The woman, from County Kildare, appeared before a special sitting of Trim District Court on Friday evening.
The charge follows the interception of a vehicle on the N2 at Aclint, south of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, on Wednesday afternoon. Officers from the Garda Special Detective Unit stopped the vehicle after receiving intelligence linked to an ongoing operation against suspected "dissident republican" activity.
Giving evidence at Dundalk Garda Station of the arrest, charge and caution, a member of the Special Detective Unit told the court that the law student was driving the vehicle when it was stopped and searched. Inside, officers found a bag containing what they described as a fully assembled, viable explosive device.
The court heard the device included a timing power unit, a detonator, and what investigators believe to be Semtex, a military-grade plastic explosive. The Defence Forces' Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team attended the scene and confirmed the device was viable.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly called the find "an extremely significant seizure," noting the device had the potential to cause serious harm.
"Any seizure of this nature is really concerning," he said. "This was an explosive device, not simply components or pieces. It could have potentially caused significant damage."
Kelly confirmed the stop was not random but the result of targeted intelligence work. "This is an intelligence-led operation," he said. "We certainly do have information in relation to the individuals involved."
Security sources described the device as highly sophisticated, fully assembled, and apparently ready for deployment. Investigators believe it was likely intended for use as an under-car booby trap in an attack in Northern Ireland.
Officials noted the device was more advanced than the crude pipe bombs used in earlier incidents, requiring specialist mechanical and electrical expertise as well as access to military-grade explosives.
Kelly said that although the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998, a small number of people have never accepted it. "There are a small minority of dissident republicans who did not agree with the Good Friday Agreement and did not decommission their weapons and explosives," he said. "This is a threat that we are going to continue to face."
He added that Gardaí continue to work closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and UK intelligence agencies to counter the threat, and commended the officers involved in the operation.
At Friday's hearing, defence solicitor Gavin Booth of Phoenix Law said his client had been asked to transport a bag to Northern Ireland and claimed she did not know what it contained. He told the court she lives with her father in County Kildare and is studying law with hopes of becoming a barrister.
Judge Raymond Finnegan said he would grant bail subject to strict conditions: an independent surety of €15,000, surrender of her passport, a curfew between 9pm and 7am, provision of her mobile number to Gardaí, and daily sign-in at Naas Garda Station.
She was remanded in custody with consent to bail, with the bail application to be formally heard at Monaghan District Court on Monday
