Loyalists kill two in retaliation for Wright

Saturday/Sunday

The Loyalist Volunteer Force leader, Billy Wright, was killed by INLA inmates inside the Maze Prison on Saturday. Wright was shot shortly after 10 a.m. as he left one of the H Blocks in a prison van to be taken to the visiting area. In a statement the INLA warned loyalist paramilitaries against reprisals, threatening they would "have no hesitation in making sure those who prey on the nationalist working class pay the ultimate price".

Within hours of Wright's death, the LVF had murdered a former republican prisoner, Seamus Dillon, outside a Dungannon hotel where he was working as a security guard. Two other guards and a teenage bar attendant were injured in the attack. According to some reports, the gunmen had originally intended to shoot into a crowded disco at the hotel, but retreated when challenged.

A young Dublin girl died following a rollercoaster ride at Funderland in the RDS. It appeared that 12-year-old AnneMarie Vernor suffered a heart attack.

Mr Jeffrey Leigh (64) was killed at his home in Cavancoulter, Mountnugent, Co Cavan, on Sunday night. Mr Leigh, who had lived in the area for less than two months, was found with head injuries in the doorway of his house.

An estimated 1,200 homes remained without electricity following the Christmas Eve storms.

Monday

Three men appeared in court in Northern Ireland charged with the murder of Billy Wright. The Northern Security Minister, Mr Adam Ingram, announced that the chief inspector of prisons for England and Wales would carry out an inspection of the Maze, and the inquiry into the escape of a republican prisoner, Liam Averill, would be extended to include the murder of Billy Wright.

The Alliance Party leader, Lord Alderdice, called on the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, to reconvene the Stormont talks immediately to discuss "the deteriorating security situation".

Tuesday Hundreds of extra police were drafted into Portadown for Billy Wright's funeral. Leaflets issued by the LVF headed "Mark of Respect" requested shopkeepers to close their premises for most of the day.

The family of Seamus Dillon, murdered by the LVF, called for no retaliation. Father Seamus Rice told mourners at the funeral in Coalisland that Mr Dillon gave his life to save those of many young people.

It emerged that the Government is to be questioned by UN experts on the issues raised by the C case at a special United Nations session to examine Ireland's record on children's rights.

Wednesday

Gunmen attacked the Clifton Tavern public house in north Belfast, killing one man and injuring five others. The bar was beginning to fill up with customers when two armed men entered shortly after 9 p.m.

Customers dived for cover as the attackers sprayed the bar with bullets. Eddie Traynor (31), who was among six people injured in the incident, died later in hospital.

The National Debt Management Agency predicted Ireland's debt/GDP ratio at the end of 1997 would be 67 per cent compared to 73 per cent at the end of 1996. Its figures showed the cost of servicing the national debt was £33 million below the 1997 Budget estimate, but the overall level of debt increased because of the weakness of the pound against sterling and the dollar.

Ireland's largest motor insurer, Guardian PMPA, began its offer of a 6 per cent discount to firsttime drivers between the ages of 17 and 24. The company said the initiative was a one-year experiment designed to explore the possibility of improving "the plight of young drivers", who are traditionally charged high premiums.

Thursday

The LVF admitted responsibility for the murder of Eddie Traynor. The admission was treated with scepticism in some quarters as there were indications mainstream loyalist paramilitaries may have played a role in the attack.

The first baby of the new year was born at a second past midnight in University College Hospital, Galway. Conor Patrick Quinn just beat David John McDonald, who was born a few seconds later in Dublin's Holles Street Hospital.

In his New Year message, the Pope called on Catholics everywhere to strive for justice and to respect human rights. He said new inequalities were emerging as a result of globalisation and that the contrast between "have nots" and those who "thoughtlessly waste what others so desperately need" was an "affront to the dignity of the human person".

The Naval Service flagship, Eithne, set out to reach the troubled bulk carrier, the Oak, in heavy seas off the Fastnet rock. The 13,000-tonne cargo vessel, with 26 Greek and Filipino crew members on board, had been listing since its load of timber shifted, and a distress call was put out on New Year's Eve.