Daily Ireland: Shell issue ‘has its roots in shady era’: Sun 12 Feb 2006 03:29 AM EST

by David Lynch

11/02/2006

The row between Shell Ireland and the Rossport Five over the controversial Corrib gas pipeline is a “brutal battle” where there will only be one winner, according to broadcaster Eamonn Dunphy. Mr Dunphy told an audience in Trinity College that he believed the roots of the Corrib pipeline controversy lie in the ‘shady corrupt era’ of former governments.

Mr Dunphy was speaking at a public interview on Thursday evening with Micheal O’ Seighin of the Rossport Five, organised by Shell to Sea Dublin campaign: “This is a hugely important case that made a lot of headlines last year, but the media tends to come and go from stories and not follow them until the end,” said Mr Dunphy.

“It has to be said that governments and multi-nationals do not like publicity. In this case, it is a major scandal that has its roots, in my opinion, in the Charlie Haughey, Ray Burke era of corruption in this country.

“And this story has its roots in that shady corrupt era when these boys were creaming it for themselves. The situation is now that the Irish people will have to buy back our own gas, our own resources at the market rate.”

Mr O’ Seighin told the event that the people of his community would not benefit from the development of a pipeline.
“There is nothing in it for our community at all,” he said.

Mr O’Seighin is back in the High Court on Monday along with the other members of the Rospport Five.

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