Pobal Chill Chomáin
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Pobal Chill Chomáin (PCC, English: ''People of Kilcommon'') is a
pressure group Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...
based in the parish of
Kilcommon Kilcommon () is a civil parish in Erris, north County 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. Habitation is conc ...
in
County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...
, Ireland. It split from the larger
Shell to Sea Shell to Sea () 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 construction—by Royal Du ...
(in existence since 2001 as a campaign with no name; the name Shell to Sea being adopted in January 2005) campaign in April 2008. Vincent McGrath, one of the
Rossport Five The Rossport Five () 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 contempt of court after refusin ...
, is its chairman. After its members campaigned for many years against Shell Ireland and the
Irish government The Government of Ireland () is the executive authority of Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet – is composed of ministers, each of whom must be a member of the , which consists of ...
's actions during the Corrib gas controversy, PCC proposed that the refinery site be moved to Glinsk, a large uninhabited area a few miles to the east of the intended pipeline route and refinery. The proposal was publicly backed by Labour Party president
Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins (; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, broadcaster, and sociologist who has been serving as the president of Ireland since 2011. Entering national politics through the Labour Party, he served as a senator ...
,
Bishop of Killala The Bishop of Killala () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Killala in County Mayo, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bis ...
Dr. John Fleming, and local
Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, 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 Éireann. The party had a member ...
Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( ; ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...
Michael Ring Michael Ring (born 24 December 1953) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Mayo constituency from 1997 to 2024, and previously from 1994 to 1997 for the Mayo West constituency. He served as Minister ...
but rejected by Shell and the government. PCC submitted an application to the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
seeking an injunction suspending State consents for the Mayo gas project. The
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...
(OECD) deemed a PCC complaint about the three oil companies involved admissible (for breaching their guidelines for multinationals), and offered to mediate between the two sides. After the failure of a forum with a limited remit, Shell and the government agreed to talks without preconditions in March 2009. PCC members have reported being under surveillance by the
Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...
. In March 2009, PCC and S2S members removed a net erected by Shell sub-contractors Belcross from
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 ...
beach. The net was intended to prevent
sand martin The sand martin (''Riparia riparia''), also known as collared sand martin or common sand martin, and in the Americas as the bank swallow, is a migratory passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae. It has a wide range in summer, embracing ...
s nesting in the dunes by the beach. On 23 April 2009, Willie Corduff, a PCC member, was hospitalised in the early hours of the morning after an alleged assault by security staff during a protest at Shell works at
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 ...
. In June 2009, PCC members Vincent McGrath with Willie and Mary Corduff had a meeting with the Norwegian ambassador to discuss local concerns about the project. In an effort to resolve issues, the OECD hosted talks between Pobal Chill Chomáin and Shell EP Ireland, mainly centred on a complaint by Pobal Chill Chomáin that the project violates OECD guidelines for multinational companies. This found that Shell had shown a willingness to address health and safety concerns but that dialogue with local stakeholders during the early stages of the project failed to meet the ‘spirit’ of OECD guidelines. Pobal Chill Chomáin were disappointed with the outcome and believe that OECD representatives should have visited the area and contended that an investigation on the ground would have provided an opportunity "to value the statements on stakeholder consultation made and to assess the reliability of Peter Cassells’s findings regarding the views of the community in relation to the project". In the aftermath of the June 2012 magnitude 4 earthquake off the Mayo coast, PCC called on the
Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
to conduct an immediate independent safety evaluation of the Corrib gas project infrastructure.


References


External links


Final Statement of the Irish and Netherlands National Contact Points (NCPs) concerning the Corrib Gas project
30 July 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Pobal Chill Chomain Corrib gas controversy Erris Politics of County Mayo