Gardaí release three protesting fishermen

Three fishermen, arrested in Broadhaven Bay, Co Mayo yesterday have now been released without charge by gardaí.

The men were detained during a protest against the arrival of a pipe laying vessel, the Solitaire, to work on the Corrib Gas project.

The men were released before midnight and a file is being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Meanwhile a Shell-to-Sea activist, Maura Harrington, has begun a hunger strike to protest against the vessel's arrival.

The 54-year-old school teacher is demanding that the Solitaire leave Irish territorial waters.