Gardaí have arrested three men for questioning as part of an ongoing investigation into the activities of dissident republicans in Cork where last week a prominent member of one such grouping was shot dead.

Gardaí said the arrests of the three men in the Cobh area on Wednesday night is not directly related to the murder of former self-styled chief of staff of the Real IRA Aidan O’Driscoll (37) who was shot dead on the Old Commons Road in Blackpool on December 7th.

“These men have not been arrested for questioning about the murder of Mr O’Driscoll – these arrests are part of an ongoing investigation into the activities of dissident republicans in the Cork area,” said a Garda source.

The three men – one aged 50 and two in their 40s – were arrested together in a house in Cobh at around 8pm under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act which allows gardaí detain suspects for up to 72 hours.

Former members

It is understood the three men are suspected of being members of the New IRA, a dissident republican organisation formed by former members of the Real IRA, Republican Action Against Drugs and some former Provisional IRA members.

Two of the men were taken to Cobh Garda station while the third man was taken to Midleton Garda station for questioning.

Gardaí declared the house a crime scene and Garda technical experts have begun a forensic examination of the building.

Meanwhile officers are also interviewing a woman who it is understood dropped some of the men to the house in a car and the car is currently being searched but the woman has not been arrested, according to a Garda source.