Mechanic gets four years for IRA membership

A 56-year-old mechanic from Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan, has been sentenced to four years imprisonment by the Special Criminal Court following his conviction for membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army. James Joseph Cassidy of Tullycollive was found guilty in March of the charge relating to September 21, 2016. He had denied the allegation. During the trial, gardaí gave evidence of discovering a booster tube in a shed on Cassidy's premises during a search. Detective Inspector William Hanrahan testified that the device was consistent with similar tubing found in relation to other IRA operations. Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt stated that Cassidy's membership had been persistent and active, and noted that no actual harm occurred due to timely intervention by gardaí. The defendant had no previous convictions. The sentence was backdated to February 14, 2019, when Cassidy entered custody.