Gerard Craughwell wins appeal over alleged RAF deal case

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

Senator Gerard Craughwell’s case over an alleged RAF interception arrangement can proceed after the Court of Appeal dismissed the State’s challenge on 18 March 2025.

The dispute concerns Craughwell’s claim that an arrangement allows British military aircraft to intercept hostile aircraft in Irish airspace. The State does not confirm or deny that such an arrangement exists.

The State argued that external security matters should not be reviewed by the courts and sought a preliminary hearing before the full case. The Court of Appeal said the State was effectively seeking to strike out the proceedings through that hearing, an approach the judge said was not permissible.

The appeal ruling leaves Craughwell’s underlying constitutional challenge to be determined; it does not decide whether the alleged arrangement exists or is lawful.