Garda’s widow backs inquiry into first officer killed in Troubles

CALLS for a public inquiry into the first garda officer killed in the Troubles were yesterday backed by the widow of slain Garda Jerry McCabe.

Republican splinter group Saor Éire was blamed for shooting Garda Richard Fallon during an armed robbery in Dublin in April 1970.

But unexpected public support by Ann McCabe yesterday boosted a long-running campaign for a public inquiry by bereaved relatives of Garda Fallon.

The 43-year-old later became the first member of the force to be posthumously awarded the Scott Gold Medal for bravery.

Mrs McCabe, whose husband Jerry also received the Scott medal after his death, said: “I would certainly support the Fallon family in their campaign. They deserve our support and they would have it 100%.

“The family has been a long time looking for answers and any law-abiding citizen has a right to the truth.”

Det Gda McCabe was shot dead in a botched armed robbery by IRA members in Adare, Co Limerick in 1996.

Garda Fallon’s youngest son, Finian, has threatened to return his father’s Scott medal if he is not granted a public inquiry into the murder.

The father-of-five was the first garda to be killed in the Republic during the Northern Ireland Troubles.

He was part of a three-man mobile patrol that went to investigate an alarm at the Royal Bank on Arran Quay in the capital.

Three activists of the now-defunct Saor Éire organisation later went on trial for the murder but were acquitted.

Mr Fallon said yesterday: “It is my belief that something untoward went on in relation to the murder of my father and the Irish Government is hiding the truth to this day.”

A month after Garda Fallon’s murder, Taoiseach Jack Lynch sacked Finance Minister Charles Haughey and Agriculture Minister Neil Blaney over accusations of illegally importing arms for use by the Provisional IRA. Local Government Minister Kevin Boland later resigned in sympathy with his colleagues.

Mr Fallon and Mrs McCabe are both members of the Garda Survivors’ Support Association which was formed in 2005 by relatives of gardaí killed in the line of duty.

Two of the four IRA men who killed Garda McCabe — Jeremiah Sheehy and Pearse McAuley — lost a bid last month to be released under the Good Friday Agreement.

Relatives and Garda members attended a prayer service in Limerick’s Henry Street Garda Station last June to mark the tenth anniversary of Garda McCabe’s death.

The killing sparked outrage and more than 40,000 people attended his funeral.

Garda Fallon was shot in the shoulder and neck as he tried to apprehend one of the armed bank raiders.

The capital murder investigation remains open and is under the command of Assistant Commissioner, Martin Callinan of the National Support Services.

Garda Fallon was the first garda to be killed on duty since Garda George Mordant was shot dead in Donnycarney, Dublin in 1942 while trying to arrest IRA man Harry White.

Several TDs including Fine Gael’s Denis Naughten and Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party have raised the Fallon issue in the Dáil.

It was also the subject of a recent book, Gunrunners: The Covert Arms Trail to Ireland by journalist Sean Boyne.