The Corrib gas controversy was a social protest campaign against the
Corrib gas project
The Corrib gas project ( ga, Tionscanamh Ghás Aiceanta na Coiribe) is a developed natural gas deposit located in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately off the northwest coast of County Mayo, Ireland. The project includes a natural gas pipeline and ...
in north-western
County Mayo, Ireland. The project involves the processing of gas onshore through
Broadhaven
Broad Haven ( cy, Aberllydan) is a village and seaside resort in the south east corner of St Bride's Bay at the western terminus of the B4341 road in south Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Broad Haven and Little Haven together form the Havens community an ...
and
Sruth Fada Conn
Sruwaddacon Bay () is a tidal estuary which runs through the middle of the Gaeltacht Kilcommon parish in Erris, County Mayo, Ireland. It is of historical importance in Irish legend, an important marine habitat, an E.U. Special Area of Conservatio ...
Bays in
Kilcommon
Kilcommon ( ga, Cill Chomáin) is a civil parish in Erris, north Mayo consisting of two large peninsulas; Dún Chaocháin and Dún Chiortáin. It consists of 37 townlands, some of which are so remote that they have no inhabitants. Habitatio ...
. Originally spearheaded by local advocacy groups
Shell to Sea
Shell to Sea ( ga, Shell chun Sáile) is an Irish organisation based in the parish of Kilcommon in Erris, County Mayo.
It opposes the proposed construction of a natural gas Gas pipeline, pipeline through the parish, as well as the ongoing const ...
and
Pobal Chill Chomáin
Pobal Chill Chomáin (PCC, English: ''People of Kilcommon'') is a pressure group based in the parish of Kilcommon in County Mayo, Ireland. It split from the larger Shell to Sea (in existence since 2001 as a campaign with no name; the name Shell ...
, the protests later grew to national prominence due to the heavy-handed approach taken by the
Garda Síochána and private security firms towards the protestors. The project was jointly managed by
Shell E&P Ireland and
Statoil Exploration Limited, and supported by the
Irish government
The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.
The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The gover ...
.
Despite the opposition, onshore gas production commenced in December 2015, albeit significantly behind schedule. Shell announced the sale of their stake to the
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board in July 2017, and were fully divested from the project by November 2018. At the time of their departure, the losses incurred by Shell on the project were estimated to be around €1 billion.
While the original aims of the protests were unsuccessful, Shell to Sea and other environmental groups continue to operate and highlight related issues. These include renegotiating the generous tax agreements made between oil and gas companies and the Irish government, the death of environmental activists worldwide, corruption by
multinational oil companies
Multinational may refer to:
* Multinational corporation, a corporate organization operating in multiple countries
* Multinational force, a military body from multiple countries
* Multinational state, a sovereign state that comprises two or more na ...
and the campaign against
fracking
Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "frac ...
, including opposing the import of fracked
liquefied natural gas
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the vol ...
from the United States.
Background
The Corrib gas project entails the extraction of a natural gas deposit off the northwest coast of
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. The project includes extraction of the Corrib gas field and construction of the natural gas pipeline and a gas processing plant. The project is controlled by
Shell E&P Ireland as operator of the project, in co-operation with
Statoil Exploration (Ireland) Limited, and the Vermilion Energy Trust.
[
]
The deepwater exploration licence No. 2/93 for 11 years, covering four blocks in the
Slyne Trough The Slyne-Erris Trough is a geological basin off the west coast of Donegal, Ireland.
In recent years it has been shown to be prospective for hydrocarbons, hosting Royal Dutch Shell Corrib gas field (discovered by Enterprise Oil, bought by Shell), ...
, was granted on 1 January 1993 to
Enterprise Oil
Enterprise Oil was a major UK independent exploration and production company based in Europe, with core areas of activity in the United Kingdom and Ireland, mainland Europe, Brazil and the Gulf of Mexico. The Company was once a constituent of the ...
. The licence was issued under the licensing terms for offshore oil and gas exploration and development 1992. The Corrib
natural gas field
A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations.
Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...
was discovered in 1996. It was the first reported commercial natural gas discovery in Ireland since the
Kinsale Head gas field
The Kinsale Head gas field is a depleted offshore natural gas field in the Celtic Sea, located off the southern coast of County Cork, Ireland. Discovered in 1971 near the Old Head of Kinsale, it met Ireland's gas needs until 1996. The gas fiel ...
was discovered in 1973.
The first appraisal well was drilled in 1997.
[
] A number of consents and approvals to develop the Corrib Project were issued in 2001.
[
In 2002, Enterprise Oil was acquired by ]Royal Dutch Shell
Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Yo ...
who took over the operatorship of the project. Development of the project began in 2004.
Worries about the nature of the Corrib deal prompted calls for an inquiry as early as 2001.
Controversy
There have been several concerns put forward about the project, ranging from public opposition to environmental and political groups raising concerns. The controversy has stemmed from many points:
*Local residents along the course of the proposed pipeline route felt they were not sufficiently consulted
*The location of the pipeline and its proximity to houses caused concern
*The transmission pressure and untreated nature of the gas in the pipeline
*The location of the onshore processing facility on former forestry land within the local water supply catchment area
*Jailing for civil contempt of protesters at the request of Shell
*Concerns about the impact on marine ecology
*Most people who live in County Mayo believe that the gas processing should be carried out at sea. Some are also concerned with irregularities in the policies and conduct regarding the project.
Planning problems
In November 2000, a planning application was submitted for an onshore terminal at Bellanaboy to Mayo County Council
Mayo County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Mhaigh Eo) is the authority responsible for local government in County Mayo, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and ...
(MCC). In January 2001 MCC sought more information after local concerns were raised. In April 2001, a new planning application was submitted, and in June 2001, the MCC sought more information which was supplied to them in July. In July, the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Frank Fahey hosted a public meeting on offshore licensing aspects of Corrib in Geesala, County Mayo. In August 2001, MCC granted planning permission for the onshore terminal, with conditions. This was immediately appealed to An Bord Pleanala by local residents and environmental groups.
The same month, Minister Fahey stated that the objectors were holding up progress in the region. The planning decision, according to a Channel Four
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service in ...
documentary, resulted from "huge pressure" that had been exerted on it. This decision was immediately appealed to An Bord Pleanála
(; meaning "The Planning Board"; ABP) is an independent, statutory, quasi-judicial body that decides on appeals from planning decisions made by local authorities in the Republic of Ireland. As of 2007, An Bord Pleanála directly decided major ...
(ABP) by local people and environmental groups. In 2002, planning permission for a proposed refinery in County Mayo was refused by the appeals board after Senior Planning Inspector Kevin Moore concluded that "From a strategic planning perspective, this is the wrong site; from the perspective of Government policy which seeks to foster balanced regional development, this is the wrong site; from the perspective of minimising environmental impact, this is the wrong site; and consequently, from the perspective of sustainable development, this is the wrong site"''.''
Then Minister for Marine and Natural Resources Frank Fahey told the media that this refusal was "just a hitch". He was backed by local Fine Gael
Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil ...
TD, now leader of that party, Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from ...
, but opposed by another local Fine Gael TD, Michael Ring
Michael Ring (born 24 December 1953) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Mayo constituency since 1997, and previously from 1994 to 1997 for the Mayo West constituency. He served as Minister for Rural and ...
.
In 2002 a Rossport resident failed in a High Court challenge to halt the pipeline.
In 2003, senior executives from Shell acquired an interview with then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and other Irish government
The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.
The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The gover ...
ministers. Within a week, Ahern met with the board of An Bord Pleanála, who are appointed by the government. In December 2003, a new planning application was made for the same site, together with a peat storage site some 11 km away. This was subject to an appeal to An Bord Pleanála who granted permission in October 2004, attaching 42 conditions.
