Kevin Power pleads not guilty to IRA membership charge

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

Kevin Power has pleaded not guilty to an IRA membership charge at the Special Criminal Court. The charge alleges membership of an unlawful organisation within the State styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Óglaigh na hÉireann, otherwise the IRA, on 19 December 2011. The proceedings were reported on 6 March 2016.

David Maher, a security officer at Cork University Hospital, gave evidence at the three-judge, non-jury court on 5 March 2016 about a bomb-warning call he received on 19 May 2011. The court heard evidence of telephone warnings concerning explosive devices at University College Cork and the Rock of Cashel. Opening the prosecution case, Vincent Heneghan BL said a detective searching UCC’s car park had found what he believed to be a grenade. He said the evidence would be that the grenade was “non-viable” and for “training purposes within the army”.