Real IRA leader guilty of Prince Charles bomb plot Terror chief’s plan secretly bugged in pub by gardai
A REAL IRA leader who plotted an explosion during Prince Charles’ visit to Ireland was convicted yesterday of directing a terrorist organisation.
Seamus Mcgrane, 63, who was also convicted of IRA membership, denied the charges.
The Special Criminal Court heard he was secretly recorded discussing an operation involving explosives in the run-up to Prince Charles’ visit in 2015.
Justice Isobel Kennedy told the nonjury court there was “the clearest evidence of directing an illegal grouping”.
She said there was evidence from audio recordings from April and May 2015, of Mcgrane and Donal O’coisdealbha in conversation in The Coachman’s Inn on the Airport Road, Dublin - a pub that had been bugged by Garda detectives.
Mcgrane instructed Mr O’coisdealbha about meeting other people and had made statements about providing bombmaking material for others.
He told O’coisdealbha: “Go with whatever plan you wish. I think he’s (Prince Charles) coming on the 19. I don’t like an embarrassment.” Mcgrane then mentioned “military significance”.
Det Sgt Padraig Boyce said the location being discussed was near the Cross of Sacrifice, a monument in Glasnevin Cemetery commemorating British and Irish soldiers who fought in World War I.
The two men were also recorded discussing a bomb found on a train line in the North in February 2015 and an attack on MI5 in London in April 2010.
The court heard gardai found bombmaking components in a field adjacent to Mcgrane’s house in Little Road, Dromiskin, Co Louth.
He was convicted of directing an unlawful organisation, styling itself the IRA between April and May 2015.
The accused was also found guilty of membership of the terror group between January 2010 and May 2015.
Mcgrane is only the second person to be convicted of directing terrorism in the State after Michael Mckevitt in 2003.
He was remanded in custody sentencing on November 14. Charles for