‘Puzzling’ TD letter noted as man jailed over Semtex find

Independent Dublin TD Maureen O’Sullivan wrote to the courts expressing dismay about the length of time a dissident republican spent in custody after being arrested in connection with the discovery of explosive devices in the run up to the Royal visit last year.

Donal Ó Coisdealbha, aged 25, of Abbeyfield, Killester, Dublin, who admitted being a member of a dissident republican organisation, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison yesterday.

During the sentencing hearing at the Special Criminal court, Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy referred to a “puzzling” expression contained in Ms O’Sullivan’s letter that said that nothing was to be gained by prolonging his period on remand. The letter was dated from July of last year.