Sunday The Irish and British governments prepared to exclude Sinn Fein from the Northern talks on the basis that the IRA had demonstrably dishonoured the Mitchell Principles. Finding a means to achieve the governments' desire to protect the integrity of the talks while leaving the door open for the reinvolvement of Sinn Fein was the subject of intensive contacts between the Irish, British and US governments over the weekend.
The Sinn Fein president, ein, Mr Gerry Adams, said he would resist any attempt to remove his party from the talks on the basis that it was not responsible for the actions of the IRA.
The funeral took place on Sunday of John Cowley, who acted in the 15-year television series, The Riordans. Friends, neighbours and relations gathered at Boharmeen Church, outside Navan, Co Meath, to hear Mr Cowley, who played Tom Riordan, described by fellow actor Tom Hickey as the rock on which the popular series was based.
Monday
The Taoiseach signalled he would support Sinn Fein's expulsion from the talks as the procedure to indict the party was set in train by the Northern Secretary. Dr Mo Mowlam presented a confidential "speaking note" to all the Northern parties stating the British government concurred with the assessment of the RUC Chief Constable, Mr Ronnie Flanagan, that the Provisional IRA was responsible for two recent murders in Belfast.
In a short-tempered exchange with a journalist, ??????esident, Mr Gerry Adams, Mr Adams said he was "absolutely pissed off" with trying "to make this thing work".
As the independent inquiry set up by the Government into child sex abuse in swimming began, victims of abuse demanded improved terms of reference if they were to co-operate with it.
Tesco Ireland said an advertisement placed by its British parent company pledging not to buy Irish beef for its British stores was a "mistake". The managing director, Mr Maurice Pratt, said the company was still committed to buying Irish beef for its British stores and was likely to increase its orders.
Ms Mary Banotti was announced as Ireland's European of the year by the woman who beat her in the presidential election, the President, Mrs Mary McAleese.
Tuesday
The Government set up a legal team to contest Sinn Fein's legal challenge to its proposed expulsion from the talks. Earlier, the Government had been notified that it would be cited as a notice party to Sinn Fein's planned court action. Both the British and Irish governments were notified that were Sinn Fein's initial action to pre-empt its expulsion on the grounds of unfair procedures to fail, then the party would mount a constitutional challenge on the grounds of natural justice.
A US healthcare company, CR Bard, announced it would hire up to 500 more staff in Galway, boosting its workforce to over 1,000.
It emerged that freelance journalist and Irish Times contributor, John Connolly, had sold his first novel to a London publishing company for a £350,000 sterling (£409,500) advance. The deal, which also covers the rights to a second novel, was one of the largest struck by an Irish author.
Wednesday
A man's body was found in a derelict farmhouse in Co Antrim. The discovery was made by a farmer when he entered the isolated building off the Soldierstown Road at Aghalee, a few miles outside Lurgan. A man had been reported missing from the nationalist Kilwilkie estate in Lurgan the day before. It was believed the body had a gunshot wound to the head. Paramilitary involvement was suspected but the RUC would say only it was treating the death as suspicious.
As Sinn Fein's High Court action began, the British and Irish governments moved closer to expelling it from the talks. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, indicated that the governments would not await the outcome of the proceedings and stressed that the governments had a political obligation to enforce the rules of procedure for the talks process.
The talks chairman, Senator George Mitchell, said he was still optimistic that an agreement would be negotiated by May 1st, but said there may be further violence as "the endgame" was reached.
The rate of inflation could be as high as 5 per cent by the end of the year, according to a formula developed by the Central Bank for making economic forecasts.
A survey by the Dublin Simon Community suggested that more people sleep rough in the city than had been suspected. Volunteers from the organisation met 151 people sleeping rough in one week.
Thursday
Differences emerged between the British and Irish governments over Sinn Fein's period of expulsion. The Government appeared to want to write a time limit on Sinn Fein's expulsion into the governments' adjudication document. The differences centred on the length of the expulsion.
A solicitor representing a group of victims of convicted paedophile swimming coach Derry O'Rourke welcomed the Government's appointment of Ms Fidelma Macken SC as counsel to the inquiry. The statement was seen as a sign that a key group of O'Rourke's victims was now willing to co-operate with the inquiry.
An actor was taken to the Mater Hospital after being accidentally stabbed on stage during a performance of Twenty Grand at the Peacock Theatre, Dublin. Michael McElhatton stayed in hospital overnight for treatment for the wound which happened during "a complex piece of choreography".