The board decided to ignore many of its own inspector's recommendations. Not long before, a huge landslide swept away the whole surface area of a mountain close to the intended pipeline route. Planning permission was not required for the onshore pipeline under the Gas Act 1976.
In November 2009, An Bord Pleanála ordered Shell to redesign the pipeline and move its route away from homes because it posed an "unacceptable risk".
Opponents and supporters
The Shell to Sea campaign, which is campaigning to have the gas processed at sea rather than inland, began during the imprisonment of the Rossport Five
The Rossport Five ( ga, Cúigear Ros Dumhach) are Willie Corduff, brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath, Micheál Ó Seighin and James Brendan Philbin, from Kilcommon parish, Erris, County Mayo, Ireland. In 2005, they were jailed for civil contem ...
in 2005. It is an active group in the affected Kilcommon
Kilcommon ( ga, Cill Chomáin) is a civil parish in Erris, north Mayo consisting of two large peninsulas; Dún Chaocháin and Dún Chiortáin. It consists of 37 townlands, some of which are so remote that they have no inhabitants. Habitatio ...
parish. Shell to Sea also has many supporters outside of the immediately affected area from across County Mayo and the rest of Ireland, as well as abroad. Shell to Sea have a website that is updated frequently. They refuse to be participants in the North West Development Forum (known as the Corrib Gas Forum or known locally as the 'Funny Forum') at which government minister
A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, ...
s, Royal Dutch Shell
Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Yo ...
and Mayo County Council
Mayo County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Mhaigh Eo) is the authority responsible for local government in County Mayo, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and ...
hold occasional meetings, as the Forum refuses to consider the aspects of the project that people find most objectionable.
Pobal Chill Chomáin, a group of local residents who live in the affected area of Kilcommon parish and live on both sides of Sruwaddacon Bay
Sruwaddacon Bay () is a tidal estuary which runs through the middle of the Gaeltacht Kilcommon parish in Erris, County Mayo, Ireland. It is of historical importance in Irish legend, an important marine habitat, an E.U. Special Area of Conservatio ...
, also oppose the current plans for the project, due to concerns about the health, safety and environmental impact of the onshore aspects of the scheme and cite Shell's record in similar projects. They also refuse to participate in the North West Development Forum.
Pobal Le Chéile is a local alliance of small and medium-sized local business people mainly from the Erris region who also oppose the current plans for the project. Unlike other local business people, they have refused to take money or gifts from Shell. They work closely with Pobal Chill Chomáin and have also refused to participate in the Forum.
The Pro Gas Mayo Group (PGMG) was a small pressure group based in County Mayo and successor to the Pro Erris Gas Group. It considered the Shell to Sea campaign to be threatening employment in Mayo. It had three known members, Pádraig Cosgrove (from Bangor Erris
Bangor Erris () is a town in Kiltane parish in Erris, County Mayo, Ireland with a population of over 300. It is on the banks of the Owenmore River and is a "gateway" to the Erris Peninsula linking Belmullet with Ballina and Westport. It is ...
), Harry Walsh (from Kilmaine, some 100 miles from the affected area), a former non-party councillor on Mayo County Council, and Brendan Cafferty from Ballina (a former Garda). None of its known members reside in the affected community of Kilcommon Parish.
A poll conducted throughout the county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
by TNS/MRBI on behalf of RTÉ's Nuacht in September 2006 showed that 60% of respondents agreed the gas processing terminal should be located offshore, with 23% supporting Shell and the government's decision to build inland. The offshore alternative had strongest support amongst those aged under 49 years, and those residing in Castlebar
Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. W ...
/Ballinrobe
Ballinrobe () is a town in County Mayo in Ireland. It is located on the River Robe, which empties into Lough Mask two kilometres to the west. As of the 2016 census, the population was 2,786.
History Foundation and development
Ballinrobe is c ...
