Fr Edward Gallagher to return to court on child sex charge later this week

Fr Edward Gallagher is back in court on a child sex charge this week.

The Northern Ireland Court Service has confirmed that the 58-year-old will appear before Derry Magistrates Court via videolink at 11am this Thursday, May 1.

Fr Gallagher, who is charged with attempted sexual communication with a child, is currently being held on remand in Maghaberry Prison near Lisburn, and it’s understood that he does not intend to apply for bail at this stage.

A cross-border policing investigation into the accused priest is currently underway and Gardai attended a mobile home in Buncrana in recent days, removing a number of items for examination.

The PSNI and An Garda Síochána were contacted in relation to the probe, but both said they could not comment “on any activities which may form part of any ongoing investigation.”

Fr Gallagher, of Orchard Park in Lifford, was suspended from his ministry after appearing at Dungannon Courthouse on Saturday, April 19, two days after he was confronted by a social media group outside a Derry hotel. An online video of that confrontation has since been viewed more than 1.6 million times.

Fr Gallagher has been a priest of the Derry Diocese for almost 31 years, having been ordained in June 1994. He was parish priest in Moville from 2022 until 2024 and most recently served as a curate for the Camus, Clonleigh and Leckpatrick parishes.