Irish Republican News · April 3, 2025

Jim Donegan extradited, refused bail

Veteran Irish Republican Jim Donegan has been handed over to British forces over accusations he was involved in the IRA’s armed struggle in 1979.

Last month a 26 County judge, Patrick McGrath, ordered Mr Donegan’s surrender to the Crown.

The 67-year-old Cavan man was delivered into the hands of the PSNI at the border at Jonesboro, County Armagh on Wednesday.

He subsequently appeared at Newry Magistrates Court, where was refused bail. He was deemed a ‘flight risk’ by a judge - despite having agreed to return from Spain.

When he was arrested at Dublin Airport last June having agreed to meet gardaí as he returned home from holidays, Mr Donegan told arresting officers: “I’m an innocent man”.

Sinn Féin has not commented on the extradition.

A protest took place by Independent Republicans at the 26 County Department of Justice in Dublin on Monday.

“It was time that the complicity of the Irish Free States institutions was highlighted,” they said in a statement.

“Citizens of the 26 counties are being systematically handed over to Britain to face non - jury trials with little to no production of tangible evidence, using the smokescreen that those very same people will get a fair trial.

“Have we forgotten all of the past miscarriages of justice already ?

“We also utilised the opportunity to raise the fact that there are already Irish Republicans who have been extradited recently being subjected to bail conditions requiring massive sums of cash deposits eg €100,000 and others who have been languishing in custody for years awaiting trial.

“What about the presumption of innocence? What about the tenet that justice delayed is justice denied? The normalisation of the extradition of Irish Republicans must stop.”

In January, Lurgan man Martin McCauley was extradited in relation to IRA actions dating from 1982 but was granted bail.

Two more republicans, John McNicholl and Seamus O’Kane, are currently facing extradition procedures in relation to actions by the INLA in the 1970s.

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