/Claremorris
Claremorris (; ) is a town in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, at the junction of the N17 and the N60 national routes. It is the fastest growing town in the county. There was a 31% increase in the town's population between 2006 and 2011 an ...
and Westport/Belmullet
Belmullet (, IPA: bʲeːlənˠˈwʊɾˠhəd̪ˠ is a coastal Gaeltacht town with a population of 1,019 on the Mullet Peninsula in the barony of Erris, County Mayo, Ireland. It is the commercial and cultural heart of the barony of Erris, wh ...
areas.
Many environmental activists criticised the Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
for joining Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christia ...
in coalition after the 2007 general election, as the terms of the programme for government did not include a reversal or renegotiation of the proposed gas pipeline and refinery. Before being appointed as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan
Eamon Michael Ryan (born 28 July 1963) is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport since June 2020 and Leader of the Green Party since May 2011. He ha ...
publicly supported the aims of the Shell to Sea campaign and the Rossport Five, and also attended their protests. The Green Party was also criticised for failing to launch an independent review of the decision, as stipulated by the party in a motion passed at their annual convention in 2007. The motion, passed at the February 2007 annual conference in Galway, said that "...the Green Party in government will not approve a production pipeline consent being signed as part of the Corrib gas project until the completion of a full independent review of the best development concept for the concept."
Opposition (1998–2004)
In 1998 there were complaints from unions about the failure to employ Irish workers on the exploration rig SEDCO 711. Enterprise Oil contended that union wage rates offshore Ireland were two to three times higher than in the North Sea. The budget was £20 million for 2008 cumulatively £50 million.
A spokesman said "Everybody is on tight budgets and we have got to do it cost effectively. Just because there is a big job doesn't mean there is slush to be thrown around for good social causes".
Mike Cunningham, a gas and oil consultant based in Castlebar, said "It is now time for the companies to acknowledge that they have an ethical and moral duty not only to our local regulatory bodies but to the ordinary people of this region to come here and publicly debate all issues relating to their current and future exploration activities off our coastline".
Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources Frank Fahey warned that apart from the construction stages very few jobs would be created.
Sub-sea technology was to be used to bring the gas (which lies forty miles off the Mayo coast) to land, in contrast to the more commonly used production platforms. Strong objections were raised to the building of a gas refinery from the residents of Ballinaboy and Lenamore. The villagers said all sixteen of their households in the remote villages are within 1 km of the proposed refinery and that some houses are as close as 360 metres.
In 2001 Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from ...
TD, speaking in the Dáil, raised the concerns of the Erris Inshore Fishermen's Association about the effect of the discharge pipe from the terminal at Ballinaboy.
In 2003 an offshore terminal was mooted as a solution to the Corrib gas planning crux.
Protests (2005–2008)
In January Shell sent registered letters to a number of land owners, who were denying the company access to their land, that they would take court action against them.
Following the granting of planning permission, local people started blockading the terminal site and compounds set up for pipeline construction. On 4 April 2005 Shell obtained a high court order restraining protesters from restricting access to its Rossport compound. In the week of 20 June it obtained a temporary injunction. On 29 June Shell sought a committal order against five people for breach of the temporary injunction. This led to the imprisonment of the five men who became known as the Rossport Five
The Rossport Five ( ga, Cúigear Ros Dumhach) are Willie Corduff, brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath, Micheál Ó Seighin and James Brendan Philbin, from Kilcommon parish, Erris, County Mayo, Ireland. In 2005, they were jailed for civil contem ...
,. An Independent TD (member of Irish Parliament), Jerry Cowley liaised regularly with members of the Rossport Five while they were in jail. It is important, as a matter of historical record, that the Shell to Sea campaign did not arise following the jailing of the 5 men; the name Shell to Sea was adopted in January 2005 and therefore precedes the jailing later in that year. Shell to Sea, together with the Solidarity Camp, formed the backbone of resistance to and raising awareness of what was happening in north Mayo.A 300 km 'Long Walk' from Rossport, Co Mayo to Dublin took place in August 2006 to highlight opposition to the project. It took 12 days.
