Lawyers for Ibrahim Halawa have finally had the chance to present a defence at his trial - almost four years after he was detained in Cairo.
The development has been welcomed by the Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney.
He said the end of the 21-year-old Dubliner's ordeal appears closer than at any time in the last four years.
However, the over 400 other defendants in the mass trial must also have their defence heard before verdicts are reached.
Minister Coveney says it "may still be some time before we know the outcome" of the mass trial.
Mr Halawa was arrested in August 2013 during protests against the ousting of president Mohammed Morsi.
Ibrahim's sister Somaia says they don't expect a speedy conclusion:
