Six cleared and one convicted of C-IRA membership

Six men were cleared of being members of the Continuity IRA and one man was convicted of the charge at the Special Criminal Court today after one of the longest trials in the history of the court.

Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding, said that in the case of six of the seven accused "there must be a reasonable doubt that an IRA meeting was taking place".

"In light of their strong sworn denials of membership of the IRA we have a doubt , not about the veracity of the evidence of Chief Superintendent Gerard Kelly, but about the validity of his opinion based on confidential sources," said Mr Justice Butler.

The six men were discharged by the court and left the court to be greeted by up to 20 supporters who had been demonstrating outside the Green Street courthouse.

The court convicted Patrick O'Shea of the charge and he was remanded in custody for sentencing tomorrow.

Mr Justice Butler said the court found O'Shea's evidence to the court "incredible" and did not have a doubt about the evidence of Chief Superintendent Kelly and convicted O'Shea.

The seven men denied the charge that on December 17, 2001, within the State, they were members of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann.

They are Des Long, aged 62, Vice President of Republican Sinn Fein, of Shannon Banks, Limerick, Patrick Kenneally, aged 59, of Crusheen, Co Clare, Patrick O'Shea, aged 54, of Sir Harry's Mall, Limerick, Gerard "Ger" Brommell, aged 43, of Rostura Crescent, Woodview Park, Limerick, Robert McNamara, aged 59, of St Michael's Avenue, Tipperary, Joseph "Tiny" Lynch, aged 62, of Beechgrove Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick and Christopher Dunne, aged 28, of Donnellan Buildings, Rosbrien, Limerick.

The trial of seven men accused of membership of the Continuity IRA in Limerick in December 2001 was the longest in recent years at the Special Criminal Court.

The trial, which began on January 13 and concluded on April 10, lasted 48 days, outstripping recent lengthy trials for suspects charged with the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin.

The trial was also the biggest ever at the non-jury court of dissident republicans and followed a lengthy garda operation in Limerick against suspected members of dissident republican groups in the city.

The cost of the trial is estimated to run to over €3m.

Altogether 15 barristers were involved for the prosecution and defence and in the course of the trial one of the prosecution counsel Mr Brendan Grehan "took silk" and was elevated to the ranks of Senior Counsel.

Originally eight men went on trial accused of membership of an illegal organisation on December 17, 2001.

But on the third day of the trial one of the accused, Matt Conway, aged 67, who is a member of Republican Sinn Fein's Ard Comhairle, of Kilcullen, Co Kildare was freed by the court.

The court entered a verdict of not guilty by direction after evidence from Chief Superintendent Sean Feeley.

The Chief Superintendent said he believed Conway was a member of an unlawful organisation on December 19, 2001 but the charge against Conway specified December 17, 2001 as the date of the alleged offence.

The court was told that the men were arrested after a garda surveillance operation on suspected dissident republicans in the Limerick area.

Armed detectives broke down the door of a house in the Shanabooley Road area of the city after following a number of men there at different times.

Three of the accused Brommell, Dunne and Lynch were arrested after they were seen running out the back door of the house, the accused Long was arrested as he went towards the rear of the house and the other three accused were arrested in the sitting room.

Gardaí found a note on a table in the sitting room which referred to firearms, a person "wanted for a kneecap job", and a "safe house".

O'Shea told the court the notes referred to an interview he carried out with two prospective members of Republican Sinn Fein and checks he was carrying out on their criminal background.

Chief Superintendent Gerard Kelly gave sworn evidence in court that he believed each of the seven accused was a member of an illegal organisation on December 17, 2001.

The Chief Superintendent said his belief was not based on anything found in the search of the house at Shanabooley Road.

Cross examined by a defence counsel who asked if he would describe the accused as "a sort of Dad's Army" , the Chief Superintendent replied: "I would not describe them as Dad's Army. I would describe them as very key people in the IRA."

Prosecuting counsel Mr John Edwards SC told the court that the illegal organisation the court was concerned with was the Continuity IRA.

Each of the seven men gave evidence and denied membership of an unlawful organisation.

The accused said they had been attending an informal meeting of Republican Sinn Fein to discuss the setting up of a new cumann in the Munster area and the selling of calendars and newspapers for the organisation, as well as a forthcoming Sean South commemoration.