Diarmuid Rossa Phelan released on bail in murder case

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Diarmuid Rossa Phelan was released from custody after taking up bail on 12 April 2022. His case was listed before Judge Victor Blake at Cloverhill District Court on 13 April, when he was remanded on continuing bail.

Phelan, a senior barrister and law professor, is charged with murdering Keith Conlon at Hazelgrove Farm, Kiltalown Lane, Tallaght, on 22 February. Conlon died in hospital two days after the shooting.

On 21 March, High Court judge Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy refused Phelan bail, finding that he posed a serious flight risk. Phelan had told the court there was no possibility of him trying to evade justice. The Court of Appeal overturned the refusal on 8 April.

The bail terms required a €50,000 bond and a €50,000 independent surety. Phelan was to live at a Garda-approved address, obey a 10pm to 8am curfew, sign on daily at a Garda station and provide a mobile phone number. He was also to meet gardaí within 24 hours of release and provide access to all his Irish and foreign bank accounts.

He was ordered to stay out of Tallaght and his properties in Wexford, have no contact with prosecution witnesses, surrender his passport and not leave the State, join a gun club or purchase firearms.

Judge Blake adjourned the case until 25 April for mention, pending formal directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions and a defence application for copies of video interviews. He declined to make the order for the interviews at that point because the defence had not put the State on notice.