Willie Corduff
Encyclopedia
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
environmental
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
activist from the farming community of Rossport
Rossport
Ros Dumhach is a Gaeltacht village and townland in northwest County Mayo, Ireland. It is within the barony of Erris and parish of Kilcommon...
, parish of Kilcommon
Kilcommon
Kilcommon is a civil parish in Erris, north Mayo consisting of two large peninsulas; Dún Chaocháin and Dún Chiortáin. It consists of 37 townlands, some of which are so remote that they have no inhabitants...
, Erris
Erris
Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland consisting of over , much of which is mountainous blanket bog. It has extensive sea coasts along its west and north boundaries. The main towns are Belmullet and Bangor Erris. The name Erris derives from the Irish 'Iar Ros' meaning 'western...
. Corduff's parents first arrived in Rossport in 1947, and reclaimed a farm by hand out of bogland. He became a campaigner against Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
s' activities in his local area. He is married to Mary and they have six children and four grandchildren.
Beginning of activism
His farming existence changed with the discovery of gasCorrib gas controversy
The Corrib gas controversy concerns plans by Shell E&P Ireland, Statoil Exploration Limited, Vermilion Energy Trust and the Irish government for processing the Corrib gas field through Broadhaven Bay and Sruth Fada Conn Bay in Kilcommon parish, Erris, County Mayo, and objections raised against...
eighty three kilometres offshore to the west of Broadhaven Bay
Broadhaven Bay
Broadhaven Bay is a natural bay of the Atlantic Ocean situated on the northwestern coast of County Mayo, Ireland. The opening of the bay faces northward, stretching between Erris Head on the west side and Kid Island on the east side with approximately 8.6 km between the two sides.It borders...
. In 2000 he discovered the exploitation of the gas involved the construction of a high pressure pipeline, 70 metres from their house, to a new refinery to be built in Bellanboy townland, just across the bay from his farm. He was also concerned about the proposed refinery site, its suitability and its proximity to the primary source of water for the region. His concerns were echoed by other locals who demanded participation in the process.
Willie's father campaigned against the introduction of electricity to selected areas of the country as part of the Marshall aid after World War 2 as it was proposed to bring electricity to the towns only and leave those on rural farms and areas outside of the towns without any supply.
Rossport Five
In 2004 Frank FaheyFrank Fahey
Frank Fahey is a property developer and former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Galway West constituency.-Life before politics:...
, then Minister for the Marine & Natural Resources signed a Compulsory Acquisition Order to force the raw gas pipeline through his land. Landowner Willie Corduff said that "allowing Shell to construct a pipeline would be the same as having a time-bomb in the vicinity". Corduff refused Shell access to his land and was subsequently jailed for 94 days in 2005 as one of the Rossport Five
Rossport Five
The Rossport Five are James Brendan Philbin, brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath, Willie Corduff and Micheál Ó Seighin. All five are from Kilcommon parish, Erris, County Mayo, Ireland and were jailed on 29 June 2005 by Justice Finnegan, President of the High Court of the Republic of Ireland, for...
for defying a court order not to interfere with Shell's work. In 2006 he said he was "prepared to die" rather than see the pipeline cross his land.
Shell to Sea
He is one of the founding members of the Shell to SeaShell to Sea
Shell to Sea is a campaign based in Cill Chomáin parish, Erris, County Mayo, Ireland which opposes the proposed construction of a natural gas pipeline through the parish and the ongoing construction by Royal Dutch Shell, Statoil and Vermilion Energy Trust of a refinery at Bellanaboy intended to...
campaign group which was set up in the aftermath of the campaign to free the Rossport Five and to oppose the pipeline and refinery. Its aim is to have the gas processed at sea. He has actively campaigned with them and has been arrested on numerous occasions.
Pobal Chill Chomáin
He is also a founding member of Pobal Chill ChomáinPobal Chill Chomáin
Pobal Chill Chomáin is a pressure group based in the parish of Kilcommon, Erris County Mayo, Ireland. It emerged from the larger Shell to Sea campaign in April 2008...
, a local pressure group of residents in the parish of Kilcommon
Kilcommon
Kilcommon is a civil parish in Erris, north Mayo consisting of two large peninsulas; Dún Chaocháin and Dún Chiortáin. It consists of 37 townlands, some of which are so remote that they have no inhabitants...
seeking rerouting of the pipeline and location of the refinery. In June 2009 PCC members Vincent McGrath with Willie and Mary Corduff had a meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador to discuss local concerns about the project.
Goldman Environmental Prize
He was awarded the European winner of the Goldman Environmental PrizeGoldman Environmental Prize
The Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists, one from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. The prize includes a no-strings-attached award of...
in 2007 for his part in the protest campaign, which led to a halt of the construction of a pipeline through their land by Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
. He is the first Irish recipient ever of this award which is known as the "Nobel green prize" and is awarded to six people from the six continental regions every year who have taken great personal risk in the name of environmental protection.
"This year’s Prize recipients have succeeded in combating some of the most important environmental challenges we face today," said Goldman Prize founder Richard N. Goldman. "Their commitment in the face of great personal risk inspires us all to think more critically about what ordinary people can do to make a difference."
