Dublin Airport issues travel guidance as Irish fuel protests continue

1 hour ago 1

6 minutes ago

Adam MandevilleBBC News NI

PA Media A very busy main road. There is a traffic jam on the road going in the direction toward the camera. On the side of the road going away from the camera, traffic is minimal. People can be seen walking on the heavy traffic side with suit cases.

A protester has said they are willing to "close the country" to get fuel costs down in the Republic of Ireland.

Kildare farmer John Dallon said the protests, which have come in response to high fuel prices caused by the US and Israeli war against Iran, could continue for "weeks".

Travel across parts of the Republic of Ireland has been affected for the fourth day in a row on Friday as vehicles, including tractors, block roads.

Dublin Airport passengers are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys a day after people were seen walking with their luggage along a motorway amid ongoing road blocks due to fuel protests.

Dallon, one of the leaders of the protest, told Irish broadcaster RTÉ he believed the protest "could continue on".

"Maybe for another week, maybe two weeks. If it takes a month, we are prepared to sit here."

As well as blocking roads, protesters are in place at fuel terminals in Foynes in County Limerick, as well as at Galway Port and a blockade continues at the Whitegate Oil Refinery in east Cork. There is a garda presence there.

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke told RTÉ he was not aware of any garda (Irish police) enforcement against fuel price protesters to date.

PA Media A man looks at the camera. He has a serious look on his face. He is wearing a blue and white shirt and a dark-blue gilet jacket. Behind him are two green tractors parked in an urban area.

Gardaí said on Friday that they "continue to engage extensively" with protesters.

The Irish Health Service Executive called for all approaches to medical facilities to be kept clear for people to access treatment.

Irish Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon and Minister of State Timmy Dooley will meet representative bodies on Friday.

A road with trees in the background. The skies are grey. On the right is a row of cars, which appear to be at a standstill. There are two tractors and a lorry-cab parked blocking the road. Several people are stood around one of the cars.

Minister for Defence Helen McEntee said the government will meet about seven representative bodies on Friday, and it is her understanding these groups are the same bodies the government has met in recent weeks.

The Irish Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan, said there would be "legal consequences" for some protests.

"It might not arise today or tomorrow but people have licences to drive vehicles, those licences will be affected."

Fuels for Ireland said that 100 garage forecourts had run out of fuel, mainly in Munster and the west of Ireland.

Its chief executive, Kevin McPartlin, told RTÉ that the number could be five times that by Friday night, adding that 50% of the country's new supply was being kept behind barricade lines.

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by

. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read

and

before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. X content may contain adverts.

What have protesters said?

A woman with brown hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a grey jumper and a dark-blue gilet-jacket. Behind her is a busy urban street.

Katie Cooney travelled to the Dublin protests from County Cavan and said the price of diesel if "unreal" and if there are no farms there is "no future".

"Farms were impacted two weeks ago," she said. "It was €550, now it's up to €800 for fertiliser. Farms and contractors need support.

"I'm a student. My commute to college is going to cost 80-100 euro a week."

He added that he wants the Irish government to stop taxing fuel.

Mark Hegarty helped organise a large protest in Bridgend, County Donegal on Thursday evening, where he said "hundreds and hundreds of lorries, tractors, vans and cars" blocked the road.

The slow-moving convoy was on the road for more than four hours, but Hegarty said that instead of holding the protest during rush hour, it started at 19:00 local time to minimise disruption.

Several tractors parked on a city street. Behind them is a white bus. On the right is the bottom of a statue.

Which roads are affected?

The M50 northbound is closed at the M1/M50 interchange, with the motorway also closed southbound at the same interchange and as far as Junction 4 - Ballymun.

The M8 is closed in the southbound direction at Junction 10 - Cahir at the N24 slip.

The M18/N18 southbound is closed at Junction 14 - Barefield at the R458 slip.

The M9 is closed in the northbound direction at Junction 9 - Kilkenny and is also closed northbound between Junction 4 - Castledermot and Junction 3 - Athy

Transport Infrastructure Ireland has said road closures are "currently impacting Counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Laois, Offaly, Kildare, Galway, Cork, and Dublin".

Why are the protests taking place?

Brian Lawless/PA Wire A cyclist wearing an orange helmet is between two tractors. A sign says, can't afford to move. They're on a street.

The conflict in the Middle East has caused rapid price rises for both petrol and diesel.

Diesel in the Republic of Ireland has risen from about €1.70 (£1.48) a litre to €2.17 (£1.89) on many forecourts in recent weeks and petrol is now up to 25 cents more per litre at many pumps.

What do the protestors want?

On Tuesday, truck driver Sonny Boyd said the protests were in response to the "crazy" cost of fuel.

"We need it capped," he said. "We need carbon tax to be gone. We just need the government to step in and help us because we can't do this any longer."

Meanwhile, John Dallon said on Tuesday that protesters were seeking a price cap for the diesel.

Read Entire Article