Call for clarity on existence of Ireland-UK airspace deal

Updated / Saturday, 7 Nov 2026 14:39

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Independent Senator Michael McDowell has called for clarity on whether Ireland has an agreement with the UK to defend its airspace, saying the public is entitled to know what arrangements are in place.

The former justice minister told RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday with Cormac Ó hEadhra that Ireland has an arrangement with the UK that was "very difficult to actually pin down".

He accepted that operational details could remain confidential for security reasons.

"If that is the reality, the people of Ireland are entitled to know about it. It can’t be just kept secret," he said.

Bomb threats targeting media organisations and airlines have raised security concerns ahead of next week’s European summit in Dublin.

European leaders are meeting in the capital next Thursday and Friday but the security operation around these events, which has been described as "unprecedented" will get under way two days before, on Tuesday 10 November.

Mr McDowell said it was still unclear who was behind the threats.

He said Ireland was relying on a French naval vessel to help secure Dublin’s airspace for the summit and that the Air Corps lacked aircraft capable of defending Irish airspace.

Mr McDowell also questioned how Ireland would respond to a threat detected by a planned radar system.

"But what happens when we detect something on that radar?" he asked.

He said Ireland had yet to produce a security strategy and called for the Defence Forces to be brought up to a strength of 11,000.

Former UK defence minister Tobias Ellwood told the same programme that Ireland is a weak link in Europe's defences against hybrid threats, warning that the EU Presidency puts Ireland "in the crosshairs" of hostile states.

Mr Ellwood said that Ireland was particularly exposed to attempts to disrupt society, damage the economy and sow political discord.

"When you look from the Russian perspective, where to possibly attack, who's got the lowest guard, who is that weakest link? I’m afraid absolutely it is Ireland," he said.

Mr Ellwood identified the protection of undersea cables as one area where Britain and Ireland could work more closely.

He said their existing memorandum of understanding provides for security co-operation and stops short of an automatic mutual defence guarantee.

"Were Ireland attacked in any major way, whether it be hybrid or indeed other forms of warfare, Britain would not hesitate but to work and to help defend Ireland," he added.

Report: Andrew Fleming