Fallon family still waiting for truth
That Mr Adams has been willing to take such as step is to be lauded, notwithstanding the abhorrence many of us feel for the violent means which he and the IRA were willing to support in pursuit of their goals.
As the youngest son of Garda Richard Fallon (who was killed on duty in April 1970), I am very aware of the impact of violent death on those left behind. I would be greatly relieved if one day the Irish Government was to apologise to my family for the part it appears to have played in the death of my father and its aftermath.
It is profoundly disappointing to observe that Sinn Féin and the British government now stand some distance apart from the Irish Government in their apparently genuine willingness to account for and examine atrocities of the Troubles.
My father was awarded a Gold Scott Medal for bravery and his courage stands in contrast to the continued failure of the Irish Government to acknowledge or examine the truth behind his murder.
In his speech to the British Houses of Parliament earlier in the year, the Taoiseach said, “There is a gnawing hunger for the truth about the loss of loved ones.
“The conflict has left many unanswered questions in its wake. Some of these are the subjects of ongoing or promised inquiries.
“In these days of hope and promise, we know the deep hurt and pain that linger in the hearts of so many and for whom the journey of healing and reconciliation will never be easy.”
Mr Ahern was surely only referring to the British government and Sinn Féin in expressing these lofty sentiments as from my perspective no such beliefs persist in the context of this jurisdiction.
Perhaps Mr Ahern might apologise to my family for the actions of the Irish government of the day.
Finian Fallon
32 Newmarket Square
Wards Hill
Dublin 8
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