Integrated Risk Management Services
Integrated Risk Management Services (I-RMS) is the trading name of a private security company Business Mobile Security Services Ltd based in Naas, Ireland. It is a member of the Senaca Group. I-RMS are licensed by the Private Security Authority, ...
(I-RMS), a security firm employed by Shell, began working in Glengad
Glengad () is a Gaeltacht village in the parish of Kilcommon in northwest County Mayo, Ireland. It is also known as Dooncarton (), a name which comes from an Iron Age tribal chieftain called Ciortan, a character who appears in the Ulster Cycle l ...
in the summer of 2008. Security men caused controversy when local journalists reported on them filming children swimming near Shell's Glengad
Glengad () is a Gaeltacht village in the parish of Kilcommon in northwest County Mayo, Ireland. It is also known as Dooncarton (), a name which comes from an Iron Age tribal chieftain called Ciortan, a character who appears in the Ulster Cycle l ...
compound in the summer of 2008. Local parish priest Fr. Michael Nallen told media that the security men made his parishioners prisoners in their own area.
On 9 September 2008, Maura Harrington began a hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...
in protest at the arrival of the pipe-laying ship Solitaire into Broadhaven Bay, and stated she would refuse food until the vessel left Irish waters. She ended her protest on 19 September, after the ship was damaged and had to leave Ireland for repairs.
On the night of 15 September 2008, a suspect package consisting of a plastic bag containing a bottle of petrol, a clock and a can of paint was found outside the Dublin HQ of Shell.
Garda operation
After the Rossport Five were jailed for contempt of court in the summer of 2005 for refusing to allow Shell workers access to their lands, supporters illegally blockaded all project works around Kilcommon in protest. The recently formed Shell to Sea campaign took part in the campaign with the aim of having the gas refined offshore as is done in Kinsale Head gas field
The Kinsale Head gas field is a depleted offshore natural gas field in the Celtic Sea, located off the southern coast of County Cork, Ireland. Discovered in 1971 near the Old Head of Kinsale, it met Ireland's gas needs until 1996. The gas fiel ...
, although Shell state there are numerous technical and economic reasons why it should be processed onshore. These blockades were maintained until October 2006, when 170 Gardaí used force to remove protesters blockading the sites.
Previous to this, the Gardaí had not interfered with the blockades, which stayed in place for fifteen months. The decision to use physical force to break the blockades made national TV news in Ireland. Some Gardaí and protesters were hospitalised, and many protesters claimed the police used excessive force. Gardaí were also accused of operating a "no-arrest policy" to circumvent the judicial process (this was based on comments made by Superintendent
Superintendent may refer to:
*Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank
*Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator
*Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...
Joe Gannon
Joe Gannon is a Philadelphia native, recording producer, director, musical stage lighting and production designer. Gannon's career began as road manager for the Kingston Trio in the band's early days of its greatest success. He later operated and ...
in an interview in ''Garda Review'', in which he stated: "There were no arrests. That was part of our strategy; we did not want to facilitate anyone down there with a route to martyrdom.")
The Garda operation succeeded in its goal of breaking the blockades preventing work on the refinery site at Bellanaboy. Work there has continued (with brief pauses occasioned by site occupations and lock-ons) since. At times, hundreds of Gardaí have been deployed to facilitate the project. There have been many reports of intimidation of local people by Gardaí and Shell security. Allegations of intimidation by Shell to Sea supporters of Shell workers have also been made.
Glengad
In July 2008, preparatory work for the raw gas pipeline began in Glengad. Under Gilligan's superintendency over forty arrests were made in the summer of 2008. The Irish Navy
The Naval Service ( ga, An tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh) is the maritime component of the Defence Forces of Ireland and is one of the three branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its base is in Haulbowline, County Cork.
