October 14th 1996: Cattle dealer Richie Barron of Raphoe, Co Donegal, is found dead along the side of the road. Initially it was thought he was the victim of a hit-and-run, but within days gardaí had re-designated the case to a murder inquiry.
December 4th 1996: Frank McBrearty jnr, his father Frank snr and cousin Mark McConnell are all arrested by gardaí in connection with the death of Mr Barron. A campaign of intimidation against the McBrearty family continues for years.
June 2000: Fine Gael and Labour Justice spokesmen Jim Higgins and Brendan Howlin raise the issue of Garda corruption in Donegal with the then minister for justice John O’Donoghue.
April 2002: Morris tribunal set up by the Government.
March 3rd, 2003: The Morris tribunal holds its first sitting.
July 15th, 2004: First report of the Morris tribunal published. It finds that Garda Supt Kevin Lennon and Det Garda Noel McMahon, had carried out the planting of ammunition and hoax explosives and that local management was “utterly defective”. Supt Lennon was sacked, Det Garda McMahon took early retirement along with two other senior gardaí.
June 1st 2005: Second report of the Morris tribunal published. It described the investigation into the death of Mr Barron as an “extraordinary shambles”.
August 17th 2006: Reports three, four and five are published. They find evidence of corruption in investigations into the planting of explosive devices near a television mast, the “discovery” of a gun at a Travellers’ site and the manufacturing of evidence against Frank McBrearty snr. Judge Frederick Morris said he had been “staggered” at the amount of insubordination by “mischief-making” members in the force.
May 7th 2008: Latest report of the tribunal – dealing mainly with Garda intimidation of the McBrearty family – is published.