Judge 'irritable' over defence confusion

A judge at the Special Criminal Court today criticised the defence counsel of five men accused of membership of an illegal organisation, saying that he would be "less irritable" if he knew what the defence was.

The five men have pleaded not guilty to membership of an illegal organisation styling itself as the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Óglaigh na hÉireann, otherwise the IRA, on October 11, 2002.