As millions queued up to pay their last respects to Pope John Paul II, Fergal Keane joined the masses in St Peter's Basilica to see a man who 'managed to make a connection with just about everyone on the planet'.
The dominant image of the week was of the throngs of people lining the streets of Rome around the Vatican waiting to pay their respects to Pope John Paul II. Perhaps never in history has one man's death aroused such widespread sorrow. For someone who caused such division, especially within his own church, during his pontificate, there is a splendid incongruity in the unity of the world in mourning his passing and in valuing his life. The papacy has been spectacularly enhanced by this effusion of respect and sadness.
George Weigel recalls his time with John Paul II during the writing of his biography of the Pope, Witness to Hope
Owned by the Catholic Church and housed in the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Turin, the Shroud is a linen cloth bearing the faint, supine image of a man in repose. The Shroud is venerated by many who believe it is the cloth used by Joseph of Arimathe'a to wrap Jesus' crucified body.
There was a dignity about the final hours. 'Conscious, lucid and serene', the Vatican said. The last rites were administered on Thursday night. He asked for mass to be said in his bedroom on Friday morning, then a reading of the Stations of the Cross and of the priest's office: John Paul II preparing for his own passing, awaiting 'The angels to lead him into paradise'. By Vincent Browne
Public hand-wringing over St Patrick's Day boozing is nothing new, as Diarmaid Ferriter found when he went looking through the archives of the Licensed Vintners Association
The Border, Midlands and West region (BMW) was created at the end of the 90's to maximise funding under the last round of EU structural funds. By dividing the country in two and creating a completely new region at the top half of the country, the economic situation of the poorer counties was assessed separately to the other parts of Ireland. It therefore qualified for maximum amount of grant-aid from the EU over the 2000-2006 period.
In a sudden swoop on foreigners who had been refused asylum, young people about to sit their Leaving Certificate were deported, along with families who had integrated here. Some have no one to go back to in Nigeria. Colin Murphy reports
Following the Human Rights Commission report on racism and discrimination, Hilary Curley presents the lowlights of Ireland's treatment of minorities
The poorest families in the state hand over one fifth of their weekly income to the Government through indirect taxation, while top earners part with just 10 per cent of their earnings.