Senior Garda cannot understand why security report not recorded
A retired senior garda has told the Smithwick tribunal he could understand why there was no written record of a report of inappropriate contact between a detective and the IRA...
[Read Senior Garda cannot understand why security report not recorded].
Colonel's smuggling report 'significantly exaggerated'
Allegations made by a British Army colonel at a 1989 dinner in Stormont that prominent republican Thomas "Slab" Murphy was involved in cross-border smuggling were "significantly exaggerated"...
[Read Colonel's smuggling report 'significantly exaggerated'].
Tribunal hears IRA man was "protected"
A prominent IRA paramilitary in North Louth was "protected by some State agency", a former British agent has told the Smithwick tribunal...
[Read Tribunal hears IRA man was "protected"].
RIRA planned Viagra heist
Dissident republicans planned to fund a campaign of terror with the proceeds from the robbery of over one million Viagra tablets, a former undercover agent told the Smithwick tribunal...
[Read RIRA planned Viagra heist].
Agent reject charge he is 'pathological liar'
A former British agent who alleges a retired detective sergeant was involved in collusion with the IRA had rejected a charge that he is a "pathological liar" or that he took part in the murder of North Louth farmer Tom Oliver at the Smithwick tribunal...
[Read Agent reject charge he is 'pathological liar'].
'Ronnie Flanagan vouched for me' says agent
The former British agent whose allegations of Garda collusion led to the Smithwick tribunal has said that RUC chief constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan vouched for him to unionist MP Mr Jeffrey Donaldson...
[Read 'Ronnie Flanagan vouched for me' says agent].
Garda 'problem' was common knowledge among RUC detectives
A former RUC detective has said it was "common knowledge" among RUC detectives stationed along the border in the late 1980s that there was a problem in Dundalk garda station and intelligence should not be shared with them...
[Read Garda 'problem' was common knowledge among RUC detectives].
Donaldson defends namng of Garda sergeant
Unionist politician Jeffrey Donaldson has defended his decision to name a former Garda detective sergeant as an IRA mole in the House of Commons, saying it was justified in his pursuit of a public inquiry into the murder of two senior IRA officers...
[Read Donaldson defends namng of Garda sergeant].
Tribunal must unmask IRA commander says Allister
Unionist leader Jim Allister has said the Smithwick tribunal should unearth the name of the IRA commander who gave the order for a lethal ambush in which two senior RUC officers died, even if it was "politically inconvenient"...
[Read Tribunal must unmask IRA commander says Allister].
Brigadier gives evidence behind closed doors
A retired British army brigadier gave evidence "in relation to some delicate intelligence matters" to the Smithwick tribunal behind closed doors...
[Read Brigadier gives evidence behind closed doors].
Garda report raised concerns about detective sergeant
An intelligence report was received by the Garda Crime & Security branch in the mid-1980s raising concerns about "inappropriate contacts" between a detective sergeant and a "person of interest" linked to the provisional IRA, the Smithwick tribunal heard...
[Read Garda report raised concerns about detective sergeant].
Report was not prepared to quash 'Mole' speculation
A report prepared by an assistant commissioner with 48 hours of the deaths of two RUC officers as they returned from a meeting with Gardai in Dundalk was not prepared to quash speculation about an IRA mole within the force, a senior intelligence officer said...
[Read Report was not prepared to quash 'Mole' speculation].
RUC did not share tip-off with Dundalk gardaí
Anti-terrorist operations based on RUC intelligence bypassed local Garda units in Dundalk because of concerns about a possible security leak, a retired senior RUC officer told the Smithwick tribunal...
[Read RUC did not share tip-off with Dundalk gardaí].
Daughter of IRA victim confronts IRA man at tribunal
The daughter of a man killed by a bomb under his car in 1990 confronted an IRA member outside the Smithwick tribunal...
[Read Daughter of IRA victim confronts IRA man at tribunal].
IRA man says he did not know any Garda mole
A convicted IRA man has told the Smithwick tribunal that he did not know any Garda as claimed in allegations made by a British agent, was not involved in the Omagh bombing, and dismissed the agent as a "fantasist" who made up stories to sell to newspapers...
[Read IRA man says he did not know any Garda mole].
McKevitt says no IRA contact inside Gardaí
Dissident republican Michael McKevitt has told the Smithwick tribunal he had no contacts inside An Garda Siochana passing him information...
