Jonathan Hawthorn, James Geraghty and Donal O'Ceallaigh deny IRA membership

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

Jonathan Hawthorn, James Geraghty and Donal O'Ceallaigh pleaded not guilty at the Special Criminal Court to membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA, on 14 September 2016.

The proceedings were reported on 4 July 2018. The trial was continuing before Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge Gerard Haughton.

The court heard that gardaí arrested the three men after a tip-off from an undercover FBI agent. The agent had received a darknet message from a user called Meat Cleaver seeking Semtex for delivery to Ireland.

Prosecuting counsel John Byrne BL said Geraghty's home at Dolphin House had been identified as the delivery address. The prosecution did not say Meat Cleaver was an identity used by any of the accused men.

Gardaí created a mock package after the FBI agent alerted them. On 14 September 2016, an undercover garda delivered it to Dolphin House, where Hawthorn signed for it in Geraghty's name. Gardaí subsequently arrested Hawthorn and O'Ceallaigh near St James's Hospital and arrested Geraghty after searching his home.