A man charged with possession of an explosive device – believed to contain Semtex – allegedly stored the material at Collins Barracks National Museum.

Museum worker Simon O’Donovan was charged with possessing explosives after an alleged car bomb was intercepted by gardaí near the border last Wednesday.

A late-night sitting on Saturday of the three-judge Special Criminal Court heard that the accused man, 44, is alleged to have stored the device in the confines of the National Museum.

A garda said that if the device had detonated, it would have caused catastrophic damage.

The court also heard that gardaí believe that if the accused were released on bail, he would engage in acts to further the objectives of the dissident republican group known as the ‘New IRA’.

Mr O’Donovan represented himself in a late-night bail hearing on Saturday at the High Court, where his application was refused after gardaí raised objections. The court heard at this hearing that he worked at the Collins Barracks National Museum.

Detective Sergeant Shane Noone told the court he arrested Mr O’Donovan at 5.07pm on Saturday and informed him he would be charged with possession of explosives at St Laurence’s Road in Chapelizod, Dublin, on Wednesday, July 22.

After caution, Mr Noone said Mr O’Donovan replied ‘I don’t understand’ and was informed of the caution again.

Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law said he had not taken instruction from Mr O’Donovan, due to an ongoing solicitors’ strike over changes to criminal legal aid fees, and was only appearing in court out of courtesy.

Mr O’Donovan, of Sperrin Road in Drimnagh, Dublin, told Judge Patrick McGrath that he had ‘no representation at all’, and had asked for ‘the services of this gentleman beside me’, referring to Mr Mackin.

The court rose briefly so Mr O’Donovan could confer with Mr Mackin on an application for bail. When the court returned, Mr O’Donovan said he was looking to represent himself in a bail hearing before the High Court, as he did not have the financial means to contest it privately.

He said the situation was ‘grossly unfair’, that he would be ‘willing to try’ a bail hearing and that his family and friends were present in court.

State solicitor Liam Mulholland said it was ‘very unusual’ to apply for bail late in the day in ‘a matter such as this’, but added that if a person wants to apply for bail then the court has to hear the application.

The non-jury Special Criminal Court remanded Mr O’Donovan in custody until today and then the court rose. Judge McGrath then returned a few minutes later for a sitting of the High Court to hear Mr O’Donovan’s bail application, which was refused after objections were raised by gardaí.

During the bail application, Mr O’Donovan told the court: ‘Just to state on the record that it seems to be quite unfair and there doesn’t seem to be continuity about how bail is granted: some people who can afford can, and some people who can’t are left without it.’

He blew kisses to his supporters in court before being taken away to be remanded in custody.

On Wednesday, a vehicle that was travelling on the N2 near Carrickmacross in Co. Monaghan was stopped and searched by gardaí.

Law student Isobella Perrie Sullivan, 25, of Abbeylands Park in Clane, Co. Kildare, appeared before Trim District Court on Friday, charged with possession of explosives in relation to the case.

Her solicitor, Gavin Booth of Phoenix Law, said she had been asked to take a bag to the North and had not been aware what was in it. Ms Perrie Sullivan was granted bail but remains in custody ahead of a further bail hearing today.

The bail conditions include a €15,000 independent surety, and that she surrenders her passport, stays at an address approved by gardaí with a curfew of 9pm to 7am, has a mobile phone available 24/7 and signs in each day at Naas Garda Station.

Responding to the granting of bail, DUP leader Gavin Robinson claimed Ireland’s justice system has ‘serious questions to answer’. He questioned the court’s decision and whether it appreciated ‘the gravity’ of the case.

‘The discovery of a viable Semtex bomb should have reminded everyone that dissident republican terrorism remains a lethal threat,’ he said in a statement. ‘The decision to grant bail will leave many people asking whether the justice system appreciates the gravity of that reality.

‘If involvement in the transport of a viable Semtex bomb is not enough to keep an accused person in custody, the Republic’s justice system has some serious questions to answer.

‘Terrorism is unlike any other form of criminality, and decisions in such cases must reflect the gravity of the threat posed to innocent lives.’

By Pat Flanagan and Gráinne Ní Aodha