[Read McKevitt says no IRA contact inside Gardaí].
McKevitt appears at Smithwick tribunal
Dissident republican Michael McKevitt will give evidence to the Smithwick tribunal on Monday, tribunal chairman Mr Justice Peter Smithwick has said...
O'Donoghue and Higgins give evidence to tribunal
Former justice minister John O'Donoghue has said he was not surprised that gardai did not interview opposition spokesman Jim Higgins after the Mayo TD said he had the names of alleged garda moles who leaked information to the IRA leading to the deaths of two senior RUC officers...
[Read O'Donoghue and Higgins give evidence to tribunal].
Garda commissioner not told about collusion reports
A former garda commissioner has said he was never told of three intelligence reports which said there was garda collusion in the deaths of two senior RUC officers as they returned from a cross-border meeting in Dundalk...
[Read Garda commissioner not told about collusion reports].
Garda mole's information 'led to IRA murder of senior judge'
Intelligence reports revealed for the first time say that two deadly IRA attacks were based on information leaked from within an Garda Siochana, the Smithwick tribunal has heard...
[Read Garda mole's information 'led to IRA murder of senior judge'].
IRA man boasted about RUC ambush
A British agent told the Smithwick tribunal in a statement that he heard an IRA member boast about the operation in which two senior RUC men were killed thanks to information supplied through a Garda leak...
[Read IRA man boasted about RUC ambush].
Phone-tap found near border
Three telecommunications engineers have given evidence about alleged IRA wiretaps on Garda-RUC communications to the Smithwick tribunal, including a phone tap discovered close to the border in the early 1980s...
[Read Phone-tap found near border].
Special branch detective dismisses 'headline-grabbing' claim
A retired senior RUC special branch detective dismissed as "headline grabbing" a claim in a British newspaper that two senior RUC officers were killed by a British agent inside the IRA to prevent their capture and interrogation...
[Read Special branch detective dismisses 'headline-grabbing' claim].
Lawyers challenge Myers claims
Lawyers for the garda commissioner and a retired sergeant have challenged evidence by columnist Kevin Myers that a statement he gave to senior officers about an article on collusion with the IRA was inaccurate...
[Read Lawyers challenge Myers claims].
No evidence on Garda phone-tap
A Garda expert and two telecommunications engineers have said there was no evidence to support allegations the IRA tapped telephone calls between Dundalk Gardai and the RUC in the manner described in a 2005 magazine article, but that it was possible — though difficult — to tap the lines in other ways...
[Read No evidence on Garda phone-tap].
Smithwick tribunal: 27 October 2011Phone tap claim is 'far-fetched'
Telecomms engineers have dismissed press reports of telephone taps in Dundalk monitoring confidential cross-border RUC/Garda calls as "far-fetched" and "stupid" at the Smithwick tribunal...
[Read Phone tap claim is 'far-fetched'].
Garda/RUC at odds over hotline
Garda and RUC records contradict each other on whether a secure telephone line was in place between Newry RUC station and Dundalk garda station in 1989, when two senior RUC officers were killed by the IRA as they returned from a meeting in Dundalk...
[Read Garda/RUC at odds over hotline].
No Garda record of kidnap money claim
No intelligence record could be found in Garda headquarters to support a report stating that a retired detective sergeant was kidnapped and beaten up by the IRA in 1995 because he owed them money, the Smithwick tribunal heard...
[Read No Garda record of kidnap money claim].
Co-operation from Garda commissioner 'not all it might have been'
A retired garda sergeant has told the Smithwick tribunal that cooperation from the Garda commissioner with the inquiry "was not all that it might have been"...
[Read ]Co-operation from Garda commissioner 'not all it might have been'
Column was not fair and impartial — Myers
A column alleging Garda collusion in the murder of two senior RUC officers did not tell the truth in a fair and impartial manner, journalist Kevin Myers accepted at the Smithwick tribunal...
[Read Column was not fair and impartial — Myers].
Chilling evidence of IRA mortar attack
A former RUC officer gave chilling evidence to the Smithwick tribunal describing how nine of his colleagues perished in front of his eyes during an IRA mortar attack...
[Read Chilling evidence of IRA mortar attack].
IRA didn't tap border phoneline: engineer
There is no evidence that a Garda-RUC "hotline" was tapped by the IRA, a telecommunications engineer has told the Smithwick tribunal...
[Read IRA didn't tap border phoneline: engineer].
Gardai refused to salute IRA unit's coffins
Dundalk Gardai defied a senior officer's order and refused to salute the coffins of three IRA members killed in Gibraltar by the SAS, the Smithwick tribunal heard...
[Read Gardai refused to salute IRA unit's coffins].
PSNI block radio transmissions inquiry
Lawyers for the PSNI blocked a bid by the Garda commissioner's legal team at the Smithwick tribunal to find out if radio transmissions between IRA units were monitored on the day two senior PSNI officers were killed in an ambush as they returned from a meeting in Dundalk garda station...
[Read PSNI block radio transmission inquiry].
IRA mole saved lives, tribunal told
Peter Keeley, the British agent also known as Kevin Fulton, provided intelligence to the RUC special branch which saved lives, a retired RUC detective inspector told the Smithwick tribunal...
[Read IRA mole saved lives, tribunal told].
IRA ambush 'unlikely to have been at short notice'
A Garda and a senior British officer have both told the Smithwick tribunal an operation which led to the deaths of two senior RUC officers was already underway by the IRA before the men arrived in Dundalk garda station....
[Read IRA ambush 'unlikely to have been at short notice'].
McGuinness drawn into row...
A solicitor for the family of the most senior RUC officer killed by the IRA during the Troubles has called on presidential candidate Martin McGuinness to provide any information he has to the Smithwick tribunal...
[Read McGuinness drawn into row...].
Sergeant did not know passports were for IRA
A disgraced garda sergeant signed passport applications knowing they contained fake identities at the behest of a colleague, but did not know they would end up in the hands of the IRA, the Smithwick tribunal heard...
[Read Sergeant did not know passports were for IRA].
Sergeant in passport scam was "afraid" of colleague
A former garda sergeant who later pleaded guilty to his part in supplying fake passports made a dramatic confrontation with a colleague he alleged had put him up to the crime hile under arrest, but later refused to give evidence in court because he was "afraid" as his colleague had "political connections", the Smithwick tribunal heard...
[Read Sergeant in passport scam was "afraid" of colleague].
RUC officer 'warned to be discreet' with gardai
Senior police officers on both sides of the border warned an RUC inspector to be careful what he said when he was visiting Dundalk Garda station, the Smithwick tribunal said...
[Read RUC officer 'warned to be discreet' with gardai].
Garda: IRA could set up ambush in an hour
The IRA in South Armagh had the capacity to mount the operation which led to the murders of two senior RUC officers within "an hour", a former head of the Garda Special Detective Unit told the Smithwick tribunal...
[Read Garda: IRA could set up ambush in an hour].
Credibility of key Smithwick witness questioned
A key witness whose evidence led to the setting up of the Smithwick tribunal provided "misleading" information to Gardai, the tribunal heard...
[Read Credibility of key Smithwick witness questioned].
Garda mole would have been 'seriously embarassing'
Former justice minister Gerry Collins said that any evidence of a Garda mole working with the IRA in Dundalk in 1989 would have been "seriously embarrassing" for the government of the day...
[Read Garda mole would have been 'seriously embarassing'].
IRA unit planned to interrogate top RUC officer over Loughall
An IRA unit which killed two senior RUC men in a 1989 ambush had planned to kidnap the senior officer who died and interrogate him about internal security leaks which resulted in the deaths of an eight-man active service unit at the hands of the SAS during a planned attack on Loughall RUC station, the Smithwick tribunal was told...
[Read IRA unit planned to interrogate top RUC officer over Loughall].
RUC man 'trusted top garda with his own life'
A senior RUC intelligence officer who crossed the border to meet with confidential sources said he trusted a controversial former garda detective sergeant with his life...
[Read RUC man 'trusted top garda with his own life'].
Ex garda 'close' to Provo suspect
A former detective sergeant who denies allegations he was a Garda "mole" who supplied information to the IRA was a "very close" associate of a suspected Provisional IRA member and smuggler, the Smithwick tribunal heard...
[Read Ex garda 'close' to Provo suspect].
Tribunal hears evidence on phone-tap of IRA man
The Smithwick Tribunal is hearing testimony in a private session about the tapping of the phone of an IRA member who may have been tipped off in advance about a planned garda search of his home...
[Read Tribunal hears evidence on phone-tap of IRA man].
Tribunal slates ex-garda's no-show
The Smithwick tribunal has described as "a great discourtesy" and "contempt" the failure of a former assistant garda commissioner to answer a summons to appear to give evidence...
[Read Tribunal slates ex-garda's no-show].
British Army helicopter seen near IRA ambush spot
British Army helicopters were seen near the spot where two senior RUC officers were killed in an IRA ambush around the time of the lethal ambush, a witness told the Smithwick tribunal...
[Read British Army helicopter seen near IRA ambush spot].
Ex-garda in tribunal U-turn on agent claim
A retired detective Garda sergeant who said an MI5 agent was "unreliable" and "a spacer" has told the Smithwick tribunal that the man he was talking about was not Peter Keeley, the British agent also known as "Kevin Fulton"...
[Read Ex-garda in tribunal U-turn on agent claim].
Top Garda claims 'IRA mole' saved many lives
A former assistant garda commissioner said that a detective sergeant accused of collusion "turned up the goods" on the IRA, uncovering bomb factories along the border, and along with his team was "responsible for saving an awful lot of lives..."
[Read Top Garda claims 'IRA mole' saved many lives].
British agent was a 'spacer', tribunal told
A British agent whose evidence to the Cory inquiry led to a recommendation to establish a tribunal of inquiry was described as "a spacer" by a detective garda at the Smithwick tribunal...
[Read British agent was a 'spacer', tribunal told].
Breen wanted to stay at home on day he was murdered
An RUC officer murdered on his way back from a Garda meeting in Dundalk would have stayed at home that day to tend to his sick wife had his deputy not been on leave, the Smithwick tribunal heard...
[Read Breen wanted to stay at home on day he was murdered].
Gardai foiled suicide mission to kill Sinn Féin leadership
A suicide mission to assassinate the Sinn Féin leadership was foiled when Gardai arrested a British soldier who was on his way to Dublin to attack an Ard Comhairle meeting and then kill himself...
[Read Gardai foiled suicide mission to kill Sinn Fé leadership].
Former Garda hated IRA, colleague tells tribunal
A former detective sergeant named in the House of Commons as an IRA "mole" hated the IRA, the Smithwick tribunal looking at collusion allegations has heard...
[Read Former Garda hated IRA, colleague tells tribunal].
RUC offered pound;5000stg per week for informant
An RUC officer asked a Garda to offer an IRA suspect in custody in Monaghan garda station £5000 sterling per week to act as an informer in the early 1980s, the Smithwick tribunal heard....
[Read RUC offered £5000stg per week for informant].
Documents missing from Garda station
Critical documents from Dundalk garda station on the day two senior RUC officers were killed returning from a meeting in the station are "inexplicably missing", the Smithwick tribunal heard...
[Read Documents missing from Garda station].
Tribunal hears of "unease" in border Garda station
A senior garda who worked in Dundalk garda station at the time when two RUC men were killed on a way back to Northern Ireland from the border town said he was aware of unease about a "certain individual" in the border station...
[Read Tribunal hears of "unease" in border Garda station].
Collusion tribunal judge concerned about "spin"
Retired district court president and tribunal chairman Mr Peter Smithwick expressed concern about "spin" in a letter written to justice minister Alan Shatter on 27 May, correspondence placed in the Dáil library Thursday 30 June reveals...
[Read Collusion tribunal judge concerned about "spin"].
Border cop will not name IRA informant
A senior garda in charge of border security during the 1980s told the Smithwick tribunal he was not prepared to name an IRA informant to told him that his NI counterpart could be shot...
[Read Border cop will not name IRA informant].
PSNI had no evidence of Garda collusion
The PSNI had no evidence of garda collusion when they were asked in 2000 by gardai about reports that a garda mole passed on information that led to the deaths of two senior RUC officers in 1989...
[Read PSNI had no evidence of Garda collusion].
The Chief
Alan Mains cuts a striking figure in the witness box. Relaxed and comfortable, his words flow easily. Answers come in full sentences, volunteering supplementary information, not just clipped answers to the precise questions asked most policemen are trained to give in court.
[Read The Chief].
Up to 400 on Dundalk Garda IRA list
Up to 400 suspected IRA members lived in the Dundalk area in the late 1980s, a retired detective garda told the Smithwick tribunal.
[Read Up to 400 on Dundalk Garda IRA list].
