The head of the "Real IRA" in Munster was today sentenced to five years and nine months in prison after being convicted last week of membership of the illegal organisation.
At the Special Criminal Court in Dublin, Mr Justice Richard Johnson said the court had heard evidence from a senior Garda of Ciaran O'Dwyer's seniority in the "Real IRA".
O'Dwyer (50), from Castletroy View, Limerick, was also convicted for one year for IRA membership in 1973 and for 12 years in 1990 for possessing 40,000 rounds of ammunition, seven AK47 assault rifles, a hand gun and semtex explosive.
O’Dwyer had been released early in 1995 as part of the peace process.
The judge said O'Dwyer should be sentenced to six years' imprisonment but had spent three months in custody and so should be jailed for five years and nine months.
He sentenced Ultan Larkin (34) from Farranshone, Limerick, who was named as O'Dwyer's second in command, to four years' imprisonment due to his level of involvement in the "Real IRA".
Three other men - John Murphy (25), from Kilbarry, Old Mallow Road, Cork; Gerard Varian (46), Bride Valley View, Fairhill, Cork; and Aidan O'Driscoll (26), from Glenheights Park, Ballyvolane, Cork, were sentenced to four years, three years and three years, respectively.
All of the men had pleaded not guilty to membership of an illegal organisation.
Mr Justice Johnson said the court's verdict was based on a chief superintendent’s belief that the men were "Real IRA" members and corroborated by their failure to answer questions while in Garda custody.
The five men had been arrested on December 15th, 2002, after an extensive Garda surveillance operation and convicted after a 20-day trial.
The sentencing hearing today was delayed for almost half an hour after lawyers for O'Dwyer and Larkin objected to a radio broadcast and a newspaper article on the previous day that contained extensive background information on their clients.
However, Mr Justice Johnson, the presiding judge of the three judge, non-jury court, said he had decided to proceed because none of the members had read or listened to the material.
PA