Today marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Raphoe cattle dealer Richie Barron, whose death would become the focus of one of the most controversial Garda investigations in the history of the State.
The 54-year-old father of three was found with serious head injuries on a road close to his home in Raphoe in the early hours of October 14th, 1996.
He had spent the previous evening socialising in the town, where he had been celebrating the birth of a grandchild.
His death was initially treated as a suspected hit-and-run, but Gardaí subsequently launched a murder investigation.
That investigation led to the arrest of members of the McBrearty family and Mark McConnell, none of whom was charged in connection with Mr Barron’s death.
The controversy surrounding the investigation ultimately contributed to the establishment of the Morris Tribunal, which exposed serious misconduct and failures within An Garda Síochána in Donegal.
In a damning report published in 2005, Mr Justice Frederick Morris described the investigation as prejudiced, tendentious and utterly negligent.
The Tribunal found that Frank McBrearty Junior and Mark McConnell had been wrongly implicated.
An inquest returned a unanimous open verdict.
Thirty years on, the case remains one of the most significant scandals in the history of Irish policing, having exposed failures in Garda accountability and the treatment of innocent people.
Speaking today, Cllr McBrearty said it’s an emotional day for him and his family and that justice must still be delivered for Mr. Barron:
