Chaos and Conspiracy tells the full story of what happened in County Donegal from the night Richie Barron died to the conclusion of the work of the Morris Tribunal. The story lays bare the corruption at the heart of the investigation, as Gardai conspired to create false evidence, and the chaotic incompetence that let the corruption go undetected as senior officers let the murder inquiry run out of control.

First and foremost, however, this is the story of the families who were wrongly identified as murder suspects, and their dignity and courage in fighting back against the forces of the state ranged against them. Many of those arrested were brutalised in custody, with long-lasting effects that would take years to heal.

But when a private detective found evidence of Garda corruption, proving the families were innocent, a legal battle began in the Donegal district courts leading eventually to vindication in the High Court and at the Morris Tribunal.