RUC ambush gun was used in Kingsmill massacre
Documents supplied to the Smithwick tribunal show that a gun used in the ambush in which two senior RUC officers were killed on their way back from a meeting with their Garda counterparts in Dundalk in 1989 was used in four other attacks, including the Kingsmill massacre.
[Read RUC ambush gun was used in Kingsmill massacre].
IRA claim is "monstrous lie" says ex-Garda
A former Garda detective named in the House of Commons as an IRA "mole" has described the allegation as a "monstrous lie"...
[Read IRA claim is "monstrous lie" says ex-Garda].
It could have been me says ex-RUC man
A former member of staff for a senior RUC officer killed crossing the border said it could have been him in the car ambushed by the IRA in March 1989, but his place was taken by another officer because he was playing a rugby game that evening.
[Read It could have been me says ex-RUC man].
Incompatible phone systems led to RUC/Garda contacts over insecure lines
Incompatible telephone systems meant that joint RUC/Garda meetings were set up over unsecured lines, the tribunal looking at allegations of Garda collision in the deaths of two senior RUC officers heard....
[Read Incompatible phone systems led to RUC/Garda contacts over insecure lines].
Cheering killers
IRA gunmen cheered as they drove away after a 1989 ambush which killed two senior RUC officers a few hundred yards from the border...
[Read Cheering killers].
Officers ordered not to cross border
A retired senior RUC officer has insisted he instructed two of his officers not to cross the border, days before they were killed in an IRA ambush on their way back from a meeting with their Garda counterparts...
[Read Officers ordered not to cross border].
IRA quizzed by collusion tribunal
Three former members of the IRA met in secret with lawyers examining the deaths of two senior RUC officers in 1989...
[Read IRA quizzed by collusion tribunal].
Good Cops Deserve Better
In the week that saw the launch of 'Chaos and Conspiracy', the book telling the full story behind the Morris tribunal inquiries into complaints by the McBrearty family and others, author Gerard Cunningham reflects on the policeman's lot.
[Read Good Cops Deserve Better].
A Fighting Man
Gardaí in Donegal tried to frame Frank McBrearty Junior for a murder that never happened. The result was the Morris Tribunal and the worst scandal ever to hit the Irish police force. This week, after almost nine years, McBrearty eventually won €1.5 million from the State for what happened. Profile by Gerard Cunningham.
[Read A Fighting Man].
The Longest Night
First appeared in Village magazine, Wednesday, 29 March 2006
Katrina Brolly was one of twelve people arrested by gardaí in Donegal investigating the 'murder' of Richie Barron — which was later found to have been a hit-and-run killing. At the Morris Tribunal on 27 March, she proved to be a resilient and self-assured witness, writes Gerard Cunningham.
[Read The Longest Night].
From Victim To Prosecutor
Mark McConnell was falsely arrested, beaten and abused by Donegal gardaí. At the Morris Tribunal, McConnell represented himself, cross-examining gardaí with the fluency of a senior counsel and earning praise from the judge. Now he is taking a civil case against the Garda Síochána for wrongful arrest. He speaks to Gerard Cunningham.
[Read From Victim To Prosecutor].
Dr McDaid's Mistaken Diagnosis
Helen Whitwell literally wrote the book on head injuries. The professor of forensic pathology at the University of Sheffield is, in the words of the second Morris report, 'one of the leading forensic pathologists in Great Britain'.
[Read Dr McDaid's Mistaken Diagnosis].
Morris Denies Full Costs To Cops
Several Garda officers, including a serving detective inspector, have been refused full costs by the Morris tribunal.
[Read Morris Denies Full Costs To Cops].
Morris Tribunal for Dummies
Everything you need to know about the Morris Tribunal by Gerard Cunningham.
[Read Morris Tribunal for Dummies].
Morris Tribunal rejects call for PSNI officers to give evidence for White
A detective sergeant sought unsuccessfully to call PSNI officers to testify to his truthfulness.
[Read Morris tribunal rejects call...].
The Ridiculous & The Sublime
Gerard Cunningham reports on the bizarre happenings at the Morris Tribunal: the witnesses and the evidence.
[Read The Ridiculous & The Sublime.]
Gallagher's Farm
A Garda weapons search of an innocent farmer's land, which involved the Emergency Response Unit and the Army, put him out of business. But the Garda knew he had no arms and were trying to frame him. Gerard Cunningham reports
[Read Gallagher's Farm].