July: The IRA offered its 'sincere apologies and condolences' to the relatives of 'non-combatants' who had been killed on Bloody Friday, 1972.

A new agreement was signed to reduce the level of radioactive discharges in the UK, which would also benefit the Irish Sea.

August: The Real IRA were blamed for the death of an army contractor in an explosion at a Territorial Army base in Derry.

The Attorney General's office in the Republic confirmed that drivers would be banned from using mobile phones.

Plans to build a National Stadium in Dublin (the 'Bertie bowl') were shelved because of a lack of public funds.

October: Geraldine Kennedy became the first female editor of the Irish Times.

In Northern Ireland, the Ulster Unionists and the DUP came to the brink of pulling out of the Assembly because of continued IRA activity, including punishment beatings, spying, and the training of Colombian rebels. On the 14th, the Secretary of State suspended the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Executive. The IRA responded by breaking off contact with the decommissioning body led by John de Chastelain.

In the Republic, a second referendum was held on the Nice Treaty. It was accepted by a good majority.

The Magdalene Sisters, a film about abuse in laundries run by nuns, was released in Ireland.

November: Major figures in the Northern Ireland arts world boycotted an awards ceremony in a protest against arts funding cuts.

Talks began in the Republic on whether the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, which was due to expire on 31st December, would be replaced.

December: David Trimble of the UUP walked out of Stormont in protest at a secret memo by the Irish government that claimed the IRA was still active.  He believed it meant Sinn Féin should be excluded from power-sharing.

The Irish President Mary McAleese broke her ankle while skiing in Austria.