Niall O'Connor

MYSTERY SURROUNDS THE sighting of a drone off Wicklow on Tuesday night by an Aer Lingus pilot, with the Taoiseach confirming this morning that both gardaí and the military are investigating. 

Yesterday evening, as an Aer Lingus Regional propeller aircraft EI-FAT, was approaching Dublin, pilots reported sighting a “large black drone” at the same altitude as the plane, around 6,000ft in the sky. 

The report stated that it was a maximum of two miles away from the plane on its left side, the pilot said. 

Sources have confirmed that audio being shared online of the interaction between a pilot and Dublin Air Traffic Control is genuine.

It is not known at this stage who was operating the drone or whether the incident was malicious. The location of the sighting is described as 10 miles south of an area off Howth Head. 

The Journal has confirmed that high-level meetings are taking place between agencies such as the Department of Defence, the Defence Forces and An Garda Síochána. 

Sources have said that early assessments are that the reports from last night would suggest the drone was flying in a manner that did not actively interfere with aircraft. The Journal understands that this would differ from other, previous, hybrid incidents in Europe.

The Journal has learned that there was no request for action to the Irish Air Corps or the Defence Forces last night. A Coast Guard helicopter was spotted in the area after the sighting but it has not been confirmed if this was involved in a response. 

We have also confirmed that the investigation will be hampered as the civilian radar associated with monitoring the airspace does not cover the area where the sighting took place. Ireland does not have military radar to monitor the East Coast.

It is understood that it has been assessed that there were no suspicious ships in the Irish Sea last night, while there was a suspected Russian Shadow Fleet vessel off the west coast.

We have confirmed that there is a drone testing site near Newcastle in County Wicklow but sources believe this is unconnected to the drone sighting. This is limited to 1,500 feet and any increase must be communicated to pilots via NOTAM.

Security preparations are underway across Ireland ahead of the visit of US President Donald Trump. US officials and advanced equipment arrived in Ireland in recent days, and they have been conducting work alongside gardaí and the Defence Forces. A number of US aircraft have been flying around Dublin and other areas. 

With just days before the arrival of Trump on a visit to Dublin and County Clare Taoiseach Micheál Martin was asked about the incident this morning as he arrived for the weekly cabinet meeting. He said that the State was looking at purchasing offshore counter drone equipment. 

“Well, I mean, it’s unverified at the moment. There was a report that’s been investigated by An Garda Síochána along with the Defence Forces. So, I don’t have anything further to add to that. I think we have to be cautious until something has been verified,” he said. 

It is understood the Taoiseach will be briefed later today as he flies for a meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia.

He was asked by reporters about concerns whether Ireland could secure itself against drone incursions. In response, he mentioned other incidents such as a recent attempted explosive drone attack on an airport in Leipzig Germany. 

“We see in Germany what happened, so we’re very alert to it in terms of the Leipzig incident. We saw what happened in Denmark during its presidency, where it sought assistance from other member states of the European Union also and a lot of capacity in Denmark.

“And what’s happening is, irrespective of how far we would advance our capacities, we will always need, and other countries and member states, to collaborate, cooperate, and support in terms of making sure that we’re we’re fully, you know, on top of any situation that emerges,” he added. 

Tánaiste Simon Harris also spoke about the incident and sought to reassure that Ireland “takes its national security very seriously”. 

“We’re investing more in it than ever before, and we’ll be taking all necessary precautions and preparation for the visit of President Trump this weekend,” he said. 

The Journal has requested statements from Aer Lingus, AirNav Ireland and the Irish Aviation Authority. 

A garda spokesman has confirmed that gardaí were investigating the incident.