The inquest into the death of Donegal cattle dealer Mr Richard Barron in October 1996 resumed in Letterkenny courthouse yesterday after a nine-week adjournment.
The events following the death of Mr Barron (54), The Common, Raphoe, on a roadside near his home on October 14 almost six years ago, have led to the biggest investigation into actions of gardaí since the foundation of the State.
After lengthy legal argument in the morning between Mr Donagh McDonagh SC, for the Barron family, and Mr Hugh Mohan SC, for the State, the inquest heard the evidence of seven witnesses who saw Mr Barron on the night he died.
Coroner Mr John Cannon heard how Mr Mark Hogan had bought Mr Barron and Mr Derek Ayton a drink in the Town and Country Bar at around 10.30 p.m. Later that evening, at around 12.30 a.m., Mr Hogan described seeing Mr Barron on the corner of Irish Street lighting a cigarette.
He considered leaving Mr Barron home but decided against it as he thought if he got him (Mr Barron) into the car he would not get him out again, the inquest heard.
Raphoe man Mr Sidney Vance in his evidence told how he saw Mr Barron in the Suile Tavern, Raphoe, around 10.45pm. Mr Vance went on to another bar after 11 p.m. and 10 to 15 minutes later he decided to go home.
As Mr Vance walked home on the left hand side of the Glenmaquinn Road, he saw Mr Barron walking ahead of him. He said Mr Barron was about 200 yards from the spot where he died and he was walking on the right hand side of the road.
Mr Vance's deposition described how he thought the time was around 1 a.m. although he was not wearing a watch. The inquest heard how he changed his mind about going home and turned and walked back towards the town and went to Frankie's Nightclub. He did not remember seeing any cars either going up or coming down the road. "The next thing I heard in Frankie's Nightclub was that Richie Barron was killed," Mr Vance's deposition stated.
Mr Lee Parker, from near Raphoe, described coming into the town at around 9 p.m. on Sunday October 13th, 1996. He sat with friends in the Diamond in Mr Stephen Barnett's car and then decided to go home in his own car at around 1 a.m.
Mr Parker described seeing Mr Barron between 12.15 a.m. and 12.30 a.m. coming from the Suile Tavern in the town. He said he was staggering about on the footpath and "seemed to be brave and drunk".
As he drove up the Glenmaquinn Road he saw a man lying on the road and knew him to be Richie Barron. Mr Parker described how Mr Barron was lying on the left hand side of the road with his head facing towards Raphoe.
"When I saw the blood, I turned the car and pulled in at McBride's and got Rita McBride to telephone for an ambulance. I waited in he car until the ambulance came," Mr Parker's deposition read.
In a second deposition Mr Parker said he saw Mr Barron standing outside the Suile Tavern between 11.45 p.m. and 12 midnight. "He looked to be right and drunk and was pulling up his trousers. I think he was wearing a long coat. I saw no vehicles or lights of vehicles until I got to McBride's and saw the person lying on the road," Mr Parker stated.
A student engineer from Ballindrait, Mr Declan McCullagh, told the inquest how he worked part time in the Suile Tavern in October six years ago. After 11.45 p.m. on that Sunday night, a knock came to the door and it was Mr Barron and he let him in. He described how Mr Barron had joked about the top button of his trousers that kept opening and the trousers kept falling down.
"He did not finish his drink. We offered to get him a taxi and he said he would walk it," Mr McCullagh said.
The inquest continues today with chief State pathologist Prof John Harbison expected to give his report.