There was also a sharp rise in substances recovered in the state's detention centre for young offenders.

Former Irish Defence Forces soldier Lisa Smith, who is facing trial accused of ISIS membership, has been granted bail with strict conditions including an internet and social media ban.

The driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene and his body has been removed to Cavan General Hospital.

The bulk of closed prisons are operating at unsafe levels, raising the risk of violence, according to penal reformers.

Was Ethel Gavin’s transfer actually an attempt to cover up a dangerous mistake in the prison service? asks Michael Clifford

There has been a 50% increase in the number of injuries suffered by prison officers dealing with non-compliant prisoners.

A taxi driver has been charged with raping a woman in his car in Dublin.

Details released under the Freedom of Information Act show there were 1,138 drug seizures in ten Irish prisons last year.

A 40-year-old Co. Limerick man has appeared in court concerning an allegation that he asked an elderly lady for a "blow-job" over the phone.

There are fresh concerns about overcrowding in Irish prisons, with 45 inmates on average having slept on mattresses every night so far this year.

The investigation into allegations of illegal surveillance in prisons concluded in March, but the findings have yet to be published, says Special Correspondent Michael Clifford.

A new recording system has revealed that far greater numbers of prison officers are injured by inmates than was previously reflected in official statistics.

There was a far greater turnout by voters registered to vote at Mountjoy prison in the recent European and local elections than in some of the surrounding areas outside the prison in Dublin.

Only one prison inspection report has been published in the last five years and no inspections have been conducted in five jails over the last 10 years, the Inspector of Prisons has said.

Dáil public accounts committee chair and Fianna Fáil TD Sean Fleming made the claim at the latest meeting of the group this morning, saying the delay has put public money and prisoner health at risk.

New figures from the Irish Prison Service (IPS) have revealed the most dangerous prison in the country for prisoners - and prison staff.

Prison officers are being sent out “with only our bare hands and courage” to intercept the delivery of contraband into exercise yards according to the general secretary of the Prison Officers Association.

There has been a surge in the number of prisoners put on protection for their own safety, with the sharpest rises in Mountjoy Prison and Cloverhill Remand Prison.

The High Court has set bail terms for two former US servicemen charged over an alleged security breach at Shannon airport on St Patrick’s Day.

Prison officers made more than 1,100 drug seizures in Irish prisons last year as part of ongoing efforts to clamp down on contraband.

Patrick Hutch, who is accused of the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel more than two years ago, has launched High Court proceedings over his transfer from one prison facility to another.

More than two-thirds of investigations into the deaths of vulnerable prisoners since 2012 have raised concerns about “misleading” or inaccurate record-keeping by prison staff, and the care afforded to inmates who have suicidal ideation and mental health problems.

A man in his 20s has been charged with the murder of a father of four in a bar in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, over the weekend.

Prison officers believe the rule of law has “disappeared” from prisons and assaults on officers have become an accepted norm, according to the president of their representative body.

A third nephew of Gerry Hutch has been named as the latest murder victim in the Kinahan/Hutch feud.

A judge has granted Garda Gao’s bid for a judicial review of decision to remove him from sick pay status, writes Michael Clifford

There were almost 800 drug seizures in Irish prisons in the first nine months of this year, the Department of Justice has confirmed.

Riot squad teams were deployed over 370 times at Portlaoise maximum security prison last year.

The case of Gerard Butler, who helped contain an incident that was never recorded, is the second in weeks on whistleblower treatment in the Prison Service, writes Michael Clifford

A 59-year-old man has appeared at Limerick District Court charged with the murder of a Romanian national in the city last Wednesday.

A 38-year-old inmate of Cloverhill prison died in his hospital bed with his electronic tag still on — and it stayed on the deceased for a further five hours before finally being removed.

A forensic psychiatrist has told Eric Locke's murder trial that the accused fits the criteria for the defence of diminished responsibility.

Minister for Children Katherine Zappone explains the changes being made to Oberstown Detention Centre to help young detainees have a future

A man has been charged with attempted murder following a shooting in Dublin earlier this month.

Patrick Hutch Jnr, who is accused of the murder of David Byrne at Dublin’s Regency Hotel, has been further charged with possessing three AK47 assault rifles in connection with the fatal shooting.

Staff shortages, overcrowding, drugs and inmate violence are just some of the key issues highlighted in reports on 14 prisons across the country.

At the Central Criminal Court yesterday, a Dublin man became the third person sentenced to life imprisonment for the same gangland murder.

Bumper sales of cut-price Tayto Cheese & Onion crisps, bottles of Coca Cola, Jelly Tots, and cigarettes helped profits at the prison service’s network of tuck shops jump to €700,000 last year.