This article is from page 6 of the 2007-09-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
yes- terday, a member of The Clare Shell
to Sea organisation expressed his fears that big business, rather than the people of Ireland, will benefit from the find.
“In terms of European Union laws of sustainability, there are three main needs that must be addressed before any development can be con- sidered ‘sustainable’ — these are social, environmental and econom- ic,’ said Niall Harnett of Clare Shell to Sea.
“While attempts are being made by the department, under legal obliga- tion, to consider environmental mat- ters related to any such exploration, it should be a real source of concern to the people of Ireland, including all the communities along the At- lantic coast, that no public meetings are taking place and no consultation is being offered to them on the one matter that threatens the social and economic stability of this country, in terms of oil and gas — that our oil
and gas has been given away by Gov- ernment and remains the property of licensed industrialists to exploit, where no stake exists for the people of Ireland.
“Normally, when a country invites the oil and gas companies to process their reserves for them, it’s a 50/50 deal. In Ireland, it’s a 100/0 split. Bil- lions for them and none for us. If we want any of it, we must buy it back at market rate. When were we ever Loy eTTUN kere Mreloreletmns etl mam
Meanwhile, this Wednesday, Sep- tember 26, Rossport native John Monaghan will be in Glor to present a short documentary on the Shell to Sea campaign in County Mayo.
This will be followed by a second documentary, this one concerning the Hill of Tara and the campaign to reroute the M3. Experts believe they may have discovered bones belong- ing to members of Fionn Mac Cum- haill’s Fianna. Both events are free.