Demonstrators manning blockades at Foynes Port on Thursday were resolute in their determination to stay put, even in the face of threats that the Defence Forces would be deployed to remove them. At least a dozen parked tractors and lorries barricaded both entrances in the village of Foynes to the fuel depot. The mood was tense but determined, and by 3pm the numbers of demonstrators gathered had more than tripled. As the day wore on and the rain lashed down, demonstrators gathered in vans or took shelter in the shadows of parked tractors and lorries. The Defence Forces don't want to do anything because they know what we are doing: We're respectful, we're a peaceful protest."

Source: Irish Examiner April 09, 2026 21:43 UTC