Dr Desmond Moran is clearly under great stress. When he says he has suffered terribly during the McColgan case, there is no doubt that, while his suffering is different from that of the McColgan children, his statement is true.

His face deeply flushed, he sits forward in his chair and wrings his hands as he recalls the events of 15 years ago. He is sometimes pained, sometimes angry, at some of the statements made about him during the case. He clearly feels that the full responsibility for what happened lies with the health board and its employees. Because the case was settled out of court, he did not enter the witness stand.

The health board, which is awaiting an independent review of the case, did not wish to be drawn into dispute with Dr Moran, but a spokeswoman pointed out that no liability was accepted by either of the defendants.

Dr Moran holds his surgery in an old three-storey house on one of Sligo's busiest streets. The area has recently been designated an urban renewal area, and there is building going on behind the house on the riverside.

On Thursday, there was no receptionist in the surgery, which has probably changed little since the days of Dr Moran's predecessor, his uncle and foster father, Dr John Moran. There are photographs and mementoes of Dr John Moran on the wall, and Dr Moran recalls growing up in the house above the surgery. He now lives in Ballincar, on the picturesque road to Rosses Point, one of the most desirable areas around Sligo.

His foster mother was secretary of the Yeats Society until the mid-1980s, and he too has been prominent in the social, business and cultural life of the town, serving as president of Sligo Chamber of Commerce in 1991-92.

He has a particular interest in art and told The Irish Times he had registered as a student at the National College of Art before opting for medicine. He is also a member of the Yacht Club in Sligo.

Sligo is a town big enough to allow for the existence of separate social groupings, even within its professional layer. Like a lot of doctors, Dr Moran is rarely seen in the popular pubs in the town. But there is sympathy for him, especially among his colleagues, who feel he suffered from his name being specified in the action, unlike that of health board personnel.

His wife, Siobhan, is a physiotherapist and is spoken of warmly in the town. They have four children.