The resounding Yes vote which the local newspapers encouraged, almost without exception, became a reality. But due to the timing of last Friday's referendum, they have not yet had a chance to react.
Anticipating the victory for the Yes camp on the Belfast Agreement, the Andersonstown News of Belfast considered the lessons of the campaign.
"The battle for the hearts and that unionist concerns would be more thoroughly aired and debated during the five-week campaign," it said.
"But the almost total absence of any real debate on nationalist uncertainty and worry over the document is a telling display of the extent to which nationalism to this day is sidelined in this state."
With a nationalist Yes vote "in the bag", the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, had given the nationalist constituency "a little tweaking" in the interest of reassuring wavering unionists.
"And so the British go around insisting that the deal on prisoners is in fact virtually meaningless and that the RUC is really a cherished institution and interference with it will be kept to a minimum. These reckless attempts to redefine, if not rewrite, the Good Friday Agreement will take their toll further down the line when unionism - already ill-briefed and ill-prepared by its leadership over the extent of change required here - is confronted by the harsh reality that elected representatives will sit in government thanks only to their mandate, that prisoners will be released early and that the RUC as they know it will disappear for good," said the Andersonstown News.
Outside politics, so-called normal life continued. Under the tabloid headline, "Top politician's streaking shame", the New Ross Standard stated: "Gardai in New Ross believe that a prominent local politician was among a party of five people who shocked motorists and passers-by by streaking across Mary Street as part of a drunken night out." The Wexford People, part of the same newspaper group, also adopted a salacious style, with a headline that had the words "priest" and "sex". "Priest tells of restaurant owner's sex boasts: `Italian blood means I need more sex than average', " it stated.
An employment appeals tribunal heard sexual harassment allegations by the restaurant owner's former employee, who said that "he would tell staff about `the ten orgasms he gave her in his shower'. "
The only involvement of the priest was to intervene in the matter and to give an "amazing account" to the tribunal of a meeting during which the restaurant owner told him of his sexual needs. A priest who was the subject of a few tabloid gasps in his time is ending his five-year term in South America.
"No decision yet on his return to Ireland as Bishop Casey's term in South America comes to end," said the Connacht Tribune.
The Kilkenny People was impressed by the dignity of a local priest who chose to bare his soul before his congregation. "People showed their true love for a devoted cleric at the weekend. Men and women wept openly after the brave young man told parishioners his ministry was over. And after an emotional farewell by Father Brian Johnston, a packed congregation gave the St Patrick's Parish Team worker a standing ovation," it said. "I just prayed and cried," said a middle-aged mother. The close-knit community of Gurteen is "still reeling with shock and grief" after the drowning of three local teenagers at Strandhill, Co Sligo, stated the Roscommon Herald. The Sligo Champion said that Sligo County Council will meet in an emergency session tomorrow to address the "simmering anger" over the withdrawal of a lifeguard service at the beach three years ago and to consider introducing beach patrols.
The Kerryman reported local anger that "most of the West Kerry and South Kerry" beaches will have no lifeguards until national schools close at the beginning of July.
"We have 10,000 people on the beaches and no lifeguards on duty to do anything if there was an emergency," said Con McCarthy of the Golf Hotel in Ballybunion.
A publican charged with serving drink at 1 a.m. on Easter Saturday had a novel excuse: he was boiling kettles to clear ice off his patrons' cars.
"However, his kitchen was being refurbished at the time and he couldn't boil the kettles fast enough," stated the Roscommon Herald. The judge fined the publican £100 and "the wet men on board" £25 each.