February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
After months of campaigning, their supporters jubilantly welcomed a High Court decision, which allowed the five to return home to their families. The men had protested against plans by energy giant Shell to construct the Corrib gas pipe-line that would run close to their homes.
They had refused to comply with an injunction that prevented them from interfering in construction work on the pipeline.
The High Court decision only followed the intervention of Minister for Natural Resources Noel Dempsey who said he would appoint a mediator between the two sides last Wednesday. The following day Shell E&P Ireland requested the lifting of a temporary injunction against the men.
It is understood that the incoming Norwegian government, which owns 71 per cent share in Statoil — a minority shareholder in the Corrib project, applied pressure on the company to reach a resolution.
The five had previously refused to purge their contempt in court, thus ensuring that they would remain behind bars. The court ruling enabled Brendan Philbin, Willie Corduff, Micheal O Seighin and brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath to return home without going through the process.
In a statement released last week the five said: “We the Rossport five would like to thank our neighbours, friends and fellow Irish citizens for the loving support we and our families have received during these 94 traumatic days. In addition we would like to thank the incoming Norwegian government for their respect, support and assistance.
“We remind Shell and their Irish government partner that imprisonments have historically and will always fail as a method to secure the agreement of Irish people,” said the statement.
A protest was held outside the Dail on Saturday.
The men have agreed to take part in mediation with the company though they have said they will not be cooperating with Dempsey’s pipeline safety review.
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