Leargas Tonight on RTE: Garda Ar Lar (Officer Down)

**Lionel Ritchie** · 21/01/2008, 11:22 AM

My 38-year search for the truth -- by the son of a slain garda hero

By John Meagher
Saturday January 19 2008

Finian Fallon is a driven man. He is part of that small, but defiant band of people whose lives have been touched by tragedy and who strive for the truth against all odds.

Every day, the Dublin accountant is haunted by unanswered questions surrounding the murder of his father, Garda Richard Fallon. The policeman was gunned down during an armed bank robbery at the Royal Bank of Ireland on Dublin's Arran Quay in April 1970, leaving behind a widow and five young children.

Dick Fallon was the first garda to be murdered in 28 years. The killers -- allegedly members of the short-lived Republican paramilitary group, Saor Eire -- were never brought to justice.

To this day, his son is convinced that they were given special treatment by a government that was about to become embroiled in the Arms Trial controversy.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...o-1269285.html

Should be very interesting. I heard him on PK this morning. It should give an interesting insight to the atmosphere of the time. He says his mother, who was left widowed with five kids and had to pay for her husbands funeral herself, actually received hate mail from people. (probably sworn patriots don't you know

)

I think it's on at 7.30

**Lionel Ritchie** · 21/01/2008, 9:07 PM

I found this pretty interesting tonight.
I'm not entirely sold on the "hush hush conspiracy theory" element to the thing but, as one of the sons of the murdered Garda Fallon said, the state could help put the boot through that by releasing the file on the case that was retained and held back from the 30 year release of papers back in 2000.

There was a shocking 'Keystone cops' element to the manner in which line-ups were held and individuals identified which led to the evidence of the main witness -another Garda (Firth?) being rendered pretty much useless. ...and a call-out through the press to a list of suspects to present themselves at a Garda station for questioning.