Courts / Dublin / Report

Eight men go on trial accused of IRA membership

Summary

Eight men were arrested after a Garda operation on a used‑car lot in west Dublin. The Special Criminal Court heard that the Garda National Surveillance Unit had observed the men at various locations in Finglas and Clondalkin on 29 March 2013. At midday, the Emergency Response Unit entered the yard of the used‑car sales lot and arrested the eight. Subsequent searches of two vans, an office and a kitchen uncovered cable ties, gloves, balaclavas, a baseball bat, a lump hammer, pepper spray and a Glock pistol. The men – Kevin Braney (40), Des Christie (50), Eamon McNamee (34), Hubert Duffy (47), William Jackson (55), Declan Phelan (33), John Brock (42) and Darren Murphy (44) – all pleaded not guilty to membership of an illegal organisation styled the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The prosecution case will rely on the surveillance sightings, the items found, the men's responses to Garda questioning and opinion evidence from Detective Chief Superintendent Peter Kirwan.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Eight men go on trial accused of IRA membership. Charges or matters: membership of an illegal organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA on March 29th, 2013; membership of an illegal organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• March 29th, 2013 Incident
• 2015-01-27 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial

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Read the original CNI report