Programme 1: Garda Richard Fallon
In April 1970 Garda Richard Fallon was the first member of the force to be murdered for almost 30 years. In an heroic attempt to foil armed bank raiders on Arran Quay, Dublin, Fallon was shot dead. The Arran Quay bank raid was the 18th bank to be robbed in the Republic in as many months. The north was in conflagration and for many in the 26 counties the murder of Garda Fallon was their worst nightmare come true - the troubles in the north were going to spill over into the Republic. Fallon's funeral was a huge public expression of shock and revulsion. He left a young widow with five children under the age of 12.
Within a month government ministers would be arrested as part of the 'Arms Crisis'. Although suspects for Fallon's murder were named within hours of the shooting, the state failed to secure any convictions when the accused were brought to trial. They were to be the last such trials to be heard before a jury. Along with other legislative changes the Special Criminal Court was re-constituted in the wake of Fallon's death. To this day, almost 38 years later, state papers on the case have not been released and questions remain to be answered.
