Six alleged dissident republicans who were arrested after a swoop on a house in Dundalk, Louth, last January were charged with firearms and ammunition offences at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin today.
The six men have already been charged with membership of an illegal organisation after they were arrested at a house in Nicholas Street, Dundalk, on January 5.
The six are Mr Dalton McKevitt, 26, of St Auban's Avenue Road, Dundalk; Mr Niall Farrell, 25, of Cedarwood Park, Dundalk; Mr Tony O'Hare, 40, of Marian Park, Dundalk; Mr Vincent McKevitt, 44, of Mountain Court, Point Road, Dundalk; Mr Alan Browne, 35, of a separate address in Mountain Court; and Mr Eoin Quigley, 29, of Oakland Park, Dundalk.
Today they were charged with the unlawful possession of a double-barrel shotgun and a semiautomatic pistol on January 5 this year.
They were also charged with unlawful possession of 16 rounds of 9mm calibre ammunition and four shotgun cartridges on the same date.
All the men, except Mr Vincent McKevitt, were remanded in custody to April 29. Mr McKevitt was remanded on continuing bail until the same date.
They are already charged that within the state on Saturday, January 5, 2002 they were members of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann.
An earlier court hearing was told that gardai believe the men were preparing to carry out a punishment beating when detectives swooped on the house in Nicholas Street and arrested them.