Clare Shell to Sea Public Meeting

clare | rights, freedoms and repression | event notice Monday September 12, 2005 00:12 by Niall Harnett - Clare Shell to Sea / Rossport Solidarity Camp / Gluaiseacht clare at shelltosea dot com 086 8444966

8pm, Thursday 22nd Sept, Upstairs, Brandons Pub, O’Connell St, Ennis, Co Clare.

Speakers include:
Bríd Ní Sheighin: daughter of prisoner no 35992, Michéal Ó Seighin.
Sr Majella McCarron: Ogoni Solidarity Ireland, friend to Ken Saro-Wiwa who, in 1995, was framed for murder and hung with 8 others by the Shell/Nigerian Military Dictatorship.
Niall Harnett: Clare Shell to Sea / Rossport Solidarity Camp / Gluaiseacht

- Giving the Rossport Bogoni and Nigerian Ogoni a voice in Co Clare.
- Promoting and supporting the Dublin Shell to Sea Rally on Oct 1st, plan for organising buses from Clare to Dublin for rally. It's gonna be a biggie.
- Updating and informing people about the national campaign, State corruption and the danger of the Corrib gas project.
- Highlighting the fact that 5 innocent men will have been in prison for over 80 days at that stage and the campaign continues to work to vindicate them and to put Shell to Sea.
- Seeking fresh support from the people of Clare.
- Working on ideas for improving the campaign and organise together for the future.

The people of Rossport, Erris, Co Mayo are calling for support from the people of Clare and all Ireland in their fight against Shell and the Irish Government who are attempting to force an extremely dangerous onshore pipeline through their lands and against their wishes, along the beautiful coast of remote North West Mayo. Oil and gas giant Shell International, the main player, are poised to transform this remote conservation area of outstanding natural beauty into an environmental disaster zone with serious public health and safety implications.

The massive Corrib gas field was once a huge asset to this country in terms of natural resources. But not any more it's not. What was once 100% ours is now the sole property of 3 oil companies: Shell (45%), Statoil (36.5%) and Marathon (18.5%). Because of an extraordinary deal done by Ray Burke, convicted and sent to prison for corruption, as Minister for Energy in the 1980s, which gave away the rights to this gas to private multinationals, Shell can exploit our natural resource without paying a cent in royalties to the State.

To add insult to injury, a dangerous and unprecedented high pressure pipeline is proposed along 9km of the Erris coast through the fields of local farmers who, because of health and safety concerns, are defending their lands at this moment and refusing entry to Shell workers into their fields. Shell with the cooperation of the Irish Government, the Courts and the Judicial System are attempting to bully the local people off their land, ignoring their rights and wishes, and having little regard for safety regulations, planning law and environmental concerns.

Local people are saying NO and are fighting for their lives. Five men: Philip Mc Grath, Willie Corduff, Michéal Ó Seighin, Vincent McGrath and Brendan Philbin have been imprisoned by the high court at the behest of a foreign private company, Shell, and our Government is doing nothing to vindicate them. In response the Shell to Sea campaign is working to, and will realise the 5 demands of the Rossport 5 and the people of Erris, which are:

- Vindicate the imprisoned Rossport 5 and expunge their criminalisation by Shell.
- Cease all Corrib Gas Project operations in Erris, both onshore and offshore, pending the full hearing of issues.
- Clean the gas and hydrocarbons at sea, in a shallow steel water jacket platform,
as recommended by Mr. Kevin Moran senior inspector with An Bord Planala.
- Stop all illegal development in Rossport.
- Renegotiate the overall deal on favour of the Irish people.