March 15th, 1996: Dublin architect Mr Philip Sheedy's car crashes into Tallaght's Glenview roundabout and lands on a car driven by Mrs Anne Ryan. She is killed and her husband and two children are injured.
October 20th, 1997: Sheedy enters a guilty plea and receives a four-year sentence from Judge Joseph Matthews at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He is also disqualified from driving for 12 years. Judge Matthews grants liberty to review the sentence on October 20th, 1999.
October 1998: Mr Justice Hugh O'Flaherty is introduced to a sister of Sheedy by Mr Ken Anderson, a neighbour's son. Mr Anderson says Sheedy is in a vulnerable state. Justice O'Flaherty suggests the possibility of the case being relisted. Justice O'Flaherty subsequently asks the Dublin County Registrar, Mr Michael Quinlan, about whether prisoners can apply to have sentence reviews. He mentions the Sheedy case to Mr Quinlan, who then contacts Sheedy's solicitor, Mr Michael Staines.
November 12th, 1998: Circuit Court Judge Cyril Kelly, sitting at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, suspends the balance of Mr Sheedy's sentence. This decision is subsequently appealed in the High Court by the Director of Public Prosecutions in February 1999. The High Court is told no proper notice of the November hearing was given to the DPP or the Garda.
March 31st, 1999: The Attorney General, foll owing a request from the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, asks the Chief Justice, Mr Liam Hamilton, to initiate an inquiry into the actions of Judges Kelly and O'Flaherty.
April 15th, 1999: The Chief Justice concludes that Justice O'Flaherty's intervention in the case was "inappropriate and unwise".
May 19th, 2000: The Minister for Finance announces he has nominated Mr O'Flaherty for the vice-presidency of the European Investment Bank. A spokesman for Ms Mary Harney confirms she was consulted and raised no objection.
May 24th, 2000: Responding to criticism, Ms Harney tells a Progressive Democrats' parliamentary party meeting she was wrong not to consult all her TDs and senators before agreeing to the nomination.
June 2nd, 2000: The High Court orders the Minister for Finance not to proceed with the nomination, pending judicial review proceedings brought by Mr Denis Riordan, a lecturer at Limerick Institute of Technology.
June 12th, 2000: The High Court rules that the nomination may proceed, but Mr Riordan appeals to the Supreme Court.
June 20th, 2000: A row between the Taoiseach and the Tanaiste becomes public after Mr Ahern says in a radio interview it would be "helpful" if Mr O'Flaherty explained his role in the Sheedy case. Ms Harney is reportedly furious at the Taoiseach's apparent move to distance himself from the nomination.
June 21st, 2000: Mr O'Flaherty gives interviews to TV3 and Today FM, saying that the Sheedy case had seemed to him "a matter of simple justice".
June 30th, 2000: The Government survives a no-confidence motion tabled by Labour, but agrees in the Supreme Court not to take further steps on the appointment, pending a ruling on Mr Riordan's appeal. Meanwhile, the EIB says it is prepared to consider other nominations.
July 21st, 2000: The Supreme Court rules against Mr Riordan, allowing the nomination to proceed.
August 11th, 2000: It emerges that the EIB deferred its decision on the vice-presidency, which was expected to be taken at a meeting on July 25th, saying it needed time to reflect.
August 18th, 2000: With a majority of the bank's 25 directors needed to approve Mr O'Flaherty's appointment, only a handful of votes are cast by the 5 p.m. deadline. It emerges that the deadline is not a strict one, however, and the EIB says postal votes arriving this week will be accepted.