Taoiseach ‘too busy’ to meet over Rossport Five
Mayo County Council requested a meeting with Mr Ahern last month to see what could be done for the so-called Rossport Five - James P Philbin, Philip and Vincent McGrath, Willie Corduff, and Micheál Ó Seighin - who have now entered their fifth week in Dublin’s Cloverhill Prison.
The Taoiseach’s secretary recently acknowledged receipt of the request, but said Mr Ahern was “too busy to meet them at this time”.
Mr Ahern has since gone on holidays.
Natural Resources Minister Noel Dempsey has ordered a safety review - the third such study - of the onshore element of Shell’s project. He has also ordered Shell to dismantle a 3km section of onshore pipeline which it had welded together without permission.
However, on Tuesday, to much local anger, he announced he was giving Shell consent to begin construction work on the 70km offshore section of the pipeline. Mr Dempsey said it would be subject to a strict “regime of inspection and monitoring”.
The Rossport Five were jailed for refusing to stop breaching a legal order preventing obstruction of construction work on the project. They will not be released until they purge their contempt of court. Shell has so far refused all demands to apply to lift its injunction against the men.
Meanwhile, up to 20 protestors staged a sit-in at the Castlebar offices of Mayo County Council yesterday after its chairman refused to call an emergency meeting on a matter related to the case.
At a council meeting last month a motion calling for Shell to process the Corrib gas offshore was overturned by council chairman Henry Kenny - brother of Fine Gael leader Enda.
When Mr Kenny refused to seek an emergency meeting of the council to revisit the matter, protestors began their sit-in.
It ended when protestors secured the signatures of five councillors, which is sufficient for an emergency meeting to be called.
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