Conroy is understood to be furious at the minister's comments, although he did not raise them when the two men met last week on unrelated matters. The commissioner had supported his officers in the wake of the Barr tribunal report, which was highly critical of the force's handling of the siege at Abbeylara in which Carthy died.

As a consequence of McDowell's statement, Conroy believes that any further robust defence of gardai involved in the Abbeylara killing would look like a rebuke to the minister. However, it is understood that Conroy has no plans to issue an apology to John Carthy's family.

"This is an example of the constraints that apply when a force is tied to a minister and is unable to express a corporate opinion on the law as it applies to the police and criminal justice system, " one well-placed senior garda source said this weekend.

"It is a case of the commissioner not being in a position to express his quite stronglyheld views once the minister has expressed a contrary view."

Top gardai are understood to be deeply unhappy with several key aspects of the Barr tribunal report, including the section in which Barr said it was "likely" that two gardai had assaulted John Carthy.

Both gardai deny the allegation and have never faced charges.

The Carthy family has criticised the force for not apologising in the aftermath of Barr's critical report, published 10 days ago.

Replying to questions in a radio interview last week, McDowell said he believed Conroy would apologise to the Carthy family.

"When he comes to a considered view on this report. . .

he [Conroy] will of course share in my apology to the Carthy family for the fact that the management of this siege was unsatisfactory and that John Carthy need not, in the particular circumstances, have ended up a casualty, " the Justice minister said on RTE Radio.

While Conroy was unhappy with McDowell's comments privately, it is understood that meetings between the two men last week remained "cordial and without animosity", the senior garda source said.

It is also understood that Conroy rang McDowell after the radio interview to thank him for his comments in defence of assistant commissioner Tony Hickey, who was criticised by Judge Barr.

Spokespersons for both the minister and commissioner declined to comment this weekend.