An investigation into the reported sighting of a large unauthorised drone at 6,000ft near the flight path of commercial aircraft off Co Wicklow will attempt to determine whether any such unmanned aerial vehicles were in fact in the area at the time.
Though the sighting is being taken seriously, Garda sources said the primary goal of the inquiry was to test the accuracy of the report.
It will also seek to rule out the possibility a drone was being flown as part of US security preparations ahead of the visit to Ireland this weekend of US president Donald Trump. However, sources said that was unlikely.
They also said that if someone was flying a drone, potentially including on behalf of a bad actor or rogue state, and wanted it to be seen, the location of the reported sighting would not be an obvious choice.
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The report was made by an Aer Lingus pilot in a propeller aircraft approaching Dublin Airport at about 5.20pm on Tuesday. He said the drone was about 3km to the aircraft’s left side as he was flying into Dublin from Cornwall.
The pilot said the drone was about 10 miles from a navigation point near Howth in north Co Dublin, which would put it somewhere off the Co Wicklow coast.
The exchange between the pilot and Dublin Air Traffic Control was clipped and shared online by aviation enthusiasts before being reported by the media.
Garda sources stressed there was no question over the bona fides or competency of the pilot in question. However, many recent drone sightings in Europe have either been discounted or remained unproven.
Garda headquarters said it was aware of the reported sighting and was continuing to investigate it, alongside the Department of Defence and Defence Forces.
AirNav, a State-owned company that provides air traffic control services to Irish airports, confirmed a report of a drone sighting had been made.
“In line with our normal safety procedures, a safety report was filed, and the sighting was reported to An Garda Síochána,” it said.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said procurement of offshore counter-drone technology was “being pursued”.
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Speaking after the reported sighting, he said “a lot of preparatory work” had been undertaken on counter-drone capabilities in advance of the Trump visit, with An Garda Síochána having “resourced the situation very significantly” in relation to on-land capability.
However, he added: “There is more to do offshore, and that work is under way.”
Martin urged caution and stressed the reported sighting was “unverified at the moment”.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) confirmed there were no authorised civilian drone operations in the area at the time of the reported sighting.
Air traffic controllers had at the time asked pilots of aircraft in the general area whether they had also caught sight of the object. None reported that they had, according to recordings reviewed by The Irish Times.
“We’ve no radar return down there and nothing that we’re aware of in the area,” an air traffic controller told one aircraft. “So, just keep your eyes out there, would you mind?”
[ The Irish Times view on hybrid attacks in Europe: a new security orderOpens in new window ]
Security and defence analyst Declan Power said the reported sighting would be a classic example of hybrid warfare.
Power said it would be difficult to prove from which location, or by whom, the drone had been launched. “It’s hard to detect. In some respects, you could argue that the drone nearly wanted to be seen where and when it was flying,” he told Newstalk Breakfast.
“So it’s a classic example of hybrid warfare, where it’s causing an impact without any particular comeback for whoever launched it.”
In a high-profile drone incident in December 2025, drones were spotted flying near Dublin during the visit of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
After the incident, European Council president António Costa expressed his “full confidence” in Ireland’s ability to deal with security threats.
He called the drone incident a “hybrid attack” from Russia.
“What happened last week here in Dublin is another example of the hybrid attacks from Russia, and the hybrid threats from Russia to the European territory,” he said.
After Russian ambassador to Ireland Yury Filatov denied Russia was involved in the incident, the Taoiseach said: “I don’t share his views.”
At the time, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan insisted additional security measures for drones would be in place for Ireland’s EU presidency.
The reported drone incident on Tuesday came just after the conclusion of a meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Dublin.
Aer Lingus and the Irish Coast Guard have been contacted for comment.
