Courts / Dublin / Report

IRA accused refused application to accompany wife to INLA commemoration

Date
2016-01-21

Stage
Trial

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

Brian Kenna, 54, of Crumlin Park, Crumlin, was denied a variation in bail that would have allowed him to drive his wife to a wreath‑laying ceremony in Belfast on 30 January for the former INLA chief‑of‑staff, Gino Gallagher, who was murdered in 1996. Kenna had been arrested in Co. Laois in November by the Special Detective Unit as part of an operation targeting dissident republican activity and was charged at the Special Criminal Court with membership of an unlawful organisation, namely the Irish Republican Army (IRA). At the bail hearing, Detective Inspector William Hanrahan argued that Kenna had been found with documents allegedly intended for senior IRA members and that allowing him to attend the commemoration could expose convicted or charged individuals to the event. Kenna explained that his wife, who walks with crutches, needed a car to travel to Belfast, but he would not attend the ceremony himself.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: IRA accused refused application to accompany wife to INLA commemoration. Procedural stage: trial

When:

January 30th Incident
November 21, 2015 Incident
2016-01-21 Publication

Why: Brian Kenna (54) had applied to the court for a variation in bail in order to drive his wife to the commemoration in Belfast on January 30th. CNI source report