Dublin Museum Employee Charged With Explosive Possession After Bomb Found in Car
- A National Museum of Ireland employee appeared before the Special Criminal Court on Saturday over an explosive found in Dublin
- A 25-year-old woman was separately charged in connection with the same incident after a vehicle was stopped near the Irish border
- The museum employee was remanded in custody until Monday while the woman awaits a further bail hearing on the same day
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Legit.ng as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Simon O'Donovan, a 44-year-old employee of the Collins Barracks National Museum of Ireland, was charged on Saturday with possession of an explosive substance at St Lawrence Road in Chapelizod, Dublin 10, on July 22, 2026.
O'Donovan, whose address is listed as Sperrin Road in Dublin 12, appeared before the Special Criminal Court on Saturday evening.
Source: Getty Images
Detective Sergeant Shane Noone told the court he had arrested O'Donovan at 17:07 local time on Friday before informing him of the charge he would face.
Legal aid strike complicates proceedings
O'Donovan arrived in court without legal representation. Solicitor Darragh Mackin said he had not taken instructions from the accused because he was observing a strike over changes to criminal legal aid fees, and had come to court only as a courtesy.
O'Donovan told Judge Patrick McGrath that he had "no representation at all" and asked for "the services of this gentleman beside me," pointing to Mackin. He was remanded in custody until Monday.
Speaking with Legit.ng, AbdulRasheed Hussain, a policy analyst based in Nigeria, he analysed the security case in Dublin museum:
“We’ve got a very unusual case unfolding in Dublin. A National Museum of Ireland employee has been charged with possession of explosives after a bomb was found in a car. Simon O’Donovan, 44, appeared before the Special Criminal Court, but here’s the twist — he showed up without legal representation because of a strike over criminal legal aid fees. That detail adds a layer of complexity to an already serious charge.”
Second suspect charged after border stop
The charges against O'Donovan stem from a wider investigation that began on Wednesday, when gardaí stopped a vehicle on the N2 near Carrickmacross, close to the Irish border.
Law student Isobella Perrie Sullivan, 25, of Abbeylands Park in Clane, County Kildare, appeared before a district court on Friday charged with possession of explosives in connection with the same incident. Her solicitor told the court that Sullivan had been asked to carry a bag to Northern Ireland and was unaware of its contents.
Sullivan was granted bail but remains in custody ahead of a further bail hearing on Monday.
Source: Getty Images
Bomb explosion rocks Niger state
Legit.ng earlier reported that a captain and two soldiers have reportedly been killed after an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded at Maciyan-Kyada village in Babanna ward of Borgu Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger state.
A security source disclosed that two other soldiers sustained serious injuries in the explosion. The source stated that the troops left Babanna town at about 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, on a routine patrol when one of their patrol vehicles ran over an IED suspected to have been planted on the road by terrorists.
Source: Legit.ng