Alleged assault 2009
In April 2009, Shell resumed laying the offshore section of the pipeline after its environmental management plan was approved by Minister for Energy Eamon RyanEamon Ryan
Eamon Ryan is an Irish politician and leader of the Irish Green Party. He was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South constituency from 2002 to 2011, and served as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 2007 to 2011....
. Mr Corduff and two others climbed under a lorry at midday on Wednesday April 22 in a bid to stop work at a Glengad
Glengad
Glengad is a small Gaeltacht village in the parish of Kilcommon in northwest County Mayo, Ireland. The townland is also known as Dooncarton , a name which comes from an Iron Age tribal chieftain called Ciortan, a character who appears in the Ulster Cycle legend of the Táin Bó Flidhais.The village...
compound. He remained there until 4am on April 23 when he took a break. Following this, he was allegedly assaulted by several balaclaved men, including being hit on the head with a baton or torch, by security men working at the site.
The Registrar of Mayo General Hospital confirmed Corduff's injuries were consistent with his account of the assault, and photos obtained by Village Magazine, taken while he was in hospital and in the days after his release, show bruising on his head, face and body. Jim Farrell, a director of I-RMS
Integrated Risk Management Services
Integrated Risk Management Services is the trading name of a private security company Business Mobile Security Services Ltd based in Naas, Ireland. I-RMS are licensed by the Private Security Authority, the statutory body responsible for licensing and regulation of the private security industry in...
, stated that he and his employees had intended to remove Corduff, but found him standing up, and had him taken away by ambulance when he complained of chest pains.
Nobel peace prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
winner, and patron of Afri
Afri (organisation)
Afri is a Dublin-based NGO that promotes human rights, peace, justice and environmentalism, especially in the Global South, with a focus on injustice caused by conflict. Its patron is Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It runs an annual hedge school at different places around Ireland, and an annual walk to...
, Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
condemned the alleged assault and called for a national and international investigation into it.
On 27 April, 2010, an independent report for the Frontline human rights organisation based in Dublin recommended that gardaí from outside Mayo carry out a new investigation into the alleged assault on Rossport farmer Willie Corduff.
The analysis by barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
Brian Barrington, who has extensive experience relating to policing and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, of a number of incidents relating to the Corrib gas dispute
Corrib gas controversy
The Corrib gas controversy concerns plans by Shell E&P Ireland, Statoil Exploration Limited, Vermilion Energy Trust and the Irish government for processing the Corrib gas field through Broadhaven Bay and Sruth Fada Conn Bay in Kilcommon parish, Erris, County Mayo, and objections raised against...
was critical of Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
, the Garda
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
, I-RMS
Integrated Risk Management Services
Integrated Risk Management Services is the trading name of a private security company Business Mobile Security Services Ltd based in Naas, Ireland. I-RMS are licensed by the Private Security Authority, the statutory body responsible for licensing and regulation of the private security industry in...
security employed by Shell, the Department of Energy and a minority of protesters. In his analysis of the alleged assault on Mr Corduff, Mr Barrington obtained hospital records which stated that Mr Corduff had “been kicked all over the body” and experienced loss of consciousness, headaches, nausea and vomiting. Mr Barrington sought the opinion of Dr John Good, who has worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross assessing asylum seekers who have made claims of assault or torture, on the medical reports. Dr. Good found that Mr Corduff’s injuries were “totally consistent with a history of assault”.
Featured in the media
Willie has featured in several recent documentaries; 'Pipe Down': Winner of the Best Feature Documentary, Waterford Film Festival and 'The Pipe' - Winner Best Feature Documentary Galway Film Festival (July) 2010.In October 2009 he and his wife were featured in an episode of Would you believe
Would You Believe (TV series)
Would You Believe is an Irish religious television series broadcast on RTÉ One. It currently airs on Sunday nights at 22:40. A new series of 12 films began airing on September 21, 2008.-Archive:- 2009 - 2010 :...
on RTÉ television
RTÉ Television
RTÉ Television is a department of Ireland's state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann.The first channel to broadcast was Telefís Éireann which began broadcasting on 31 December 1961...
in Ireland. The documentary was entitled Living on the Edge. As it is part of a religious Affairs series Willie revealed he stopped attending church when the Bishop and the local priest blessed the gas rig and became advocates for the gas project.
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission
He has made a complaint, regarding an alleged assault by a Garda in April 2009, to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman CommissionGarda Síochána Ombudsman Commission
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is an independent statutory body in Ireland charged with overseeing An Garda Síochána, the police force of the Republic of Ireland. It was established under the Garda Síochána Act, 2005. The Commission deals with complaints from members of the public about...
(GSOC).
Willie's wife Mary, who received treatment for injuries, was one of 14 people who were told in October 2007 their complaints were deemed admissible, to the GSOC, in relation to their treatment and alleged assault by Gardaí at a protest at Pollathomas pier in June 2007. The GSOC has recommended that disciplinary action be taken against a senior member of An Garda Síochána in relation to the handling of this.