Café owned by partner of blocked Foynes Port CEO delivered food to protesters

Post saying 'shame on the Irish Government' was accompanied by video of two women in a Delish van dropping 'hot tea and sammiches for these hardworking men of Ireland'

Shannon Foynes Port Company CEO Pat Keating. He is also a director of Seventeen Square Catering Ltd, which trades as Delish Cafés. File picture

A café owned by the partner of the CEO of the blocked Foynes Port wrote "shame on the government" as it posted about delivering food to protesters blocking motorways.

Pat Keating, the CEO of Shannon Foynes Port Company, is also a director of Seventeen Square Catering Ltd, which trades as Delish Cafés, alongside his partner Evelyn Raftery.

Delish has two cafés in Limerick, with branches in Raheen and Castletroy. The website notes that it was set up by Ms Raftery and a friend in April 2004.

A now-edited post on Delish Café’s Facebook page accused the Government of being “all take and no talk”.

“Shame on the Irish Government for failing to communicate and be respectful to these guys,” the post read.

These people are a voice for the small businesses, individual traders and the average squeezed Irish citizen.” 

It continued: “I wish them success and I truly hope that the Irish government listens and engages with them to help get a resolution for all.” 

The video shows two women driving a “Delish” van dropping “hot tea and sammiches for these hardworking men of Ireland”.

The song Eye of the Tiger plays in the background as the camera shows the workers dropping food to tractors and lorries parking on the road.

Directorship searches for Seventeen Square Catering Ltd shows the company has two directors. These are Evelyn Raftery and Patrick Vincent Keating, with an address listed in Kildimo, Co Limerick.

“Pat Keating”, with the same Kildimo address and date of birth, is listed as a company director for Shannon Foynes Port Company.

A spokesperson for Foynes Port did not respond to requests for comment.

Mr Keating has been CEO of Shannon Foynes Port Company since 2008. He previously worked as its Financial Controller.

Delish was contacted for comment last night.

The entrance of Foynes Port in Limerick has been blocked since Tuesday evening as part of ongoing fuel protests that have impacted the delivery of fuel into the country and led to some garage forecourts running out of petrol and diesel.

The Government has urged protesters to “step back from the brink” and remove their blockades from Foynes, Galway Harbour, and Whitegate Oil Refinery in Cork.

On Friday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin warned that Ireland was “on the precipice” of having to turn oil away from the country due to blockades.