Mayo brothers jailed over explosives find

Two brothers from Claremorris in County Mayo have been sentenced to five and a half years' imprisonment by the Special Criminal Court, with the final two and a half years suspended. Colin Mannion, aged 37, and Brian Mannion, aged 34, of Burriscarra, Clogher, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of explosive substances including RDX, PETN, detonators and electrical components discovered at their home on 9 June 2012. Charges of membership of an unlawful organisation were not proceeded with. The court heard that gardaí found materials and equipment consistent with bomb manufacturing in a metal container in a shed on the property. Mr Justice Tony Hunt noted the men had relevant professional qualifications and skills. Mitigation factors included their guilty pleas, limited involvement of two to three months, good character prior to the offences, and sworn undertakings to refrain from subversive activities. The sentence was backdated to 7 June 2017.