Though preceded by earlier m ...
were brought in to provide assistance in dealing with possible protests on water. Local businessman and fisherman Pat O'Donnell accused the Gardaí of selective policing, alleging that they made no answer to call for assistance in defending his private property, in the form of crab pot
Crab traps are used to bait, lure, and catch crabs for commercial or recreational use. Crabbing or crab fishing is the recreational hobby and commercial occupation of fishing for crabs. Different types of traps are used depending on the type o ...
s that were in the path of the pipe laying vessel, Solitaire. Gardaí arrested O'Donnell and his son twice in a 24-hour period from the sea on public order charges, but desisted when their solicitor requested they charge their clients or stop arresting them.
The Garda Water Unit were used to manage the actions of water-based protesters who sought to disrupt the Shell works. Shell's survey boats in Srahwuddacon Bay in Erris
Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland consisting of over , much of which is mountainous blanket bog. It has extensive sea coasts along its west and north boundaries. The main towns are Belmullet and Bangor Erris. The name ...
were accompanied at all times by several Gardaí in their own boat, when surveying feasible routes for the gas pipeline. In August and September 2008, members of the unit entered the sea to wrestle with Shell to Sea protesters near the Shell compound of Glengad beach.
By September 2008, the cost of the operation was €10 million and is estimated to have cost €13.5 million by the end of January 2009.
Pobal Chill Chomáin
Pobal Chill Chomáin (PCC, English: ''People of Kilcommon'') is a pressure group based in the parish of Kilcommon in County Mayo, Ireland. It split from the larger Shell to Sea (in existence since 2001 as a campaign with no name; the name Shell ...
have also complained of Garda surveillance.
Involvement of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) is an independent statutory body in Ireland charged with overseeing the Garda Síochána, the national police force. It is a three-member body established under the Garda Síochána Act, 2005 to de ...
(GSOC) has recommended that disciplinary action be taken against an unnamed senior member of the Garda Síochána in relation to the handling of the protest. The GSOC investigation was undertaken under section 95 of the Garda Síochána Act, 2005, after receipt of complaints over Garda handling of a protest at Pollathomas pier in June 2007. Some 20 civilians and two gardaí were injured when a landowner objected to trespass on his property by contractors for Shell EP Ireland. The GSOC initially asked the Minister for Justice whether it could investigate the complaints under section 106 of the Garda Síochána Act. This was turned down by the Minister. Some 68 gardaí were contacted by the GSOC – a move criticised by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors.
Rape tape (2011)
In April 2011, a senior Garda officer was appointed to investigate the treatment of two women who were arrested during protests. Gardaí were recorded on a video camera they had earlier confiscated joking about threatening to deport and rape one of the women.
Opposition (2009–2010)
In April 2009, protesters removed sections of a fence they asserted were erected illegally. On 23 April, Willie Corduff
Willie Corduff (born 1953) is an Irish people, Irish environmental activist from the farming community of Rossport, Kilcommon, Erris. Corduff's parents first arrived in Rossport in 1947, and reclaimed a farm by hand out of bogland. He became a ...
, a Pobal Chill Chomáin
Pobal Chill Chomáin (PCC, English: ''People of Kilcommon'') is a pressure group based in the parish of Kilcommon in County Mayo, Ireland. It split from the larger Shell to Sea (in existence since 2001 as a campaign with no name; the name Shell ...
member, was hospitalised in the early hours of the morning after an alleged assault by masked people during a protest at the Glengad Shell works. I-RMS later confirmed that employees had intended to remove Corduff, but found him standing up, and had him taken away by ambulance when he complained of chest pains. The recent Frontline
Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield.
Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to:
Books and publications
* ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant
* ''Frontlines ...
report has found that the assault on Willie Corduff needs to be reinvestigated by Gardaí from outside of County Mayo as I-RMS claims are not corroborated by ambulance and hospital records which verify that his injuries are consistent with having been physically assaulted. Two films have been made in the locality: ''Pipe Down'', which won the Best Feature Documentary at the Waterford Film Festival (2009) and ''The Pipe'', which was released on 8 July 2010 at the Galway Film Festival film and winner at the Waterford Film Festival (2010).
