Michael McElgunn — The man leading the battle to keep Ireland safe 

In a rare interview, An Garda Síochána’s intelligence chief, Assistant Commissioner Michael McElgunn, talks to Security Correspondent Cormac O’Keeffe about a renewed threat from Islamic State, the rise of the far right, a resurgent threat from Russia, the twin problems of disinformation and self-radicalisation, and a new oversight body for national security

Michael McElgunn, the assistant commissioner for Crime & Security Intelligence Service with An Garda Síochána. Photograph: Moya Nolan

Most people would have thought the threat from people in Ireland associated with Islamic State had died off in recent years.

Apart from the high-profile prosecution of Lisa Smith in 2022, who was convicted in the Special Criminal Court of membership of IS, most security concerns here have moved to the emerging threat from the far right and a resurgent threat from Russia.