A son of Mr Richie Barron, whose death led to a murder investigation, said he still believes the McBrearty family had something to do with the Raphoe cattle dealer's death, writes Gerard Cunningham.
Mr Frank McBrearty jnr and his cousin, Mr Mark McConnell, became suspects when the Garda investigation into the death of Mr Barron in 1996, initially thought to be a hit-and-run, became a murder inquiry.
Complaints of Garda harassment by the McBrearty family led to an internal Garda inquiry and eventually to the tribunal.
"I feel that they have something to do with my father's death," Mr Stephen Barron told the tribunal. He said he did not think things would improve in Raphoe until his father's death was resolved.
"Would you hope that if that is resolved by a finding of a competent court or tribunal, that would lead to some healing of the ways?" asked Mr Anthony Barr SC, for the tribunal.
"If the truth was found out, yes, that would be nice," said Mr Barron.
The tribunal heard that on February 3rd, 1998, there was a "serious assault" on Mr Mark McConnell.
Mr Barron said he was "just obliging" when he went to Milford in the middle of the night to collect Mr William Doherty, a petty thief and informer who was arrested in September 1997 in connection with statements made about the McBrearty family.
Mr Barron said he got a phone call from Mr Pat Doherty asking him to collect his son, Mr William Doherty, at 2 a.m. He travelled with Mr Doherty to collect his son at 4 a.m. "I didn't think that it was very manly to let him go himself. I just did it to be obliging," Mr Barron said.
The chairman said he found it hard to believe that Mr Barron went on this "extraordinary journey" for no reason. Mr Barron said he "just did it".
Later Mr Barron told his own counsel, Ms Patricia Moran, that Mr Pat Doherty and his father had become good friends when they worked in Scotland together. Richie Barron was godfather to one of his children, and Mr Doherty had been a great support after he had died, so he was glad to go to Milford when asked.
Mr Barron said if there was any discussion at the wake about how his father died, no one spoke to him. "It was more or less thought at that time it was a hit-and-run," he said. "I really wasn't in the wake house. I was at the door, meeting people.
He said he was told "Snodgrass had something to do with this". Snodgrass was a nickname for Mr Mark McConnell, a cousin of Mr Frank McBrearty jnr, who played in a band of that name.
Mr Barron said there were concerns that gardaí had failed to preserve the scene, and that two gardaí were in a pub drinking that night. Mr Barr said that Mr William Doherty said he was told these things by Mr Barron.
"Did you know about that?"
"Definitely not, I didn't know much about that until later on," the witness said.
The tribunal will resume on September 20th.