Jul 6, 2026 · 30 min · 11 segments
21-year-old Paul Quinn was lured to a farm shed on the Monaghan-Armagh border in October 2007 and beaten to death in one of the most shocking killings in modern Irish history. This week we cover the…
So before we dig into the case, the murder of Paul Quinn, we need to understand the lay of the land, almost literally, because it is a huge part of why this case has remained so difficult to solve.
South Armagh, the county where our victim was from, sits at the very south of the north of Ireland.
And if you know anything about Irish geography, you know that this isn't your regular county border.
It was called this due to it being regarded as one of the IRA's strongest heartlands.
In fact, it was considered such a dangerous posting that British soldiers once described serving there as one of the most dangerous military deployments anywhere in the world.
The landscape itself is mountainous and rural and ironically very, very beautiful.
Its rolling hills were once punctuated by army watchtowers, surveillance posts and fortified checkpoints, while helicopters often became the safest way of moving troops because travelling by road carried such a high risk of attack during a very politically charged period of time.
During the years of the Troubles, this gorgeous countryside, you know, it's not a place where tourists would visit or where locals would be out enjoying an evening stroll.
It was dominated by military infrastructure, occupying forces, barbed wire and constant observation.
The watchtowers have been dismantled, the checkpoints are gone and South Armagh has now become known instead for the Ring of Gullion, a landscape of rolling hills, forests and walking trails and you know it's now at a point in time where this gorgeous countryside can be appreciated for what it is.
Former British soldier Andrew Rodding summed up that juxtaposition perfectly when he described the area as a stunning part of the world, while adding that terrible things have taken place here, done by all sides.
For decades, organised criminal groups and paramilitary organisations were able to take advantage of the fact that two different jurisdictions met within a couple hundred metres of one another.
And then being able to cross this border within a matter of minutes, moving from one police force to another, from the PSNI to the Guardia Siocana.
You know, this really allowed criminal enterprises to not only evade investigation, but of course, smuggle physical goods across the border.
So before we dig into the case, the murder of Paul Quinn, we need to understand the lay of the land, almost literally, because it is a huge part of why this case has remained so difficult to solve.
South Armagh, the county where our victim was from, sits at the very south of the north of Ireland.
And if you know anything about Irish geography, you know that this isn't your regular county border.
It was called this due to it being regarded as one of the IRA's strongest heartlands.
In fact, it was considered such a dangerous posting that British soldiers once described serving there as one of the most dangerous military deployments anywhere in the world.
The landscape itself is mountainous and rural and ironically very, very beautiful.
Its rolling hills were once punctuated by army watchtowers, surveillance posts and fortified checkpoints, while helicopters often became the safest way of moving troops because travelling by road carried such a high risk of attack during a very politically charged period of time.
During the years of the Troubles, this gorgeous countryside, you know, it's not a place where tourists would visit or where locals would be out enjoying an evening stroll.
It was dominated by military infrastructure, occupying forces, barbed wire and constant observation.
The watchtowers have been dismantled, the checkpoints are gone and South Armagh has now become known instead for the Ring of Gullion, a landscape of rolling hills, forests and walking trails and you know it's now at a point in time where this gorgeous countryside can be appreciated for what it is.
Former British soldier Andrew Rodding summed up that juxtaposition perfectly when he described the area as a stunning part of the world, while adding that terrible things have taken place here, done by all sides.
For decades, organised criminal groups and paramilitary organisations were able to take advantage of the fact that two different jurisdictions met within a couple hundred metres of one another.
And then being able to cross this border within a matter of minutes, moving from one police force to another, from the PSNI to the Guardia Siocana.
You know, this really allowed criminal enterprises to not only evade investigation, but of course, smuggle physical goods across the border.
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