In an effort to try and resolve the issues, the OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate e ...
is to host talks between Pobal Chill Chomáin and Shell Ireland
Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Yo ...
, following a complaint from Pobal Chill Chomáin that the project violates OECD guidelines for multinational companies.
Following a prolonged oral hearing in the Broadhaven Bay
Broadhaven Bay ( ga, Cnocán na Líne) is a natural bay of the Atlantic Ocean on the northwestern coast of County Mayo, Ireland. The opening of the bay faces northward, stretching 8.6 km between Erris Head in the west and Kid Island/Oileá ...
Hotel in Belmullet
Belmullet (, IPA: bʲeːlənˠˈwʊɾˠhəd̪ˠ is a coastal Gaeltacht town with a population of 1,019 on the Mullet Peninsula in the barony of Erris, County Mayo, Ireland. It is the commercial and cultural heart of the barony of Erris, wh ...
in May and June 2009 chaired by An Bord Pleanala many discrepancies were uncovered in Shell & partners' plans for Kilcommon parish and their plans were rejected once again by the Board chairman. They were told to devise a new plan to be submitted by October 2009 and after several extensions of time, RPS Group
RPS Group plc () is a global professional services firm of consultants and service providers, headquartered in Abingdon-on-Thames, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and it became a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index on 11 Novembe ...
on behalf of the Corrib Gas partners, eventually submitted a new Environmental Impact Statement to the Planning Board on 31 May 2010, a plan which this time, envisages laying the Corrib gas pipeline buried under the length of Sruwaddacon Bay. On 30 June 2010 the Corrib gas project
The Corrib gas project ( ga, Tionscanamh Ghás Aiceanta na Coiribe) is a developed natural gas deposit located in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately off the northwest coast of County Mayo, Ireland. The project includes a natural gas pipeline and ...
placed three separate planning notices for the project in national and local newspapers giving one month in which submissions can be entered. They also incorporated Glengad into their latest planning application, which was omitted from previous applications. Their maps of the proposed Corrib Gas pipeline also omit most of this well populated townland in which Shell intends to place some of its most contentious components. It is expected that another oral hearing will then be held to discuss this variation in early autumn.
The Corrib Gas partners commenced the boring of 80 boreholes in Sruwaddacon Bay in 2010 to see what the substrate underlying Sruwaddacon Bay is like.
Operation (2015 and beyond)
Gas production at the project began in December 2015.
In 2018, Shell exited the project, selling its ownership stake to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and transferring operatorship to minority owner Vermilion Energy.
As of 2021 the scope of Shell to Sea in relation to the project has shifted to financial and tax issues. The Irish government has no state shareholding in the gas field and the project has been termed "The Great Gas Giveaway" by Shell to Sea, with activists Andy Storey and Michael McCaughan stating:
The various environmental groups involved in the protests continue to agitate for related issues, such as the death of Shell workers in developing countries, the banning of imported fracked-gas into Ireland as well as highlighting funding from "Big Oil
Big Oil is a name used to describe the world's six or seven largest publicly traded and investor-owned oil and gas companies, also known as supermajors. The term, particularly in the United States, emphasizes their economic power and influence ...
" to corrupt and abusive governments worldwide.
Book
Transworld Ireland published ''Once Upon a Time in the West – The Corrib Gas Controversy'' by ''The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' journalist Lorna Siggins in October 2010. Jon Michael Riley's novel ''Dream the Dawn'' (2014) is a fictionalized version of the protest as seen by an American photographer.
References
Sources
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Citations
External links
Trailer for ''The Pipe'' released 8 July 2010 – Galway Film Festival
Pipe Down
prize winning documentary from Ireland (Vimeo, Flash 10)
Centre For Public Inquiry's review of events surrounding the Corrib gas project
Technical details of the Corrib project from Shell's offshore-technology.com
Technical details of proposed pipeline from Accufacts Inc.
Mayo Gas Info
Corrib Gas News and Analysis
Shell To Sea Campaign
"Bitter dispute over gas pipeline"
— BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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