SATURDAY/SUNDAY
MR Bertie Ahern emerged as the most likely person to be the next Taoiseach after the counting of votes in Friday's general election.
Fianna Fail gained 39.3 per cent of the overall first-preference votes - a similar figure to its performance in 1992 - but the party increased its Dail representation to 77 seats thanks to good vote-management and transfers. The Progressive Democrats slumped to four seats, leaving the would-be coalition between the two parties two seats short of a majority.
The outgoing Rainbow parties had mixed results. Fine Gael increased its representation to 54 seats, but Labour's parliamentary party was slashed from 33 to 17 TDs. Democratic Left finished with four.
The balance of power was with seven independents, two Greens and one Sinn Fein TD. Mr Caoimhghin O Caolain of Sinn Fein, who topped the poll in Cavan-Monaghan, was set to become the first SF member to take a seat in Dail Eireann.
A recheck began in Dublin South East, where only 27 votes separated Mr John Gormley of the Green Party and Mr Michael McDowell of the PDs.
Loyalists in Harryville, in Ballymena, Co Antrim, attempted to burn down the Catholic church where they have regularly protested outside Saturday evening Mass. A four-hour battle between loyalists and the RUC followed a band parade in Harryville. Thirty-seven RUC men were injured.
Mick McCarthy won a two-year extension of his contract as manager of the Republic's soccer team.
MONDAY
There was close scrutiny of ballot papers by lawyers and other representatives from both sides in the Dublin South East recheck. Scrutineers from Fianna Fail were on hand in the RDS, Dublin, to assist the party's would-be partners, the Progressive Democrats.
The TDs on the negotiating teams for coalition talks between the two parties were named: for Fianna Fail, Mr Dermot Ahern and Mr Noel Dempsey; for the PDs, Mr Bobby Molloy and Ms Liz O'Donnell.
A survey revealed that new house prices in the State had risen by 14 per cent over the past year. The average new house cost £73,523 in the first quarter of this year. In Dublin the rise was 17.3 per cent, to more than £84,000.
TUESDAY
An 80-minute meeting between teams from Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats agreed an agenda for the coalition talks. The parties said a deal would be done "in the shortest possible time".
A meticulous examination of ballot papers continued in the Dublin South East recheck.
It was estimated that approximately £500 million had been borrowed by Norwich Union members to allow them to buy shares in the company at a discount before its flotation on the London stock exchange on Monday.
Irish nine-year-olds ranked between sixth and ninth for proficiency and science in "league tables" of 26 countries, a study said.
WEDNESDAY
"Shankill Butcher" Robert Bates (48) was murdered in Belfast. Bates, who had spent most of the last two decades in prison for the murders of Catholics and Protestants, was shot three times in the back of the head as he entered the offices of the prisoners' organisation where he had worked since his release.
The killing was initially believed to be the work of republican paramilitaries: however, the RUC said police believed Bates had been killed by a loyalist in a revenge attack.
The Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, said Sinn Fein would be granted one more meeting with British officials in the absence of an IRA ceasefire. She also expressed impatience with the Stormont talks: there had been speculation that these could be wound up by the British government this autumn if there were no progress. Dr Mowlam named next May as the target date for a settlement that could be put to the public in a referendum.
It emerged that the Progressive Democrats would probably get one senior Cabinet post and two junior ministries in coalition. The Dublin South East recheck continued.
Gardai began a murder inquiry after the body of Ms Mary Wong (28) was discovered early on Wednesday at her home in Walkinstown, Dublin. The Malaysian woman had been five months pregnant.
Focus Ireland said children as young as 10 years old were sleeping rough in Dublin.
THURSDAY
The President, Mrs Robinson, was nominated for the post of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights by the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan.
The economy has been growing faster than expected, according to internal Department of Finance forecasts. Job growth is set to be higher and inflation lower than previously anticipated.
And the re-checking of votes in Dublin South East continued.