Ireland should face its past just as I had to
As the son of a victim of the troubles (my father was Garda Richard Fallon who was murdered on duty in 1970) I was extremely moved by the sight of former enemies and killers acknowledging the pain caused to other people and, in some cases, apologising for their actions.
That the BBC should make such a programme also contrasts sharply with the continual parading of formerly jailed IRA murderers and their families on Irish television, telling us about how much they had to sacrifice in order to put the life of others to an end in the pursuit of their beliefs.
It is deeply disappointing that the Irish media should have such an apparent fascination and regard for these men, whose actions in killing others would be best followed by their retreat into obscurity, an action which would more humbly reflect the damage they have caused to othersā lives.
I met with Minister McDowell in February, 2005 to discuss allegations of garda collusion in relation to my fatherās murder.
Mr McDowell assured me he would consider a private inquiry.
Over a year after that meeting, some six years since after my family began asking questions publicly about the death (and nearly 36 years after my father fell in the service of his country, with neither a murder nor an act of terrorism to his name) the Minister for Justice has done nothing to examine the apparent injustice that was done to my family.
Freud said, āIt is our passion for ignorance that animates us.ā As a nation, our attachment to avoiding the truth of our past, the shameful acts by Irish governments visited on those who should have been protected, and our celebration of those who have caused such misery and pain to others, shows us still living in the dark shadow of our gunmen.
Finian Fallon
Northumberland Road
Ballsbridge
Dublin 4
